Gear Review: Leki Micro Vario Carbon DSS Folding Trekking Poles

Leki Micro Vario Carbon Antishock Trekking Poles
Leki Micro Vario Carbon Antishock Trekking Poles

Trekking Poles
Leki Micro Vario Carbon DSS Folding Trekking Poles
$220, 1 lb. 1 oz. (110-130 cm).
Sizes: regular/unisex 110-130 cm, Lady 100-120cm
moosejaw.com

How much does a good pair of trekking poles matter? I used these three-section, folding poles on a dayhike in August that I wasn’t certain I could finish: the 32-mile, 10,000-vertical-foot, nine-summit Pemi Loop in New Hampshire’s White Mountains. For the last few miles, the poles may have been the only thing holding me up. Whether or not you intend to take absurdly long hikes, this one did help me identify the many strengths of Leki’s Micro Vario Carbon DSS Folding Trekking Poles, and evaluate the usefulness of the antishock mechanism.

Leki Micro Vario Carbon Antishock tip
Leki Micro Vario Carbon Antishock tip

I also used these poles on various other outings, including a 12.5-mile, 2,500-foot trail run in the Boise Foothills, and a 4.6-mile hike on the rocky trails of the Blue Hills Reservation outside Boston. These are the first folding trekking poles with a shock-absorbing mechanism. Located just above the pole tip—where it prevents any shock or vibration from traveling up the shaft—the DSS (Dynamic Suspension System) antishock mechanism reduces peak impact force by up to 40 percent, according to Leki. A fair amount of downward force is required to compress the antishock. If you put only a little weight on it—such as when pushing off lightly with the poles while hiking gentle terrain—the poles won’t absorb the effort you’re putting into forward motion. That’s good.

 

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Leki Micro Vario Carbon Antishock Trekking Poles
Leki Micro Vario Carbon Antishock Trekking Poles

To explain: If you’re using trekking poles correctly, you’re employing them virtually all the time. You push off slightly with them (planting the pole tip behind you, at an angle) when hiking flatter ground or climbing well-graded trails; you lean on them more on steep ascents; and you use them for balance and to take some impact off your body when descending. An antishock element serves a useful purpose when you need it to absorb force, such as when descending; but you don’t want it to absorb the muscle force you’re putting into forward propulsion. Smartly, these poles don’t absorb (and waste) the generally slight force you put into using the poles to move forward; they can, however, absorb some of your effort when you lean hard on them climbing steeply uphill. That’s the subtle tradeoff with antishock poles. Conversely, non-antishock poles obviously won’t absorb (waste) any of your muscle effort, but they also won’t help lessen the impact on upper-body joints of going downhill. (The Leki Micro Vario Carbon Trekking Poles are virtually identical, but without antishock; see my review.)

The other great advantage of these poles is that they’re much more packable than collapsible poles whose shaft sections slide inside one another: With a packed length of 15 inches/38cm, they attach to the outside of a small daypack without sticking out, and disappear inside even small luggage. With an interior cable connecting the three pole sections, they assemble quickly and simply: Just line up the sections and extend the upper one until a metal pin pops out to lock the sections together. Once locked, there’s very little play in the poles.

 


Hi, I’m Michael Lanza, creator of The Big Outside, which has made several top outdoors blog lists. Click here to sign up for my FREE email newsletter. Click here to learn how I can help you plan your next trip. Click here to get full access to all of my blog’s stories. Follow my adventures on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Youtube.


 

Leki Micro Vario Carbon Antishock Trekking Poles
Leki Micro Vario Carbon Antishock Trekking Poles

A plastic locking lever on the upper section releases to adjust the pole length from 110 to 130cm (in the regular/unisex size); I find the lever easier to use than poles that adjust with a twist mechanism. I’m 5’ 8” and have the poles generally at 115cm on gentle terrain, 110cm going steeply uphill, and 120-125cm going downhill; someone well over six feet tall may not get as much length as they want going downhill with these poles. The Aergon Thermo foam grips are cushy, smooth, and ergonomically designed, with a forefinger groove, a small bumper for the heel of the hand, and an oversized head, so that I could place my hands in various positions depending on terrain steepness; this helps reduce hand fatigue. The extended foam below the grips allows you to momentarily hold a pole below the grip—say, on a briefly steep uphill—without holding cold metal.

The wrist straps are light, don’t absorb much sweat, and easy to adjust: Tug upward on the strap to pop open a locking lever atop the grip, adjust the straps to a good length, then snap the lever back in place. It’s quick and easy enough to do on the trail if, say, you’re putting on warm gloves and need a little more strap length. The carbon upper pole section is lightweight and strong, while slightly heavier aluminum is used in the lower sections.

Leki Micro Vario Carbon Antishock grip
Leki Micro Vario Carbon Antishock grip

At just over a pound, these poles are borderline light enough for trail running and training—not the lightest you’d want strictly for that purpose, but a good pole for crossing over between running and hiking. The lady poles are for shorter women or men with smaller hands; they have shorter straps and a grip that’s 15 percent smaller than the regular poles. The poles come with a stuff sack and rubber tip caps for using on consistently rocky terrain, like slickrock in the desert Southwest.

One caveat: These are a bit less sturdy than traditional, three-section, collapsible poles, which, while heavier and less packable, are generally better for hard use or for bigger people putting more weight on the poles.

That said, the Leki Micro Vario Carbon DSS Folding Trekking Poles survived the rocky trails of the White Mountains (maybe better than I did); they’re hardly delicate. I’d recommend them for ultra-hikers and ultralight backpackers as well as most dayhikers and backpackers.

BUY IT NOW You can support my work on this blog by clicking either of these links to purchase the Leki Micro Vario Carbon DSS Folding Trekking Poles at moosejaw.com or rei.com.

 

Tell me what you think.

I spent a lot of time writing this story, so if you enjoyed it, please consider giving it a share using one of the buttons below, and leave a comment or question at the bottom of this story. I’d really appreciate it.

 

See my other reviews of trekking poles and all of my reviews of backpacking gear and hiking gear.

I almost never hike without poles. Read why in my “10 Tricks For Making Hiking and Backpacking Easier.”

NOTE: I’ve been testing gear for Backpacker Magazine for 20 years. At The Big Outside, I review only what I consider the best outdoor gear and apparel. See all of my Gear Reviews at The Big Outside.

—Michael Lanza

 

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7 thoughts on “Gear Review: Leki Micro Vario Carbon DSS Folding Trekking Poles”

  1. Hi Michael. Thanks for your article. I’m baffled how to attach these Z-pole type poles to an Osprey Atmos AG 65 pack for easy on-the-go use whilst trekking. Is there a ‘secret’ to attaching them and still inserting and removing them in ‘loops’ whilst trekking please?

    Reply
    • Hi Wayne,

      Good question. You’re talking about just attaching poles quickly while hiking to keep them within reach to grab again, right? Did you see the small, adjustable bungee on the left shoulder strap with a plastic guard on it? Collapse or fold your poles and tuck the handles/grips inside that bungee while walking—and not in the middle of the poles, precisely so they don’t flop too much. You can loosen or tighten the bungee as needed.

      I use it just when I want hands free for relatively short periods of time, because the poles aren’t completely out of your way when hanging from a shoulder straps; still, it’s a convenient little feature. If you’re going to walk more than several minutes without needing poles, you might as well drop your pack for the minute it takes to attach them more securely and out of the way on the side or front of the pack.

      Good luck and stay safe.

      Reply
  2. Michael, I can’t find anywhere “out there” where it says whether it’s better while not in use to store these folded or not. Are they like tent pole cord in that sense or doesn’t it matter?

    Thanks!

    Reply
    • Hi Scott, that’s a good question, and I wasn’t sure of the answer, so I reached out to my contact for Leki. And she wrote back, “Either way is fine.” So for compact storage, it’s okay to leave them folded. Thanks for asking. For the record, I’ve always stored mine folded without any problems.

      Reply