Hiking Poles?

You wouldn't think it to be true, but using poles requires special technique. Subtle changes in grip or the adjustment of wrist straps or even placement in relation to body position make a BIG difference.

Jeff
 
Andrew Colglazier said:
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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Absolutely.

If you don't use the proper technique they are a hindrance. I for instance can tell when the loops get too long almost immediatly.
 
My wife uses a pair of Lekis, and I have tried them when we've been out snowshoeing. I guess I didn't have the technique down, because I didn't feel they added anything but weight.

Recently I've discovered a bunch of videos on YouTube that seek to show the proper use of trekking poles. I'll probably give them another shot on my next backpacking trip.

-- FLIX
 
I've been using a single treking pole for decades. My initial motivation was to have available a tool for moving rattlesnakes off the trail. Then I began to appreciate the added stability provided by the pole on rough ground.

I use a heavy wooden trekker if loose dogs are a problem. I have at times encountered some pretty aggressive canines on the trail. Beyond that scenario, I carry the lightest carbon fiber pole I can find. I also use the single pole as the primary support for my Gatewood Cape, an 11 oz combined shelter, poncho and pack cover. As a general rule, I try to take advantage of multi-use features in my trekking gear in order to minimize carry weight and extend my hiking range.
 
I just starting using two poles for hiking and really like them. They improve my balance and take a lot of weight and stress off my legs and knees. I found them especially useful going up and down hills. Usually my wife and I walk with the same stride but with the poles I was powering past her with no problem. They also improve my stability and make me feel like I have four-wheel drive.

I recommend that getting some instruction about how to use them properly. REI had a DVD from the following people on clearance when I bought my poles so I picked up the DVD at the same time. It's pretty cheesy but does has some good tips which I think really helped me take advantage of the poles. I like the Black Diamond poles with the flip locks, really easy to adjust.

http://www.adventurebuddies.net/
 
I can't do without my trekking poles when I have more than 30 lbs on my back. My knees are no longer sore after a long descent in the Adirondacks. They also keep my hands from getting all swollen as I hike.

Ideally I'd love to use a nice wooden pole but two adjustable poles are just too handy. I can even set up my Hennessy hammock on the ground using the poles if I can't find suitable trees.
 
I prefer walking/hiking staffs that I have either carved, or selected (finding in the woods and carving the bark off). In highschool, one of my science teachers had a pole custom made out of recycled aluminum cans, which was very sturdy. Through use, the natural bottom of the sticks I carry wear down, so they are able to be secured in loose earth very easily. Very supportive of my size. I used to carry a staff with me in the back of my truck, but now, unless I am spending the day out hiking (usually only in the spring or fall), I find a branch etc, and use that.
 
baldtaco-II said:
Instant monopod too if you've got one with a camera thread.
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That's what I have. :thumbup:

I started off trying out a single pole I found in the woods (half of a pair) and found it was an excellent advantage when carrying a pack. I went ahead a sprung for a nice single pole that has a 1/4x20 camera mount stud under the cork ball.

Stay sharp,
desmobob
 
Those nordic walking sticks helped me A LOT when I finished my 6 months of chemo a few years ago. Before I became sick, I was jogging daily (almost religiously) and so it hurt me very much to become so weak (felt like an old, fat man) because of the chemotherapy. When it was over, I couldn't run at all. Really, it was a pain that I wasn't used to. I was so slow and was so hard to run that I can't describe it. Without nordic walking it would have been much more painful to get my strength back again.

But now I don't use them anymore. Main reason is the noise. When I hike or run, I don't want to hear noises. With sticks, I wouldn't see all the animals that I see regularly when I'm in the woods.

I'm thinking about buying some telescopic sticks though. For hiking downhill they might really safe my knees one day, though I've always been a quite heavy man I've never had any knee problems at all. And I run every day since I was 16. That's about 8 years now!
Happens rarely, but sticks can also help you crossing rivers, when there is only a fallen tree you can use as a bridge.
 
I picked up a pair of Komperdells at the REI online outlet a couple of years ago for a really good price. I carried them all the time at first but found there were situations where the were more of a hinderance than anything else and I had no conveintant place to store them. I stopped carrying them. Then within the last couple of months I've been on two searches where the extra stability was needed. One was in steep terrain that alternated between snow fields and bare earth with blow downs mixed in. The other was on a trail that ran along a cliff edge with no guard rails or hand holds. Since than the have made their way back into my deployment bag.
 
I have used one pole ( tracks) for about 15 years. I love the fact that it has a rubber tip that you can remove. there is a tuff steel tip underneath. the stick screws together like a pool cue, so it will not collapse. when not in use I put it in my backpack.
 
I use wood walking sticks but I have set of the telescoping ones to care in the little S-10 Pick-up or if I am going with someone else in a car. Much handier. I make wood walking sticks for a hobby, I have a garage full of them.
 
I bought a set when the wife and I hit the Smokies earlier this year. I could not get the hang of using them. I tried many times with one, with two, different heights, etc. and could never make it work for me. I like to have my hands free.

If I had to I would take one instead of two. I liked having one at some points of creek crossings and moving brush out of the way, etc. I just didn't find them usefull for walking.
 
myright said:
I bought a set when the wife and I hit the Smokies earlier this year. I could not get the hang of using them. I tried many times with one, with two, different heights, etc. and could never make it work for me. I like to have my hands free.

If I had to I would take one instead of two. I liked having one at some points of creek crossings and moving brush out of the way, etc. I just didn't find them usefull for walking.
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I also like to have at least one hand free. When using a single trekking pole I switch from one hand to the other frequently.
 
Tried hiking poles, but have never been able to like them. Most feel flimsy and the noise kind of disturbs the point of being out in the back country. There have been a couple of nice heavy wooden hiking staffs that I've used, but on the whole I'm a hands free kind of guy.
 
I have to use them because I broke my right foot so bad that there is one complete row of bones missing, They are just gone. After about a years in a wheeel chair, I can walk pretty well but I don't seem to have the balance that I had before. I can walk on smooth even ground ok but up or down hill or over rough or rocky ground, I need the stick to keep my balance. I like them to come up to about the top of my shirt pocket or a bit higher. They are handy for protection from snakes or small varmits. The other day I was walking past a house and a guys dog came running out and tried to grab my leg. I whacked him a good one and he headed out fast.:D
 
I love my hiking poles, but here in the mountains around Tucson the trails are very rocky. One day a few years ago, I was hiking, a pole got stuck between two rocks, I lost my balance, fell, my arm was trapped in the strap and I tore my rotator cuff.

It still hurts.

Chad
 
I have a pair of Komperdells. Almost essential if you're hiking a lot of grade with weight on your back.

I used them a lot when I would hike with my son in a backpack carrier. Not only did they take a lot of stress off my knees; they also kept me more stable since I always had at least two points of contact with terra firma.
 
Collin Fletcher wrote several books about backpacking and wilderness trecking in general. To quote (or miquote) him, "the use a hiking pole transformed me from an unstable bi-ped into a quite stable tri-ped." He swore by using them and stated he was much less fatigued upon using them. For me personally, I usually just find a stick to use if it's really steep as I'm usually carrying a rifle in the mountains.
 
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