Trekking poles?

[jakedatc]

I just finished the Long Trail through Vermont. Out of the 280 miles I hiked, i think the poles were stowed for 10miles at most. Downhill, absolutely necessary for my knees (and i'm only 32), flats i move faster because I have better balance over rough ground, uphill, until it becomes hand over hand climbing then they are very helpful to push/pull myself up steep steps and inclines. and they hold up my tent.

[1peanut]

My son uses them to hike and won't hike without them. I didn't like carrying them instead I just picked me up a good stick and made it into my walking stick. It really came in handy with keeping your balance going up and down steep or rocky hills, didn't cost a thing, and in the evening I would sit with my pocket knife and whittle on it. I picked it up the first section hike I did on the AT and I still have it.

[falling water]

Necessary? No. Nice? Goodness yes. I place them in the "Why Not" category of my gear. I can hike a long time without them, but, especially on downhills, it makes things so much more comfortable. My knees rejoice when I throw them in the car.

[Cozy]

No, you dont have to have them.

My 13yo son wouldnt hike without his though.

You will hike much FASTER. You will fall less. You will go downhill faster because your upper body helps slow your descent. You will traverse uneven rocky sections much faster. Uphill is like 4wd, your upper body helps, you go faster there too. The steeper it is, the more helpful they are. They takes jarring load off of knees and ankles on downhill by letting upper body absorb part of the shock.

I honestly dont know how anyone could not recommend them.

I completely agree. I went on a section hike in VA and carried just one because it was needed for my tent. Some thru hikers were passing me using their two trekking poles up the mountain. I ended up camping with these guys that night and they showed me how to use their poles. The next morning I found a lovely long stick and put into practice what they showed me. I was shocked at how they propelled me up the mountain and how faster (and safer) I went. I will now always use trekking poles.

[gunner76]

Like others have said, if you don't want to use them, then don't. I use them to help swat spider webs out of my way, steady myself on rough ground., check for muddy areas and or loose rocks, help hold my tarp up, hold my camera so I can take a picture of myself while hiking.

[turtle fast]

Poles are good for as well not listed:
- Using it as an improvised weapon to wave around to ward off angry dogs
- Using it extended as an improvised clothsline
- While hiking to flick branches/sticks off the trail
- As it is planted farther away from you while in hiking motion it is closer to that timber rattler you did not notice befor

[Odd Man Out]

Poles are good for as well not listed:
- Using it as an improvised weapon to wave around to ward off angry dogs
- Using it extended as an improvised clothsline
- While hiking to flick branches/sticks off the trail
- As it is planted farther away from you while in hiking motion it is closer to that timber rattler you did not notice befor

Anyone ever see the TV show Shark Tank? No, not on Shark Week, but the show where a group of inventors and would-be entrepreneurs pitch their ideas to a panel of wealthy venture capitalists, trying to secure funding for their idea. Some ideas are good and are funded. Some people are kooks. A couple of summers ago (I think) there was a guy who had "invented" this wonderful multi-use device. Rod-like in nature, it could do all the things listed above (and more!). One of the panel members said (sarcastically) "Congratulations - You've invented the stick!"

[the goat]

They are like bear bells and snake bite kits. There is no evidence that they will take any stress from any body part you have or that they will keep you from falling or that you will make it up, or down the hill any better. It's all hype pushed my the sporting goods industry. It's an extra pound you carry. Embrace your humanity, You are a bi-ped.

while i wouldn't consider it a scientific study, i started my first thru in maine at age 22 w/o using poles: by the time i reached monson both knees were in pain and i had to buy braces for each. by the time i reached rangeley the pain was still pretty bad, so i bought some goofy hiking poles as a last resort. by the time i reached glenciff, there was no pain in either knee & i didn't need the knee braces anymore. kinda hard to not attribute it to the hiking poles.

btw

[Lyle]

Anyone ever see the TV show Shark Tank? No, not on Shark Week, but the show where a group of inventors and would-be entrepreneurs pitch their ideas to a panel of wealthy venture capitalists, trying to secure funding for their idea. Some ideas are good and are funded. Some people are kooks. A couple of summers ago (I think) there was a guy who had "invented" this wonderful multi-use device. Rod-like in nature, it could do all the things listed above (and more!). One of the panel members said (sarcastically) "Congratulations - You've invented the stick!"

Yeah, that's what I used for many years. However, trekking poles do have a few advantages:

Unless you whittle, and spend a fair amount of time finding the right "stick", you will not have a handle like the PacerPoles do.
You cannot collapse a stick for carrying or for shuttles
You cannot adjust a stick for optimum pitching of your tarp
Most sticks (not all) weigh more
I tend to forget a stick when I leave a break/camp - not so for my PacerPoles

They are an "evolution" made more convenient. Sticks work just fine.

[Lyle]

while i wouldn't consider it a scientific study, i started my first thru in maine at age 22 w/o using poles: by the time i reached monson both knees were in pain and i had to buy braces for each. by the time i reached rangeley the pain was still pretty bad, so i bought some goofy hiking poles as a last resort. by the time i reached glenciff, there was no pain in either knee & i didn't need the knee braces anymore. kinda hard to not attribute it to the hiking poles.

btw

I agree with you, but nay-sayers will contend that your knees just got into shape.

[the goat]

I agree with you, but nay-sayers will contend that your knees just got into shape.

could be, but i would answer that by saying that if that's the case, then my knees were about a month behind the rest of my body.

i'll never go for another long-distance w/o poles. and i used to be a nay-sayer who made fun of hikers with poles. (now, i only make fun of day-hikers who use poles )

[Datto]

One other thing to add -- use of hiking poles, over time, make your hand speed lightning quick. You can touch both sides of a running-loose dog snout coming at you on the Trail before the dog knows what happened.

Plus hiking poles are conversation pieces used when meeting representatives from the New York Welcome Wagon:


August 6 - Fingerboard Shelter ... in New Jersey-New York
Milepoint 1367.5, 119 days since start of hike, averaging 11.5 miles per day

...
That's when I spotted her. The pay phone had been located where the entrance to Harriman State Park had intersected with New York Route 17. And she was standing on the other side of the entrance road looking at me.

A disheveled wig on her head, slippers on her feet, ruby red lipstick and peddle-pusher slacks. It looked like she was part of the New York Welcome Wagon, out here to greet me as I hiked the Appalachian Trail in the state of New York.

Either that or she was a hooker.

As I walked over to her side of the entrance road to look for where the Appalachian Trail continued northward, I asked her, "What are you doing?"

With a smile she responded, "Trying to earn a little extra money."

My guess is she wasn't a part of the Welcome Wagon.


Datto

[max patch]

while i wouldn't consider it a scientific study, i started my first thru in maine at age 22 w/o using poles: by the time i reached monson both knees were in pain and i had to buy braces for each. by the time i reached rangeley the pain was still pretty bad, so i bought some goofy hiking poles as a last resort. by the time i reached glenciff, there was no pain in either knee & i didn't need the knee braces anymore. kinda hard to not attribute it to the hiking poles.

While I wouldn't consider it a scientific study, I started my thru at Springer at the age of 35 without using poles and carrying a 50 pound pack (which I got down to 45 pounds by the time I got to Damascus); by the time I got to Katahdin my knees and every other part of my body were in the best shape they had ever been in. Kinda hard to imagine what "trekking" poles could have done for me.

Trekking poles weren't popular until the 90's so its safe to say that more people have thru'd without them than with them.

[HikerMom58]

start without them. you can always get them later in the hike. i've done 5 thru-hikes without them

Wait- what? 5 thru hikes!!! That's impressive.

[vamelungeon]

Wait- what? 5 thru hikes!!! That's impressive.

Yes it is, isn't it!
Anyway, back to the question at hand- I like hiking poles. I have arthritic knees and they do help me. I find they help a lot as brakes going down steep hills as well, and for beating the brush and weeds when I'm concerned about snakes I can't see. They work great for knocking down that spider web across the trail and they could be used for LIGHT self defense. My first set were cheap Walmart poles, now I've got some Lekkis. Try some cheap ones and see what you think.

[HikerMom58]

Yes it is, isn't it!
Anyway, back to the question at hand- I like hiking poles. I have arthritic knees and they do help me. I find they help a lot as brakes going down steep hills as well, and for beating the brush and weeds when I'm concerned about snakes I can't see. They work great for knocking down that spider web across the trail and they could be used for LIGHT self defense. My first set were cheap Walmart poles, now I've got some Lekkis. Try some cheap ones and see what you think.

Good answer .... that's a lot of uses for hiking poles, right there!

[DeerPath]

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.

I prefer PacerPoles, check them out - very unique and the most comfortable I've used.

Right-on from an older fart.
And, I'm told you get 48% more cardo. exercise using poles vs not using poles.
My choice is LEKI Ultralite. LEKI had a tent set up at Damascus this year and completely refurbished my poles FREE.

[Pages]

i attempted a thru-hike this year. i was talked into NOT using poles. Did 30 without them. got a pair at neels gap, but blood mountain had done some damage. i got off the trail at unicoi gap with a SEVERE knee injury. actually had to be wheeled down blue mountain by the fire department and some paramedics. if you are young, you still run a risk of injury. if you are older, you really run a risk of injury. the last thing i thought would get me off the trail was an injury. i thought i would get bored long before i got hurt. but there you go...

now, next time, it's poles AND knee braces because i didn't use poles the first time.

for what it's worth...

- pages

[daddytwosticks]

You wanna use trekking poles because all the cool kids on the trail have them (along with titanium pots and cuben fiber things).

Seriously, I have them, use them, and love them. With that said, Lone Wolf is probably right. Start without them. If you find you need/want them, plenty of opportunities to buy poles at outfitters along the trail.