View Full Version : question re. using hiking poles
I'm new to hiking, so pls forgive me if this sounds like a stupid question ( I know, I know, "There ARE no stupid questions, right? Well, if there WAS a stupid question, this might be it! :) ) But..., on my first hike, I was following a trail, and discovered that the trip back was mainly on asphalt (you had to walk on the bike trail). At that point, my legs were pretty tired. Just wondering, if I had had hiking poles then, could I have used them without damaging those tips? Seems like hard surfaces (like rocky areas or, in this case, asphalt) would damage those tips...
Thanks!,
Jeff S
hikerboy57
10-11-2013, 18:20
most trekking poles come with rubber tips to cover the metal points.and the metal tips will hold up fine for limited road walks.
Nutbrown
10-11-2013, 18:24
I actually use the rubber tips on my poles all the time. I use the poles more as a balance aid than extra grip. So no, the rubber tips would not be damaged.
Starchild
10-11-2013, 18:29
On hard surfaces I usually will just carry them instead of use them. But yes the tips are made of a very hard metal and can withstand asphalt very well. Rubber tips will soften the sound better on such surfaces but are not needed.
Another Kevin
10-11-2013, 18:30
The carbide tips last approximately forever. They're nearly as hard as diamond. You use the rubber tips on the road because otherwise you tear up the road surface and get asphalt stuck all over your pole tips.
Make sure that your rubber tips are the ones for road-walking. Some poles come with flimsy rubber or plastic tips for storage that will NOT hold up to a roadwalk.
Rubber tips are great............until you get to Vermont
Then they get sucked down into the abyss of mud and roots.
I thought the rubber tips were for shipping and transport protection (like keeping them from poking holes in boxes and upholstery). I threw mine out when i got home. The carbide tips will probably outlast the rest of the pole...
i have seen people using them all the time, don't the carbide tips wear through the rubber?
Problem with rubber tips is the trail is littered with them.
They come off.
Metal tips will last fine but the tic tac will drive you nuts.
I carry my poles horizontally (i.e. paralell to the ground) whenever I walk on easy terrain, not just asphalt.
It helps me stride out to have them help my arms swing.
I only use my poles on steeper and more technical sections.
Ditch the rubber tips on a thru. The carbide tips are replacable on the better poles. When you get to a area where you have to walk on exposed rock the carbide tips bite right into the rock. I replaced my carbide tips on my Leky poles three times during my thru.
Super glue keeps the rubber tips on.
Another Kevin
10-11-2013, 20:04
I use the rubber tips only on pavement. Because they do indeed get sucked off if you use them in mud or get them caught in a crack in the rock.
I use my rubber tips in the house, my wife pitched a fit about the little dings in the hardwood floors:D
The carbide tips last approximately forever. They're nearly as hard as diamond. You use the rubber tips on the road because otherwise you tear up the road surface and get asphalt stuck all over your pole tips.
Make sure that your rubber tips are the ones for road-walking. Some poles come with flimsy rubber or plastic tips for storage that will NOT hold up to a roadwalk.
Approximately forever...I like that! :)
Problem with rubber tips is the trail is littered with them.
They come off.
Metal tips will last fine but the tic tac will drive you nuts.
I carry my poles horizontally (i.e. paralell to the ground) whenever I walk on easy terrain, not just asphalt.
It helps me stride out to have them help my arms swing.
I only use my poles on steeper and more technical sections.
Sounds like good advice, Jacko...Thx!
Thanks everyone for the teriffic advice! I just ordered some from REI -- Leki Cocklite AntiShock Speed lock. I don't know, you can compare them online with other models -- some carbide, some aluminum, some a couple ounces lighter than others ...These looked to me like they're probably gonna be pretty good ones.. I kinda like the sound of that "AntiShock" aspect. One thing you guys brought to light for me -- I wasn't aware those tips were replaceable. Even tho, I think it was Kevin, that said the carbide tips last forever, somebody else said they had to replace them 3 times -- but, hey, if that's 3 times in 2200 miles, that's not bad!
Odd Man Out
10-11-2013, 23:32
There is one stupid question:
"Can I ask a stupid question?"
Another Kevin
10-12-2013, 00:37
I don't care for the anti-shock poles, they're heavy, and feel mushy when I want to lean on them. Other people I know swear by them, but I'd swear at them.
Lever-lock (flick-lock) is more reliable than twist-lock, by all accounts.
Carbon fibre poles are lighter and stiffer than aluminium. On the other hand, aluminium ones will bend when you fall on them and can sometimes be straightened out. Carbon fibre ones will just snap.
I like cork grips better than foam ones, and certainly better than synthetic-rubber ones. They don't get as sweaty.
Oh, one little trick when I'm not using the poles. I've zip-tied mitten hooks on them just below the grips, and threaded D rings on the load-lifter straps on my pack. I can stick the spikes of collapsed poles into gear loops on my pack and clip the hooks onto the D rings without taking off my pack, in a matter of seconds, and retrieve them as fast. That gives me a convenient way to get them out of the way and leave my hands free for scrambling.
ChinMusic
10-12-2013, 01:13
Oh, one little trick when I'm not using the poles. I've zip-tied mitten hooks on them just below the grips, and threaded D rings on the load-lifter straps on my pack. I can stick the spikes of collapsed poles into gear loops on my pack and clip the hooks onto the D rings without taking off my pack, in a matter of seconds, and retrieve them as fast. That gives me a convenient way to get them out of the way and leave my hands free for scrambling.
I keep reading that and just can't picture it. Would love to see a pic. I just threw mine ahead during most scrambles.
I don't care for the anti-shock poles, they're heavy, and feel mushy when I want to lean on them. Other people I know swear by them, but I'd swear at them.
Lever-lock (flick-lock) is more reliable than twist-lock, by all accounts.
Carbon fibre poles are lighter and stiffer than aluminium. On the other hand, aluminium ones will bend when you fall on them and can sometimes be straightened out. Carbon fibre ones will just snap.
I like cork grips better than foam ones, and certainly better than synthetic-rubber ones. They don't get as sweaty.
Oh, one little trick when I'm not using the poles. I've zip-tied mitten hooks on them just below the grips, and threaded D rings on the load-lifter straps on my pack. I can stick the spikes of collapsed poles into gear loops on my pack and clip the hooks onto the D rings without taking off my pack, in a matter of seconds, and retrieve them as fast. That gives me a convenient way to get them out of the way and leave my hands free for scrambling.
Thanks Kevin...this is really good info. I wish the guy at REI had been this helpful, before I bought the poles I did. But I think the ones I bought are gonna have two sections, with a lever-lock at the top and a twist lock at the bottom.
...these are going to be aluminum, and they may be a little heavier than the others, by 3 or 4 ozs. I guess it remains to be seen, how much that's going to matter to me. But I like that idea of them bending rather than breaking that you mentioned.
I keep reading that and just can't picture it. Would love to see a pic. I just threw mine ahead during most scrambles.
I'm with you, ChinMusic. Me being pretty new at this, and not done much equipment shopping yet, most of the terminology is new to me, so I'm not sure what Kevin's saying there. Obviously I know it's a way to secure the poles, but it certainly sounds complicated! ( I bet it's not as bad as it sounds, tho, once I know the terminology :) )