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The trekking pole thread.

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    • Yea, the "correct rhythm" thing is bogus. The terrain of the trails is so irregular, I usually can't have a regular pole rhythm. And when it is, that's when I'm walking pretty fast and I don't want to pole that fast. I'm just as likely to plant the poles in time with the song I'm singing in my head. Last July, that song was oddly enough this one quite often.

      youtube.com/watch?v=QiFAaKeyTCM

    • I've been hiking since the mid 1970s. Nobody used poles back then, except for winter hiking, where they're the norm. I think it was 2002 when I picked up a pair of Lekis, and used them on a weekend hike near Hanover. Since then I used them pretty much 100% of the time. Same pair.

      If the trail is extremely flat and level, they don't serve much purpose. I sometimes just carry them in one hand. If the trail is extremely steep, such that hands are needed -- they're folded and attached to the outside of the pack. On the AT, overall, I find poles are useful about 95% of the time. I don't think much about "poling technique" but just do whatever comes naturally. I've been a skier most of my life, so maybe poles seem more natural in any case.

      The first thing I noticed when I started using them is that I can walk more upright, without that forward hunch that one often assumes with a backpack on. Having one or two extra connections to the ground means less chance of falling due to tripping on a root or sliding off a gravelly spot (etc.) It's a good way to get my upper body a bit more involved in the hike.

      Apparently not everyone likes using poles. I can't tell if that's because they "don't know how to use 'em right" or if it's just a matter of pride.

    • I like them. I am a recent convert. I was doing a section about 4 years ago ago and an older SOBO was remarking how his knees get so much relief with their use. I went and figured Id give them a try and bought a set of BD basic flip locks. I love them. Makes going up hill a bit easier and relieves those knees going down. Might be all in my head, but I really like the benefit. There are times Im carrying them in one hand...especially over technical terrain. Or strapped to my pack. One of the features I like about my Osprey is the pole straps.
      RIAP

    • rafe wrote:

      I've been hiking since the mid 1970s. Nobody used poles back then, except for winter hiking, where they're the norm. I think it was 2002 when I picked up a pair of Lekis, and used them on a weekend hike near Hanover. Since then I used them pretty much 100% of the time. Same pair.

      If the trail is extremely flat and level, they don't serve much purpose. I sometimes just carry them in one hand. If the trail is extremely steep, such that hands are needed -- they're folded and attached to the outside of the pack. On the AT, overall, I find poles are useful about 95% of the time. I don't think much about "poling technique" but just do whatever comes naturally. I've been a skier most of my life, so maybe poles seem more natural in any case.

      The first thing I noticed when I started using them is that I can walk more upright, without that forward hunch that one often assumes with a backpack on. Having one or two extra connections to the ground means less chance of falling due to tripping on a root or sliding off a gravelly spot (etc.) It's a good way to get my upper body a bit more involved in the hike.

      Apparently not everyone likes using poles. I can't tell if that's because they "don't know how to use 'em right" or if it's just a matter of pride.


      poles get your whole body involved in hiking, instead of just your legs.although there are plenty of times i just carry them, i do also use them on flat terrain if i really want to bang out some miles.just like cross country skiing.if the trail is really rocky and/or roots, i'll sometimes carry them, find my balance is better when im not having to think about where to place the poles.on really steep ups, i'll choke up on them hold them by the grips under the handles. on downhills, i generally take my wrists out of the loops,, sometimes palming the end of the handles, but also in case a pole sticks in some rocks or roots, i can let go of the pole easily so it wont snap, or wrench my arm out of its socket.
      its all good

    • A friend, who is a former backpacking partner of mine, saw a pic of Ov and I on FB. We were holding sticks. There was a small chat with old friends about the 'machismo' of the poles. I stopped the debate with the statement that......We did not need them in our 20s/30s, but they have helped me stay hiking in my 50s! :thumbsup: ......................................................... finger.gif
      Cheesecake> Ramen :thumbsup:

    • CoachLou wrote:

      A friend, who is a former backpacking partner of mine, saw a pic of Ov and I on FB. We were holding sticks. There was a small chat with old friends about the 'machismo' of the poles. I stopped the debate with the statement that......We did not need them in our 20s/30s, but they have helped me stay hiking in my 50s! :thumbsup: ......................................................... finger.gif

      That is such the truth! I got mine when I turned 40...prior to that they seriously were never a thought!
      RIAP

    • I never hiked with poles until last year. Now I could not imagine hiking without them. I stow them only on very steep ups. On very steep downs I just keep tossing them ahead of me until they are useful again. Unlike some here, I love them on very flat surfaces. I can really make time with them there. As an added bonus, I find my hands never swell while using them. I don't have a huge problem, but my hands swell a little if I am not using poles on long walks. My rhythm is natural on all but the downs. The downs force me to think. If I think, my knees are much happier at the bottom of the hill.

      Now if I can talk myself into getting something better than the ones I have. I got them at WalMart.
      Non hikers are about a psi shy of a legal ball.

    • back when i thru'd most people didn't use anything. those that did used a tree branch or a single ski pole. the only person i saw using 2 poles was a local in vermont who was out trail running. it was such a weird sighting that i stopped to talk to him and made mention of the guy using 2 poles in my journal. he was an avid skier so he was used to using 2 poles.
      2,000 miler

    • jimmyjam wrote:

      I swear I think I do the opposite pole / leg rhythm thing. I must be doing it all wrong. ?(


      Since we seem to be back on topic... I seem to use them "right" (single poling with the opposite foot) only when powering up a long but well-graded hill. When it gets steeper, or more irregular, I find myself double poling a lot more often. And going down, particularly on really irregular stuff, it becomes all about keeping two or three points in contact with support always. But I'm not a long-distance hiker, maybe I've just not found the rhythm of it. They're still knee-savers.
      I'm not lost. I know where I am. I'm right here.

    • BirdBrain wrote:

      I never hiked with poles until last year. Now I could not imagine hiking without them. I stow them only on very steep ups. On very steep downs I just keep tossing them ahead of me until they are useful again. Unlike some here, I love them on very flat surfaces. I can really make time with them there. As an added bonus, I find my hands never swell while using them. I don't have a huge problem, but my hands swell a little if I am not using poles on long walks. My rhythm is natural on all but the downs. The downs force me to think. If I think, my knees are much happier at the bottom of the hill.

      Now if I can talk myself into getting something better than the ones I have. I got them at WalMart.


      BB, try some Leki's with flip locks. I have cork handles. Mine are a whole lot lighter than my original SwissGear ones.
      The road to glory cannot be followed with much baggage.
      Richard Ewell, CSA General

    • TrafficJam wrote:

      jimmyjam wrote:

      I swear I think I do the opposite pole / leg rhythm thing. I must be doing it all wrong. ?(


      If you're pole dancing, you're doing it right. If you're hiking you're doing it wrong. :D


      JJ, as for moonlighting I would recommend sticking with the DIY cuben fiber gear instead of what TJ suggests there. :thumbdown:
      The road to glory cannot be followed with much baggage.
      Richard Ewell, CSA General

    • BirdBrain wrote:

      Astro wrote:

      Does everyone take the baskets off their poles?


      I did. I don't get why they are there. Someone told me it was to keep them from sinking into muddy spots. Maybe their mud is thicker than our mud.

      I left mine on cause they help from going in to deep on heavy leaves and duff.
      Changes Daily→ ♪♫♪♫♪♫♪♫ ♪♫♪♫♪♫ ← Don't blame me. It's That Lonesome Guitar.

    • I ditched mine after a shakedown over Little Jackson and Tumbledown. Everyone has a preference. That preference makes it right or not. Beyond the obvious uses of trekking poles, I use mine like a blind man finding safe places to walk. We have a lot of mud and sticks and junk in Maine. It is not always obvious where it is safe to step. When I come to a place I am unsure of, I tap tap tap along the mess to find the rocks or roots or hard spots. I like seeing exactly what is being tapped. A basket obscures that. One might retort, "really?! how much?" For me and my preference, enough. Another thing is having OCD, it bothers me to have debris on my stick tips. It is easier to step on the leaf in stride and clear the tip if there is no basket. It comes natural at this point. I clear my sticks sometimes as often as every 10th step. Another thing is I don't see how a little disc on the end of a stick is really going to slow the end of a stick in mud when there is 200 lbs of force behind it. Seems to me it will make a better suction cup than an aid. Besides, if I ever lost one, I would have to chuck the other one or spend the rest of my vacation finding the lost one. My OCD would paralyze me if I only had one. If that is not enough, allow me to pull the gram weenie card. They are too heavy. ;)

      My preferences are silly. However, that is me. I have OCD bad and need to have things just so. Variations and obstacles that can be eliminated easily bother me. Your reasons to have the baskets are likely much more logical.
      Non hikers are about a psi shy of a legal ball.

    • I went without the baskets for a long while. I finally installed them recently, and I think I like them better with the baskets. Without the baskets, there used to be one or two episodes a day when I'd push the pole way deep into mud, or between cracks in a pile of rocks. That doesn't happen any more with the baskets.

    • hikerboy wrote:

      how many of you use the rubber tip covers?
      i dont


      I used one of them when I sprained my knee and was using one of my poles as a cane.

      I ordinarily have either the mud or snow baskets on the poles. But I run into a fair amount of beaver swamp. Baskets help if you're crossing a stream on a beaver dam. They get caught in the sticks and clay. Otherwise, your pole just goes into the dam and keeps on going.
      I'm not lost. I know where I am. I'm right here.