View Full Version : Types of Hiking Poles
RedRunnerJumper
08-25-2012, 10:21
Was wondering what kind/brand of hiking poles anyone recommends or uses. Looking to invest in a pair.
Had a pair of Komperdell from STP. They broke in Pa. Ordered a pair of Leki's because of the lifetime warranty. Ended up bending one in NH and had the bent section replaced free of charge at an outfitter. For local hikes, not much elevation change, I have an old pair from Wally World that has lasted for a long time.Wouldn't want them on the AT though.
I use the Leki Makalu Antishock Carbon model and have never had a problem nor would I ever hike without them! Maddog:D
I've used sticks I picked up in the woods, sticks I purposely cut, peeled and dried, store bought sticks, REI trekking poles (Komperdell, I believe), ski poles, and now PacerPoles. Been a fan of these for about 7 years now and don't anticipate switching. PacerPoles are very unique and more efficient and comfortable in my experience.
Check them out, but more important, try them out.
http://www.pacerpole.com/
BenLeaman
08-25-2012, 14:47
I used these on my thru hike I just completed this month...
http://www.leki.com/844-cressida.html
Yes they are women's and no, I'm not a woman.
What I liked about them...
-They are light
-The grip is smaller than the men's poles which fits my hands better
-They were long enough to work for me
-I weigh 190 with my pack on and I only managed to bend one lower section slightly
-Quick adjust makes it easier to use them with my tarptent
May not work for everyone but I just wanted to chime in.
kayak karl
08-25-2012, 16:27
i 2 nd the http://www.pacerpole.com/ (http://www.pacerpole.com/)
Started hiking last year and lots of folks are using these treking poles. My question is what are the advantages and disadvatages of using them, more stuff to carry. Are they difficult get used to for folks like me who cant walk and chew gum?
Go easy on me for this is my first post.
Started hiking last year and lots of folks are using these treking poles. My question is what are the advantages and disadvatages of using them, more stuff to carry. Are they difficult get used to for folks like me who cant walk and chew gum?
Go easy on me for this is my first post.
If you have knee problems they can relieve pressure going down hill. On uphills they can help by allowing you to push with your upper body. On flat ground in my opinion they get in the way so I just attach them to my pack. They take a little time to get used to them.
Welcome to Whiteblaze.
RedRunnerJumper
08-25-2012, 17:47
Thanks guys. I do believe that was my first post too. Ive been seeing treking poles with the z cords, collapsable ones and fixed poles, what are the advantages or disadvantages? Do most use the collapsable ones?
Collapsible are good if you do not want to use them all the time (I use mine close to %100 of the time) - collapsed, they are easier to lash to your pack for carrying. They are also good for traveling to/from the trail, or when hitchhiking. Adjustable length makes using them for tent/tarp poles more convenient. There is a slight chance that the pole will collapse at an inopportune time, but that is usually user error. I have never had mine collapse unexpectedly, but have heard of it. You should not intentionally place all your weight on any pole, they are not designed for that.
RedRunnerJumper
08-25-2012, 18:34
Gotcha. Thanks for your input. Ya def going to go check them out...
HikerMom58
08-25-2012, 18:39
Started hiking last year and lots of folks are using these treking poles. My question is what are the advantages and disadvatages of using them, more stuff to carry. Are they difficult get used to for folks like me who cant walk and chew gum?
Go easy on me for this is my first post.
I felt the exact same way as you the first time I tried to use poles. I can't chew gum and walk either .. haha!! But, I agree with Rasty.. they do take a lil bit of time to get used to them. I love them and use them for the reasons he stated.
"Go easy on me for this is my first post" No worries, it's good you put it out there. I still feel "gun-shy" but they're talking to a girl that wears her heart on her sleeve, it just makes it more difficult for me. (Note to self- You can't control anyone but yourself, it's always all about self control even though sometimes you have an epic fail)
Welcome queball & RedRunnerJumper!!!
Started hiking last year and lots of folks are using these treking poles. My question is what are the advantages and disadvatages of using them, more stuff to carry. Are they difficult get used to for folks like me who cant walk and chew gum?
Go easy on me for this is my first post.
An advantage can be stabilization. Another can be quardination. Imagine your walking down the trail and trip. Maybe having a trekking pole in hand can keep you from falling flat. After all they are extensions of the hand. After thousands of miles of walking with them I regard them as "feelers". Kind of like a lobstah tentacle. I certainly wouldn't like to hike without them. I suppose I could get use to the old method of going without poles if I had to.
I doubt it matters much the poles a person carries. Some are nicer than others. All poles work fundamentally the same. I bought a most expensive pair, and can't tell the difference between my "cheap off brand" ones, and much more expensive Leki's. I don't think it matters. The fundamentals are all the same, 4 legs good. 2 legs bad.
Whichever ones you choose I like the ones that LOCK, not twist to secure the sections...................have had them fail at the wrong moment, when I plant a pole I want to know that it will hold!
Like Blackdiamond. Prefer cork grips.
Hands down... Leki
I've had Black Diamond - they broke after a couple days and BD wouldn't do a thing about it
My Komperdells were OK, but they'd slowly collapse
Lekis lock up tight and stay that way!
kayak karl
08-25-2012, 20:22
i have the three section pacers. helps on buses and trains.
MuddyWaters
08-25-2012, 20:45
I use Fizan Compact ultralights
Were the lightest pole you could get for the money, (11oz pair/$80) , not sold in US, have to order from England. Fizan made the first aluminum ski poles in 1947.
Now a couple of other companies make some comparable wts, but slightly more~100.
Never a problem with the Fizan twist locks .
Simple, light, 3 piece collapsible. Dont believe in antishok, something else to make it heavy and to break.
Dont believe in Carbon fiber, get end of pole stuck and keep moving and SNAP
Rota Locura (old Ti goat poles) are CF with Al lower parts for durability. And as light as the GG poles.
With any poles, use the handstraps properly. Some take them off to save wt, ridiculous. You then have to grip the pole firmly when planting it, which tires you, compared with a light grip.
MuddyWaters
08-25-2012, 20:50
I will say this. If you hike fast or high mileage days, light poles make a difference. Your shoulders and arms will thank you. Shoot for 12oz/pair MAX. This eliminates 95% of poles right away.
Ultralight poles are better if you don't want to use them all the time.
Super strong poles are better if you're hiking in deep snow.
Adjustable poles are better when your preferred hiking length and shelter length are not the same, and if you desire different lengths on inclines and declines, and are also better when you're travelling to and from the trail head.
Fixed length poles are better if you never need to change the length of your poles and want to save a little weight.
I prefer ultralight adjustable poles whenever I'm not hiking in deep snow, that is, if I take poles at all. I'm more likely to leave my poles at home on short hikes, but always take them on long hikes.
I use Black Diamonds bought 2nd hand off Ebay.
Personally I remove the straps as they irritate me.
I consider 2 most important features are ease of adjustment (Leki and BD seem best with flick lock type mechanisms) and NOT having shock absorption.
Shock absorption is for hard surface (i.e. road, rock) and a pain elsewhere.
Grip preferences are personal and you should pick what suits you not necessarily what the majority have.
Lekis appear to have the most positive feedback but their price seems to reflect that.
My wife won a pair of poles in a raffle, and they were a type new to me: MSR brand (I'd never heard of them making poles before), the Surelock 2 model,
http://www.backcountry.com/msr-surelock-tr-2-trekking-pole
I took these on a 260 mile backpacking trip earlier this month (PCT in southern Oregon), and quite liked them. They're surprisingly lightweight, but the locking mechanism is what's interesting: a series of holes spaced 2" apart with a little spring-loaded button that pops out into a particular hole to set it into one of several fixed lengths.
I found that the downside of only having 2" increments was not bad and more than offset by knowing unambiguously that my poles were a very specific length each time I needed to collapse them, and they worked fine with my lightheart solo tent.
To be clear, I'm not recommending these (one way or the other). IMO the clear and obvious failure point --- short of bending them or losing a pole --- will be when the little spring loaded buttons get wonky and won't pop out, or won't reliably pop out, or won't stay in the hole. I have no idea how long this might take; I did have a couple of times when I needed to fiddle a bit to get a button to pop all the way out, and perhaps the most common failure will be to not know the button isn't all the way out and do damage to the mechanism as a result.
They work great after 260 miles, at any rate. If I were thru-hiking with them, I'd have a backup pair ready to mail, or just accept that I might have to buy a fairly heavy/clunky set of replacements along the way if they're not up to that much distance.
SunnyWalker
08-26-2012, 17:23
I am on my second set of ski poles. They are strong, lightweight, and durable. I gave the other set I had to someone who needed them. These ski poles I get for an average of $3.00 a set from various Thrift Stores. Uphill, downhill, I have never found the inability to adjust them to be a problem.
swjohnsey
08-28-2012, 06:47
Poles on a thru-hike are gonna take a beating. Get something that is not ultra-light, something like the BD Trail. Folks have lotsa problems with the Leki twist locks. Half of 'em I see are taped up. If this is gonna be for a thru hike get several sets of extra tips and learn how to change 'em. I'm on my third set of tips.
I think the "gonna take a beating" comment is relative to where and maybe when. My poles got more beat up in the Whites I think than any other trail. Mostly otherwise it's the odd nick or scratch. There was a bit of off-trail stuff on the CDT that banged them a bit too.
I can only recall changing pole tips once, half-way along the PCT. But to be fair, I've had more than one set of poles on different trails. It's a good idea, but not a killer. Mine were still in good enough shape that someone else elected to upgrade theirs to my old ones.
Twist locks or other pole types that can slip over time: the best defense IMO is to just never collapse them once you get them set. Even for hitch hiking you don't always need to do this, for example getting a ride in the back of a pickup. If you seldom collapse them, I find that the problem isn't as big an issue.
Personally I would go with something quite light. I'm not so much a fan of carbon fiber poles any more, or at least I think it better if the lower section is titanium or light aluminum, but otherwise I would go with something reasonably light and just take reasonable care. Like shoes, you're moving these constantly (or at least I am), so it's not the same as static weight carried on your back.
Many thanks for everyone's input. I did have major pains in my right knee as I hiked the approach trail to Springer Mt. in April this year. i should have asked you guys this before the Roller Coaster this summer. Going to REI this weekend. Now I need to figure out which ones to get.
wornoutboots
08-28-2012, 22:33
I just did 125 mile section in VA & I forgot my poles, so I picked up a stick in the woods I it worked Excellent!! Thinking of doing it everytime!
Starchild
08-29-2012, 10:38
I have typically use a single pole from a 2 pole set, I do like having a hand free and the ability to switch hands, and the weight savings of a single stick. Right now I am using a pair (well one of the pair) of Leki's with the antishock. I do find the antishock ability useful in down scrambling where you can use the stick to help offset some a good portion of my weight on small jumps. It is the twist lock system while not without it's annoyances (having to pull out the section entirely to get it to grab again and rare minor and very slow slippage), has not failed me.
1+ on the Leki Makalu with Anti-shock. Never let me down and unlike other brands, oh so easy to find replacement parts for along the trail.
I am on my second set of ski poles. They are strong, lightweight, and durable. I gave the other set I had to someone who needed them. These ski poles I get for an average of $3.00 a set from various Thrift Stores. Uphill, downhill, I have never found the inability to adjust them to be a problem.
Yeah man... I purchased my Scott ski poles at a Durango ski swap in the 70's. Skied them all over Purgatory, Wolf Creek, Aspen and Vail. Moved back to the mid-west in the middle 80s and hung them up.
Started reading WB and training for the AT in '05, for '06. There were some pretty opinionated discussions about "to use" or "not to use" poles. I decided to try them. I grabbed my Scotts. It was a mild winter. Moles tunneled early. While hiking that first day out with poles I stepped into a concealed mole tunnel. As I started to tumble down fast towards the dirt, I instinctively thrust my pole down and saved myself a potentially bad fall. I've not left home without them since then. AT, CT, SHT, Arches Park, slot canyons, or just out hiking the mid-west woods. I love em.
I have the old, curved, break-away handles which suit me, because I usually hike with the tops of the poles in the palms of my hands. I rarely grip them like a ski pole. Once I got the poles cut to the length I wanted, I just bent my elbows to "adjust" them.
I also adapted plastic sprinkler system male adapters to the poles' tips. I slide the end that takes a hose clamp up over the pole tip until it stops. Then I put a heavy duty rubber crutch tip over the male adapter. They just stay in place. Only lost one in a deep mud hole. They last much longer than regular hardware store type chair leg rubber tips... Especially in the Whites!
I don't know how much my old poles weigh and couldn't care less. I' 6'3" and since I took a desk job, I'm up around 215 lbs. (ugh) I never worry about putting all my weight on them while vaulting streams or planting them deeper in a river to hop to the next rock that's just a wee bit too far to jump.
The cons... Useless/dangerous on wet leaves, etc. (I remove the rubber and plastic ends.) They won't break down to pack inside my backpack for flights. Bought a huge LL Bean duffel (which I unpack at my destination and mail to the end of the trail for return flight) for my pack/gear, etc, removed the poles' grips, and they just fit!)
Old ski poles for hiking? Hell yes!
fireneck
09-08-2012, 12:11
I've had a pair of Trail Ergo Corks (http://www.blackdiamondequipment.com/en-us/shop/mountain/trekking-poles/trail-ergo-cork-trekking-pole) from Black Diamond for five years. Just used them on my thru this year. I really love them. Held up great. Not into the whole lightweight poles... as a thru hiker we need to take every advantage to keep our upper body strength!
thebrewguy
09-10-2012, 17:18
I second the Black Diamond Trail Ergo Corks! Love these things. I do think the slight angle that makes them "ergonomic" does give you a slight advantage when pushing off. Whatever you get, definitely get cork handles. They keep your hands dry and grip really well. I'm also a fan of the "Snap-Lock" system for collapsing/extending. It makes it easy to adjust and doesn't get stuck like the "Twist-Lock" style.
coach lou
09-10-2012, 18:04
I second the Black Diamond Trail Ergo Corks! Love these things. I do think the slight angle that makes them "ergonomic" does give you a slight advantage when pushing off. Whatever you get, definitely get cork handles. They keep your hands dry and grip really well. I'm also a fan of the "Snap-Lock" system for collapsing/extending. It makes it easy to adjust and doesn't get stuck like the "Twist-Lock" style.
I will third that vote, I am very happy with mine and they were cheaper than the Lekis, which I thought I wanted.
Poles on a thru-hike are gonna take a beating. Get something that is not ultra-light, something like the BD Trail. Folks have lotsa problems with the Leki twist locks. Half of 'em I see are taped up. If this is gonna be for a thru hike get several sets of extra tips and learn how to change 'em. I'm on my third set of tips.
Even traditional poles get beat up. Last summer it seemed like half the metal trekking poles I saw were severely bent or part of it was missing. In areas where poles are deemed highly important, I think it's better to have poles that are easily replaced or repaired. Unfortunately an indestructible trekking pole doesn't exist, although the Big Stik (http://www.luxurylite.com/ssindex.html) probably comes close.
+4 for the Black Diamond Ergo Corks.
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I would definately go with the Leki Makalu. They are awesome poles and Leki is really good to work with if you have a problem with your poles.
RedRunnerJumper
09-15-2012, 03:22
Thanks for everyone's input! Has helped. Ive still been looking and little unsure at this point but going to REI to see physical/hands on n check them out
Drybones
09-15-2012, 08:57
My first poles were Walmart $12 poles. I now own two sets of Black Diamond but to be honest the Walmart poles served just as well.