Trekking poles, also known as hiking poles, provide a decided advantage with any distance and/or elevation trekking. If you’re walking a long distance with weight on your back, like in backpacking, you should consider adding trekking poles to your gear list. I was unsure whether trekking poles were for me, so I wanted to try them out without spending too much money. That’s how I discovered the Retrospec Solstice trekking poles, which turned out to be a great budget trekking pole option for my backpacking adventures.
Retrospec is a company that makes a wide variety of gear and equipment to get you outside. Bikes, skateboard, helmets, and on and on – Retrospec pumps out reasonable quality gear for reasonable prices. I first became aware of Retrospec from a friend who had one of their longboards. They were very pleased with the board. I have also bought Retrospec helmets for my kids as a safe and affordable option to protect their noggins. My point is, I was already aware of Retrospec’s quality and affordability and so figured they would be great for trying out trekking poles. While most brand name trekking poles will run close to or well over $100 for a pair, the Retrospec Solstice trekking poles go for a quarter of that. Serious savings! So the question remains – how do they hold up?
I grabbed my pair before a ~42 mile backpacking trip me and Chris took this past fall. I can’t say I didn’t have my concerns. The last thing I needed was to have the poles collapse while bearing my and my pack’s full weight – a fast way to an injury! But for the price and positive reviews on Amazon, I was willing to risk it with these budget trekking poles.
As far as trekking poles go, there’s nothing revolutionary with the design of the Retrospec Solstice poles. They come with either cork or foam grips, have wrist straps on them, collapse for adjustability, have carbide tips, and come with rubber feet and baskets for additional options. The poles themselves are made out of durable 6061 aluminum. They also come in a variety of colors.
Let me cut to the chase – these trekking poles held up for the whole 42 miles! Never once did the poles collapse. I had read reviews where people claimed the poles collapsed on the, but I think you have to be sure tighten the toggles to the right point before using. If the collapsing toggles are too loose, sure they’ll collapse. But I found that sweet spot that provided the necessary friction to last 42 mountainous miles with a 26 pound pack on my back. My point is that you should check the toggles’ tightness out of the box before you use these.
However, there were a couple things I experienced that I should make you aware of. I started off our trip using the rubber feet. Carbide tips on trails can contribute to erosion, and so rubber feet are recommended to minimize your impact to the trail when using trekking poles. Trying to be mindful of my impact, I intended to use the rubber feet. But not a mile or two into the trail and I realized that the carbide tip had stabbed right through one of the rubber feet. I had to remove the rubber feet and go the rest of the trip with carbide tips. If you intend to use the rubber feet, I would remove the carbide tips first. I plan to do so on our next outing, for which I will order replacement rubber feet.
The only other issue I experienced was with one of the wrist straps. The wrist straps are tightened with a rubber wedge that holds the strap in place. On one of the poles, the rubber wedge kept coming loose which required me to retighten the strap. This happened again and again throughout the trip and was definitely annoying. If you’re not aware, the straps on trekking poles help you get the leverage you need especially when going uphill. The constantly-loosening strap definitely was an annoyance throughout the trip.
Pros
- Affordable
- Durable
- Comes as a pair
- Great for beginners
Cons
- Carbide tips may break rubber feet
- Wrist strap comes loose
- Collapsing / expanding toggles may need to be tightened out of the box
Rating: 3.5 / 5
I’d summarize the Retrospec Solstice trekking poles by saying that they’re a great option for beginners to trekking poles who are exploring whether they want to use them. If you decide they’re not for you, you haven’t spent that much. I have successfully used these poles on a 42 mile mountainous backpacking trip. I have also successfully tested them with a tarp camping setup. They may not be perfect, but they will work. If you’re looking to thru hike or are already experienced with trekking poles, you may want to look at other options. But seriously – this pair of trekking poles can be bought multiple times before you approach the cost of some “top tier” poles. I decided that I like using trekking poles while backpacking and I plan to keep using the Retrospec Solstice poles until they break. I’ll update this review when they do,
What other budget trekking pole options have you tried? Please share your experiences with our readers. Thanks for reading!
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