Printable guides for the trail
Honest, no-nonsense guides you can download, print and take with you. The same advice from the site, boiled down to a page you can keep in the top of your pack.
More guides on the way. Grab one above and you'll be the first to know when the next lands.
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Best Black Diamond trekking poles UK 2026: the whole range explained
Black Diamond invented the FlickLock lever and it shows across their pole line. Here is the UK buyer's guide to every current Black Diamond trekking pole, from the tested Trail Explorer 3 to the carbon Pursuit FLZ, with the right model for your kind of walking.
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Best Leki walking poles UK 2026: the full range explained
Leki is the specialist's walking pole brand: the SpeedLock lever, Aergon grips and decades of repairable durability. Here is the full Leki range for UK hikers, from the budget Voyager to the carbon Makalu FX Carbon flagship.
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Black Diamond Pursuit Carbon FLZ review: the carbon folding flagship
Black Diamond's premium carbon folding pole: light, well damped and packs down to 36cm. A research-led review of the Pursuit Carbon FLZ, with the one thing most buyers get wrong, choosing 125cm or 135cm by height.
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Black Diamond Trail Back review: the affordable way into a proper Black Diamond pole
The Trail Back is the cheapest genuine dual FlickLock aluminium pole Black Diamond makes. A research-led look at the foam-grip value sibling to the Trail Explorer 3 I own, and who should buy it over stepping up.
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Black Diamond Trail review: the light, do-it-all telescopic in the Trail line
A research-led review of the Black Diamond Trail, the lightest telescopic pole in the affordable Trail line. Dual FlickLock, 480g and a soft-touch grip, set against the Trail Back and the Trail Explorer 3 I own.
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Black Diamond Trail Vista review: FLZ folding vs Shock anti-shock, and which to pick
Two Trail Vista upgrades on one cork-grip FlickLock platform: the folding FLZ that packs inside your daypack, and the telescopic Shock with anti-shock damping. A research-led look at which one suits your hiking.
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