Trekking Poles

[Sunshine Tami Jo]

Are trekking poles really a good idea? Does it depend on age/strength/fitness level, or any other variables? I'm just wondering if it's worth it to have something to carry in your hands all the time.

[Mountain Wildman]

At any age or fitness level trekking poles absorb some of the impact placed on your knees, legs and feet, They basically give you two extra points of contact for improved balance, especially when descending or crossing water, they bring your arms and chest muscles into the hiking equation for a more balanced workout. If you use the collapsible poles which are the most popular, like Leki, Black Diamond, Komperdell etc..., you can stick them in your pack side or back pockets when you don't need them, Unlike a wooden staff which you have no choice but to carry all the time. But, Like any gear, it's a personal choice as to whether you use poles or staffs or nothing.

[couscous]

Terrain and weather determine if I take
2, 1 or none.

[couscous]

Sometimes I just use a stck laying on the trail.

[Slack-jawed Trog]

Wussy Wands really are a personal choice and only you can make it. :-?

Having put that out there, it is my choice to carry them. As much as they help me on ascending trail, they really shine on descents. My knees, ankles and feet really appreciate (need, truthfully) the extra stability.

Wuss Extraordinaire, YMMV.

[leaftye]

I find my trekking poles very useful when traversing icy snow, setting up my tarp, fording rivers, bushwhacking when I can't see how far down the ground is and encouraging especially stubborn rattlesnakes to leave the trail.

If you get very light trekking poles, like Titanium Goat or Gossamer Gear, you might barely notice them in your hands until they are needed.

[Jester2000]

Are trekking poles really a good idea? Does it depend on age/strength/fitness level, or any other variables? I'm just wondering if it's worth it to have something to carry in your hands all the time.

Why would you have to carry them in your hands all the time? Unless you make the mistake of glueing them to yourself, you can always strap them to your pack when you don't feel like using them.

I know many people who have switched to them as they got older, and have said that they help take pressure off of the knees. On the other hand, plenty of young, fit people choose to carry them as well, so I don't know that age, strength, or fitness are determining factors.

I will say that it seems like people with heavier packs are more likely to have them than people with light baseweights, although this isn't a hard and fast rule or anything.

[Mrs Baggins]

I recently read that using poles ups the calorie burn by 40% because of the upper body work out. Your arms and shoulders are in constant motion. I love them for many reasons. My hands never swell while using them because they are always up, not just hanging down at my side. Mine collapse down to less than 18" and are easily attached to a pack. I use the Komperdell Titanal ladies' poles - very lightweight, slender, and very strong. Between $80 - $100/pair depending on where you buy them. I've had the same pair for 6 years. I'd no more hike without them than I would hike without shoes.

http://www.sierratradingpost.com/i/2195F,99,_Komperdell-Titanal-HF-Trekking-Poles-Standard-Pair-For-Women.html

[chronain]

Both my six-year-old hiking partner and I use them...I do not detest heavily-laden descents the way I used to prior to using them.

[earlyriser26]

I never used them when I was younger, but when you get older, and my case very fat, they are an absolute need.

[FritztheCat]

Love my trekking poles! For all the great reasons listed above.

[Sugarfoot]

If I didn't carry hiking poles, I would have to leave my tent (Light Heart) at home too.

[Sierra Echo]

I was a huge skeptic of trekking poles but I was also curious. I ended up investing in a pair of $20 poles from wally world. I love them. Get a cheap pair and take em for a test drive. If you don't like them, you arent out of a lot of money.

[garlic08]

Terrain and weather determine if I take
2, 1 or none.

Ditto this. Poles are, and always will be, optional for most. They're just another tool in the box. They're not always helpful and sometimes in the way. And like many tools, lots of people use them incorrectly. For many, they're just along for the ride, or maybe contributing a very small effort.

Wussy wands--I like that. I also really liked my two poles on my AT thru, the first time I used two poles. I used one pole for the PCT and CDT and some open desert hikes, which was perfect for me on those trails, leaving one hand free for drinking water and nearly constant map and compass use some days. I only need one pole for my shelter set-up. I never take poles on day hikes or if I don't carry a shelter.

[Bare Bear]

I like to hike early so frequently I am the first person out. Poles help clear some of the cobwebs before they catch my hiking beard. My personal record is 37 webs one morning in Va tunnels.

[Lone Wolf]

Are trekking poles really a good idea? Does it depend on age/strength/fitness level, or any other variables? I'm just wondering if it's worth it to have something to carry in your hands all the time.

i don't see a need for them. go without

[Luddite]

If you don't like them, you arent out of a lot of money.

Exactly. Don't go and buy a $200 pair of Lekis. You might not like them and trekking poles are ridiculously expensive for some reason.

[Luddite]

Actually Ebay has some really good prices on trekking poles. I just checked.

[sly dog]

I had the wally world ones and they did well for a state or two then crapped out on me. I liked havin poles so I ordered a pair of used ones on e-bay, leki titanium. When i got them, it appeared the one time he used them must have been in sand. They looked brand new and cost me like $70.

[bjmiller75]

I have children so don't get as much time out as I would like so when I do get a chance, I tend to go overboard which has led to overuse and some knee pain. The poles work for me and let me go downhill with less knee pain and to hike more miles comfortably. I could hike without them but it is more enjoyable the whole way when I have them. I don't leave without them.

[Tenderheart]

I used them on my 2000 thru hike, but sold them to a friend upon my return. IMO, they kept me from falling sometimes and caused me to fall sometimes. I can ascend much better with my torso upright. Try standing up straight on hills, and you can breathe better and climb better. Also, I feel that poles are useless in rocks, when you need an extra hand. I got so tired of fooling with them in 2000, that I actually stowed them on my pack and put a "For Sale" sign on them. Boy, that was smart!! I realize that I am in the vast minority on this issue, but you did ask.

litefoot 2000

[ChinMusic]

I found my poles worthless for going up the cables at Half Dome.

Other than stuff like that they are golden.

[Luddite]

I found my poles worthless for going up the cables at Half Dome.

Other than stuff like that they are golden.

I didn't use poles the day I did that hike. Gloves came in handy though.

When I hiked back to the valley and went down the mist trail on those awful steps trekking poles would have been great.

[ChinMusic]

I didn't use poles the day I did that hike. Gloves came in handy though.

When I hiked back to the valley and went down the mist trail on those awful steps trekking poles would have been great.
I was joking about poles and Half Dome just in case others didn't get it. Great, not just good, gloves are the key to the cables. I had some that were the bomb.

We finished up our 8-day trip at Happy Isle so I had a full pack going down the Mist Trail. I don't know if I would be typing now had I not had my poles. I might have taken out 50 tourons too.

[Namaste]

I take my poles with me on every hike because it helps me enjoy hiking without feeling constant knee pain.

[turtle fast]

I have had my poles save me from nasty falls. They also are nice to hold up tents as well as an item to swing at growling dogs who like to eat you.

[Harrison Bergeron]

I definitely like a staff, but I'm still on the fence about poles. But I'm just a noob, so I probably don't know what I'm talking about.

My staff is a hickory rake handle with a bicycle grip and cane tip that I really love. Cost me about $10. When I started using it, it seemed to actually take some of the weight off my back and it was great for fording ditches and runoffs on the Lone Star Trail. It weighs about the same as a pair of poles, but it's balanced different. It feels kind of like a pendulum when you use it, so it doesn't feel heavy at all.

But when I saw a pair of poles for $15 at Target, I decided to give it a try. Maybe it would be different with better poles, but I wasn't impressed. I did ten miles with a 10 pound pack in a state park and felt more tired at the end than I did on the LST carrying 30 pounds. Plus, I couldn't decide how long to make them -- too short and it felt like I was just carrying them, too long and my shoulders started hurting. And I actually tripped over them a couple of times, which never happens with my staff. Not sure what that was about.

I will say, it was nice to be able to collapse them. I've been wondering how I'm going to get my staff on the plane for the AT next year.

Once cool thing about a staff -- I can carve my hiking log into it, which would be a great souvenir of the AT for my old age!

[Bama Jack & Sadie]

Also great if you are the first out of camp have to be the one 'facing' all of the spider webs or shooing snakes off of the trail. Love them.

[johnnybgood]

I take hiking poles only after gaging the terrain that I'll be hiking . The ideal circumstances that warrant their use IMO , 1) going down steep declines, especially when hiking after recent rains/melting snow 2) fording swift running streams or rivers , 3) and when hiking big miles are the order of the day --then poles will come in handy.

But hey , it's a personal choice --- no right or wrong . Hike your own hike !

[Sarcasm the elf]

Get them, they are absolutely worth it. I have to force myself to take them with me on every hike, but I regret it if I don't. I agree with all the reasons listed in the thread above, but to me the best reason is that you often need them when you are just plowing down the trail and need them even though you think you don't. I keep them out on straight-aways and mild declines, I can't count the number of times that they have saved me from seriously rolling my ankle.
I like my black diamonds personally, if you get a collapsable pair get something with a flick lock or the like, I think Leki has something similar as well so try them out and find what feels best to you.

[Tinker]

Hiking with poles takes some getting used to. I've gotten to the point that I don't usually have to think about where I'm planting them unless the terrain gets difficult. They help immensely on downhills to slow my pace and retain control, and uphills are easier because I basically lean my weight on them and they help propel me upward and onward. Stream crossings are easier with them, too.
Fwiw, I assist the AMC on a yearly cross-country ski beginner weekend, so poles aren't a new thing to me.

[WalkingStick75]

I love my hiking poles but most people I see that use them do not use them correctly. They are suppose to assist you going uphill by using your upper body to push and in a steep descent to absorb some of the impact and not your knee (and other joints). To do this the right (or left) pole and right foot have to land at the same time, much like cross country skiing. Use that upper body strength to help push you up the hill and take some of the load off that leg. When going downhill now the pole is now more of an extension of your arms to keep you steady and if you purchase a GOOD pair that has spring shock absorbers built in to absorb some of the impact.

Also a good pair like LEKI might be expensive but they will fix, repair or I think even replace for life! At trail days two years ago they totally rebuilt my poles to bran new for FREE!

[Blue Jay]

I recently read that using poles ups the calorie burn by 40% because of the upper body work out.

Even the manufacturers are claiming they are great for weight loss (your body not your pack) due to the fact that you do burn more calories. Therefore you must carry more food, therefore clearly more stress on your joints, plus the weight of the poles. I am glad however that very few posters are claiming you HAVE to hike with poles. This is clearly an improvement.

[BrianLe]

My view on this is that it's somewhat like Earlyriser said yesterday,

"I never used them when I was younger, but when you get older ..."

Up to our mid-40's my wife and I were happy carrying one pole each, just sort of poking along with it or carrying it collapsed on a pack, used primarily for creek crossings, occasionally for steep downhills. One one trip in our 40's we both found ourselves having knee issues, and we took turns using two poles, and we've been 2-stick hikers ever since. My general sense (of course there are exceptions) is that there are two general equipment issues that are age related --- trekking poles and inflatable mattresses to sleep on. The older you are, the higher the odds iMO that you'll be carrying and using both of those things on the trail.

[Egads]

not another trekking pole thread :confused:, just read the 20-30 other ones to see what people think about them

[Blue Jay]

not another trekking pole thread :confused:, just read the 20-30 other ones to see what people think about them

For some reson I've yet to see there is almost always an active pole thread. No other piece of equipment even comes close.

[Del Q]

Clear YES vote from Del Q

Thru Hiker said to me - "4 Wheel Drive"

Helps big time on the downs, proper use of the straps can speed my pace

[SmokyMtn Hiker]

I always hike with trekking poles or a hiking stick of some sort. They are usefull for several things such as balance, absorbing the pressure off your knees and legs and checking the stability of the ground you may be getting ready to step down or up on. There are many brands and to choose from all with different fetures, it's all about the $$$ you feel the need to spend.

[mtnkngxt]

I always take mine. I've got a set of lekis that I have retired in favor of a set of Titanium Goat AGPs. They double as a Tenkara fishing pole, and the pole for my MLD DuoMid.

[Strategic]

I've hiked for more years than I care to think and for a long time I was a single staff person (ever since I was a kid.) Of course, there was no such thing as trekking poles for much of that time, so a staff was it. Two things changed my mind.

The first was after I'd started section hiking the AT back in 2006. I was in NY, sectioning NOBO from NY17a to Bear Mountain (at least, that was my intention.) That's a rougher section of trail than it seems, very rocky and lots of hazards like loose scree on the trail. I slipped on a downhill between the secondary and primary summits of Arden Mountain, and because I only had support on my right side with the staff and that side of my pack happened to catch a branch as I slide, I ended up doing a lovely swan-dive down the slope, landing on my left shoulder. Cracked the blade clean in half from the force of impact. It was something the never would have happened if I'd had support on both sides. Let's just say that hiking down the Agony Grind with a broken shoulder made me realize that my current system didn't work.