View Full Version : Trekking Poles VS Walking Sticks
I like the Hammer HP1 hiking poles because they come with a compas/thermometer, but they also cost money. Walking sticks are heavier, being made out of some trail-adjacent pine or hardwood, but are simply a piece of wood.
Did anybody with trekking poles regret them? Did anybody who decided not to use them pick up a walking stick?
The Old Boot
05-24-2011, 19:16
Did anybody with trekking poles regret them? Did anybody who decided not to use them pick up a walking stick?
No, but I'll tell you that the last time I was out hiking I forgot my hiking poles - I left them in the meet-up parking lot in my van...:rolleyes:, I got no more than 50' onto the trail before I was looking for a walking stick to use.
I left it conveniently placed at the trailhead for the next guy and will double check my stuff before catching a ride again...without that piece of wood, I'd still be out there stuck somewhere on the downside of the mountain!
I've used hiking poles for several years now and cannot begin to tell you how many times they've kept me upright in addition to all the wear and tear they save my knees and back. I even use one in town in the winter time on the icy sidewalks.
I like the Hammer HP1 hiking poles because they come with a compas/thermometer, but they also cost money. Walking sticks are heavier, being made out of some trail-adjacent pine or hardwood, but are simply a piece of wood.
Did anybody with trekking poles regret them? Did anybody who decided not to use them pick up a walking stick?
Can I suggest a third option? Don't just "pick up a walking stick," but deliberately choose and at least partially manufacture a walking stick. My walking stick on the AT in 1993 was picked up while hiking with a 9-year-old in Maine in 1991. My grandson was not great on his feet. He kept stumbling, so I cut him a stick to help his balance. He demanded I also carry a walking stick, so I did. Somethings are better not argued with spoiled grandkids.
Anyway, I produced sticks for our entire party, from the leavings of a trail construction crew at the foot of Dunn Notch Falls in Maine. Three of those sticks are still in use, mine and two sisters. All three have been modified. One varnished. Others equipped with crutch tips for better traction.
Mine later went on a somewhat thru hike of the AT. The others have even more thousands of trail miles under them, but nothing that resembles a thru hike.
My found stick has been the subject of considerable discussion on White Blaze. Someone once proclaimed I was an accident waiting to happen -- that no wood could possibly be stronger than modern synthetics fashioned from petroleum drilled from the Middle-east. Maybe. But I continue to read about the great service Leki donates to the repair of its hiking poles.
Somehow, I walked the trail with a nine-ounce piece of alder I found at trailside, and I have used that same stick for thousands of additional miles. In a decade of intensive use, it has yet to require repairs Should my stick do so, I would simply cut a replacement.
Somehow, I walked the trail with a nine-ounce piece of alder I found at trailside, and I have used that same stick for thousands of additional miles. In a decade of intensive use, it has yet to require repairs Should my stick do so, I would simply cut a replacement.
Sounds good, but the problem is that here where I live the most common trees are Pine, Black Locust, and Tree of Heaven. None make for good, long, strong, walking sticks. I might be able to do something with sasafras or birch. I like the idea of carrying a walking stick more than a hiking pole: more rugged, I guess.
Jersey Tim
05-24-2011, 20:28
I like Weary's option the best. My walking stick actually began life as a hockey stick, one of those cheap street-hockey ones that's just a straight wooden staff with a plastic blade fixed to the end by a screw. The blade wore down over time and eventually snapped off, leaving me with a strong yet light wood walking stick with a thick plastic cap on one end to absorb all the wear.
AegisIII
05-24-2011, 20:31
I fall into the "ultra-cheap" style of hiker, so I use two hiking sticks (from fallen sycamore branches). I do know that everyone who uses them praises trekking poles, so I do wonder what the real differences would be compared to using two sticks. The obvious one I discovered a couple of weeks ago is that hiking sticks can be difficult to use on true rock scrambles, since you cannot shorten them and throw them in your pack (almost lost one and should not have retrieved it). Of course, on the other side there is the difference in cost, which would be the reason to ask the question at all.
I fall into the "ultra-cheap" style of hiker, so I use two hiking sticks (from fallen sycamore branches). I do know that everyone who uses them praises trekking poles, so I do wonder what the real differences would be compared to using two sticks. The obvious one I discovered a couple of weeks ago is that hiking sticks can be difficult to use on true rock scrambles, since you cannot shorten them and throw them in your pack (almost lost one and should not have retrieved it). Of course, on the other side there is the difference in cost, which would be the reason to ask the question at all.
You can shorten hiking poles? Sweet. Learning a lot today.
The Old Boot
05-24-2011, 21:23
You can shorten hiking poles? Sweet. Learning a lot today.
Even the cheapest ones from WallyWorld can be adjusted for length. Some are easier to adjust than others, some have built in shock absorbers.
Beachcomber
05-24-2011, 21:29
Sounds good, but the problem is that here where I live the most common trees are Pine, Black Locust, and Tree of Heaven. None make for good, long, strong, walking sticks. I might be able to do something with sasafras or birch. I like the idea of carrying a walking stick more than a hiking pole: more rugged, I guess.
Dunno what the oak situation is in your area, but I will swear by my oak staff, which was a sucker that grew up from a stump in my yard. It's a little on the heavy side compared to the high-tech poles, but I like the longer "reach" it gives me, especially on steep downhills. By a totally unique set of circumstances, this particular staff has a series of natural knobs and twists that give an infinite number of possible grips with either hand -- and both if need be. I armored the tip with a 1/4-inch copper pipe cap from the hardware store. Would have hated to do without it on a recent series of steep, rocky climbs and descents in the Uwharries.
I started with nothing, graduated to one stick picked up and broken to the right size right beside the trail, and then to two hiking or trekking poles. I don't regret either of the above choices. One pole is better than none and two are better than one. There is a learning curve during which you will trip over one or the other of your poles from time to time, but once you get used to it it's like being a four-legged animal - you have much more stability when you need it. The only times I find poles a pain is while climbing or descending dangerously steep grades where you absolutely need to use hand holds, and while navigating extremely overgrown sections of the trail where you have trouble swinging your poles around your body without snagging brush. Both of these occasions are pretty rare on the AT.
If you opt for a wooden stick and have a choice I'd suggest Ash. It's lighter than most hardwoods and plenty flexible so it won't crack as readily as some other woods.
I used both ash and moose (or striped) maple.
Dunno what the oak situation is in your area, but I will swear by my oak staff, which was a sucker that grew up from a stump in my yard. It's a little on the heavy side compared to the high-tech poles, but I like the longer "reach" it gives me, especially on steep downhills. By a totally unique set of circumstances, this particular staff has a series of natural knobs and twists that give an infinite number of possible grips with either hand -- and both if need be. I armored the tip with a 1/4-inch copper pipe cap from the hardware store. Would have hated to do without it on a recent series of steep, rocky climbs and descents in the Uwharries.
Well, in the interests of full disclosure, I should probably report that I still use branches and saplings for support as trails get more civilied.
I do hope to wander the southern Appalachians as the days grow longer.
Trekking Pole:
http://conservation.catholic.org/JohnPaulIIhike.jpg
Karol Józef Wojtyła aka Pope JP II
Skier, kayaker, camper, hiker...an all round trekking Pole if you will
(http://www.usatoday.com/sports/2005-04-02-pope-sportsman_x.htm)
vs.
Walking Stick
http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_hJV_htAFMU4/SwLzz99QH2I/AAAAAAAACnk/w9Z79XeYvSk/s1600/walking_stick.jpg
Small insect that hides by camouflage
As a Catholic child of the 80s, my money goes to the trekking Pole...
(I use old ski poles for my walking sticks..)
Woodturner
05-25-2011, 04:08
Sounds good, but the problem is that here where I live the most common trees are Pine, Black Locust, and Tree of Heaven. None make for good, long, strong, walking sticks. I might be able to do something with sasafras or birch. I like the idea of carrying a walking stick more than a hiking pole: more rugged, I guess.
Tell ya what.....
Where I live the choice of wood is almost infinite.
I will be passing through your part of the world in a few weeks as part of my VA 635 to Daleville hike. I can bring you hickory, cedar, ash, maple, or any number of other types. I can bring several different choices. The wood will be cut green, so over a period of time there will be some checking (cracks) but that sort of adds to the individual character of the staff. If checking bothers you, I have some kiln dried cedar that could be ripped to a suitable square crossection and shaped with a drawknife.
The woods nearest my house was logged a few years ago and there should be an excellent assortment of new growth saplings.
If you are interested let me know and we will can make some arrangement to meet up as I pass through. It will be on June 11.
Did anybody with trekking poles regret them? Did anybody who decided not to use them pick up a walking stick?
I've used Hiking Sticks, Staffs, Poles, Ice Axe's... my favorite, hands-down is a cane.
I use a Non-Shock Absorbing Model from Komperdell...
http://www.rei.com/product/823959/komperdell-walker-trekking-pole-single-2010-closeout
(http://www.altrec.com/komperdell/walker-trekking-poles?cm_mmc=Mercent-_-Froogle-_-Komperdell-_-114076-I&mr:trackingCode=EC4DB423-AC78-E011-9636-001B2163195C&mr:referralID=NA)
Sounds good, but the problem is that here where I live the most common trees are Pine, Black Locust, and Tree of Heaven. None make for good, long, strong, walking sticks. I might be able to do something with sasafras or birch. I like the idea of carrying a walking stick more than a hiking pole: more rugged, I guess.
WOW! Black Locust, will make a great stick, snip off all the thorns and you can get a very thin strong stick. I like to pick out a stick that has a natural 10 degree or so bend right at the hand grip. If a knot is at that point all the better. I do put a copper pipe fitting on the end of some of my sticks it keep the end from getting to mushroomed. (soft woods). Nothing wrong with red cedar either and they are everywhere, lots of limbs to snip off but it makes a good straight stick. poles or stick all are fine, the poles are louder. better to scare off the bears!!
Sounds good, but the problem is that here where I live the most common trees are Pine, Black Locust, and Tree of Heaven. None make for good, long, strong, walking sticks. I might be able to do something with sasafras or birch. I like the idea of carrying a walking stick more than a hiking pole: more rugged, I guess.
It's not the trees that are "most common" that are important. But whether a suitable tree can be found. Alder swamps are my source for hiking sticks, though I have no idea if alder is the ideal hiking stick material. It's just the wood I happened to find when I needed a stick.
It turned out to be strong enough, and light weight. Recently I've experimented with red oak and sugar maple (both remarkably strong, but way to heavy.)
Just keep an eye out as you wander through the woods. The stick that got me from Springer to Katahdin in 1993 was cut by trail clearing volunteers at the foot of a water fall. That stick remains as good as ever, and I occasionally still use it. But it has fond memories associated with it, so I worry about it breaking and mostly leave it stacked with my other stick experiments in a back hallway.
Look for a sapling with a five or six foot section with pretty even thickness, (maximum 1 inch, minimum 3/4 inch thickness.) Most homemade sticks I've seen are way too big and heavy. I place a rubber crutch tip on the bottom, and epoxy a round wood furniture pull knob on the top. The latter is more for aesthetics than necessity, though the epoxied 1/4-20 screw that holds the pull knob on, enables the stick to double as a monopod for my camera.
TIDE-HSV
05-27-2011, 12:04
I've used Hiking Sticks, Staffs, Poles, Ice Axe's... my favorite, hands-down is a cane.
I use a Non-Shock Absorbing Model from Komperdell...
http://www.rei.com/product/823959/komperdell-walker-trekking-pole-single-2010-closeout
I have a Leki with that handle. I took a spill in the state park I live adjacent to and the long tip of the handle drove into my chest, dislodging my left top rib from my sternum. When I called the orthopedist, he wouldn't even let me come in, because there was nothing he could do - just wire it back together later, if it didn't knit on its own. It did - slowly, over several painful months. I switched to Komperdells with the standard straight cork handle. I'll never again again use something that can turn on me...
(http://www.altrec.com/komperdell/walker-trekking-poles?cm_mmc=Mercent-_-Froogle-_-Komperdell-_-114076-I&mr:trackingCode=EC4DB423-AC78-E011-9636-001B2163195C&mr:referralID=NA)
Rocket Jones
05-27-2011, 14:30
It doesn't have the "outdoorsy" vibe (until you put a couple hundred miles on it), but I started off with a walking stick made from a broom handle. Cane tip on the bottom, rope lashed on top for a grip and more paracord woven into the wrist loop.
I forget where I got the idea, but I also wrapped/knotted several feet of cord near the bottom of the stick. Two purposes: 1. a great place for someone to hold on to if you're helping them up a steep slope and 2. a length of cord you can unwrap in an emergency.
I like the Hammer HP1 hiking poles because they come with a compas/thermometer, but they also cost money. Walking sticks are heavier, being made out of some trail-adjacent pine or hardwood, but are simply a piece of wood.
Did anybody with trekking poles regret them? Did anybody who decided not to use them pick up a walking stick?
I use both. That's one of the fun things about backpacking, each trip can be different from the last in terms of gear.
Bamboo is good too. I knew someone who used a curtain rod.
I like my hiking poles because my tent needs a specific sized pole, different for the front and back, so adjustable poles make that way easier than trying to find a stick that'll work each time.
I have a Leki with that handle. I took a spill in the state park I live adjacent to and the long tip of the handle drove into my chest, dislodging my left top rib from my sternum. When I called the orthopedist, he wouldn't even let me come in, because there was nothing he could do - just wire it back together later, if it didn't knit on its own. It did - slowly, over several painful months. I switched to Komperdells with the standard straight cork handle. I'll never again again use something that can turn on me...
(http://www.altrec.com/komperdell/walker-trekking-poles?cm_mmc=Mercent-_-Froogle-_-Komperdell-_-114076-I&mr:trackingCode=EC4DB423-AC78-E011-9636-001B2163195C&mr:referralID=NA)
One-time freak accident that had nothing to do with the handle design, but rather bad luck, or other... wonder why so many of the elderly use canes if they're so dangerous?
One-time freak accident that had nothing to do with the handle design, but rather bad luck, or other... wonder why so many of the elderly use canes if they're so dangerous?
My "new-school" cane:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v312/brad300wsm/P1020226.jpg
My "old-school" cane:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v312/brad300wsm/P1000234.jpg
Rain Man
05-27-2011, 19:23
That's one of the fun things about backpacking, each trip can be different from the last in terms of gear.
So true! I have never, ever hiked with the same iteration of stuff twice. Never.
Rain:sunMan
.
Old Boots
05-27-2011, 20:39
I have both. I have Black Diamond trekking poles thqat I use when the trail is particularly difficult. In that case the poles provide additional support. I have a w2alking stick i carved out of a piece of ironwood (which is very light and yet extremely strong). I use the walking stick on day hikes and when the trail is easier.
I like a single hiking staff made out of some suitable hardwood or softwood sapling. Many trees have there merits and its a nice way to get to know them better. Fun thing to do with kids.
Care should be take to ensure the upper end is knobby enough that it can't take out an eye if one slips and stumbles.
TIDE-HSV
05-28-2011, 01:41
One-time freak accident that had nothing to do with the handle design, but rather bad luck, or other... wonder why so many of the elderly use canes if they're so dangerous?
LOL! Well, I qualify as elderly, and, after four knee operations, I also have a cane, which I've had to use from time to time, but the top is curved, not with a pointed "L" shaped handle. Also, the fall occurred crossing a creek at high flow, so I guess that's not the environment where we "elderly" are not supposed to occupy. After an extensive lifetime outdoors, I've come to the conclusion that there is no such thing as a "freak accident." The bell curve may be skewed in the direction of one incident, but the more that you can do to minimize "freak accidents," the better off you are. IOW, there is a hell of a lot of a difference in the way I climb a ladder or operate a chain saw now than when was, for example, thirty years old. If one lives long enough, that's a natural progression. Come on, Weary, help me explain... :D
I have used wood sticks for years. My current poles are made from oak saplings. They weighed about 16 oz when they were green but I haven't weighed them since they are cured. I haven't thru hiked the AT so I can't claim I have used them for 5 months everyday but I do use them about 4-5 days a week for day hikes. The one downside that I can think of is trying to attach them to my pack if I'm not using them. I haven't tried manufactured poles but they would be easy to shorten and attach I would think.
LOL! Well, I qualify as elderly, and, after four knee operations, I also have a cane, which I've had to use from time to time, but the top is curved, not with a pointed "L" shaped handle. Also, the fall occurred crossing a creek at high flow, so I guess that's not the environment where we "elderly" are not supposed to occupy. After an extensive lifetime outdoors, I've come to the conclusion that there is no such thing as a "freak accident." The bell curve may be skewed in the direction of one incident, but the more that you can do to minimize "freak accidents," the better off you are. IOW, there is a hell of a lot of a difference in the way I climb a ladder or operate a chain saw now than when was, for example, thirty years old. If one lives long enough, that's a natural progression. Come on, Weary, help me explain... :D
You've said it all. Those of us who have been reasonably active all of our lives tend to have developed wise habits which we adjust according to the infirmities that come with age.
I worry most about deteriorating balance. My doctor advised using a cane a decade ago. I don't. But I don't walk rough or hilly trails without a stick. So far a single, alder stick has kept me mostly upright. My last fall happened a year ago, when I bruised some ribs.
We have to recognize reality. A "freak accident" 40 years ago would have slowed us for a few days, weeks or months. Today one might put us permanently in a nursing home. So I've decided not to have anymore freak accidents.
TIDE-HSV
05-28-2011, 11:07
You've said it all. Those of us who have been reasonably active all of our lives tend to have developed wise habits which we adjust according to the infirmities that come with age.
I worry most about deteriorating balance. My doctor advised using a cane a decade ago. I don't. But I don't walk rough or hilly trails without a stick. So far a single, alder stick has kept me mostly upright. My last fall happened a year ago, when I bruised some ribs.
We have to recognize reality. A "freak accident" 40 years ago would have slowed us for a few days, weeks or months. Today one might put us permanently in a nursing home. So I've decided not to have anymore freak accidents.
Tell me about it. I have a steep, rocky "training" trail in the park by me. In fact, it's so steep I can only use one hiking stick - on the downhill side. A little over a year ago, I slipped on one of the steepest parts and sat down on my right foot, hyperflexing my right knee. Didn't know until the next AM that I'd torn my right medial meniscus. In the past, I'd had two trims and was back at basketball in 2-3 weeks. This tear/trim took months to heal...
DaveSail
05-28-2011, 11:54
Jennifer Pharr Davis wrote a book which came out last year :
" Becoming Odyssa ". She needed a walking stick . Went in a store
and bought a mop . Threw out the mop . Lasted almost to the end
of a thru - hike. Broke . So , she bought another one : $ 3 .
It was yellow plastic , and she loved it . She is a six - foot lady !
David :sun
Jennifer Pharr Davis wrote a book which came out last year :
" Becoming Odyssa ". She needed a walking stick . Went in a store
and bought a mop . Threw out the mop . Lasted almost to the end
of a thru - hike. Broke . So , she bought another one : $ 3 .
It was yellow plastic , and she loved it . She is a six - foot lady !
David :sun
Since 1991, I've walked thousands of miles of trails using slightly modified sticks I've found or cut in the woods. They are mostly around 5 feet long, and have weighed between 9 and 12 ounces. All have been used from time to time as trail clearing tools -- to whack off dead branches when scouting new trails. The 1/4-20 screws I epoxie in the tops to make the sticks double as monopods for picture taking, loosen occasionally. But the wood has never broken.
Uncle Walkie
05-28-2011, 23:39
I use a 6 ft hickory stick. It's a bit heavy, but I love it.
It's varnished, has a handgrip woven from 550 cord, and I used epoxy to apply a tip to both the top and bottom of the stick. Used an end cap from copper tubing. The tip on the top is mainly asthetic, but comes in handy when faced with an aggressive dog.
TIDE-HSV
05-29-2011, 19:51
Since 1991, I've walked thousands of miles of trails using slightly modified sticks I've found or cut in the woods. They are mostly around 5 feet long, and have weighed between 9 and 12 ounces. All have been used from time to time as trail clearing tools -- to whack off dead branches when scouting new trails. The 1/4-20 screws I epoxie in the tops to make the sticks double as monopods for picture taking, loosen occasionally. But the wood has never broken.
Interesting. I finally abandoned my old hickory staff I cut in my backyard for a hiking stick, when I realized what a weight penalty I was paying with it. I also had epoxied in a tee-nut, so I could place an screw eyelet in it or use it as a monopod. It had a fork at the perfect place for hanging almost anything or acting as a support for a tarp. I reinforced the top with fiberglass and epoxy resin and painted it blaze orange. I stained and varnished the bottom. It sits in a corner now, but I wouldn't give it up...
I started using a hiking staff in the mid 1970's. Switched to canes in the 1980's and have never looked back.
The Cane Reign's.
Never been hurt yet by a freak accident with one, but then I've used ice axe's climbing since the 1970's too so maybe I just have better training with them. Dunno. I do know that the cane mimic's the ice axe, which is designed as it is for a reason, and that's a VERY good thing.
If I ever had a trail name it would likely be "Cane." :D
TIDE-HSV
05-30-2011, 13:39
I started using a hiking staff in the mid 1970's. Switched to canes in the 1980's and have never looked back.
The Cane Reign's.
Never been hurt yet by a freak accident with one, but then I've used ice axe's climbing since the 1970's too so maybe I just have better training with them. Dunno. I do know that the cane mimic's the ice axe, which is designed as it is for a reason, and that's a VERY good thing.
If I ever had a trail name it would likely be "Cane." :D
Don't think I'd attempt self-arrest or ice-climbing with a hiking stick. And I don't believe that ice ax experience ports over that well to taking falls with hiking sticks. But it sounded good...
TIDE-HSV
05-30-2011, 13:41
I use a 6 ft hickory stick. It's a bit heavy, but I love it.
It's varnished, has a handgrip woven from 550 cord, and I used epoxy to apply a tip to both the top and bottom of the stick. Used an end cap from copper tubing. The tip on the top is mainly asthetic, but comes in handy when faced with an aggressive dog.
I actually hauled out my old hickory staff for my daily training hike down into the state park McKay Hollow trail. I never left the yard with it. It must weigh three pounds or so... :)
Don't think I'd attempt self-arrest or ice-climbing with a hiking stick. And I don't believe that ice ax experience ports over that well to taking falls with hiking sticks. But it sounded good...
Pretty sure I never said anything about attempting a self-arrest with the Cane... I do know it mimic's the feel of an ice axe which is a nice thing. ie, a cane keeps the arms at a lower position (closer to the earth) like the ice axe, and given a modicum of coordination, that's always a good thing... but I have been known to fiddle around with the cane on snowfields :D
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v312/brad300wsm/P1000132.jpg
i always thought trek poles were just something for flat landers but i bought 2 of the $12 wally world poles and will never go back +1 for trek poles
TIDE-HSV
06-01-2011, 13:51
Pretty sure I never said anything about attempting a self-arrest with the Cane... I do know it mimic's the feel of an ice axe which is a nice thing. ie, a cane keeps the arms at a lower position (closer to the earth) like the ice axe, and given a modicum of coordination, that's always a good thing... but I have been known to fiddle around with the cane on snowfields :D
Now that I see the pic of you and the can and read the remark about the low position, I understand. A cane would definitely be better used that way. When I use the sticks, I try to make sure that my forearms are parallel to the ground and try to maintain a steady alternate plant, almost exactly like x-country ski poles...
Joker4ink
06-02-2011, 13:33
I love my Leki Maluku trekking poles! I don't even think of hiking without them anymore. They keep my hands from swelling up, take the weight off my knees and can be used in various situations. So, my answer is no, I do not regret them one bit. Oh, my brother (who doesnt hike but once a year), tried them for the first time two weeks ago and loved them too. They may not be for everyone but I certainly love them!
sonnynGA
06-02-2011, 13:48
Love my trekking poles and honestly could not hike without them (bad knees) especially here in Ga. I have a set of Leki and Black Diamond. Prefer the Black Diamond. Also hiked in Costa Rica last year with bamboo and it was very strong and worked well but still like the BD poles.
Now that I see the pic of you and the can and read the remark about the low position, I understand. A cane would definitely be better used that way. When I use the sticks, I try to make sure that my forearms are parallel to the ground and try to maintain a steady alternate plant, almost exactly like x-country ski poles...
Thank you for taking the time to try understand what I was trying to communicate. I think you got exactly what I was trying to say.