Anybody use hiking poles?

[WolfTracker]

I'll further add that they also keep you from having 'sausage fingers' by day's end. When I do long hikes, my hands blow up like an inflated rubber glove

 

[Wildewinds]

I use one, not two. One pole really helps, especially since I don't have the best knees in the world. Useful for going up, down, and across streams. If the trail's flat, I'll usually just collapse it and attach it to my pack. I'm sure two poles would be even more helpful, but I can't get over not having one free hand.

 

[raybadge]

As you get older, you'll find them great for going uphill, downhill and fording streams. When it's level, you just carry them. Dan, I used them the first time at Philmont, too. A few years ago.

 

[Guyon]

you'll find them great for going uphill, downhill and fording streams. When it's level, you just carry them.

+1. Also a necessity IMO if you carry a baby in a backpack carrier. The poles keep more points of contact with the ground, and you are MUCH less likely to fall.

 

[Brad "the butcher"]

Lots of people disdain hiking poles until they try them or have a debilitating injury and still want to get out there. Used to tease people about the old man canes until at 23 I got hit from behind by a forklift bending down to retrieve a new knife out of the box. Dragged 8 feet. 11 months of compo and 2 surgeries on anterior cruciate, mediscus and quadricep. 15 years later I can't carry more than 30lb up hills without my Komperdales or my knee pays for it.

Many studies have found that using 2 poles can reduce the impact and fatigue on the lower body by as much as 40% depending on technique and upper body strength.

Even with one bum wheel with poles I can mountain goat up and over the rough rockies here in B.C., usually waiting for everyone else.
Really important for steep sidehills and unstable rockslides that are common here.

Good boots are just as important, real leather with good ankle support. The golite trailrunners do not cut it, armor your feet and ankles. The extra weight is worth not having foot/arch fatigue or rolled ankles. You don't see footsoldiers in Nike's (except on daily runs now WTF??)

I start to go squirrely if I don't get out in the mountains at least twice a month.
Regards

 

[dextersp1]

I use them all the time.
Most of the time when I see others use them they are using them incorrectly - too short or too long, clutching them with their hands.
Research the web on how to size them and use them.
Hint - use the straps and the weight should be on near your wrist/outside of hand area - going up or down hills.
The crook between your thumb and index finger along with little finger guide the position of the pole.

I've been hiking 14ers alone and they give you added balance.

 

[foxyrick]

dextersp1, good point about choosing and using them correctly!

I've only ever used sticks (or long ice axes) in snow, never really liked having things in my hands otherwise. I'll even walk back to the car often when my wife and I are out shopping, to drop off the stuff (usually clothes) so I don't have to carry it.

Now that I'm recovering from a completely ruptured Achilles tendon, and have put on a lot of fat partly due to the inactivity for a few months, I think I'm going to need poles when I'm finally up to hill walking again.

So I'm watching this thread with interest... even if I don't really want to!

 

[Eyegor]

After years of not using them, I too have become a new convert. Of course, I learned many of the uses of the trusty Scout Stave years ago and then let it go. I just couldn't get around the esthetics of "ski poles". So I purchased a new wooden rake/hoe handle. I know, it's heavy, it doesn't collapse, etc. etc. It is a nice wooden stave with a metal foot and padded area for my paw. It works for me.

 

[DWK2]

I thought they looked too "urban yuppy" when they first came out many years ago. But to see if they actually helped, I traded my normal single hiking staff for a modified old set of X/C ski poles. They helped enough that I forgot about the appearance and got some Komperdells. I find that I have about 20% more range in a day of mountain hiking than if I did not use them. They also help my stability on creek crossings and steep terrain.

DancesWithKnives

 

[bhoff]

Lekis are the deal.

 

[desmobob]

I just couldn't get around the esthetics of "ski poles". So I purchased a new wooden rake/hoe handle. I know, it's heavy, it doesn't collapse, etc. etc. It is a nice wooden stave with a metal foot and padded area for my paw. It works for me.

Wood is "real" and organic and natural and comfortable to hold. But those darn carbon fiber or aluminum poles telescope right down to a small, lightweight package you can strap onto your daypack when you don't need them. Otherwise, I'd prefer a nice hickory staff....


Stay sharp,
desmobob

 

[Fraser]

I use bamboo poles cut from a friend's backyard bamboo growth.

As noted, they help out the knees and can be used for fend off snakes and painted hussies.

 

[DWK2]

I like the 15 degree forward cant on the Leki Super Makalu model but I got the carbide-tipped, shock-absorbing Komperdells on sale for $40. So I'm living with the 8 degree cant on them. Nice cork composite grips.

DancesWithKnives