View Full Version : Trekking poles?
abbykat234
08-14-2012, 18:55
I've never hiked with trekking poles and am planning a thru hike in 2013. I have seen many people on the trail carrying poles. Are they a highly recommended piece of gear or would I make it without them?
You will definitely make it without them, particularly at your age. They do however offer several advantages including taking stress off your knees (even at your age, but you probably won't notice it as much as us old farts), can be an aid to rhythm, aid to balance, eases leg fatigue and foot pounding on down-hills, nice to lean on when taking a breather, good to flick small branches off the trail so you or those following don't get a foot tangled, great for testing out potential mud holes, great for clearing spider webs from the trail if you are the first one out in the AM, allows you to shake wet branches before you pass under and they dump their water/snow down your neck, use as a V-plow to push tall wet grass aside as you pass (same with briers and poison ivy), scare snakes from the trail in front of you, tent support, good for pushing your food bag up high enough when bear bagging, makes you appear bigger when you scare a bear off, good protection from aggressive dogs, stick your camera on the end to extend your reach for self-portraits, good monopod to steady the camera, and finally - if you do start to loose your balance, can save you from a fall.
Other than that they are pretty useless.
I prefer PacerPoles, check them out - very unique and the most comfortable I've used.
highly recommended for long dstance hiking. only time i wouldnt use mine is on flatter sections.
anothrr use is to fling snakes off the trail that are in your path and wont move. effective and entertaining
Lone Wolf
08-14-2012, 19:16
I've never hiked with trekking poles and am planning a thru hike in 2013. I have seen many people on the trail carrying poles. Are they a highly recommended piece of gear or would I make it without them?
start without them. you can always get them later in the hike. i've done 5 thru-hikes without them
I never thru hiked but I like having them. I can give my self a push up on a high rock use them to hop down off a high rock move spider webs out of the way if I see them in time and so forth. Also if I am walking for long periods of time and my hands aren't doing anything my fingers tend to swell up (has something to do with capalaries closing up to direct more blood to the muscles being used and therefor fluid builds up or something). Having the poles gives my hands something to do and I don't have the swelling problem.
They are like bear bells and snake bite kits. There is no evidence that they will take any stress from any body part you have or that they will keep you from falling or that you will make it up, or down the hill any better. It's all hype pushed my the sporting goods industry. It's an extra pound you carry. Embrace your humanity, You are a bi-ped.
Sarcasm the elf
08-14-2012, 21:38
They are like bear bells and snake bite kits. There is no evidence that they will take any stress from any body part you have or that they will keep you from falling or that you will make it up, or down the hill any better. It's all hype pushed my the sporting goods industry. It's an extra pound you carry. Embrace your humanity, You are a bi-ped.
I have personally been saved from numerous falls by my hiking poles and on one trip last year they were the only reason that I didn't blow out my knee when a rock gave out from under me midstep while I was hiking down a switchback.
The next time it happens I'll try to get it on video so that I can submit it as "evidence" ;)
Mountaintop
08-14-2012, 21:39
I've never hiked with trekking poles and am planning a thru hike in 2013. I have seen many people on the trail carrying poles. Are they a highly recommended piece of gear or would I make it without them?
It depends on the hiker. I've started using them the past couple of years because I was recovering from a dislocated knee. Now I swear by them. They do relieve stress on your body. And more points of contact lessen your chances of falling.
There is no evidence that they will take any stress from any body part you have or that they will keep you from falling or that you will make it up, or down the hill any better. It's all hype pushed my the sporting goods industry.
I'd heard that poles save about 20% wear on your knees. A search came up with this:
Knee joint forces during downhill walking with hiking poles.
Schwameder H (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed?term=Schwameder%20H%5BAuthor%5D&cauthor=true&cauthor_uid=10622357), Roithner R (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed?term=Roithner%20R%5BAuthor%5D&cauthor=true&cauthor_uid=10622357), Müller E (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed?term=M%C3%BCller%20E%5BAuthor%5D&cauthor=true&cauthor_uid=10622357), Niessen W (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed?term=Niessen%20W%5BAuthor%5D&cauthor=true&cauthor_uid=10622357), Raschner C (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed?term=Raschner%20C%5BAuthor%5D&cauthor=true&cauthor_uid=10622357).
SourceInstitute of Sport Sciences, University of Salzburg, Austria.
[email protected]
AbstractThe aim of this study was to determine external and internal loads on the knee joint during downhill walking with and without hiking poles. Kinematic, kinetic and electromyographic data were collected from eight males during downhill walking on a ramp declined at 25 degrees. Planar knee joint moments and forces were calculated using a quasi-static knee model. The results were analysed for an entire pole-cycle as well as differentiated between single and double support phases and between each step of a pole-cycle. Significant differences between downhill walking with and without hiking poles were observed for peak and average magnitudes of ground reaction force, knee joint moment, and tibiofemoral compressive and shear forces (12-25%). Similar reductions were found in patellofemoral compressive force, the quadriceps tendon force and the activity of the vastus lateralis; however, because of a high variability, these differences were not significant. The reductions seen during downhill walking with hiking poles compared with unsupported downhill walking were caused primarily by the forces applied to the hiking poles and by a change in posture to a more forward leaning position of the upper body, with the effect of reducing the knee moment arm.
And then there's this:
http://www.whitefishsportcenter.com/sport_tip/detail.php?id=5
Reducing Joint Stress While Hiking
Hiking up and down hills can increase the stress loads placed on your joints. For example, hiking downhill can increase joint load up to 8 times your own body weight1. In the long run, this can cause damage to all structures within the joint. This becomes especially important following a knee or hip replacement, as this additional stress may endanger the polyethylene material used in many current joint replacements2.
Tips for reducing stress on your joints while hiking
Avoid steep descents, walk slowly downhill1
If you are carrying a pack, only take what you need for the day; extra weight = extra stress
Use trekking poles! Trekking poles reduce the stress on your leg joints (up to 20%1) due to the force applied through the pole, and they enable you to have a more forward posture of your upper body while hiking downhill3. They also provide great
Trekking poles are a little over-rated for all time use - many folks that hike for long distances decide that they are really un-necessary - - I compromise and carry Black Diamond Z-Poles which are very light and fold up easily. I use them in snaky grassy areas, for early morning web- walking, and for tricky stream crossings. If the trail is clear and I'm moving-out, the poles go on the pack. I also think poles are a hinderance when hiking in really rocky steep terrain (like a lot of the White Mountains). Poles are also really nice to have in snow and ice.
You will definitely make it without them, particularly at your age. They do however offer several advantages including taking stress off your knees (even at your age, but you probably won't notice it as much as us old farts), can be an aid to rhythm, aid to balance, eases leg fatigue and foot pounding on down-hills, nice to lean on when taking a breather, good to flick small branches off the trail so you or those following don't get a foot tangled, great for testing out potential mud holes, great for clearing spider webs from the trail if you are the first one out in the AM, allows you to shake wet branches before you pass under and they dump their water/snow down your neck, use as a V-plow to push tall wet grass aside as you pass (same with briers and poison ivy), scare snakes from the trail in front of you, tent support, good for pushing your food bag up high enough when bear bagging, makes you appear bigger when you scare a bear off, good protection from aggressive dogs, stick your camera on the end to extend your reach for self-portraits, good monopod to steady the camera, and finally - if you do start to loose your balance, can save you from a fall.
Other than that they are pretty useless.
I prefer PacerPoles, check them out - very unique and the most comfortable I've used.
I bought poles because I was paranoid about river and creek crossings. Since then, I have never felt I needed them for crossings. But I've used them for pretty much everything Lyle has listed. They have become as utilitarian as a leatherman. Except I use them everyday.
Hiking poles, for me, are one of the most valuable pieces of equipment when long-distance hiking. Here are the reasons:
1) You will be on your way to face-planting many times during a long-distance hike and the poles will prevent most of them, particularly in Pennsylvania where I stumbled maybe 50 times per day on the rocks, The poles helped me avoid skinning my face in Pennsylvania and elsewhere.
2) If you're planning on using a lightweight tent or tarp, the poles may come in handy as the support structure.
3) I could zoom at a pace way faster on my thru-hike of the AT with poles than I could have without them.
4) I think the poles saved my knees on my thru-hike of the AT -- the knees are the 2nd weakest point on the human body for a long-distance hiker.
As a side note, on the PCT I was gazing at the mountain goats in Washington while hiking at a sustained pace -- when I tripped (well of course I tripped) my face was heading to the rocks but my poles slowed me down enough so that a cookpot rambled out of the top of my unclosed pack and hit the ground right before my face hit the bottom of the cookpot. Saved my good looks that afternoon while Pearson looked on with amazement. Big honking black mark on my cheek from the bottom-pan Esbit tar which, if you can imagine, was funny as all get out. The goats loved it.
Datto
Yeah give it a go without em. Then when you do that first face plant ... then you can get a pair. Right After you get your nose fixed, fitted for some new dentures and get your wrist set. Young or old there will always be one of those roots and rocks that jump up and grab your toe and sent you flying.
I would not leave home without em....but then again i am an old fart
They are like bear bells and snake bite kits. There is no evidence that they will take any stress from any body part you have or that they will keep you from falling or that you will make it up, or down the hill any better. It's all hype pushed my the sporting goods industry. It's an extra pound you carry. Embrace your humanity, You are a bi-ped.
purely questionable
They are like bear bells and snake bite kits. There is no evidence that they will take any stress from any body part you have or that they will keep you from falling or that you will make it up, or down the hill any better. It's all hype pushed my the sporting goods industry. It's an extra pound you carry. Embrace your humanity, You are a bi-ped.
100% false on each point.
MuddyWaters
08-15-2012, 04:34
No, you dont have to have them.
My 13yo son wouldnt hike without his though.
You will hike much FASTER. You will fall less. You will go downhill faster because your upper body helps slow your descent. You will traverse uneven rocky sections much faster. Uphill is like 4wd, your upper body helps, you go faster there too. The steeper it is, the more helpful they are. They takes jarring load off of knees and ankles on downhill by letting upper body absorb part of the shock.
I honestly dont know how anyone could not recommend them.
I saw lots of people in Georgia not using them but by the time I got to Maine everyone was using them.
Besides I need one to hold my tent up.
I've never hiked with trekking poles and am planning a thru hike in 2013. I have seen many people on the trail carrying poles. Are they a highly recommended piece of gear or would I make it without them?
I started hiking without them and eventually ended up with a nice pair of Leki's! I don't hike without them! I can also use them to set up my tarp in a pinch! Maddog:D
fredmugs
08-15-2012, 14:33
They are like bear bells and snake bite kits. There is no evidence that they will take any stress from any body part you have or that they will keep you from falling or that you will make it up, or down the hill any better. It's all hype pushed my the sporting goods industry. It's an extra pound you carry. Embrace your humanity, You are a bi-ped.
I agree. If hiking poles helped out any Elvis would have been using them when we did the Mahoosic Notch back in June. I could understand why Bigfoot didn't need any but Elvis is getting up there in age.
jakedatc
08-15-2012, 16:09
I just finished the Long Trail through Vermont. Out of the 280 miles I hiked, i think the poles were stowed for 10miles at most. Downhill, absolutely necessary for my knees (and i'm only 32), flats i move faster because I have better balance over rough ground, uphill, until it becomes hand over hand climbing then they are very helpful to push/pull myself up steep steps and inclines. and they hold up my tent.
My son uses them to hike and won't hike without them. I didn't like carrying them instead I just picked me up a good stick and made it into my walking stick. It really came in handy with keeping your balance going up and down steep or rocky hills, didn't cost a thing, and in the evening I would sit with my pocket knife and whittle on it. I picked it up the first section hike I did on the AT and I still have it.
falling water
08-16-2012, 09:54
Necessary? No. Nice? Goodness yes. I place them in the "Why Not" category of my gear. I can hike a long time without them, but, especially on downhills, it makes things so much more comfortable. My knees rejoice when I throw them in the car.
No, you dont have to have them.
My 13yo son wouldnt hike without his though.
You will hike much FASTER. You will fall less. You will go downhill faster because your upper body helps slow your descent. You will traverse uneven rocky sections much faster. Uphill is like 4wd, your upper body helps, you go faster there too. The steeper it is, the more helpful they are. They takes jarring load off of knees and ankles on downhill by letting upper body absorb part of the shock.
I honestly dont know how anyone could not recommend them.
I completely agree. I went on a section hike in VA and carried just one because it was needed for my tent. Some thru hikers were passing me using their two trekking poles up the mountain. I ended up camping with these guys that night and they showed me how to use their poles. The next morning I found a lovely long stick and put into practice what they showed me. I was shocked at how they propelled me up the mountain and how faster (and safer) I went. I will now always use trekking poles.
gunner76
08-16-2012, 20:18
Like others have said, if you don't want to use them, then don't. I use them to help swat spider webs out of my way, steady myself on rough ground., check for muddy areas and or loose rocks, help hold my tarp up, hold my camera so I can take a picture of myself while hiking.
turtle fast
08-17-2012, 02:05
Poles are good for as well not listed:
- Using it as an improvised weapon to wave around to ward off angry dogs
- Using it extended as an improvised clothsline
- While hiking to flick branches/sticks off the trail
- As it is planted farther away from you while in hiking motion it is closer to that timber rattler you did not notice befor
Odd Man Out
08-17-2012, 09:41
Poles are good for as well not listed:
- Using it as an improvised weapon to wave around to ward off angry dogs
- Using it extended as an improvised clothsline
- While hiking to flick branches/sticks off the trail
- As it is planted farther away from you while in hiking motion it is closer to that timber rattler you did not notice befor
Anyone ever see the TV show Shark Tank? No, not on Shark Week, but the show where a group of inventors and would-be entrepreneurs pitch their ideas to a panel of wealthy venture capitalists, trying to secure funding for their idea. Some ideas are good and are funded. Some people are kooks. A couple of summers ago (I think) there was a guy who had "invented" this wonderful multi-use device. Rod-like in nature, it could do all the things listed above (and more!). One of the panel members said (sarcastically) "Congratulations - You've invented the stick!"
the goat
08-17-2012, 09:54
They are like bear bells and snake bite kits. There is no evidence that they will take any stress from any body part you have or that they will keep you from falling or that you will make it up, or down the hill any better. It's all hype pushed my the sporting goods industry. It's an extra pound you carry. Embrace your humanity, You are a bi-ped.
while i wouldn't consider it a scientific study, i started my first thru in maine at age 22 w/o using poles: by the time i reached monson both knees were in pain and i had to buy braces for each. by the time i reached rangeley the pain was still pretty bad, so i bought some goofy hiking poles as a last resort. by the time i reached glenciff, there was no pain in either knee & i didn't need the knee braces anymore. kinda hard to not attribute it to the hiking poles.
btw
Anyone ever see the TV show Shark Tank? No, not on Shark Week, but the show where a group of inventors and would-be entrepreneurs pitch their ideas to a panel of wealthy venture capitalists, trying to secure funding for their idea. Some ideas are good and are funded. Some people are kooks. A couple of summers ago (I think) there was a guy who had "invented" this wonderful multi-use device. Rod-like in nature, it could do all the things listed above (and more!). One of the panel members said (sarcastically) "Congratulations - You've invented the stick!"
Yeah, that's what I used for many years. However, trekking poles do have a few advantages:
Unless you whittle, and spend a fair amount of time finding the right "stick", you will not have a handle like the PacerPoles do.
You cannot collapse a stick for carrying or for shuttles
You cannot adjust a stick for optimum pitching of your tarp
Most sticks (not all) weigh more
I tend to forget a stick when I leave a break/camp - not so for my PacerPoles
They are an "evolution" made more convenient. Sticks work just fine.
while i wouldn't consider it a scientific study, i started my first thru in maine at age 22 w/o using poles: by the time i reached monson both knees were in pain and i had to buy braces for each. by the time i reached rangeley the pain was still pretty bad, so i bought some goofy hiking poles as a last resort. by the time i reached glenciff, there was no pain in either knee & i didn't need the knee braces anymore. kinda hard to not attribute it to the hiking poles.
btw
I agree with you, but nay-sayers will contend that your knees just got into shape.
the goat
08-17-2012, 10:02
I agree with you, but nay-sayers will contend that your knees just got into shape.
could be, but i would answer that by saying that if that's the case, then my knees were about a month behind the rest of my body.
i'll never go for another long-distance w/o poles. and i used to be a nay-sayer who made fun of hikers with poles. (now, i only make fun of day-hikers who use poles :D)
One other thing to add -- use of hiking poles, over time, make your hand speed lightning quick. You can touch both sides of a running-loose dog snout coming at you on the Trail before the dog knows what happened.
Plus hiking poles are conversation pieces used when meeting representatives from the New York Welcome Wagon:
August 6 - Fingerboard Shelter ... in New Jersey-New York
Milepoint 1367.5, 119 days since start of hike, averaging 11.5 miles per day
...
That's when I spotted her. The pay phone had been located where the entrance to Harriman State Park had intersected with New York Route 17. And she was standing on the other side of the entrance road looking at me.
A disheveled wig on her head, slippers on her feet, ruby red lipstick and peddle-pusher slacks. It looked like she was part of the New York Welcome Wagon, out here to greet me as I hiked the Appalachian Trail in the state of New York.
Either that or she was a hooker.
As I walked over to her side of the entrance road to look for where the Appalachian Trail continued northward, I asked her, "What are you doing?"
With a smile she responded, "Trying to earn a little extra money."
My guess is she wasn't a part of the Welcome Wagon.
Datto
max patch
08-17-2012, 14:45
while i wouldn't consider it a scientific study, i started my first thru in maine at age 22 w/o using poles: by the time i reached monson both knees were in pain and i had to buy braces for each. by the time i reached rangeley the pain was still pretty bad, so i bought some goofy hiking poles as a last resort. by the time i reached glenciff, there was no pain in either knee & i didn't need the knee braces anymore. kinda hard to not attribute it to the hiking poles.
While I wouldn't consider it a scientific study, I started my thru at Springer at the age of 35 without using poles and carrying a 50 pound pack (which I got down to 45 pounds by the time I got to Damascus); by the time I got to Katahdin my knees and every other part of my body were in the best shape they had ever been in. Kinda hard to imagine what "trekking" poles could have done for me.
Trekking poles weren't popular until the 90's so its safe to say that more people have thru'd without them than with them.
HikerMom58
08-17-2012, 15:37
start without them. you can always get them later in the hike. i've done 5 thru-hikes without them
Wait- what? 5 thru hikes!!! That's impressive.
vamelungeon
08-17-2012, 17:43
Wait- what? 5 thru hikes!!! That's impressive.
Yes it is, isn't it!
Anyway, back to the question at hand- I like hiking poles. I have arthritic knees and they do help me. I find they help a lot as brakes going down steep hills as well, and for beating the brush and weeds when I'm concerned about snakes I can't see. They work great for knocking down that spider web across the trail and they could be used for LIGHT self defense. My first set were cheap Walmart poles, now I've got some Lekkis. Try some cheap ones and see what you think.
HikerMom58
08-17-2012, 17:56
Yes it is, isn't it!
Anyway, back to the question at hand- I like hiking poles. I have arthritic knees and they do help me. I find they help a lot as brakes going down steep hills as well, and for beating the brush and weeds when I'm concerned about snakes I can't see. They work great for knocking down that spider web across the trail and they could be used for LIGHT self defense. My first set were cheap Walmart poles, now I've got some Lekkis. Try some cheap ones and see what you think.
Good answer .... that's a lot of uses for hiking poles, right there! :)
DeerPath
08-18-2012, 10:08
You will definitely make it without them, particularly at your age. They do however offer several advantages including taking stress off your knees (even at your age, but you probably won't notice it as much as us old farts), can be an aid to rhythm, aid to balance, eases leg fatigue and foot pounding on down-hills, nice to lean on when taking a breather, good to flick small branches off the trail so you or those following don't get a foot tangled, great for testing out potential mud holes, great for clearing spider webs from the trail if you are the first one out in the AM, allows you to shake wet branches before you pass under and they dump their water/snow down your neck, use as a V-plow to push tall wet grass aside as you pass (same with briers and poison ivy), scare snakes from the trail in front of you, tent support, good for pushing your food bag up high enough when bear bagging, makes you appear bigger when you scare a bear off, good protection from aggressive dogs, stick your camera on the end to extend your reach for self-portraits, good monopod to steady the camera, and finally - if you do start to loose your balance, can save you from a fall.
Other than that they are pretty useless.
I prefer PacerPoles, check them out - very unique and the most comfortable I've used.
Right-on from an older fart.
And, I'm told you get 48% more cardo. exercise using poles vs not using poles.
My choice is LEKI Ultralite. LEKI had a tent set up at Damascus this year and completely refurbished my poles FREE.
i attempted a thru-hike this year. i was talked into NOT using poles. Did 30 without them. got a pair at neels gap, but blood mountain had done some damage. i got off the trail at unicoi gap with a SEVERE knee injury. actually had to be wheeled down blue mountain by the fire department and some paramedics. if you are young, you still run a risk of injury. if you are older, you really run a risk of injury. the last thing i thought would get me off the trail was an injury. i thought i would get bored long before i got hurt. but there you go...
now, next time, it's poles AND knee braces because i didn't use poles the first time.
for what it's worth...
- pages
daddytwosticks
08-18-2012, 14:40
You wanna use trekking poles because all the cool kids on the trail have them (along with titanium pots and cuben fiber things).
Seriously, I have them, use them, and love them. With that said, Lone Wolf is probably right. Start without them. If you find you need/want them, plenty of opportunities to buy poles at outfitters along the trail. :)