Hiking Poles?

Andrew Colglazier

Andrew Colglazier

Joined
Sep 14, 2006
Messages
4,409
Who likes them? What kind? Two, or one?

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I have several pairs of Komperdell collapsible poles. I like them quite a lot. They have titanium tips which are very durable and dig in nicely to rock for stability when crossing boulder fields, climbing or descending steep trails, or crossing streams. They bring your arms into play when hiking, making it more of a whole-body experience, and take some strain off your legs. They also do a good job helping to stabilize a top-heavy hiker.

They can be used in a lot of other ways, too.

Anybody else like poles?

Andy
 
I've never used hiking poles before but am seriously thinking of starting-they seem to be useful tool suited for things other than just for hiking too like shelter building and possibly a weapon in a pinch. Are the telescopic poles sturdy?
 
The poles I have are quite sturdy. They have an integral shock absorption system (spring) which allows them to cushion quite a bit of shock as they are used. If you jam them really hard into something, they can shorten down an inch or two, but I've never had mine fail on me.

I have used them in the past as shelter poles, or I've laid them over branches after extending them fully to serve as tarp supports. The tips aren't sharpened for the purpose, but they are quite sharp, and could be used to fend off a dog or some other unwanted intruder.

They are lightweight, also. I know they have been used by high country skiers as ski poles. You can get bottom attachments to make them more useful for that purpose.

Andy
 
In the mountains poles are my BEST friend. :D They really give you a boost on the climb by transferring some of the grunt to your arms and lats. And they save your precious knees on the descent. I've been using the same pair of Leki poles for more than ten years. Nice gear.

Jeff
 
I have a pair of REI poles and have used Leki's. I don't use them too often, but when I do I use two poles. I am most likely to use them snowshoeing.
 
jds1 said:
In the mountains poles are my BEST friend. :D They really give you a boost on the climb by transferring some of the grunt to your arms and lats. And they save your precious knees on the descent. I've been using the same pair of Leki poles for more than ten years. Nice gear.

Jeff
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Yup! They really do help in those ways, not just for stability, but like you mention, they transfer some of the work of climbing or just walking to your arms. And they really do help protect your knees. My knees are in pretty good shape even though they have been injured in sports over the years. But when descending a slope, the poles can be used to take the shock of the step, and you can use them to ease yourself down rather than taking a big jolting step with 20-40 lbs of weight on your back to boot.

Andy
 
The only thing about using poles which I don't like so much, and which hiking companions have complained about, is the noise. The sound of the tips striking rock is annoying to some.

Andy
 
We usually just find a suitable chunk of wood at the beginning of the hike. Never used a real "hiking pole." May try one out eventually, but I'm cheap.
 
The advantages are great but they've become too trendy here in conditions that clearly don't warrant them. In fact, I currently have a bee up my rissole about this. I can't stand things that click, rattle, and jingle. Many of those poles with the shock absorbing feature that I've come across make a clearly audible click, and that is insufferable.
 
If I forgot my poles I would drive back to get them.

When hiking I usually only take one but 2 for backpacking.

Well worth using.
 
baldtaco-II said:
The advantages are great but they've become too trendy here in conditions that clearly don't warrant them. In fact, I currently have a bee up my rissole about this. I can't stand things that click, rattle, and jingle. Many of those poles with the shock absorbing feature that I've come across make a clearly audible click, and that is insufferable.
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Trendy? They can be noisy, it's true. But I won't hike without them.

I find them to be very useful in every kind of terrain. Last year I went hiking in Big Bend Nat'l Park, where much of the hiking is over very flat, even terrain. The poles make this kind of hiking easier also. It's like cross country skiing; the arms give a boost/push-off to every step. Really can speed up your gait if necessary, and it eases strain on the legs.

Andy
 
rocketbomb said:
We usually just find a suitable chunk of wood at the beginning of the hike. Never used a real "hiking pole." May try one out eventually, but I'm cheap.
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A time-honored method. But heavy, and not always available. My collapsible poles are adjustable to anyone's height, and I don't have to spend time looking for them before my hike.

Andy
 
hollowdweller said:
If I forgot my poles I would drive back to get them.

When hiking I usually only take one but 2 for backpacking.

Well worth using.
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Even with the cost of gas, I agree with you completely. :D They are THAT important to me!

Jeff
 
Andrew Colglazier said:
Trendy? They can be noisy, it's true. But I won't hike without them.

I find them to be very useful in every kind of terrain. Last year I went hiking in Big Bend Nat'l Park, where much of the hiking is over very flat, even terrain. The poles make this kind of hiking easier also. It's like cross country skiing; the arms give a boost/push-off to every step. Really can speed up your gait if necessary, and it eases strain on the legs.

Andy
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As I said, I totally get the advantages. Not as important as an ice-axe or crampons but certainly great for going over rough and hilly terrain. Trendy is exactly the word I'd use to describe them here though. You see folks in tracksuits with a pair of them for going up the kind of slopes that many of us would run up or peddle a tredder up. When you're enjoying a tranquil moment in a patch that is about as stereotypically flat as Holland and another herd of those people come along, clicking away, it pretty much makes you want to snatch the poles up and turn them into lollipops.
 
I usually use a length of bamboo (that unfortunately only fits in the bed of my truck. I can't bring it if someone else is driving). Been toying with the idea of purchasing a pair of Leki's.
 
jds1 said:
Even with the cost of gas, I agree with you completely. :D They are THAT important to me!

Jeff
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Well where I go there's lots of rocks and blowdowns. You really don't realize how much energy is used up keeping your balance when going over that sort of terrain.

The sticks probably cut the energy used in such situations by half or more.

Also if you do it right even on flat ground if you only grip the poles lightly and let the weight of your arms down on the handle loops you are removing most of the weight of your arms from your body. Meaning you are carrying LESS.

Another added benefit that is gravy is if you buy a tent that sets up with trekking poles they often partially remove part of the weight of the tent poles you might carry!:thumbup:
 
I couldn't agree more with the usefulness of a hiking stick, but I prefer wood because of the natural damping of vibration and noise. But I only use one stick, I don't hike in open country where I suppose two sticks would work out well. In the woods, on uneven terrain, I like having one hand free at all times. I agree with Hollowdweller and Andrew in that I would turn around if I forgot my stick because I won't hike or fish without one.
Had to laugh at the comments about how noisy the metal poles are, I once was on top of a wooded ridge on the AT when I heard a strange clanking sound coming toward me...couldn't figure what it was, but it was getting louder...it was another guy with a pair of metal poles and he was doing his best to jam the metal tips into the rocky soil with every step. I swear he must have used more energy trying to stab those tips in than he did climbing to the ridge. I suspect that was the effect of Marketing the spike tips and someone not knowing that they don't work well on every surface. He wouldn't have needed the shock absorbing springs if he wasn't trying to stab his way into granite to get over the mountain. :-)
 
hollowdweller said:
The sticks probably cut the energy used in such situations by half or more.

Also if you do it right even on flat ground if you only grip the poles lightly and let the weight of your arms down on the handle loops you are removing most of the weight of your arms from your body. Meaning you are carrying LESS.
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There is certainly a technique to it. I've seen people with poles or sticks, but they didn't seem to know how to use the things, so spent most of their time carrying them around rather than using them to carry themselves around.

I've taught a few people how to use them, but run across more than a few who just never caught on. :(

Andy
 
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