Do you really need trekking poles?

[TMathers]

At my age and with my knees ill take all the help i can get

[FreeGoldRush]

At my age and with my knees ill take all the help i can get
Also good for:

Checking tall grass for rattlesnakes
removing spider webs
tent poles on a Zpacks tent
taking the weight of your arms off your legs and feet
poking in the direction of aggressive dogs
Rapidly removing body weight from an ankle that just rolled over and avoiding injury
Generating noise to scare off a bear

[MikekiM]

also good for:

Checking tall grass for rattlesnakes
removing spider webs
tent poles on a zpacks tent
taking the weight of your arms off your legs and feet
poking in the direction of aggressive dogs
rapidly removing body weight from an ankle that just rolled over and avoiding injury
generating noise to scare off a bear


^^^ this ^^^

[Patrickjd9]

I also use a single pole, in my case a trekking pole. I have arthritis in my hands and alternate between them as they get sore.

[Redbird2]

My trekking poles are part of my must-have pieces of equipment. I use them for tent setup. When hiking up and down mountains they really take some of the pressure off your knees. I find them essential for balance when the terrain is tricky like stream crossings. I use them for getting a steady rhythm on flat trails.

[tflaris]

They are useful under a number of scenarios.

They are especially useful the older you are.

Almost all ultra-light tents utilize them.

I use them mostly on the uphill until it gets too steep. I use them mostly on the downhill to telegraph a foot plant, much like mogul skiing. I use them on the flats to sweep away cobwebs in the green tunnel and poison ivy stands on the edge of the trail. I use them to part giant milkweeds and thornbushes in front of me.

Mine weigh 7oz. each. and i don't count them in my pack weight....

Yes. What he said.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk