View Full Version : Using poles/ staff/ neither?
Shameless
01-31-2009, 21:38
any thoughts on these three options? pro's n con's. :-?
Just Plain Jim
01-31-2009, 22:15
at 69, there's no way that I can hike without my poles.
ChinMusic
01-31-2009, 22:27
Poles help prevent falls/injury, can have dual use with regards to tent.
Neither is lighter.
Staff looks cool.
helps with the downhills, can be in the way on the uphills, not needed on the flats... my experience. pick up some 1-2" think sticks along the trail to get an idea of how they might work for you.
Bulldawg
01-31-2009, 22:39
I use poles, my knees feel better when I use them. Plus gives my arms something to do. HYOH!
Poles are good. Expensive hiking sticks are not needed.
Bulldawg
01-31-2009, 23:00
Poles are good. Expensive hiking sticks are not needed.
Right, I have the $16 WalMart ones. Maybe not as light as the $100 ones, but who has $100 to spend on something they might not like these days anyway? My $16 WalMart ones carried me through a couple hundred miles last year.
Right, I have the $16 WalMart ones. Maybe not as light as the $100 ones, but who has $100 to spend on something they might not like these days anyway? My $16 WalMart ones carried me through a couple hundred miles last year.
I was gifted the expensive ones, don't hold it against me... I do love the shocks! :D
Bulldawg
01-31-2009, 23:03
My WalMart poles has give, it takes a lot of weight to get the shocks on them to kick in, but they do spring somewhat. I sometimes feel them give when using them to help me up a nice rock climb or something.
I'm thinking about trading my poles in for a 'no whining' sticker for my pack. :)
Bulldawg
01-31-2009, 23:14
I think you can trade them in to buy your spell check badge!
search poles, you'll get the exact same results as what u are getting now, it will be quicker though
search poles, you'll get the exact same results as what u are getting now, it will be quicker though
first hit sure puts things in perspective... :D
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Poles
Blissful
01-31-2009, 23:41
At your age, probably fine without. My son carried his prized hiking staff he picked up south of Damascus to Maine.
For me, couldn't have made Maine without my poles.
At your age, probably fine without. My son carried his prized hiking staff he picked up south of Damascus to Maine.
For me, couldn't have made Maine without my poles.
Especially the downhills in NH... actually, some are so steep I need to put my poles away so my hands are free to hold onto branches, roots, and rocks.
trail ronin
02-01-2009, 01:00
I'm a pole guy all the way.
I use the black Diamond Spire elipticals. Love them.
If you haven't bought a set yet, check'em out.
fiddlehead
02-01-2009, 01:11
On the negative side:
poles slow you down.
your balance improves also if you don't use them.
they get in your way and make your hands cold (need better gloves if you use them)
They are a crutch. If you are hurt, ok, use them.
If not. Go without.
On the plus side:
good for setting up a tarp/tent.
good for fording help (not necessary on the AT though unless you ford the big K and you can always pick up a stick),
and good for helping your upper body maintain some muscle tone. (without them, your upper body doesn't get used much on a long distance hike.)
TrippinBTM
02-01-2009, 10:28
Poles help prevent falls/injury, can have dual use with regards to tent.
Neither is lighter.
Staff looks cool.
Staff looks cool, but there's more to it that that. It does the same job as your poles, just singly. I've always used a wooden staff cut from the woods myself. They're great for downhilling, cuz you can put it down way ahead of you and sort of lower yourself with it. Poles, being shorter, are less usefull for this, but not entirely so. Both can help ease your knees, but poles are better for that.
Plus, having a long pole has it's uses. It could become an effective weapon, for one thing. And once I used it to hang a shelter full of people's socks by the fire one night, everyone was thankful I had it. ;)
hopefulhiker
02-01-2009, 10:50
I was not sure about poles either when I was considering the hike.. but after doing it I really depended on those Leki poles.. I also used them to set up the tent.. I have thought about going with even lighter weight poles.. Only very few times did they actually get in the way.. like in rock scrambles in Maine..
My standard response to this inquiry:
Check out PacerPoles. They are Unique and the most comfortable option out their (I have used nothing, single pole, two poles, trekking poles). These are the best. I attest to all the claims made on the website through 4 years of exclusive use.
http://www.pacerpole.com/index.html
TrippinBTM
02-01-2009, 11:54
one thing I hated about poles (as my hiking partners all used them) was the noise. Talk about having no chance to see any wildlife; those metal tips clinking on every rock really irritated me. My wooden staff was almost silent, and anyways, by the time I got to PA I was mainly using it only over boulders or on uphills/downhills. Otherwise I'd just carry it. You just don't need them on the flats, and at that point you're just scaring away wildlife.
I didn`t use them for my tru-hike. In hindsight the only time they would they would have come in handy for me would have been to ford a couple streams in Maine or to fend off pesky dogs.
Staff does look cool. Way cool.
I understand alot of people need the sticks, but alot of yuppies carry them that don't.
It's mostly marketing, like down jackets. My opinion.
Shameless
02-01-2009, 15:17
Thanks for all the info! I'm planning my first 'thru hike' beginning in March. I'm still unsure which way I'm going to go on the whole pole thing. I'm leaning toward 2 poles.
Lone Wolf
02-01-2009, 15:26
any thoughts on these three options? pro's n con's. :-?
neither. i don't see the need for them.
Hikes in Rain
02-01-2009, 18:29
Used a staff for years. Crutch tip to keep it from slipping, notches up and down to add visual interest between the light interior wood and the dark inner bark, good oil finish to show it off. but otherwise, just a piece of mountain laural (rhododendrium) with some serious twists to it. A few year ago, it save me from a serious fall, and that cracked it. When you tapped it, you could hear the unsoundness ringing through it. I retired it, before it broke and I had to destroy it. It now leans against the map of the AT that charts my progress, so it won't feel lonely. (Actual quote of conversation between my wife and me: "So, sticks have feelings?" "No, but they do have memories!" <loving wife provides plaque to display honored staff>
She then gifted me with a pair of Leki Lightweight poles, which I love, and actually work much better than my old staff. But you know what? Sometimes I miss that old staff. When we go for walks, I sometimes grab it, just for old times sake. After all, you never know.....
mkmangold
02-01-2009, 18:59
at 69, there's no way that I can hike without my poles.
I wanna die at 69.
Used a staff for years. Crutch tip to keep it from slipping, notches up and down to add visual interest between the light interior wood and the dark inner bark, good oil finish to show it off. but otherwise, just a piece of mountain laural (rhododendrium) with some serious twists to it. A few year ago, it save me from a serious fall, and that cracked it. When you tapped it, you could hear the unsoundness ringing through it. I retired it, before it broke and I had to destroy it. It now leans against the map of the AT that charts my progress, so it won't feel lonely. (Actual quote of conversation between my wife and me: "So, sticks have feelings?" "No, but they do have memories!" <loving wife provides plaque to display honored staff>
She then gifted me with a pair of Leki Lightweight poles, which I love, and actually work much better than my old staff. But you know what? Sometimes I miss that old staff. When we go for walks, I sometimes grab
it, just for old times sake. After all, you never know.....
Before starting my hike last year, I knew so little about hiking that I didn't realize hikers used poles. I thought those were for snow ski'ing. I thought hikers used a single staff. So, I cut and seasoned a hickory sapling with the bark left on it. The bark reinforces it so you can use a much smaller diameter and lighter stick. I carved the AT symbol and the numbers 2008 into it and some other lines for grip. I also put some white electrical tape around it near the top so that I could see where I left it. I drilled a small hole thru it about 1/2" inch down from the top and tied a strap which I kept over my hand. In steep climbing like in the Wildcats I would let it hang from my wrist so I could use both hands. My stick really took a beating and is about 4 inches shorter now than when I began. The bark is pealed back like a banana peal.
I became so attached to this stick that I almost thought of it as a hiking partner. I forgot and left it in Pizza Hut in Daleville, VA. A friend picked me up for an evening at his home in Roanoke and It was while I was at his home when I discovered I had left it. I called the restaurant and was happy to hear that it was still where I left it. They put it in the office for safe keeping until I could get there.
I have pretty much retired it for long hiking and have about decided to use 2 poles from now on for the ease on my knees.
Happy hiking. :sun
Right, I have the $16 WalMart ones. Maybe not as light as the $100 ones, but who has $100 to spend on something they might not like these days anyway? My $16 WalMart ones carried me through a couple hundred miles last year.
I finally bent one of my walmart poles last week, but it still kept me from falling through some ice and getting real wet and cold. I use them, if others don't want to, then that's fine too.
TrippinBTM
02-02-2009, 10:02
Glad I'm not the only one attached to my hiking staff.
I made mine just a little past Springer (the next mountain, I believe) from what some guy in Virginia later told me was Carolina Silverbell (a shrub of some sort); good wood, strong but light, in my estimation. It's about 5 and a half feet long. Didn't modify it at all, except to round out the top end and put a point on the bottom (which quickly wore off). The bark is textured so I didn't need to carve grip lines. Eventually my handling of it polished it, it's beautiful. I was going to break it in half and leave it on Katahdin, symbolically ending my thru, but was too attached to it by then (it having saved my life many times), so I took it home.
There's something about making from living wood with your own hands that you can't get from store-bought, dead metal poles. Or even store-bought wooden staffs. Why buy one when the forest is full of them for free? Make it right at it will probably last longer than the metal poles (all my hiking partners had broken poles along the AT while my staff, having flexibility, was never damaged).
My poles saved my butt several times.
Blissful
02-02-2009, 11:34
On the negative side:
poles slow you down.
your balance improves also if you don't use them.
they get in your way and make your hands cold (need better gloves if you use them)
They are a crutch. If you are hurt, ok, use them.
If not. Go without.
Poles can slow your pace on flat sections. Then put them away or carry them. Or enjoy the relaxed pace.
Poles improve your balance and prevent ankle turns.
I used a standard Lanes End polartec glove if it was cold (on sale cheap), nothing fancy required.
Poles can, on occassion, get in the way on certain uphills and rocky boulder section then you can - uh... put them away.
Poles help your knees greatly if you have knee problems and prevent you having to rely on knee braces.
I'll take a crutch any day if it gets me to my goal...
Funkmeister
02-02-2009, 13:18
For decades, I thought hiking poles were a gimmick perpetrated by the Advertising Charlatans, designed to part money from the cubicle-bound yuppies with gold credit cards and Euro-SUVs and not enough vacation time to go hiking. I reasoned that since I didn't need them while I was growing up hiking with the Boy Scouts near Port Clinton and the Pinnacle, they were a waste of money. After all, I do make a living in the business of advertising, and there are many many art directors who speak with a forked tongue. There' s lots of bold-faced lies in the business, and since I regularly see the magic of what's behind the curtain, there's no way I could be so stupid to fall for such a waste of money. If I bought a pair, what could be next? A sonic mosquito repelling device? A safari hat with a solar powered fan inside? Waterproof breathable hiking boots? A colon cleanser from late-night television? The Clapper?
Then one of my yuppie hiking buddies with the snazzy Land Rover pulled a late cancellation just before a backpacking trip, and he loaned me his hiking poles for a 4-day getaway in New Hampshire. Eureka!--I saw the light. I was sold. Never looked back.
Hiking poles make a huge difference to me in the hiking that I do. They redistribute the energy required to hike to more muscle groups (in your chest and arms), so you use more muscles, but each group requires less effort overall. Specific muscles hurt less. I can walk farther without resting, likely resulting in more miles per day, or perhaps more downtime at the end of the day. I fall less often. I can hike uneven terrain with more certainty and speed. I can place it on the unseen side of a fallen log to check for snakes. I can use them cowcatcher-like in front of me to break the spiderwebs across the trail. I disagree with the poster who thinks they are not useful on flat trails; I find them terrifically useful when I hike abandoned narrow-gauge logging railroad grades prevalent in New England. I probably get another inch or two per step when I use them. They could mean the difference between 2.5mph and 3.25mph on a flat trail.
I sometimes hike with people who use staffs and agree that they both look cool and often symbolize some sentimental attachment to those who carry them. But they're not light and don't fold up when hiking poles/staffs are not needed (steep hand-over-hand climbs and descents, for example).
And often I'm a tarp camper, so I use them as a structural component to my shelter as well.
I include myself among those who don’t use expensive ones, however. My nothing-special poles have few moving parts to break or fix, and they do just fine. You might buy cheap ones, and if you’re not satisfied, then get better ones and relegate the others for use by friends or The Significant Other if s/he accompanies you.
Like nearly any technique or bit of equipment, I'd suggest you trying them to see if they suit your needs. That's what's important. Though actually getting out and hiking is more important than any tip or trick or gadget.
Ah, rats. I'd go on but the colon cleanser is kicking in. Gotta run...
so which hiking stick company are you writing for now? :D
Funkmeister
02-02-2009, 14:10
My deceptions lie not with the copywriting end but with the pre-PhotoShop aspects of advertising.
Rockhound
02-03-2009, 11:17
none of the above for me. I use 2 hiking sticks I found in GA in Feb 07. Have used em' ever since. They are free, easy to replace if lost or broken, light weight and they don't make that clickity clack sound of metal on rock all day long. I was even given a set of poles I don't use. I prefer my sticks and they have greater sentimental value to me than a couple of metal poles.
Rockhound
02-03-2009, 11:28
No my sticks don't adjust height, (I just adjust my grip) No they don't have a compass. I consider this a gimmick by hiking pole companies to sell more poles to those that feel they need the best, newest, most expensive gear they can find (often these tend to be the people that make it no farther than Neel Gap) No they don't have wrist straps which I feel are completely unnecessary and, when used incorrectly, have caused broken wrists and separated shoulders. Honestly I am amazed by the sheer number of hikers that do use poles.
If I could, I would use neither poles nor staff. Something else to hassel and fiddle with and add weight. But my knees won't take steep descents off high ledges. I can handle a jump-off with a little support from a long staff. It comes in handy at other times, too. Sometimes some kind of pole is the only way to get across the felsenmere in the Whites or a fast stream. When I start without one, I usually end up with one. The problem with a long pole or staff is transport off the trail. I have left many ad hoc poles at the trailhead or the bus station. Finally, I decided to make a collapsible, adjustable staff.
It isn't organic, but my go-to staff for several years (and last thru-hike) has been a telescoping aluminum painters' wand. The screw fitting to hold a paint roller is just right for a 5/8" cane tip. I put two screws into it to make sure it stayed in the pole. Then I painted it flat black and covered the top half with cork bicycle handlebar tape. It weighs 15 ounces - about the weight of two trekking poles.
Poles help with downhill shock to the knees. Sometimes you just use them because you have them, out of habit. They help with balance on tricky terrain (slippery ledges slanting downhill, etc.). Going uphill, I find that I can lean on my poles and my legs don't have to work as hard.
I also use them to set up my tarp or aid in ventilation for my hammock's tarp. I've used them to push food bags up when "bear" bagging, and, once, to fend off an agressive raccoon. I have heavy, basic Lekis that I bought on sale at Sierra Trading Post.
randyg45
02-03-2009, 12:36
Check back with us at 67 or 68.
Check back with us at 67 or 68.
Er..............to whom were you referring?