View Full Version : Trekking Pole Straps
ChinMusic
08-27-2008, 12:54
For those of you that use poles, do you use the straps, sometimes use them, or let em hang?
I find that when the trail is smooth/easy that I use the straps but when the going gets tough I pull my hands out of the straps.
I don't like the idea of falling with my hands stuck in the straps. If I'm gonna fall I want to distance myself from the poles as well.
Comments?
Monkeywrench
08-27-2008, 13:15
I don't like the idea of falling with my hands stuck in the straps. If I'm gonna fall I want to distance myself from the poles as well.
If that works for you and you feel more comfortable, then go ahead and use them that way. At the end of the day, you shouldn't care how anybody else uses their trekking poles.
I use the straps and never thought about what might or might not happen if I were to fall with them. Thanks a lot for giving me something new to obsess about! :eek:
I rarely use the straps. I don't like getting the pole stuck in some PA rocks and my hand being strapped into the pole. I've gotten so used to not using the straps, I usually don't bother.
Try to hook up with Mara Factor at a Gathering or Ruck. She gives little workshop on using trekking poles. IIRC, if you have your hands looped through the pole straps correctly, they will slip through if you fall forward.
Blissful
08-27-2008, 13:40
I use them but they are a pain sometimes. Never had a problem with them when I fell though.
ChinMusic
08-27-2008, 13:55
The reason I thought of this today was after reading my buddy's 2007 thru. I read that his little finger was severely sprained (he thought it was broken) on a fall when it got caught in the strap. I guess he could have sprained his finger with contact with the ground too.
His story reminded me of how I use my poles. I kind of instinctively pull my hands out of the straps when going through rough sections. I love the poles for helping save me from falls, but if I'm going down I try to toss em away from me.
Chenango
08-27-2008, 14:05
I stopped using the straps after I fell and gave my wrist a good bit of stress. No more straps for me.
Last week I stopped using the straps when after day 2 of my SNP hike, I looked at my wrist and saw a very large, nonpainful bruise on the inside of my right wrist. I do like my poles, however. Countless times they've saved me from spills. When I was younger, they'd have been a hindrance, and most of the younger people I hike with feel that way. These days, I find that my balance is just a teeny bit off. I wear bifocals, and so sometimes when I look down quickly, the ground is out of focus, and I've got some arthritis in my lower back and hips. The poles are a big help to me, but the straps, eh, not so much.
I say, use the poles/straps in whichever way you are most comfortable.
gravityman
08-27-2008, 14:25
Love my straps. I use them like ski pole straps. That way I don't have to hold the pole handle very tightly at all. No injuries after many falls and many miles.
Love my straps. I use them like ski pole straps. That way I don't have to hold the pole handle very tightly at all. No injuries after many falls and many miles.Ditto! If you've stopped using the straps you probably did not have them adjusted properly or were not using them correctly. You should, when adjusted correctly, be putting your weight on the strap - wrist-to-strap, right at or very close to the juncture with the pole hole. As gravityman says, you can literally open your hand grip away from the pole and still place your weight squarely on the pole. That's how you know you have them adjusted properly. If not using the straps, might as well use a pair of sticks. The 'magic' of trekking poles is in the straps! ;)
NICKTHEGREEK
08-27-2008, 16:27
Love my straps. I use them like ski pole straps. That way I don't have to hold the pole handle very tightly at all. No injuries after many falls and many miles.
Exactly how you grip your pole is between you and your maker but it's why the straps are there.
MyName1sMud
08-27-2008, 16:31
I am opposite... I try and keep my hands in the straps when the going gets rough. No doubt when I think I will be falling....
Try and use my poles as a "selt arrest"
I used to use the straps on my Leki Super Makaula poles, but since switching last year to TiGoat AGP's at 3.2 oz each, I find the available straps hinder the extremely quick action I can get with these sticks, and therefore just leave the straps off.
Delirious Nomad
08-27-2008, 17:43
I use trekking poles - but I cut the straps off. Having them dangling on my hands was annoying, and I didn't want to use them.
My buddy uses his straps - he says they support the hand/wrist better when you use them. Not sure on that, but I like going without them.
Old Grouse
08-27-2008, 17:50
I use my straps and haven't had any problems. This discussion reminds me of the one about automobile seatbelts in which someone knows a friend of a friend who went in the water and would have drowned if they' been wearing their seatbelt - ignoring the millions of people saved by them.
Delirious Nomad
08-27-2008, 17:51
Forgot to also say that I adjust where I am gripping depending on uphill / downhill / rocky / flat / paved(grip both in one hand and carry <smile>) terrain. If my hands were in the straps - I couldn't change where I grip!
ChinMusic
08-27-2008, 18:01
I use my straps and haven't had any problems. This discussion reminds me of the one about automobile seatbelts in which someone knows a friend of a friend who went in the water and would have drowned if they' been wearing their seatbelt - ignoring the millions of people saved by them.
Trekking pole straps "save" people??? Come on. Poor analogy.
IMO the straps are an energy saver but in a fall are a danger.
As a curiosity I did a Google search on ski injuries and found LOTS of references to straps causing thumb injuries/etc on falls. I don't see a whole lot of difference when compared to hikers.
I'm like Delirious Nomad, in that I like to change my hand positions (exp on steep downs) and simply couldn't do that with straps. I forgot about that.
Jim Adams
08-27-2008, 18:12
Trekking pole straps "save" people??? Come on. Poor analogy.
IMO the straps are an energy saver but in a fall are a danger.
As a curiosity I did a Google search on ski injuries and found LOTS of references to straps causing thumb injuries/etc on falls. I don't see a whole lot of difference when compared to hikers.
I'm like Delirious Nomad, in that I like to change my hand positions (exp on steep downs) and simply couldn't do that with straps. I forgot about that.
I change my hand positions constantly and can not figure out how you could hike without the straps. The straps contain and control the weight that you have placed on the pole. I have never been injured due to my poles in a fall. I imagine alot of the thumb injuries with skiing have more to do with speed than straps. Thumb injuries are very common with dirt bikes and mountain bicycles and neither of them use straps.
Being a white water paddler and brainwashed over the years to NEVER let go of your paddle, I probably will never lose my poles in a fall even without straps.
geek
WAYSEEKER
08-27-2008, 18:22
In my opinion, it is a matter of preference.
gravityman
08-27-2008, 18:22
As a curiosity I did a Google search on ski injuries and found LOTS of references to straps causing thumb injuries/etc on falls. I don't see a whole lot of difference when compared to hikers.
Except skiiers are going 10's of miles an hour when they loose control.
Not too many hikers die from hitting a tree, but skiers do it all the time...
ChinMusic
08-27-2008, 18:34
Except skiiers are going 10's of miles an hour when they loose control.
Not too many hikers die from hitting a tree, but skiers do it all the time...
Point taken.
wcgornto
08-27-2008, 19:19
I hate them. I cut them off of my Lekis
gearfreak
08-28-2008, 07:53
I tend to only use the straps where an accidental spill might cause me to lose a pole down a steep slope that I'd rather not bushwhack in order to retreive it. :cool:
I use them 100% of the time, and like others, wouldn't think of not using them. I believe they spread out the force used, and I can keep a very light grip to literally no grip on the poles, thus never getting hand/arm muscle issues. I think Leki shows on their website how to use/adjust them correctly, if interested. I use that way, and never had issues.
UYOPHUL (use your own poles how u like) lol.
Time To Fly 97
08-28-2008, 10:50
I use my Leki straps to give me different leverage depending on up or downhill hiking. I keep my straps loose so that if my hand is resting in the straps, only my pointer finger is actually on the handle (the rest of my hand is "levered" against the pole. I use this lowered grip for uphill or on terrain I could easily loose footing... because with the straps I can put my full weight on the poles if I need to catch myself of pull up a hill - this is more of a vertical assist. For straight level hiking when I need more of a horizontal push (fast hiking), I have my hands fully on the pole grips and not resting on the straps. For this, I position the poles further behind me instead of more in line with my feet (full strap/vertical method). When I need my hands for a more technical climb, and because the straps are loose, I can let the poles just hang on my wrists out of the way.
By using different hiking styles with different pole combinations, I can increase my distance and speed by using different muscle groups and maintaining better control.
Happy hiking!
TTF
I'm honestly amazed at how many people are not using the straps, cutting them off even! I would have never guessed such a high percentage of trekking pole users hate and don't take advantage of the load 'leveraging' that the straps were designed for.
Ditto! If you've stopped using the straps you probably did not have them adjusted properly or were not using them correctly. You should, when adjusted correctly, be putting your weight on the strap - wrist-to-strap, right at or very close to the juncture with the pole hole. As gravityman says, you can literally open your hand grip away from the pole and still place your weight squarely on the pole. That's how you know you have them adjusted properly. If not using the straps, might as well use a pair of sticks. The 'magic' of trekking poles is in the straps! ;)That's how I use mine, also, just like cross country skiing.
If in a rock field or on steep downhills, I sometimes unstrap, but where I can stride, the straps are the way to go.
ChinMusic
08-28-2008, 14:54
That's how I use mine, also, just like cross country skiing.
If in a rock field or on steep downhills, I sometimes unstrap, but where I can stride, the straps are the way to go.
For steep downhills I always unstrap. I want to be able to get my hands on top of the pole. I will take the time to lengthen the pole if the downhill goes on for quite a spell. My Diamonds adjust VERY quickly. My Lekis are a PITA to get to catch sometimes. The Lekis like to just spin at times.
gearfreak
08-28-2008, 15:15
Proper use and adjustment. (http://www.outdoors.org/publications/outdoors/2005/trekkingpoles.cfm) :cool:
leeki pole
08-28-2008, 15:33
For those of you that use poles, do you use the straps, sometimes use them, or let em hang?
I find that when the trail is smooth/easy that I use the straps but when the going gets tough I pull my hands out of the straps.
I don't like the idea of falling with my hands stuck in the straps. If I'm gonna fall I want to distance myself from the poles as well.
Comments?
Umm...don't fall.:cool:
Old Grouse
08-28-2008, 18:14
Trekking pole straps "save" people??? Come on. Poor analogy.
IMO the straps are an energy saver but in a fall are a danger.
As a curiosity I did a Google search on ski injuries and found LOTS of references to straps causing thumb injuries/etc on falls. I don't see a whole lot of difference when compared to hikers.
I'm like Delirious Nomad, in that I like to change my hand positions (exp on steep downs) and simply couldn't do that with straps. I forgot about that.
I would agree that it would be a poor analogy, but that wasn't the point I was attemptng to make. I was suggesting that for everyone that likes a piece of equipment, someone can come up with a counter-example. The question is, is there data on injuries caused by trekking pole straps as oppose to benefits from usin the straps? Probably not.
adventurousmtnlvr
08-28-2008, 18:39
Well I am a snow skier and while I have done both (used the straps and not used them); I can say from many falls (getting injured included and helicoptered out) that they do more good to still have the straps ON. Not fun going uphill to retrieve them when you slid 200 or 300 feet on ice or snow. Or having another skier run over them on their way down. And if you fall in what I call fluffy snow up to your neck ... not fun getting out without their help or using them to signal for help LOL. But for backpacking, can't say YET as I'm a hiker and backpacker in training :) I say do what works for YOU :)
Proper use and adjustment. (http://www.outdoors.org/publications/outdoors/2005/trekkingpoles.cfm) :cool:Last line of this article says "Once you use a pair of trekking poles, you may never go back." That would be me. :) But then some would say 'it's just marketing or that trekking pole users are gullible idiots ("snake oil salesman" veiled insult by Blue Jay) !' :eek:
ChinMusic
08-28-2008, 20:55
Umm...don't fall.:cool:
Always, always, Plan A.......:D