⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Let’s get one thing clear – I’m not built for speed. If mountain goats are sports cars, I’m more like a double decker bus with a dodgy clutch trying to squeeze down a Cornish B road. So when I set off on the South West Coast Path, I needed poles that could handle the weight of a man who thinks a “light snack” is a full Cornish pasty and a cream tea. Enter the Helvellyn PRO Carbon Z-Poles V2 130. Compact, carbon, and supposedly for people who run up mountains. Well, not on my watch these were bought for hiking only. And let me tell you, they’ve been through absolute pole hell. I’ve leaned on them like they’re the handrail of life itself, shoved them into bogs, wedged them into rocks, and probably asked more from them than their designers ever intended. A month later? Still standing. Still solid. Still looking like they’ve just come out the box. Honestly, I half expected them to snap like breadsticks under my not so petite frame, but no they’ve held me up, kept me upright, and even survived a few “I’ve slipped but no one saw it so I’ll style it out” moments. These things are now my go to hiking poles. Sorry Leki, you’ve been replaced. If the Helvellyn Pros can take me huffing, puffing, and sweating my way up and down every cliff on the South West Coast Path without a complaint, they can take anyone. Stronger than they look, tougher than me, and probably the best bit of kit I’ve bought in years. In summary: if they can handle a man-mountain fuelled by pasties, ale, and poor life choices they can handle you. 🥾💪