Do trekking poles really make that much difference?

[jmrandall85]

Im about to start sectioning the AT, so im Getting the last little odds and ends together. Just wondering if anyone has any input on trekking poles before i drop that coin.....they seem kind of silly to me, but what do I know. Thanks folks.

[Creek Dancer]

Depends. I carry them because they double as my tent supports. (I use a Lightheart Solo.) I like them for steep downs and ups. I find that I can actually hike faster without them, however. I wouldn't buy any until you are sure you like using them. Some people don't. Maybe you could borrow some and give them a try on a day hike.

[rafe]

For me, yes. In typical AT conditions.

On flat, smooth ground, not so much. On super-steep terrain (where hands are needed) not so much.

[illabelle]

It's all in who you ask. Some hikers think they're a waste of money.

My hips, knees, ankles, feet, and toes are grateful to transfer some of the weight and wear to my arms. My whole body is grateful for the assistance with balance on rocks, roots, stream crossings, etc. The poles are invaluable for finding solid ground in big mudholes. Some people use shelters that utilize poles for support.

https://www.outdoorgearlab.com/exper...trekking-poles

[Puddlefish]

I'm not sure I'd have liked them all that much when I was young and had perfect balance. Now, they help a great deal. Keep my hands from going numb. Help with balance over uneven terrain. Seems to help my knees when going downhill, and keeps me from over-striding downhill. Most of the time I barely put any pressure on them, just kind of use them to mark my pace. I made it 550 miles before my first fall on the AT, that's got to count for something.

Can only suggest you try a pair for a few hours and see how you like them.

[Sarcasm the elf]

Another member posted the following several years back. I wish I remembered who it was so I could give them credit:

You will definitely make it without them, particularly at your age. They do however offer several advantages including taking stress off your knees (even at your age, but you probably won't notice it as much as us old farts), can be an aid to rhythm, aid to balance, eases leg fatigue and foot pounding on down-hills, nice to lean on when taking a breather, good to flick small branches off the trail so you or those following don't get a foot tangled, great for testing out potential mud holes, great for clearing spider webs from the trail if you are the first one out in the AM, allows you to shake wet branches before you pass under and they dump their water/snow down your neck, use as a V-plow to push tall wet grass aside as you pass (same with briers and poison ivy), scare snakes from the trail in front of you, tent support, good for pushing your food bag up high enough when bear bagging, makes you appear bigger when you scare a bear off, good protection from aggressive dogs, stick your camera on the end to extend your reach for self-portraits, good monopod to steady the camera, and finally - if you do start to loose your balance, can save you from a fall.


Other than that they are pretty useless.

[MuddyWaters]

Sometimes yes
Sometimes no

Vast majority.of thru hikers use them today, at least at times

They stabilize you over uneven surfaces, letting you go faster generally without falling.

On flat ground...unneeded. maybe hindrance

Uphill...sometimes helps to have upper body help. Debateable.

Downhill...invaluable to many to slow descent and lessen impact on knees and lower legs.

Deep swift water....necessary

Snow .....necessary often

Holding up tarp.......necessary for some


As post above alludes to, parting wet grass, pushing plants away that may harbor ticks, defense against snakes or dogs, knock down early morning spider webs, noisemaker to avoid surprising bears in low visibility thickets, all are uses too.

[HooKooDooKu]

Another member posted the following several years back. I wish I remembered who it was so I could give them credit:

According to the White Blaze Archive it was Lyle

[rafe]

Snow .....necessary often

Up here in the frigid north, winter peakbaggers have been using poles since... forever.

They're a great help in keeping your upper body stable on uneven terrain.

[peakbagger]

My standard observation is when I see thruhikers up in the whites and at Baxter many still have poles. Odds are if they didnt think they were worth carrying they wouldnt be after 3/4s of the trail. I did find down south on the long ridges that I would end up carrying the poles in one hand until there was significant slope. In PA, NJ and NY in the rocky section they were very important as the rocks like to move when you step on them. Dogs definitely give a lot more respect to hiker with poles. I have has several incidences that I believe I avoided a nip because I had my poles.

As noted above if its potentially icy or with snow cover they also are very important. I bushwhack on occasion and dont always carry my poles as they can get in the way. I find its overall a lot more of a workout without poles as I am forced to use my legs versus spreading the load.

[gwschenk]

They are handy when going cross country on steep scree slopes. Other than that they're just useless weight.

[RollTide]

Just completed the AT two days ago. Kept injuring my knees at the beginning because of the reliance on trekking poles. Once I grew balls and ordered the ZPacks Carbon Fiber tent poles to set up my tent instead, all of my problems vanished, and I never fell again the rest of my journey. My base weight was <8lbs....so if you can get that light, you can 100% do it

[Ashepabst]

Kept injuring my knees at the beginning because of the reliance on trekking poles.

would you elaborate? I'm curious.

[Hikingjim]

Most people find them silly until they use them properly for awhile. Then they usually don't go back
I certainly don't NEED them, but I find they help me to hike longer, reduce stress on the knees, and overall I just enjoy poking the ground with them at times.

I use them on fairly easy sections sometimes as well. Basically cross country ski style it through a boring section at 4+ mph, keeping balance and momentum

[Leo L.]

Regarding dog defence, we had just the contrary:
My wife got bitten by a dog who first appered to be friendly (as long as he didn't see her having the poles in the other hand), but hunted for her knee and seriousely bit as soon as he saw her poles.
Turned out that this dog once received quite a beating from a hiker using his poles.

[Leo L.]

Wanted to add, that I tried poles for my desert hikes in order to have some kind of "life insurance", to (maybe) be able to hobble out to civilisation if I sprained an ankle or such.
Turned out that I didn't like the extra weight and the everyday handling of them, and skipped using them.
Just recently I kind of overdid some hiking and developed some knee troubles.
So now I'm using them on all my hikes and apprecciate the support they give, especially downhill.

[Hikingjim]

Just completed the AT two days ago. Kept injuring my knees at the beginning because of the reliance on trekking poles. Once I grew balls and ordered the ZPacks Carbon Fiber tent poles to set up my tent instead, all of my problems vanished, and I never fell again the rest of my journey. My base weight was <8lbs....so if you can get that light, you can 100% do it

haha, your poles must have put your mindset into invincible beast mode where you could trek forward at 4 mph through all obstacles and mud!

[RollTide]

would you elaborate? I'm curious.

Having to juggle four objects touching the ground is tougher than two. For example, say you are in the process of rolling your left ankle... Obviously, you would not want to push off on that ankle at that moment because then you would completely sprain it. However, if while you are rolling that ankle, and your left trekking pole is stuck on a root or snagged somehow, your brain will delay the reaction to your ankle by microseconds because you are already thinking about where to place the left and right poles. That initial delay causes you to push off on that ankle inadvertently. Instead of devoting all your concentration on your footwork, you are only devoting half.

Using only your legs is difficult at first, but it will pay dividends down the road. I slipped on a rock between Bob People's place and Hampton, and I lost my balance because my poles weren't set properly because I had just taken a photo. I was injured for a month, and it would of never happened if I wasn't distracted by the poles. By removing the poles you take the training wheels off, and I did the Whites and everything from Damascus on up without them, and whoever said that poles make you faster is blowing smoke, because everyone with poles was checking my tail lights.

[KDogg]

Used them every step of my thru hike. Learned to use them later in life and wish I had used them when I was younger. Take so much stress off my knees. I would have fallen at least twice as much without them. Key is to learn to use them "correctly". I've seen lots of folks using them wrong and then lecture me on how they hate them.

[CalebJ]

I've tried them several times. Used them on a week of the BMT a few years back, then promptly set them aside and haven't looked back. Some people swear by them, but I've never found them helpful enough to fool with.