Benefits of hiking poles?

Hey all:

So, what are the benefits of hiking poles? Drawbacks? Should I add them to my gear? I'm pretty much a fair weather trail hiker at this point, though that could change. I'm planning a fairly aggressive hiking schedule this summer.

-T

This oughtta get good. :wink:

The fact is some people swear by them, some don't. I was hiking before poles became "trendy" so I don't use them. I've never tried them, but I like to have my hands free to grab trees, assist with scambles, etc. Many people feel poles are beneficial when descending, i.e. they relieve knee pressure. Again, I've never tried them so I'm not speaking from experience, but I would hate to have a weight-bearing pole slip out from under me while descending . I can certainly see poles being helpful with stream-crossings, or in the winter or while snow shoeing. Some folks only use one pole.

One word..."Plastics!"

Oops, sorry, wrong movie.

One word..."Downhill." Actually I only use them in the winter, snowshoeing, etc. They seem to help a lot on the icy sections where an extra aid is handy under sketchy footing, and in those situations where you might lose your balance in deep powder. Falling over whilst wearing snowshoes is an adventure! For the summer, I'm more agreeable to grabbing trees and things so I like to keep my hands free. People with knee issues will swear by them year round. Fortunately at 55 I still have no problems running downhill and jumping rock to rock.

I carry only one with me on day hikes and it's strictly for going downhill. I never used to use them either but my girlfriend always did. One day while hiking down South Twin she let me borrow one and it helped a lot. She got me a pair for my birthday but only one is beat up while the other is still brand new. Some people like to have their hands free to grab trees and help balance themselves. (although we've all grabbed a handful of pine tar and got it stuck everwhere :roll: ) It depends strictly on the user and the shape of his or her knees. They are not an essential item to have but it can help some people to enjoy the trip much more.

Several years ago on Mt Cardigan a friend and I met to hike up Holts Trail in Alexandria, NH in May. This trail is about a 75 degree angle, tough during dry weather, interesting during wet weather. It snowed like it was in the dead of winter. Soaking wet, slippery snow. We saw all the other hikers turnback, yet still we continued: after all, it was during the spring, in May.

At the steepest section, my friend suddenly slippped and fell about 30', stopping just short of sweeping us down the trail into certain injury, if not worse. After this incident, we decided to return to the lodge and save the quest for another, drier day.

The wind was howling so much that we each imagined that hikers were calling us. We individually listened for them. There were no other hikers on the trail, just us. It was a figment of our imagination. A test, to see what kind of stuff we were made of.

My friend had two hiking poles. He offered me one of them. As my first time with a pole, I found the steep, slippery, wet, icy, descent to be treacherous. Yet the one pole proved to help this descent beyond a doubt.

I wondered if it would take my weight, and if it would slip, causing me to fall into certain suffering. Yet it gripped, worked outstandingly, and lead me down the mountain ever so effortlessly. On another occasion, I found poles helped me catapult across the Lincoln Brook to stay dry and complete the remote Owl's Head.
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Is there a Dustin Hoffman in here?

I love my poles. I find that they provide that extra bit of balance that keeps my muscles less stressed and more relaxed. If you work out in a gym, it's analogous to the difference between using a resistance machine, which is fixed so that you're only pushing in one direction, and lifting free weights, which you need to not only raise but balance and keep in place.

Even on the flats, just swinging the poles out does this for me. On the descents, they're a great help. On water crossings, they're invaluable.

Don't use them.

I have tried them for a number of long hikes multiple times and there just not for me. I like having my hands free and that is probably the main reason. Adjusting/readjusting/strapping/lashing/leaving behind/...just to much responsibility for me.

It's interesting. I have been on the last two "HikerBob" hikes (Kinsman/Flume) and I have been the only on sans poles.

However----if it means I can hike like Max at 55 I may have to revisit them!! I was with him last week and he is a hiking machine!! Must be the poles! :wink:

Jaytrek said:

However----if it means I can hike like Max at 55 I may have to revisit them!! I was with him last week and he is a hiking machine!! Must be the poles! :wink:

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Actually it's Mama's good cooking. If you're in the neighborhood, stop by for some oriental stir fry!

Until new years day I never used them either (borrowed them from a adk46r I was hiking with per his suggestion -- when a 46r suggests something, you at least try it ). On 1/2/04 I owned a pair. After never thinking they would come in handy, boy was I wrong! For the ounces in weight, and $8 used at the local Play It Again sports store, I have the ability to traverse trails with greater speed and ease then ever before. I should have taken the suggestion a long time ago.

Work great with snow shoes or any time it's snowy or icy & you may slip. great for downhill. Takes just a little getting used to as far as striding & placing arms but after just a short hike you'll develop rythym. (BTW, I have none)

A trekker came across the Author/climber Joe Simpson sometime after his ordeal which was "Into The Void". Joe had torn his knee up & barely escaped with his life. They both were on wrote to to an area around Everest Base Camp. Joe had to stop because his reconstructed knee was bothering him. The trekker, a German MD provide Joe with some facts which I won't pretend to remember 100%. In the course of a day hike of 12 miles or so a person who take 36" strides (that is long even on flat terrain) takes 21,000+ strides. All your weight & pack weight is on your knees & feet. (This is in the tons of foot pounds) If you take 10% of that weight away you'll save a lot of wear & tear on your knees.

For short under 10 mile hikes in summer I'll go without if with someone else. If solo I bring them since the pole can be used to splint a leg injury if needed & they are very helpful in crossing brooks.

Greg, (I'm guilty of this also but less since I have poles) don't the trees have enough to deal with without people grabbing them to help pull themselves up a tricky part of trail. Poles most of the time help & after you get used to them, it's easy to put them out of your way when holding onto rock.

I use poles quite often. They help with 1) balance, especially on river crossings, board walks, and rock hopping on wet and muddy trails, 2) traction, whenever the trail is slippery, 3) and impact on my legs, especially knees, and my back especially on rugged downhills. There are times they get in the way, but usually I feel better off with them - I can move more quickly, with less potential pain and greater safety. They are more hinderance than help in some places, like Mahoosuc notch and the summit of Adams - but they are a huge help coming down Mahoosuc arm and on almost any descent route from the Presidentials.

In addition to being useful for things like splints, they can function as tent supports in a pinch - and, when I use my hammock, they can help to transform the hammock into a bivy tent when there are no suitable trees in the area.

Mike P. said:

Greg, (I'm guilty of this also but less since I have poles) don't the trees have enough to deal with without people grabbing them to help pull themselves up a tricky part of trail.

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I should clarify. I try not to make it a habit to rely on trees, but there are times where you are in a situation where grabbing hold of one (more for balance than actually pulling myself up) makes sense.

Greg said:

I would hate to have a weight-bearing pole slip out from under me while descending.

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Having a weight bearing pole slip would be no fun, but it would be worse to have a weight bearing foot slip out from under you if that foot was your only point of contact with the ground. The benefit of poles is that you have four points of contact with the ground - and if you are concerned about slipping, you can make sure you have 3 firm points of contact before moving the fourth.

So, let's say I'm going to buy a set a poles.

We said:

The8re's going to buy a set of poles.

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What should I look for in hiking poles? Sizing? Color? (Y'know, the important stuff!) Price?

-T

I'd look for a comfortable grip made from a material on the grip that won't get all gummy with use. I'd also go for a strong lightweight alloy.

I've been avoiding extras like shock absorption (I had bad luck turning this on and off) or the rubber grips that some (like REI's Haute Route) have on the main stem. It seems like the extras just break.

I was inspired to avoid certain poles by visiting the REI used gear sale... and looking at the notes on the tags - patterns emerge.

lately, I've been using Leki Ultralite Cor Tec which list at about 90 dollars.

I've heard a lot of women complain about this....when hiking in warmer weather, the fingers swell up. This isn't a medical worry but it's an annoyance. Using poles keeps the hands less dependant and reduces if not eliminates the swelling. Just one more reason to consider poles :lol:

That reminds me of one other reason I like poles. When I am on a week+ backpacking trip, the hiking poles keep my upper body working. With long treks you get too much stress on the lower body and not enough work for the upper - poles help with both problems.

I never used to use trekking poles and I thought they looked geeky. I work part-time at REI and the Leki rep gave me a deal on a set of Super Makalus that I couldn't pass up. So I tried them. I haven't hiked without them since. They are awesome! I can tell a big difference in my effeciency using poles. Here's the bennies in my opinion:

1) More effecient on and off trail
2) Especially beneficial going downhill (saves the knees) and uphill (almost like handrails for pushing up)
3) Great stabilizer for uneven terrain
4) Great balancer for crossing creeks
5) Great protection too... I once had a rattlesnake strike at me in Tehipite Valley and I used my trekking pole as a defense. Venom dripped off the cup at the end of the pole. Whew!
6) Great way to save weight if you're using a tarp... leave the tent poles at home and use the trekking poles instead. I did this while hiking the JMT last summer.
7) If you (or someone in your party) twists their ankle, they make great crutches.

On our John Muir Trail hike last summer, one of the guy's in our party got really bad blisters. I let him use my trekking poles for a couple days to help ease the weight on his blistered foot. I could tell a huge difference hiking over those high passes without the aid of my trekking poles. I was surprised at how much assistance they provided me, which I didn't fully realize until I wasn't using them.

I really like the Leki Super Makalus, as they have a positive-angle grip that's really comfortable and three adjustable tension spring levels (and the ability to lock them out). They aren't the cheapest poles on the market though, but they should last many years. Happy trails!

I nodded at everything in Greg's post way back at the beginning of the thread, cause I agree!

I've only had poles a couple of years, and many times when I bring them along, I end up stashing them in the woods or strapping them to my pack. I find they cause me to look at the ground more, as I'm looking at where I'm placing the pole. I also don't trust them as much as I do my own two hands and mother nature.

I do use poles on most winter trips, (throwing them ahead of me if they get in the way) while stream crossing, and sometimes I use one on backpacking trips during other seasons. I never use them while dayhiking and find them useless in areas with lots of large boulders - like Maine, LOL.

To me it's a personal preference, so I'm always surprised when I meet someone on the trail or hike with someone who comments that I'm not using them. Sometimes I bring them along just to go along with the crowd. They are NOT required gear!

One trip I was told I was holding them wrong...
:blink:

PS - I don't have knee problems and don't worry about what kind of work out I'm getting on the trail.
I also like the feel of the rocks and dirt and trees as they assist me on the trail.