• Overall Rating

  : 4-5 out of 5

The Robens Hawksdale Carbon UL is Roben’s top of the range pole, and their only carbon model, which you can feel upon first contact. They feel incredibly light and pack up really neat, which is helped by a narrow pole diameter and no built-in mud basket.

There’s a velcro strap which keeps the pole folded when packed away. As they are carbon, the surface has scratched up a bit from walking through rocky and bouldery terrain, but I never worried about their durability. With a Z fold construction held together with what seems like a bit of string, the poles are quick to put together but also feel reliable despite them feeling very light.

There is an aluminium locking system for height adjustment with a quick lever lock, which can be tightened or loosened with an easy wheel. 115cm is the longest I would use for a pole though, so I never had them extended.

Robens Hawksdale Carbon UL review. Credit: Kirsty Pallas

The handle is moulded foam but quite short, so only really has one hand position on the foam, however this does help with the overall weight. The strap is lightweight webbing, which makes it very breathable but not the most padded for constant use. However I rarely use a strap and didn’t find an issue with this when I did. The poles come with a rubber tip and a carbide tip, and small snow baskets. I very rarely use snow or mud baskets in general as I prefer to have the option to stab my poles into something like snow or the ground. But when I tried to put the snow baskets on, I couldn’t get them to the right place on the tip for them to screw up to.

Despite this, they were still my favourite poles in the test, with very light and easy use that didn’t weigh on my arms, and simple to pack into a bag.

How we tested

Kirsty is 154cm tall and always carries a pair of trekking poles with her across the Highlands in her role as a qualified Mountain Leader. All weights are taken from her own scales without rubber tips, and packed lengths are measured by Kirsty.