Gear Review: Cnoc's USA Made Carbon Fiber Trekking Poles!

Cnoc Outdoors got its start in 2016 when Gilad Nachmani found himself with broken trekking poles near Cnoc na-Gareig in the Scottish Highlands.

Since that galvanizing moment, Cnoc has made a name for itself with its soft-sided Vecto Water Containers, which are widely used among lightweight backpackers because of their easy-to-use openings and compatibility with a variety of gravity filters.

Gilad is now bringing Cnoc full circle and back to its roots with its USA made trekking poles. Available with either a compressed cork or Eva foam grip, Cnoc’s trekking poles are sustainably made out of carbon fiber.

Specs:

• 28’’ fully collapsed, 62’’ max length
• Weight: 9.6 oz per pole
• FQL with TPE grip
• Materials:
• Grip: compressed cork or Eva foam
• Pole: carbon fiber
• Strap: polyester and microfiber
• Tips: carbide
• Price: $189.99

I took these on a moderate 7-mile hike in the Catskills.  The trail was a mixture of rocks, mud, stream crossings, and boulders.  After a few days of rain and one industrious beaver, there was a lot of water flowing through the Mt. Hayden area. 

These trekking poles made crossing over mud and water not just easy but fun. I felt really confident and secure having these as additional points of contact on unsteady ground. I ended up leaning heavily on these during mud/ stream crossings and up inclines made up entirely of boulders. 

For something so light, it didn’t seem like it could bear a lot of weight. But there were moments of my hike where I was leaning on them entirely with utter confidence.

Pros:

• Light and easy to set up
• Friction quick lock (FQL) is simple and easy to operate
• Internal thermoplastic elastomer (TPE) grip efficiently secures the carbon fiber tubes without feeling like you have to aggressively tighten it to hold
• Carbon fiber UL factor
• Doesn’t bend or vibrate like some aluminum poles
• Cork handles keep hands dry in excessively humid weather
• Comfortable hand straps (I prefer to put my hand into the straps leaving my thumb out vs. putting the strap over my wrist.  For research, I tried both and found them equally comfortable).
• Easy screw tips so replacing the tips will be a piece of cake
• Made by a Certified B Corp
• Made in the USA!

Cons:

• Not the cheapest trekking pole available, but also well within the pocket, especially considering they’re USA Made
• While very lightweight, there are other carbon fiber trekking poles out there that have these beat by a couple of ounces

Bottom Line:

If you’re in the market for durable, stiff and ultralight trekking poles, these are a great investment. Additionally, it’s awesome to support a Certified B Corporation that heavily promotes diversity, equity, and inclusion in its business practices.

Cork Trekking Poles by Cnoc Outdoors

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