Here is how these two trekking poles compare on the numbers. They score within a hair of each other, so it comes down to the details below.
| Black Diamond Trail Ergo Cork | REI Co-op Traverse | |
|---|---|---|
| GearScore | 40✓ | 38 |
| Weight (pair) | 18.0 oz✓ | 19.2 oz |
| Packed length | 74 cm | 64 cm✓ |
| Max length | 140 cm | 140 cm |
| Min length | 100 cm | 105 cm |
| Price | $120 | $119✓ |
| Material | Aluminum | Aluminum |
| Fold style | Telescoping | Telescoping |
Highlighted cells mark the better spec: Trail Ergo Cork in blue, Traverse in amber. A blank spec is never counted as a win. Min length is shown for context and is not scored. GearScore is the overall rating (0 to 100); re-weight it on the full trekking-pole comparison. Prices are current MSRP.
The Black Diamond Trail Ergo Cork against the REI Co-op Traverse is a study in priorities. They are close enough that this really is about which handful of specs you weight most.
The Trail Ergo Cork is 1.2 oz lighter per pair. The Traverse is 10 cm shorter packed and a little cheaper. Their GearScores land within a couple of points (40 vs 38), so neither runs away with it.
Pick the Trail Ergo Cork if you care most about low weight, which makes it the better call for counting grams on long miles. Pick the Traverse if packability and price matter more to you, or you are focused on saving space in your pack.
The Black Diamond Trail Ergo Cork. It is 1.2 oz lighter per pair than the Traverse.
The REI Co-op Traverse. It is 10 cm shorter packed than the Trail Ergo Cork.
They are nearly tied at 40 and 38 on the default algorithm, so re-weight the score to your own priorities to break the tie.
It depends on your priorities. Go with the Trail Ergo Cork for low weight, or the Traverse for packability. The spec table above shows exactly where each wins.