Gear failure on the John Muir Trail - do you pack backups or just hope?

I was about 50 miles into a 7 day section on the JMT last month when one of my trekking poles just snapped in half. No warning, just a clean break right above the lower lock. I had to finish the next 4 miles using a stick I found on the trail, which was slow and honestly kinda sketchy on the rocky parts. That got me thinking - do you guys carry spare poles or repair stuff for gear that could fail, or do you just trust your equipment and deal with it if something breaks? I mean, I get that packing extras adds weight, but limping down the trail with a random branch made me reconsider. What's your take on this?

2 comments

2 Comments

davis.mia3d ago

What was the brand and how old were those poles? I've snapped cheap aluminum poles before and learned the hard way that some brands just can't handle rocky terrain. I carry a little repair kit now - some duct tape, a spare tip, and a quick link for the locks. But I'm curious, do you think a backup pair of poles would be worth the extra pound if you're doing longer sections like the full JMT?

andrew6463d ago

It's never just one pole, is it?