Trekking poles, why bother?

[aero-hiker]

I am thinking about starting to plan for a thru hike. I have a good amount of backcountry experience, but in the past have always had "luxurious" equipment, which, when food is added, correlated to 60 lb packs. I would frequently do long days of 3000 m + elevation gains and 12 + miles on the same day. I have come to the conclusion that this is ridiculous and causing myself a lot of unnecessary pain, and want to go as light as possible.

I've been thinking about switching to hammock camping, and an ultra light setup. My thinking is that I can cover way more ground if I lighten my load.

All this having been said, I've never once used or felt like I needed trekking poles. However, I have been researching peoples ultra light and hammock setups, and often trekking poles will be used in leu of some tarp/tent pole.

Am I missing out not using trekking poles? Will I need them to support tarps for ultra-light setups? Why do you like or dislike trekking poles?

[Gambit McCrae]

I think it is not a must have item. They are expensive, fragile and when I forget them I do just fine. Where they save weight is when they can be substituted as tent poles, thus in a way you are getting to use your tent poles all day and not have to carry them on your back! But just bout every thru hiker I come across has either damaged or broke at least one pole if not many during their hike.

[BirdBrain]

I find them very useful. They are like 4 wheel drive for me. The help push on ups. They help pace on flats. They help absorb shock on way down. They keep my hands from swelling. That last part is what will always make me take trekking poles. My hands swell if I hike without them. My hands do not swell at all if I use trekking poles. They also help combat T-Rex syndrome.

[Odd Man Out]

In addition to often mentioned help they can be to the knees, etc... I find that my hands tend to swell when hiking, especially in warm weather. Trekking poles prevent this by keeping the arms elevated and moving. Also the gripping action also keeps the fluids moving. But as with anything, if you get by without them, don't feel pressured to start using them.

[rafe]

Most long distance hikers seem to be using them. I find them useful on most AT terrain. Less so on extremely flat or extremely steep stuff, so they need to be fold-able for when they're not being used.

[Another Kevin]

I like trekking poles because descents without them kill my knees. My knees mightn't get punished as easily if I had started using poles when I was younger.

Lone Wolf says poles are for weenies. I'd rather be a weenie in his eyes, and have my knees not hurt.

60+ pounds is a ridiculous load for a trip with reasonable resupply intervals unless you're doing serious mountaineering or in deep winter. A 15-20 pound base weight, 12 pounds of food and 4 pounds of water will add up to 31-36 pounds total weight, and that will get you through a week (I actually base this estimate on six days' food, since the first lunch will be takeout from town and the last dinner will be in town again.) And that's a pretty traditionalist carry - no weird ultralight stuff. (Yes, with deep winter gear, or climbing gear, all bets are off, and mountaineering sometimes means a Tipi Walter pack weight.)

Where the heck do you have a 10000 foot (3000 m) elevation gain on a 12-mile trip? Calibrating to routes I'm familiar with: The Presidential Traverse, from Valley Way to Crawford Notch, is just under twenty miles with 8500 feet of elevation gain. The Wildcats are five miles, 3150 feet of elevation. The portion of the Adirondack Great Range traverse from the Rooster Comb trailhead to the summit of Marcy is about 8000 feet of elevation in 11 miles (and the rest of the trail, either to the Garden or Heart Lake, is pretty mellow). Devil's Path in the Catskills, which everyone says is seriously tough, is about 9000 feet up (and the same down) in a little under 25 miles - although about 3/4 of the elevation change is on the east half, so call that 12 miles with 7000 feet of elevation gain. That's about as steep as a hiking trail ever gets, because when things get steeper, out come the ropes. Every one of the four eastern summits on the Devil's Path has sketchy rock scrambling at some point, and I've seen less confident parties bring out ropes, particularly in bad weather. The same goes for the Great Range - several of its ascents have chains or cables permanently fixed in place.

[SkeeterPee]

I wonder if age related. At 56, I find them useful for all of the previously mentioned reasons. I have saved myself from falling many times by catching a stumble, though I might have been able to avoid a fall anyways, but the poles made that much less traumatic to the body then stopping a stumble without them.

[Harmless]

I can't possibly make it down a series of long hills without them. If you're young and healthy, they might be irrelevant to you. If you're undecided, maybe try going half-way and carry just one. You can use it when you need a little more stability (such as crossing a stream) and put it back on your pack at other times.

If you find you aren't using it much, bounce-box it a couple of weeks ahead and see if you miss it.

If you're trying to go light, I recommend carbon z-poles. Although they are only a little lighter than adjustable poles, the fact that they don't have a clip near the bottom reduces the mass near the tip. Tip mass has a big effect on the effort needed to swing a pole, and you'll have lots of pole swings on a thru.

[yerbyray]

Two other benefits not listed above:
I use them to set up tarp in areas where lack of ideal trees are.
Sword fighting during breaks.

[Dochartaigh]

[QUOTE=yerbyray;2002898]other benefits not listed above/QUOTE]

Another one from me: I use them to setup my 3 ounce Jerry Chair. It's lovely having comfortable back support while sitting in the back country.

And as already mentioned, depending on the tent or hammock I'm using they can double as tent poles, setup my tent in awning mode, be used in place of stakes (i.e. freestanding tent on my TarpTent Rainbow), be used on my hammock tarp in porch mode, extremely versatile (besides also helping my out-of-shape butt make it up and down the trail easier).

[Casey & Gina]

I like trekking poles because descents without them kill my knees. My knees mightn't get punished as easily if I had started using poles when I was younger.

My knees are sensitive, particularly the right one, and using poles helps offset that quite considerably. On descents, I move my palms to the top of the poles, and press down on them as I lower my feet more gradually in each step - not slowing myself down but making a more smooth motion out of the process - and this makes it a lot more fun. I hike in minimalist shoes and a way to offset weight when I need to rebalance my footing to avoid a sharp rock is very helpful. I find using my arms to aid allows me to both ascend and descend faster, and generally they allow me to reduce overall stress on my body. They are also something to lean against when standing still for a moment, and yes, I use them for our shelter (a Big Agnes Scout UL2) as well. All in all they enable me to hike farther more comfortably and quickly. These are NOT an item I choose to go ultralight with, as I strongly prefer the stability and ruggedness of beefier poles - I use Black Diamond Alpine Carbon Corks. I seriously questioned buying poles at all and thought I would end up carrying them a lot, but in reality I use them constantly while on the trail and have no regrets!

[Uncle Joe]

I read/heard on a video that trekking poles can take about 20% of the weight off your body when hiking. Get on a bath scale and touch the ground with your trekking poles and you'll the a difference. Just resting my hands on my trekking poles will give me about 6 lbs of savings. With moderate pressure I get 10 lbs. Add the pressure of a climb or descent and you could get much more. If your trekking poles weigh a pound, is it worth 5 lbs of savings to have some stability?

[misprof]

I use them for the reasons mentioned above. I use them to save my knees and hips especially on the down hill. Also I put up my tarp with them. The other things I use them for is stuff like removing big spider webs from in front of me and pushing aside briars so I can pass through unscathed.
I see some who use only one pole. I cannot do this as It throws my hips off balance so I use 2. The other benefit I found with them is it helps me with finding my rhythm. I am an ex cross-country skier so having gotten use to a rhythm using poles in the snow it was a natural carryover. I no longer country ski as where I now live has not seen a substantial snow fall in 15 years.

[Namtrag]

Didn't see mention of it saving your ass on a regular basis when you are about to fall in the creek, or saving you from falling and busting your ass on a sharp rock if you trip or lose your balance.

They have saved me countless times. Maybe other people aren't so uncoordinated! :)

[tflaris]

Didn't see mention of it saving your ass on a regular basis when you are about to fall in the creek, or saving you from falling and busting your ass on a sharp rock if you trip or lose your balance.

They have saved me countless times. Maybe other people aren't so uncoordinated! :)

+1

That's why I use them!


"Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed that is the only thing that ever has."
- Margaret Mead, Anthropologist

[Sarcasm the elf]

Didn't see mention of it saving your ass on a regular basis when you are about to fall in the creek, or saving you from falling and busting your ass on a sharp rock if you trip or lose your balance.

They have saved me countless times. Maybe other people aren't so uncoordinated! :)

Yup 4-wheel drive.

I thought they were totally unnecessary until I bought a pair and started using them. Now I think they are essential.

[Walkintom]

Trekking poles are very useful for me.

Despite having times where I've packed them up and not used them for a hundred miles at a time, I still take them on every trip.

Last year was a real clincher for me on this; while on Isle Royale an old ankle injury flared up for no obvious reason. Instead of having to take the ferry back from Windigo to Rock Harbor and then cadge an early boat ride back to Copper Harbor or sit around miserably waiting until my ticketed day, I leaned harder on my trekking poles and took the Minong trail as planned. I hiked every mile that I had planned and a few more because I had my poles along.

BD Trails - not fancy or expensive - just good.

[Tuckahoe]

31977
I like to use my trekking poles to prop up my tarp.

[Traveler]

The reasons I not only like trekking poles, but find them indispensable:

Lighten the load going uphills
Less joint impact downhills
Balance when crossing creeks, logs, or narrow rock
Stopping a fall (too numerous to count)
Defense against dogs
Picking up litter
Pretending I'm Bigfoot on my buddies tent
Hang packs and other gear
Picking up things I drop (like when the other pole slides off the cliff lands precariously 3' below me)
Dig a cathole in a pinch
Very high stability on ice
Prying tool (load limited) for rocks, logs, etc
Picking high growing grapes
Making noise to alert people I come up on that I am there
Selfies
Duct tape supply
Slopes with loose surfaces (gravel, talus, mud)
Snowshoeing
Clearing snow from sitting places
Drying boots and gloves/mittens
Wave with signal flag(s)
Probing creek and ponding water depth

Trekking poles are pretty useful things to have when you look at all you use them for over time.

[fiddlehead]

To me, they are a luxury item.
Good for fording rivers, self arresting, setting up tarp/tents.
When there's no snow or fords for my planned hike, I will find a stick to setup my Sil-shelter.
Works for me.
For hiking, they seem to slow me down and make me lose my sense of balance.
I'd rather not hike with them, unless I'm hurt, then they can be a crutch.
Just my 2 cents.
Up to you of course.

[Fredt4]

All of the above, plus looking like a real hiker when hitching a ride. Various drivers told me that the poles distinguished me from a bum. I usually tell them bums in Nashville carry guitar cases instead of poles.

[Casey & Gina]

When it is on-and-off rainy, I like securing my Euroschirm umbrella to one of the poles - keep it handy.

[aero-hiker]

OOPS! Sorry I meant 3000 ft not meters... my bad

[Patrickjd9]

I use a single pole because of arthritis in my hands, changing sides every 20 minutes or so. Even though I appreciate the balance and the power in my arms, it hurts to work my hands all day.

[Franco]

"I use a single pole because of arthritis in my hands, changing sides every 20 minutes or so. Even though I appreciate the balance and the power in my arms, it hurts to work my hands all day."
Try using the strap instead of gripping the handle with your hand .
Like this :
31979

[aero-hiker]

Thanks for the replies everyone. I guess you're only carrying each pole half the time anyway, the other half it's on the ground. It sounds like it's worth trying out.

Does anyone know if there are pole bags available? In terms of avoiding T-Rex syndrome, and letting the ground carry some of your stuff half the time, this seems like a cool idea. Not sure if anyone makes/sells these however.

[misprof]

aero, Remember what you start out with at Springer does not have to be what you finish with. You can start with sticks, poles or nothing and then change your mind later. There are outfitters/ Walmart and post offices and places that take mail drops or deliveries along the way. My husband use to use a walking stick when we were in Europe. He then switched to nothing. He now uses 2. Experiment.

[Casey & Gina]

"I use a single pole because of arthritis in my hands, changing sides every 20 minutes or so. Even though I appreciate the balance and the power in my arms, it hurts to work my hands all day."
Try using the strap instead of gripping the handle with your hand .
Like this :
31979

Haha, took me a few hikes and ultimately youtube videos to realize that is how the straps are supposed to be used. Still half-tempted to cut them off, though much less so since learning to use them properly. :)

[Casey & Gina]

Thanks for the replies everyone. I guess you're only carrying each pole half the time anyway, the other half it's on the ground. It sounds like it's worth trying out.

Does anyone know if there are pole bags available? In terms of avoiding T-Rex syndrome, and letting the ground carry some of your stuff half the time, this seems like a cool idea. Not sure if anyone makes/sells these however.

There really isn't much effort involved in gently picking them up, letting them swing ahead, and then planting them again. You can be more or less graceful about it though - some go around stabbing at the ground with them putting a lot of stress on their arms and causing a lot of noise, and I suppose those are the sorts who benefit from the shock-absorbing feature some poles have. I try to set them down softly before transferring any weight onto them, which is a lot more comfortable and quieter on rocky terrain. I also did not notice the added weight when my umbrella was attached to one, so some long thin pole bags are not a bad idea at all. Wouldn't be hard to make - maybe I will try this...

In my quest for lightening my load, I really wanted to like the Black Diamond Distance Carbon Z poles, but I just couldn't. I liked the design and simplicity of them but the joints wobbled too much making them feel rickety. I ultimately decided that since I would be using them most of the time rather than carrying them, it was an item that didn't make sense to go ultralight with, though I did opt for carbon over aluminum. I really preferred the more solid feeling of the locking poles, and read countless tales of woe with the twist locks, so that guided my choice. In practice, I couldn't care less about the heavier weight on the trail as they still feel feather-light to me, and would probably be content with heavier wooden sticks (though I love how the carbide tips just stick in place on rocks!). My arms are not exactly getting much other exercise lifting anything up when hiking. REI carries a good selection of poles and you can walk around the store with them to get a feel for each model - imagine wobbling sideways and needing to put a lot of weight on them to arrest a fall, or pushing hard against them to assist you when climbing or descending (the shoe sections at the REI's near me have a fake rock you can clamber on to simulate this). Like shoes I imagine what is "best" is different for everyone, and there's budget considerations as well. I know some folks on Youtube don't like the poles I got, but I love them.

[MuddyWaters]

Poles:

Keep you from falling down on uneven terrain
Let you hike faster on uneven terrain
Critical for flowing water crossing above shin deep
Take load off knees and lower leg going downhill by slowing down impacts

Keep hands from swelling at high altitude

[Fredt4]

I've opined on earlier threads about my conversion to poles and listed all the benefits. Now I'll simply say that so many experienced hikers use them that anyone that's hiking so consider using them. Perhaps they work out for you, perhaps not. But as highly recommended they are it's a bit foolish not to try them. Same for trail runners. Not all UL gear suits everyone but carrying heavy gear suits almost no one. As you hike you'll learn what best suits you. Almost everything said above in earlier posts I found to be good advise.

[Violent Green]

I used to mock hikers that used poles once upon a time because I thought they were worthless and silly. As you can see by this thread, the benefits are numerous and I never leave home without them now. Try them for 50 miles and if you don't like them just sell them on here. I bet you keep them though!

Ryan

[gregpphoto]

Peoples thoughts on the straps? I never ever ever ever use them, removed em in fact. Theyre dangerous to me. You fall with your hand wound up in that strap, and you might break a pole at best, or a wrist or arm at worst. I understand the strap is supposed to make swinging the poles back and forth easier, but c'mon, is it really that physically demanding to life eight ounces without the assistance of a strap?

[Vegan Packer]

I am just getting back into backpacking after years off. I was shocked to find out how much my poles made a positive difference in my walking.

On my first shake down hike after getting all new gear, and after a couple of days of walking with my poles, I decided to do a day hike from my camp, where I had set up my tent with my poles. Even with carrying next to nothing on my back, I suddenly found that my balance, was way off, and I that I had to fight a lot more that I had thought in order to keep from slipping and falling, and to maintain my balance as I climbed and walked in slippery rocks, mud and the like. By the time that I got back to camp, I was much more tired, after walking without carrying almost any weight on my back, than I was after walking with a full pack but while using my poles.

After that experience, I ordered poles for my tent. I don't use them unless I plan on doing day hikes from camp sites, but I will certainly now take them along on any trips where I plan to do this.

[Another Kevin]

Peoples thoughts on the straps? I never ever ever ever use them, removed em in fact. Theyre dangerous to me. You fall with your hand wound up in that strap, and you might break a pole at best, or a wrist or arm at worst. I understand the strap is supposed to make swinging the poles back and forth easier, but c'mon, is it really that physically demanding to life eight ounces without the assistance of a strap?

It's not about "making it easier to swing the poles". In fact, if you are swinging the poles with the straps, you're using them wrong. I wouldn't even be able to swing mine from the straps, because once my hand is above the grip, the poles just drop away. (Well, I can do it, but I have to put my thumb out, consciously, to catch the strap or it will indeed just slip off.) The straps are under tension only when I'm leaning into them. And that saves my hands, because otherwise all the weight that I'm putting on the poles is through my fingers and palm, rather than in the heel of my hand and my wrist.

Some of us, at least, really get hand problems from gripping the handles all day long. With the straps, you can place quite a lot of weight on a pole without needing to maintain a death grip, or indeed much of a grip at all. Without the straps, I get wrist pain, blisters on the balls of my thumbs, and numbness and clumsiness in my fingers from nerve compression.

I've taken a fair number of falls with my poles - although many fewer than I'd have taken without them. I actually think my wrists are safer with them. Without them, I'm likely to take a FOOSH (Fall On OutStretched Hand) and suffer a Colles fracture. Those are nasty and virtually never heal to full function. With them, if I fall with an arm entangled, it will be a flexural break, perhaps a chauffeur's fracture, and those heal cleanly. There's going to be the same amount of energy from hitting the ground with a pole as without one. In fact, whatever damage I do to my pole is going to be dissipating energy that would otherwise go into damaging my body (think automobile crumple zones).

[lemon b]

Didn't use trekking poles for years. What I discovered is they help extend Knee life and save one from downhill spills.
Took awhile to get used too. Two are not for me because I like to have one arm free. Today I use a single trekking pole and do not leave home without it.

[MuddyWaters]

Peoples thoughts on the straps? I never ever ever ever use them, removed em in fact. Theyre dangerous to me. You fall with your hand wound up in that strap, and you might break a pole at best, or a wrist or arm at worst. I understand the strap is supposed to make swinging the poles back and forth easier, but c'mon, is it really that physically demanding to life eight ounces without the assistance of a strap?

Ive taken dozens of falls skiing on steep gnarly terrain with poles. Never injured myself due to pole straps. It could happen, you can invent a scenario in which anything does. Low probability however imo. Its fine if others view it differently .

[BirdBrain]

Ive taken dozens of falls skiing on steep gnarly terrain with poles. Never injured myself due to pole straps. It could happen, you can invent a scenario in which anything does. Low probability however imo. Its fine if others view it differently .

I am with you on that one. If you are falling in such a manner, chances are more than your hands are going to get injured. A secure pole prevents more injuries than it causes.... in my opinion. They certainly have saved me a few times.

Having agreed with you I must add that gregpphoto's comment can be backed up by stories told on the web. The trouble with events is that you can't prove things by what did not happen. If a person falls why wearing straps and injures their hands, it becomes "proof" that straps are dangerous. If a person falls why not wearing straps, it cannot be proved that the straps would have helped. In fact those that have been saved by their poles while wearing straps will soon forget or totally discount that fact. The adrenaline rush you get during an injury, imprints the memory of the event in your mind. Where there is no adrenaline rush, the event is likely soon forgotten. That is what makes anecdotal proof so unreliable. The event is so traumatic that it wipes out a mountain of evidence that screams otherwise. In this case the opposing evidence is most often not even remembered or noticed or experienced.

[Franco]

"Peoples thoughts on the straps? I never ever ever ever use them, removed em in fact. Theyre dangerous to me. You fall with your hand wound up in that strap, and you might break a pole at best, or a wrist or arm at worst."

Take a look at the photo I posted.
If the strap is used that way ,your hand will slide off the strap as you fall.
Like most things it depends on how you do it.

[wormer]

Yesterday, I am sure that I would have fallen badly a couple of times without the poles. I was on the HMW with wet rocks and tree root everywhere in the trail that were real slippery from Fridays rain. The poles also let me keep a faster pace, than if I wasn't using them.