View Full Version : Hiking Poles on a budget
volleypc
01-14-2009, 16:35
Well now that the sleeping bag is taken care of the only other item I need is hiking poles. I have never used hiking poles in the past but since I have had issues with my knees the last couple of years I am going to give them a try this year. I am 6ft 2in, 218 lbs if that helps with your recommendations. Again, I am not looking for the top of the line most expensive, just a good pair that are lightweight and durable. Thanks again for all of your help.
jonathanb23
01-14-2009, 16:39
This would be a great cheap start... http://www.rei.com/product/750638
Great sale!
Cabin Fever
01-14-2009, 16:41
This would be a great cheap start... http://www.rei.com/product/750638
Great sale!
REI's clearance has some great poles. REI poles are made by Komperdell. Though not top of the line, they get the job done for a long time. I have a pair of REI poles that have about 400 miles on them and still kicking.
Go to Goodwill, etc. and get yourself a pair of fiberglass X-country ski poles - 145cm should work for you. Cut down or remove the baskets. These cost me $2 at Goodwill and last me about 2-3 years. They usually die because they get jammed in roots and I snap them. Once my lab broke one when ran into it going full bore.
I also use ski poles that I got at Goodwill.
wal-mart has some for $15 that several people say work well. the ones at target suck.
NCYankee
01-14-2009, 17:19
I use the Leki's... I got them on Ebay really cheap... not $2 or even $17 wal-madeinchina-mart cheap but like $50 cheap.
REI right now has a lot of them being blown out in the super clearance
kg4fam, That is what I did. they worked great and I didnt feel to bad when I left them in franklin in front of the saphirre inn. I did miss them because I had used them since Hawk mt. shelter.
NCYankee
01-14-2009, 17:25
Regarding the REI Super Clearance (not that I'm pitching REI) but:
REI Peak UL Carbon Compact Trekking Poles - Pair (http://www.rei.com/product/756152)
<LI class=reduced>Reduced to: $54.83
REI Peak UL Carbon Trekking Poles - Pair (http://www.rei.com/product/756146)<LI class=reduced>Reduced to: $54.83
REI Carbon Bamboo Staff (http://www.rei.com/product/765288)
<LI class=reduced>Reduced to: $29.83
REI Peak UL Carbon Shocklight Trekking Poles - Pair (http://www.rei.com/product/750835)
<LI class=reduced>Reduced to: $54.83
REI Ascent Shocklight Trekking Poles - Pair (http://www.rei.com/product/750638)
<LI class=reduced>Reduced to: $34.83
Funkmeister
01-14-2009, 17:26
I got a pair of new Komperdells on EBay when I started section hiking about 5 years ago. They are neither the lightest nor the best. Though scuffed to death, they still work fine. With shipping, I paid about $40.
REI has some killer deals during their 'garage sales', or whatever they call their semiannual clearance sales at the store near you.
If money is no object, go wild; with a finite bit of cash, I'd go that route again.
Another vote for ski poles.
It is how I did some hikes anyway...
Stick. Cheapest solution I can think of.
as i mentioned on the sleeping bag thread... look for previous year's (i.e. r.e.i. sale, other places/sites will put last years ones on sale too)
Johnny Swank
01-14-2009, 18:38
I used Lekis for my thru-hike, but those eventually died. I'm probably going to roll with either ski poles or make a pair of trekking poles from a set of used carbon fiber golf clubs this time around.
The Swiss Gear brand of treking poles at WAL Mart cost $10 and have lasted me for over 2500 miles of hiking. NO need to buy expensive ones. these are are better than wood sticks because they telescope down and can be attached to your pack when in town or vehicle. When I see someone toting those expensive LEKI's l gag!
leki's can be fixed at any outfitters that sells them (well they are suppose to be capable of fixing them) so it is a one time purchase...
Bamboo Cross-Country Ski Poles found at Play it Again Sports. $10.
The Swiss Gear brand of treking poles at WAL Mart cost $10 and have lasted me for over 2500 miles of hiking. NO need to buy expensive ones. these are are better than wood sticks because they telescope down and can be attached to your pack when in town or vehicle. When I see someone toting those expensive LEKI's l gag!
I have seen people with the walmart poles coming apart with less than 100 miles on them and other like garbanz who have a ton of miles on them. I guess it is a crap shoot on them.
My first pair of the Wally World Swiss Gear ones were awesome. (they were teh red ones) I gave them to a section hiker I had been hiking with when I got off the trail.
The new blue ones I got sucked wind. The one broke really fast.
I agree that it is a crap shoot.
Johnny Thunder
01-14-2009, 19:52
I broke my Walmart poles almost immediately but Orion (who bought his with me) had them until they got lost in a hitch 500 miles later.
Ron Haven
01-14-2009, 22:56
Friend,
I have a pair of used Leki's I bought from a hiker who was bailing out a couple of years ago.I believe I paid $40 and I don't use poles that much.I have several sets of others too.E-mail me with how much you want to spend and I will see what I have.
Rockhound
01-15-2009, 11:27
Hiking poles for those on a budget are called sticks. I actually have a pair of Swiss Gear poles I don't even use. I much prefer the 2 sticks I picked up in GA. in 07. They are sturdy, light and if I ever lose them or break them I know where I can get another pair for free.
theinfamousj
01-15-2009, 11:47
If you are a regular adult, the advice here is good.
Just wanted to add for this info for research if someone else comes along with the same question -- Those of us who are petite, that the REI Children's Summit poles are good/lightweight poles for short folks with little hands. They extend to a max of 125 cm. I was excited to find them because almost all poles had grips that were too big which meant I had to grip them too hard which made me more tired.
I've used the Swiss Gears poles purchased from Walmart ($14.00) on several week long hikes without any issues. Some gear is worth spending the extra bucks for some not. In my opinion hiking poles are not one of them.
Spend just enough $$$ to get trekking poles with good straps. Straps are what differentiate trekking poles from 'sticks.' Learn to adjust and use them properly (lot's of 'how tos' via google search. Otherwise, just use sticks and settle for only partial benefit. :)
I've noticed the straps on cross-country ski poles have gotten alot better also.
Rockhound
01-15-2009, 21:39
I've heard of 2 broken wrists due to hiking pole straps. I should say straps not being used properly.
volleypc
01-15-2009, 21:41
Thanks for your help everyone.. I have to be back in Boone in a couple of weeks and will pick up some ski poles at the thrift store there.
I've been using the REIl UL carbon Fiber poles for the last 3 years. They are great, and i don't worry about being a lightning rod :eek: during summer storms as I would with aluminum.
As for going cheap, I've been thinking about going back to wood sticks as they are more durable and a heck of a lot more "sustainable." But I'd lash some webbing onto them so that I'd have straps.
At Goodwill I also got two carbon fiber golf clubs for $2.00 each, took a hacksaw to them leaving the metal part that joins the clubhead to the shaft (i.e. the hosel) for extra tip durability, then jammed a non-marring cap from a Komperdell on the tip that I had found on the trail. They are 1 inch different in height, but they'd do just fine. I've used them on walks in wooded city parks to keep dogs at bay, I'd also lash some webbing onto them so that I'd have straps.
tgrundAT09
01-16-2009, 03:23
I found a pair of nice and light aluminum ski poles at a thrift store. After a weekend trip, the old and dry rubber grips had taken a toll on my hands. I put some cork bike handlebar tape on the old grips and they are wonderful now. Just a tip in case anyone has this same problem.
mtt37849
01-16-2009, 04:51
Found some on ebay Leki brand starting at 30.00$
optimator
01-16-2009, 13:46
REI Outlet had the Black Diamond Trail for $55. Same pole I use, love that flicklock system :banana
stick from the woods
I use a single alder sapling, maximum diameter 1 ", three/quarter inch is even better. Use a knife to remove most of the bark. Let the peeled stick dry out near a heat source for a week or so. Fit the bottom with a soft rubber crutch tip. Cut down the pole to fit the crutch tip. Maximum size is three-quarters of an inch. Smaller is better.
Drill the top for a rawhide shoe lace, if you want. I tend to ignore the need for a any kind of strap.
Maximum weight should be nine ounces.
A natural sapling is a lot stronger than most people think. I've used them for years. None has ever broken. Nor do I pamper mine. I use them routinely to smash off dead limbs that are in my way while bushwhacking.
Almost everyone seems to use a stick that is far heavier than needed.
Weary
I've heard of 2 broken wrists due to hiking pole straps. I should say straps not being used properly.
I'm not an expert on straps, but from all I've read on this and other sites the injuries are more likely from using the straps the way the experts suggest is proper.
The expert way entails putting your hands through the straps from the bottom, resulting in an easy grip -- one finger and a thumb -- thus reducing the pressure on the wrist.
But this also makes it slower to get rid of the pole quickly, when a fall looms, making injuries more likely. I've used my homemade staff both ways. Since reading and studying the reports, I tend to now remove my hand from the strap during rough stretches when a fall is more likely.
The strap and pole top, that I use most of the time on my wooden "stick" and crutch tip, came from Komperdell, and cost me $12.95 -- or pretty near the cost of the Walmart "cheapies," if I add the 83 cent crutch tip. My homemade version, however, has never broken and never needed repairs, something some Walmart purchasers aren't able to claim.
BTW, attaching the Komperdell strap is simple. I've explained the technique before. It allows the stick to double as a monopod for my camera. But if anyone needs a refresher, let me know.
Weary
Its a pole to help support weight and keep you from sliding downhill or sideways. It also lets the upper body do some of the work. This takes stress off of the knee joints. Its meant to be something simple. You dont need straps. Neither do you need to spend a lot of $$$ on trekking poles!
Its a pole to help support weight and keep you from sliding downhill or sideways. It also lets the upper body do some of the work. This takes stress off of the knee joints. Its meant to be something simple. You dont need straps. Neither do you need to spend a lot of $$$ on trekking poles!
Well, I certainly agree. But it is true that some like to minimize the injuries straps sometimes, allegedly, cause. There is no doubt. The use of straps do occasionally cause injuries. I think the way to avoid injuries is to do as I suggested above. I am interested if anyone has any contrary views.
Weary
To say that 'you dont need straps' indicates that you have not used them properly adjusted, that's all. If it were not for the strap action, I wouldn't use 'two sticks' which is all trekking poles without straps are. Google 'how to use trekking poles' (so I don't have to restate some well documented material) and learn about the use and benefits of properly adjusted straps.
weary, it is certainly possible that in a fall you could get injured by a pole you could not toss out of the way because of the strap. But given that the poles may actually prevent more falls than people who are injured by a pole during a fall, I'd say go with the odds. I've fallen a couple times with poles with no problem with the poles hurting me. One was last year on a very muddy section of steep downhill between Carver's Gap and Overmountain shelter. There were quite a few people on that section that day and everyone I met said they had slipped badly a few times.
Stick. Cheapest solution I can think of.
Yup. The stick I thru hiked with cost $1 (for a crutch tip), weighs 9 ounces and has 4,000 miles on it. Though it is as good as ever, I only use it rarely these days for fear I'll break it, or lose it, and have to cry.
It's replacement weighs 10 ounces and has a thousand or so miles so far. It cost and weighs a bit more because White Blazers convinced me I needed a strap. The strap, cork grip, and attached compass came to $12.95 from Komperdell. I rarely use the strap, and I no longer can read the compass dial. But they do make my stick look professional. It draws a lot of comments -- especially after I attached a genuine brass AT medallion ($3.95 I think from a vendor at an ATC biennial conference.) When we spent six weeks in Alaska a year ago, someone was so impressed he asked where he could buy one like it.
As they say, "fools and their money are soon parted."
Weary