using hiking poles?

[Sterling]

I have decided not to bring hiking poles along because i dont like using them, but i was advised against going w/o them

just wondering if other thru's also think this is an unsafe decision

[Deadeye]

If you don't like using them, what difference does it make what anybody else thinks?

[Skidsteer]

Don't take them if you don't like them. Simple.

[Elder]

or,maybe learn to use them correctly?

[Blissful]

You're young. Go without.

[brian039]

I like to have them on down hills and rock hops and they do help going up hill if you use them correctly. But definitely not necessary.

[singing wind]

If you change your mind, there's plenty of sticks to choose from. As has been mentioned previously somewhere, you're only as safe as your next step...

[modiyooch]

I have never used them, and hopefully never will.

[firestarter]

as others have reiterated in various threads, no one piece of equipment will determine your safety. a big part of that is just luck...

i started my thru without poles because i had never hiked with them before and i didn't see the point. i ended up buying some in greenville after the hundred mile wilderness because though i could scramble uphill just fine, i was slow as anything on the downhill and the poles give you a guaranteed source of stability and, inadvertantly, confidence and speed. i also found them incredibly helpful on stream crossings, narrow and wide. they become an extra set of appendages.

i'm sure you will be fine either way and adapt. hike your own hike, hike your own poleless hike, paddle your own hike, you get the idea...

[Kaptain Kangaroo]

as others have reiterated in various threads, no one piece of equipment will determine your safety. a big part of that is just luck...

i started my thru without poles because i had never hiked with them before and i didn't see the point. i ended up buying some in greenville after the hundred mile wilderness because though i could scramble uphill just fine, i was slow as anything on the downhill and the poles give you a guaranteed source of stability and, inadvertantly, confidence and speed. i also found them incredibly helpful on stream crossings, narrow and wide. they become an extra set of appendages.

i'm sure you will be fine either way and adapt. hike your own hike, hike your own poleless hike, paddle your own hike, you get the idea...

Very true.......

I never understood them either, until I tried them. Now I wouldn't do a long hike without them.
But it does take some time to get used to them & to learn to use them properly. I hated mine for the first week on the trail. I constantly had to think about what I was doing with them. Now it is just second nature.
So if you do decide to get some....give them a chance

[jesse]

I'm not a thru hiker. Don't use poles either.

[JAK]

I think a single solid wooden staff is handy sometimes, and as a potential weapon, so it can give you some added confidence and improve your body language against potential threats like bears and such, especially when hiking with small children. You can always drop it if it becomes a bother, and make another later. The other thing I like about it when hiking with kids is you can lean on it when the kids stop to poke around and stuff. It gives you more patience, and allows you to better appreciate such fleeting moments.

[JAK]

Things which are free are often under-estimated, and become under-represented,
but this can make their rediscovery all the more worth-while.

[Lone Wolf]

I have decided not to bring hiking poles along because i dont like using them, but i was advised against going w/o them

just wondering if other thru's also think this is an unsafe decision

5+ thru-hikes and i never used poles. you don't need them

[form]

when i started hiking i noticed my arms getting a little numb and tired,i was putting my thumbs under the sholder straps to rest them from just hanging down useless.yeah,for the first 3 days i didn't like the poles.now i or my wife won't leave without them.

[Blue Jay]

The only problem you will have is that for some strange reason every pole person cannot resist trying to talk you into buying poles. This will become slightly annoying.

[Beachcomber]

I think a single solid wooden staff is handy sometimes ... The other thing I like about it when hiking with kids is you can lean on it when the kids stop to poke around and stuff. It gives you more patience, and allows you to better appreciate such fleeting moments.

When you reach a certain age, a staff makes you look wise. Anything you say to a younger hiker while carrying a staff will sound 35% more profound when you're carrying a hike. The wizard's hat is optional.

[Old Hiker]

I think a single solid wooden staff is handy sometimes, and as a potential weapon, so it can give you some added confidence and improve your body language against potential threats like bears and such, especially when hiking with small children. You can always drop it if it becomes a bother, and make another later. The other thing I like about it when hiking with kids is you can lean on it when the kids stop to poke around and stuff. It gives you more patience, and allows you to better appreciate such fleeting moments.


When you reach a certain age, a staff makes you look wise. Anything you say to a younger hiker while carrying a staff will sound 35% more profound when you're carrying a hike. The wizard's hat is optional.

I thought JAK's answer was great until I read Beachcomber's! I carry a $5 Boy Scout staff from the D.C. Scout store that I got in 1988(?). Mine is just long enough I can rest my chin on it when standing and waiting. There have been times I've had to catch all 93 kilos of body weight + pack weight on my staff and it's still going strong. I just don't trust the thin poles and to be honest, I've never TRIED to learn how to use them.

I put a rubber crutch tip on the the end for traction, inset a small compass, put two strips of reflective tape near the base and have duct tape wrapped around it just below where my hand grips it.

I'm looking into the wizard hat, though. With a wizard hat, spreading my arms with the staff held out, and ending each sentence with, "Thus speaks the Wizard", maybe I can get some actual veritas!

[skooch]

I've gone without poles for the most part in flat Fla but when my legs get tired and a little wobbly I miss them. I will use them a lot in the mountains. A fall can send you home.

[d.o.c]

they are not needed but they help in so many ways dont under esimate them you might find useing just one is a better route but its personal choice do what makes your walk feel good to you.. they are awsome on steep downs and ups tho.

[Jaybird]

I have decided not to bring hiking poles along because i dont like using them, but i was advised against going w/o them

just wondering if other thru's also think this is an unsafe decision



YES!



see ya'll out there...May 28-June 12
DWG NoBo to Kent,CT
this time hiking with "Piece O' Work"

[jeffmeh]

Having had various athletic injuries in my youth, poles take enough pressure of my knees and back on the steep downs to allow me to continue to hike fairly aggressively.

Hike your own hike.

[Amanita]

As others have stated, poles help you move faster in tricky terrain. I know that without them I would make much poorer time on steep ups and downs. If your ankles aren't in tip top shape (mine aren't) they can catch you from going down, and rolling your ankle in the process. In leafy terrain you never know what rocks, roots, and slippery mud pits are hiding underneath the leaves. I think I move about 50% faster with my poles than without them.

I think the best thing about poles is that they let you look up more. I spend more time looking at the scenery and less time looking at my feet, because I know if I misstep I can catch myself on my poles.

Poles do take time to get used too. If you've done nordic (cross country classic) skiing it'll give you a head start. But you may have to focus on where you're putting them for the first couple days.

[88BlueGT]

. I think I move about 50% faster with my poles than without them.


+1

I never used poles and didn't feel a need to. One day, I was feeling frisky and bought a pair of Leki's. Let me just tell you, my poles are by far the best investment I have ever made towards my gear list, hands down. I am young, agile, in shape (somewhat :D) and still feel like they make a world of difference.

The first time I used poles I was AMAZED by how fast I could move and rock scramble (and I live in NJ, so its allllll rocks). I move much faster, maintain a better pace, more agile, less blisters, easier on your body, etc. Plus, I can use them for my tent.

Also, anyone who says that using a wooden stick is the same thing, you better get yourself a pair of good poles and go try them for yourself.

And the reason that people with poles push poles on others is because we know the extreme benefits to them and we know that they work, just trying to spread the love around! :D

[88BlueGT]

I could come up with 25 reasons to bring hiking poles and only one reason not too, and that's weight.

I bet you theres not another piece of gear that you could list 25 benefits from.... try it.

[Buffalo Skipper]

I do like my trekking poles, as everyone else has said, especially on the downhills and fording streams. I had one less expensive pair with shocks (Sojourns) but ended up picking up some locking Black Daimonds, which I really like.

I also use them on my hammock tarp in all but the worst of weather. Would not think of backpacking or dayhiking without them.

HYOH, YMMV.:cool:

[Blue Jay]

I bet you theres not another piece of gear that you could list 25 benefits from.... try it.

OK, list them. I can think of one, they can keep dogs away, but that's it.