The Leki Cressida range mirrors the flagship Makalu range of trekking poles but is designed for smaller people. As such, the Cressida FX carbon has a maximum extension of 120cm, and features the Aergon Air Compact grip for smaller hands. Whilst my hands are not exceptionally tiny for a woman, the grip does feel noticeably different, seeming to fit more naturally into my palm. There’s a long grip extension which I like, as I tend not to use the wrist loops much and like to adjust my grip up and down as gradient changes.
Lucy Wallace’s Best in Test
The durability of these poles has never really been in question for me. They barely flex at full extension, and I’ve felt comfortable leaning heavily on them descending steep ground with a heavy pack.- Build quality
- Ergonomic grip for smaller hands
- Heavy for a carbon fibre pole
| Quick specs | |
|---|---|
| Price: £200/pair Weight: 251g Materials: carbon fibre, aluminium, 2k foam Features: flick lock adjustment, trekking basket, webbing strap, foam grip extension, storage bag Size: 40-120cm Men’s version: Makalu FX Carbon URL: https://www.leki.com/ |
The Leki Cressida fold into three sections, one long one, which includes a telescopic section with a flick lock adjuster, plus two shorter ones, and the minimum pack length is long for z poles, at 40cm, which I found a pain for stowing away inside a rucksack. The short sections are noticeably short (24cm), and awkward to be strapped on the outside of a bag without flapping around, unless you use the mesh carrying bag included.
The build quality of these poles is phenomenal. From the sound that the sections make as they click together, to the feel of the locking mechanism and the positively delightful release mechanism (no straining over a tiny button with broken thumbnails here), everything is well crafted. They seem very strong for carbon fibre poles. Perhaps unsurprisingly, they are also heavy for poles made from this material, thanks in part to the long grip extension and all the engineering that has gone into the locking and release mechanisms.
The durability of these poles has never really been in question for me. They barely flex at full extension, and I’ve felt comfortable leaning heavily on them descending steep ground with a heavy pack. It was also this model that took the strain when I could hardly weight bear on a sprained ankle. They are expensive, but even with heavy use, they should last and last.
