"Trekking Poles" Why?

[Joben]

What's the deal with those fancy store bought walking sticks, generally made out of telescoping aluminum, with foam grips and whatnot?

When I saw them in a store for the first time I thought they were just about the silliest outdoor product I had ever seen. They looked fragile, several seemed pre-broken for your convenience, and well...they just looked kinda sissy.

Am I missing something?

 

[Wandering_About]

They're nice for backpacking, I may end up getting a pair sometime. They help you walk along by involving your arms in the walking process. Help with balance on rough or steep trails, crossing boulder fields, etc. They also make it a bit easier on your knees. I'm not completely a fan of the aluminum poles yet, I usually just use one wood staff. After our last hike, though, I can see where two nice, light poles would be nice.

For dayhiking with a lighter pack, a wood staff works well enough for me. I really like the feel of a wood staff better than aluminum also. We'll see if I end up with a pair or not.

 

[ieraseu]

Pretty much every thru-hiker uses them. For a person that goes out for just one or two days of hiking it's not a big difference, but when you are talking weeks or months of hiking in rough terrain they really do save your knees and your lower back.

I recommend them anyway. Should you lose your footing you have something to hold on to and that can mean the difference between staying upright and a sprained ankle. Some have a carbide tip to get a good grip no matter where you place them, and they can be used to make a spear or fishing pole or tent support in emergencies.

 

[Joben]

I understand the benefits of a staff in rough terrain.
I went for a short hike today, and the first thing I did was find a sturdy straight stick.
Though I always considered one of the side benefits of a good walking stick to be that you can whack things with it if need be...hard to imagine that working with a light weight poles I've seen

Oh...two huh? that's interesting.

 

[GregY]

You're missing something.

Imagine you're in a rocky area, clambering from rock to rock with a heavy pack on your back. Now imagine taking a big step down, hitting too hard, breaking an ankle and falling to your doom

Well that's overly dramatic, but the idea is there. As rb said, they help with balance, especially on rougher terrain, and give you another point of support when you need one.

Edit: Wow, lots of fast typists staying up late on BF, getting their replies in before mine.

 

[Alberta Ed]

Very handy on rough terrain, especially if you're carrying a pack. Read Colin Fletcher's The Complete Walker for an excellent commentary on walking staffs.

 

[skammer]

4 points of contact are better than 2. On trails they are good, off trail they are a pain.

I know many guides and outdoor pros who use them so its not a nancy piece of gear. Its my guestimation they reduce effort and or calorie burn by 10-20%. They certainly help with back issues by forcing better posture.

Skam

 

[sasha]

If you use trekking poles properly they would take as much as 45% of the weight from your legs\feet\knees. I use them even for day hikes, you might find out that you can walk longer and faster using them. When you get where you are going you would be less tired as well. I use one that is one piece aluminum and its very tough light weight as well. I do want to get the ones that collapse so i can ride my bike to my hiking spot. Try them for a few days and then see how you like them.

Sasha

 

[DWK2]

When I first saw them many years ago I assumed they were aimed at granola-munching, tight-short wearing, chardonnay sipping, urban yuppy types. I used a traditional hiking staff. As I saw more of them on the trails being used by folks who didn't fit that stereotype, I decided to try some. At first I just adapted an old pair of bamboo cross-country ski poles left over from ancient times. They helped enough that I eventually bought some Komperdells.

In addition to assisting with climbing, descending, uneven terrain, and stream crossings, I've read that studies show roughly a 20% decrease in stress on knees, hips, low back, etc. I find that they extend my range by around 10-20% on routes I've previously hiked without them.

DancesWithKnives

 

[Bushman5]

4 points of contact better than 2, hike like a goat.

that being said i prefer my solid oak staffs to the very expensive and relatively weak store bought aluminum ones. Plus my solid oak staff can be used as a very formidable weapon.

 

[udtjim]

If you have a set of good ones, they are the best thing going. I need to use a walking stick and the best thing about the telescoping ones is that you can carry them anywhere. In the car they are out of the way. They are much much stronger than most people imagin. I use wooden ones too.

 

[Evolute]

They save your knees, increase stability and balance on slippery or other hazardous surfaces, and they double as tarp/tent poles and camera bipods. They're lighter, more comfortable, and more adjustable to changing trail angles than sticks.

They're not too fragile. They actually make fairly effective weapons, but they are poking/stabbing weapons, not bludgeoning weapons.

Sissy looking? Do you really care? I don't.

 

[tenkara]

There's a reason why animals in the wild are quadripedal. It isn't "sissy", it's common sense. If you've ever had to negotiate a steep ridge under the weight of pack after several hours of hiking, then you can appreciate why it's good to have two poles. And honestly, how many times do you need to "whack" the wildlife?

 

[LMT66]

I have a stick and a set of poles. I wouldn't leave for a hike without one or the other.
The stick helps me glide over small streams or wet areas and helps me down declines without putting excess pressure on my knees. Also good if you come accross an aggressive dog or some other animal and pushes low tree limbs and brush aside.

The telescoping ones are great. Strap them to your pack. They retract down to just a little bigger than a small umbrella and are light. Could be used as tent poles on the right tent.

As a trucker, my knees/back have about 500,000 miles on them in a truck alone. They are "fragile" and anything that helps them is good in my book.

My next one is going to be this :
http://www.canemasters.com/highland-hiking-and-survival-staff-p-339.html

 

[C Bryant]

They are good for moving snakes off the trail, and they give a bit more "reach" when walking so if you don't see a snake the poll gets to it before your foot does.

Plus they can be used at shelter poles, add a tarp and some cordage and you have a shelter.

 

[Joben]

holy crap. I've never made a thread here that has generated so many replies so fast.

I dig the 2 pole, 4 points of contact thing. I was totally unaware of that approach until tonight. It makes sense.

I think a few people to misunderstood my initial question. I understand what walking sticks are for. I like them. :thumbup:

I just couldn't figure out why, or if, the over-complicated looking store bought ones were desirable...over a sturdy and probably much cheaper wooden staff...

And honestly, how many times do you need to "whack" the wildlife?

True enough, but how often have any of us had to spend a couple unplanned nights outdoors?
But still, we spend hours posting about gear to make such an eventuality safer...
I mentioned it as a side benefit, one of many possible uses for a sturdy stick.

 

[razcob]

I have a pair of Black Diamond Contour Elliptics and use them for day or weeklong hikes. They are excellent for keeping your balance down steep grades and crossing streams. For me, there was a short learning curve, but after a while, the poles move and feel natural. The straps reduce your grip effort on the pole than you would have for a usually heavier, strapless wooden staff. They are very strong and will hold all my weight, but probably wouldn't fair too good if used to swing at something. The only disadvantage may be to remember to take your hands out of the straps in rocky terrain, in th event you fall, and your pole gets stuck between some rocks.

 

[nate1714]

I understand the point and why people use them I just dont understand why one would buy a pair instead of camping one time and making a walking stick or two...

 

[PayetteRucker]

What's the deal with those fancy store bought walking sticks, generally made out of telescoping aluminum, with foam grips and whatnot?

When I saw them in a store for the first time I thought they were just about the silliest outdoor product I had ever seen. They looked fragile, several seemed pre-broken for your convenience, and well...they just looked kinda sissy.

Am I missing something?

I'll tell ya what living in Texas and Florida where you have flat terrain or easy rolling hills, those trekking poles don't do shit. They're just extra weight to carry unless like me you have hip problems, and even with hip issues I never got used to em. That is until I hit drastic elevation change. Now that I live in Idaho, with hip problems, climbing 5,000 feet in a 6 mile hike puts alot of really excessive strain on my arthritic hips. Using trekking poles, which I'm still not used to, it gave me two more points of contact-that is, my arms were converted to two more legs and took probably 25% of the stress off of the grinding going on in my joints. That makes a HUGE difference when the day is said and done. And this is just comfort level. A month ago when I went up to Seven Devils, out of Riggins Idaho (I suggest you look it up on google images so you can get an idea what I'm talking about) I climbed 9,000 feet in just a few miles. It was at least a 40% grade and there were times when I was scrambling up a 90% grade, where I should have been roped in, hugging the vertical wall with a 85 pound pack on praying that my balance wouldn't shift when the wind blew. At points like that, when you are traversing loose rock ledges 1,000 feet up a sheer dropoff, a third or fourth constant contact with the ground is a MUST, or you die. I got a pair of 50 dollar Mountainsmith Rhyolite poles with my Mountainsmith Maverick pack (i paid 75 dollars for it new, you do the math on that) It has solid lockouts for adjustable height, and a lockable suspension so when descending steep grades you don't shock the shit out of your elbows and shoulders. They definitely have a place, but it comes in lower body joint relief and high altitude steep rock climbing. I completely understand where you're coming from, why use them if you can get by without them, but they do have their place.

 

[Bushman5]

And honestly, how many times do you need to "whack" the wildlife?

5 or 6 times.

its more that a stout hiking staff can be used for other purposes, like as an anchor point between two saplings when roping, or stream crossing, prying rocks or down trees of a fellow hiker, reaching stick for someone in the water, etc etc