View Full Version : Has anyone done a thru-hike without using hiking poles?
Jane Doe
05-02-2005, 12:59
I see everyone talking about them. I've been hiking since I was 14 and have never used them. I do usually grab a walking stick though.
But I guess I can see how they would be helpful. But how much so? Has anyone done a thru-hike without them?:)
Lone Wolf
05-02-2005, 13:33
I've done 5 thru-hikes without them.
Blue Jay
05-02-2005, 13:34
I see everyone talking about them. I've been hiking since I was 14 and have never used them. I do usually grab a walking stick though.
But I guess I can see how they would be helpful. But how much so? Has anyone done a thru-hike without them?:)
Yes, but it's no longer possible. Leki has agents at all road crossings and they will report you to the pole police.
Sleepy the Arab
05-02-2005, 13:36
I hiked 1800 miles of the trail without them. Fell twice.
Back in the day darn near everyone thruhiked w/o poles. I think it all depends on what you get used to. I've tried them here and there but prefer hiking w/o them. Might pick up a stick for a steep up though.
tlbj6142
05-02-2005, 13:56
I see everyone talking about them.Sure. If your knees are strong enough you can get by without poles. I'm always trying to do away with mine, but I find my knees still hurt too much if I don't use them. Guess I need to do a few thousand more flights of stairs before I can give them up.
Besides helping with knees on down hills (IMO, about the only realy thing poles help with), they do help me maintain a better posture while hiking. I find my shoulders get quite sore if I hike without them even on a relativly flat course. Could be a pack fitting issue though....
The Solemates
05-02-2005, 14:16
I see everyone talking about them. I've been hiking since I was 14 and have never used them. I do usually grab a walking stick though.
But I guess I can see how they would be helpful. But how much so? Has anyone done a thru-hike without them?:)
never used em...hiked over 7000 miles.
BookBurner
05-02-2005, 14:34
You certainly can do any trail without poles, but they make every hike you do use them on that much easier. If you decide to use a pole, just make sure that it has wriststraps and you know how to use them properly. That way, you get the most benefit for the added weight.
-- BookBurner
www.enlightenedthruhiker.com
max patch
05-02-2005, 15:11
Trekking poles didn't become popular til the '90's so its safe to assume that more people have completed thru hikes without poles than those using poles.
When I thru'd in the dark ages of 1988 I only saw ONE person using 2 trekking poles! It was such an unusual site that I remember making note of it in my journal that evening. And that person wasn't a thru hiker. He wasn't even hiking. He was a local out for a trail run.
in 1998 people were starting to use the metal/leki poles. Maybe they have improved since then but I tell you what- everyone I knew who had them had them break on them at least once on their trek. I usually use one wooden stick I found years ago and on my last hike started using 2 wooden sticks due to my knees. Once I got my pack weight down though one was enough. Personally, I am not into the metal poles.
If the people started using the metal treking poles around 1998, they sure caught on fast. By 2001 the majority of people used them.
(I don't yet. I use my hands to scratch and swat bugs)
Jane Doe
05-02-2005, 16:40
thanks for the posts peeps.:)
in 1998 people were starting to use the metal/leki poles. Maybe they have improved since then but I tell you what- everyone I knew who had them had them break on them at least once on their trek. I usually use one wooden stick I found years ago and on my last hike started using 2 wooden sticks due to my knees. Once I got my pack weight down though one was enough. Personally, I am not into the metal poles.
Never used "trekking poles". I used one wooden pole on my Long Trail thru-hike in 1997. Switched to two wooden poles on my AT thru-hike. Been a two poler ever since.
I did get slightly high tech in 1999. Started hiking with used ski poles. $10. Does not collapse. When I needed a new pair after the PCT it was not a big investment. The new pair cost? $7.
Never could see spending $100 for ski poles...
Tha Wookie
05-02-2005, 17:43
Never used em on any trail.
they creep me out.
SGT Rock
05-02-2005, 17:52
I didn't use them for 21 years, just the occasional use of one wooden pole. I started using two about 5 years ago and liked it although it took me a few days to get the hang of them, and I only recently learned I was using the straps incorrectly. So it isn't a need, more a preference and one that may take some adjusting to. I don't think there is a right answer for everyone to this one.
On the other hand, NALGEN BOTTLES are a big scam!
Jane Doe
05-02-2005, 18:50
On the other hand, NALGEN BOTTLES are a big scam!
No way! They hold liquid much better than any other bottle.:p
Sorry Sgt. Rock, I likes my nalgenes but am interested in why you think they are a scam.
Sorry Sgt. Rock, I likes my nalgenes but am interested in why you think they are a scam.
$10 for something that holds water? :)
Boiling water my friend, and they are free in the hiker box :banana
SGT Rock
05-02-2005, 21:13
Sorry Sgt. Rock, I likes my nalgenes but am interested in why you think they are a scam.
It's a joke. LWolf has never used Leki poles and has a sticker on his Nalgen bottle that says **** you and your ****ing Leki poles. I've been backpacking 26 years or so and never used a Nalgen, so I'm going to get a sticker for my Leki poles that says **** you and your ****ing Nalgen bottle.
I just use an empty Gatorade bottle myself.
fiddlehead
05-02-2005, 22:10
On my first long distance hike, i used a pole and swore by it until i lost it. (1977) Haven't used one since except for crossing rivers or to use as an emergency ice ax in a possible fall situation on ice. They slow me down, although they are good for wacking bushes away (stinging nettles comes to my mind), scaring away dogs, pushing stray embers back into the fire, as well as fording and the ice ax substitute. (you can usually find a stick to do the job) Problems arise when hitchiking or forgetting them and backtracking to go get them. (i really hated that part)
So, once again, don't nessecarily be a sheep out there and do what the majority does: try hiking with and without them (for more than a few days) and make up your own mind. fh
My husband hiked the AT using a homemade walking stick made of shagbark hickory. He made several, but only needed two of them. Those store bought poles are nice, but when he was above the tree line somewhere in the Whites he had to cut and burn one of them for cooking on his zip woodburner. Can't do that with the metal poles. hikerwife
SavageLlama
05-02-2005, 23:13
Never used em on any trail.
they creep me out.
I second that notion.
Thats cool SGT. Rock. Poles don't bother me in the least, but does anyone mind if bike the trail?
SGT Rock
05-02-2005, 23:34
Yes we do.
Dammit SRG. How 'bout if I bring my boy "Lance" along and we do a documentary?
Boiling water my friend, and they are free in the hiker box :banana
At least for 3 season backpacking, never really felt the need to boil water. (Winter backpacking is anoher story). However, find I can put hot (not boiling) water in a Gatorade bottle if need be.
The reason you see them in the hiker box for free is because people don't want to carry 6oz of a $10 water bottle! :p
But, but, but I like my Nalgenes, is that ok?
Absolutely OK to carry.. Enjoy!
But it will still be a $10, 6 oz water bottle loved by you and trendy people everywhere. :)
Tounge firmly in cheek...
SGT Rock
05-03-2005, 00:56
How about if I tell you I have some special backpacking toilet paper that is made with titanium. I'll sell it to you at $5 a roll. I have cases of it at the house!
Well, since I've always been the trendy type, send me three cases!:)
The Old Fhart
05-03-2005, 05:40
This camouflage (http://store.safetycentral.com/hideawipes.html) TP called "hide-a-wipe" (so help me, I'm not making this up) may work better. I believe their moto is: "we appreciate your business." :)
RockyTrail
05-03-2005, 10:23
This camouflage (http://store.safetycentral.com/hideawipes.html) TP called "hide-a-wipe" (so help me, I'm not making this up) may work better. I believe their moto is: "we appreciate your business." :)I agree camo paper does sound silly, but flashing around a white piece of toliet paper on opening day of deer season could make you a real target! Yikes!:eek:
(i.e. it looks just like a whitetail deer flicking that tail while grazing for acorns)
I hiked 1800 miles of the trail without them. Fell twice.
I hiked 2,000 miles +/- of the trail with an alder sapling with a crudely carved handle and a crutch tip. Fell twice.
Weary
How about if I tell you I have some special backpacking toilet paper that is made with titanium. I'll sell it to you at $5 a roll. I have cases of it at the house!
Is it the ultra lightweight type? I might split an order with Nean!
whats with the Nalgene bottle bashing? A piece of gear that cost me 6 bucks-only 6 bucks!.....has lasted through a thru-hike, tons of miles of rough paddling and all kinds of other stuff---I call it a good product for the money. So what if
its "trendy", its always worked for me.................just my 2 cents.
Lone Wolf
05-03-2005, 12:14
I love my Nalgene. It has lots of cool stickers on it like "****** You and Your ******in Leki Poles"
whats with the Nalgene bottle bashing? A piece of gear that cost me 6 bucks-only 6 bucks!.....has lasted through a thru-hike, tons of miles of rough paddling and all kinds of other stuff---I call it a good product for the money. So what if
its "trendy", its always worked for me.................just my 2 cents.
Call it frugality from my background. I can't see spending $10 [1] for a water holder. :) And it weighs more! My $1 gatorade bottle fell down a trail in the Sierra and made it into Canada. If I lost it...I'd buy another one for a buck..AND it comes with a drink. How cool is that? ;)
Really don't take it peronally, I am sure the good Sgt and I are just joshing. [2]
Plus, I know the clear yellow Nalgene bottle really matches the yellow Northface Goretex Parka well! :D
[1] $6..where? The older ones are that price. Gotta have the newer, cooler ones! Perhaps online it may be less expensive, but then you have to pay s&h, so the price goes up quickly. Remeber, I'm cheap!
[2] I readily admit - I have a sense of humor that is sarcastic. Does not translate well online! Picture everything I say with a wink and smirk. :)
LOL!!........good post. Yeah, I bought it on sale. It sure is beat-up though. But anway, there are no ill-feelings here buddy...........I just wanted to jump in on the humor.