using hiking poles?

[Sterling]

I have decided not to bring hiking poles along because i dont like using them, but i was advised against going w/o them

just wondering if other thru's also think this is an unsafe decision

[Deadeye]

If you don't like using them, what difference does it make what anybody else thinks?

[Skidsteer]

Don't take them if you don't like them. Simple.

[Elder]

or,maybe learn to use them correctly?

[Blissful]

You're young. Go without.

[brian039]

I like to have them on down hills and rock hops and they do help going up hill if you use them correctly. But definitely not necessary.

[singing wind]

If you change your mind, there's plenty of sticks to choose from. As has been mentioned previously somewhere, you're only as safe as your next step...

[modiyooch]

I have never used them, and hopefully never will.

[firestarter]

as others have reiterated in various threads, no one piece of equipment will determine your safety. a big part of that is just luck...

i started my thru without poles because i had never hiked with them before and i didn't see the point. i ended up buying some in greenville after the hundred mile wilderness because though i could scramble uphill just fine, i was slow as anything on the downhill and the poles give you a guaranteed source of stability and, inadvertantly, confidence and speed. i also found them incredibly helpful on stream crossings, narrow and wide. they become an extra set of appendages.

i'm sure you will be fine either way and adapt. hike your own hike, hike your own poleless hike, paddle your own hike, you get the idea...

[Kaptain Kangaroo]

as others have reiterated in various threads, no one piece of equipment will determine your safety. a big part of that is just luck...

i started my thru without poles because i had never hiked with them before and i didn't see the point. i ended up buying some in greenville after the hundred mile wilderness because though i could scramble uphill just fine, i was slow as anything on the downhill and the poles give you a guaranteed source of stability and, inadvertantly, confidence and speed. i also found them incredibly helpful on stream crossings, narrow and wide. they become an extra set of appendages.

i'm sure you will be fine either way and adapt. hike your own hike, hike your own poleless hike, paddle your own hike, you get the idea...

Very true.......

I never understood them either, until I tried them. Now I wouldn't do a long hike without them.
But it does take some time to get used to them & to learn to use them properly. I hated mine for the first week on the trail. I constantly had to think about what I was doing with them. Now it is just second nature.
So if you do decide to get some....give them a chance

[jesse]

I'm not a thru hiker. Don't use poles either.

[JAK]

I think a single solid wooden staff is handy sometimes, and as a potential weapon, so it can give you some added confidence and improve your body language against potential threats like bears and such, especially when hiking with small children. You can always drop it if it becomes a bother, and make another later. The other thing I like about it when hiking with kids is you can lean on it when the kids stop to poke around and stuff. It gives you more patience, and allows you to better appreciate such fleeting moments.

[JAK]

Things which are free are often under-estimated, and become under-represented,
but this can make their rediscovery all the more worth-while.

[Lone Wolf]

I have decided not to bring hiking poles along because i dont like using them, but i was advised against going w/o them

just wondering if other thru's also think this is an unsafe decision

5+ thru-hikes and i never used poles. you don't need them

[form]

when i started hiking i noticed my arms getting a little numb and tired,i was putting my thumbs under the sholder straps to rest them from just hanging down useless.yeah,for the first 3 days i didn't like the poles.now i or my wife won't leave without them.

[Blue Jay]

The only problem you will have is that for some strange reason every pole person cannot resist trying to talk you into buying poles. This will become slightly annoying.

[Beachcomber]

I think a single solid wooden staff is handy sometimes ... The other thing I like about it when hiking with kids is you can lean on it when the kids stop to poke around and stuff. It gives you more patience, and allows you to better appreciate such fleeting moments.

When you reach a certain age, a staff makes you look wise. Anything you say to a younger hiker while carrying a staff will sound 35% more profound when you're carrying a hike. The wizard's hat is optional.

[Old Hiker]

I think a single solid wooden staff is handy sometimes, and as a potential weapon, so it can give you some added confidence and improve your body language against potential threats like bears and such, especially when hiking with small children. You can always drop it if it becomes a bother, and make another later. The other thing I like about it when hiking with kids is you can lean on it when the kids stop to poke around and stuff. It gives you more patience, and allows you to better appreciate such fleeting moments.

When you reach a certain age, a staff makes you look wise. Anything you say to a younger hiker while carrying a staff will sound 35% more profound when you're carrying a hike. The wizard's hat is optional.

I thought JAK's answer was great until I read Beachcomber's! I carry a $5 Boy Scout staff from the D.C. Scout store that I got in 1988(?). Mine is just long enough I can rest my chin on it when standing and waiting. There have been times I've had to catch all 93 kilos of body weight + pack weight on my staff and it's still going strong. I just don't trust the thin poles and to be honest, I've never TRIED to learn how to use them.

I put a rubber crutch tip on the the end for traction, inset a small compass, put two strips of reflective tape near the base and have duct tape wrapped around it just below where my hand grips it.

I'm looking into the wizard hat, though. With a wizard hat, spreading my arms with the staff held out, and ending each sentence with, "Thus speaks the Wizard", maybe I can get some actual veritas!

[skooch]

I've gone without poles for the most part in flat Fla but when my legs get tired and a little wobbly I miss them. I will use them a lot in the mountains. A fall can send you home.

[d.o.c]

they are not needed but they help in so many ways dont under esimate them you might find useing just one is a better route but its personal choice do what makes your walk feel good to you.. they are awsome on steep downs and ups tho.