Leki
Leki Makalu FX Carbon folding trekking poles (5-section, 110-130 cm)
- Weight: 5/10 How much the pair adds to your hands and pack.
- Packed size: 9/10 Whether they fit inside or along a rucksack.
Lowest price we found
£174.99 at Ultralight Outdoor Gear
Go to Ultralight Outdoor Gear Compare 2 shopsWalkers who want poles that fold to 41 cm and fit inside a day pack or carry-on bag
- Weight (pair)
- 504 g
- Packed length
- 41 cm
- Adjusts
- 110 to 130 cm
- Lock
- Lever
- Shaft
- Carbon
Where to buy
Ultralight Outdoor Gear £174.99 In stock. Free delivery. Pair. Free tracked UK delivery. The shop shows Leki's list price crossed out (£199.99); the page showed 1 left.
View at shop: Ultralight Outdoor GearAlpinetrek £199.95 In stock. Free delivery. Pair, price includes VAT. Delivery 5-7 working days from supplier stock. Free UK delivery from £85, £4.49 under.
View at shop: AlpinetrekPrices checked 8 Nov 2026 on each shop's own page; shops can change them. We earn no commission on these links; shops are listed by price. More
Our ratings (out of 10)
1 to 10, compared with the whole market. Each says what it's based on. How we score
Weight
From maker's figures 5/10How much the pair adds to your hands and pack. 5: Does the job. Average for wild-camping gear.
Leki gives 252 g per pole at 110-130 cm (Leki UK and Leki.com agree), doubled to 504 g for the pair: the 450-549 g band. Advnture lists 486 g a pair and Hiking Trails 255 g a pole; Leki's figure is the one scored.
Packed size
From maker's figures 9/10Whether they fit inside or along a rucksack. 9: Among the best you can buy for this.
Leki gives 41 cm folded on both pages, under the 45 cm line.
In short
Good for
- Walkers who want poles that fold to 41 cm and fit inside a day pack or carry-on bag
- Long days and trips where carbon's lower weight and damped feel matter
- Hillwalking, scrambling approaches and river crossings where poles go in and out of the pack
Strengths
- Folds to 41 cm on an ELD push-button system, with a pole bag included
- Full carbon (PRC 1000) shafts; Wildland Trekking and Hiking Trails found them tough for carbon
- Aergon Air grip with a rubberised head and foam extension
- Speed Lock 2 Plus lever: Mountainreview had no slippage in seven months with a heavy rucksack
- Single lever to adjust length, quick to set
Weaknesses
- 504 g a pair, in the 450-549 g band: heavy for a carbon pole (Wildland Trekking)
- Length range of 110-130 cm is narrow (Wildland Trekking, Advnture): short and tall walkers may want another pole
- No anti-shock on this model (Advnture); the heavier AS version is a separate pole
- Carbon is more brittle than aluminium under a hard side load (Advnture, Wildland Trekking)
- Folded, it needs the bag or a strap to keep it tidy, and the cord can bungee when freeing a pole from snow (Wildland Trekking)
- Grip score is blank: only two reviews (Mountainreview, Hiking Trails) cover the current Skin Strap 5.0 pole
Sources
We haven't tested this ourselves. Every score comes from these specs, tests and reviews.
ShowHide sources (6)
- Leki: Makalu FX Carbon (leki.com, 252 g per pole, 41 cm folded, 110-130 cm)
- Leki UK: Leki Makalu FX Carbon (£200 a pair, 252 g, 41 cm; shown as sold out)
- Advnture: Leki Makalu FX Carbon trekking poles review (Alex Foxfield; Lake District; the older pole with the Lock Security Strap 4.0)
- Wildland Trekking: LEKI Makalu FX Carbon Review (Sarah Bennett, a Wildland guide who bought the poles; about 80 km in Rocky Mountain National Park, June and July 2023; the older pole)
- Mountainreview: Leki Makalu FX Carbon review (Danilo; over seven months, current Skin Strap 5.0 pole; he says his pole was a pre-production sample)
- Hiking Trails: LEKI Makalu FX Carbon Review (Mathilde Fox; Laugavegur Trail, 53 km; poles used straight from the box, the page does not say whether bought or supplied)