How valuable of a use are trekking poles?

Just looking for some opinions from hikers who have used them before and what kind of benefits they have. Do they help distribute the stress load that the legs endure on a hike to the upper body? I'm tempted to purchase a pair but am looking for some advice on if it's really worth it. Thanks for any input.

Edit: Tom, thanks for the tips and moving the topic to the appropriate forum. Also, have you experienced any drawbacks/inconveniences while taking trekking poles with you?

reply

Since you mentioned it, I moved your post. I like trekking poles. I have used mine for cross-country ski poles and for snowshoeing, as well as hiking. They do help, especially on downhills. They take some of the stress off my knees. They are also very useful for balance on sketchy terrain or for crossing streams. They come in all price ranges. If you are unsure, buy a cheap pair and try them out.

reply

I use Komperdell C3s, a topend pole that I will not go without since I bought them 3 years ago. Theyn help tremendously and I use mine for hunting, hiking and snowshoeing in every month of the year. Hope to get out with them tomorrow.

reply

I use poles from time to time. They DO take some of the stress off of your knees and back, that's a fact.

I always carry a small (6X8) tarp in my pack. That combined with some paracord and my poles = instant shelter if I need it in an emergency. If a plastic tarp is too heavy to carry around, you can always make a shelter cover out of an old tent fly or even a piece of the old tent itself.

SAR people use trekking poles as tracking sticks, to measure the stride of the person they are tracking. Actually, it works for tracking animals as well.

reply

I also find poles useful going up hills as I can use my arms to help push up. I tend to be really lousy heading up hill in any sport, hiking, biking, skiing, and the poles give me a bit of a push. Old cross country ski poles work as well as modern trekking poles.

reply

I have used some form of hiking pole or hiking staff for many years. When I was growing up in the Arizona desert, I was taught that the staff has a lot of uses, some of which others here have mentioned - pole to support a tarp for shade when resting in the afternoon sun (120 deg F or hotter in summer), checking for critters under the bushes before you sit down (we had rattlers, gila monsters, scorpions, and a few mammals that hide out in burrows that have nasty tempers), persuading rattlers to move off the trail, leaning on to rest, lashing them together with your buddies' to make a cooking tripod, etc. Modern hiking poles can't be used for some of those (don't try using carbon fiber adjustable poles for a cooking tripod, for example ;=D)/

Modern hiking poles, especially the adjustable ones, are great for hiking. They do take some of the load both on the level and going downhill, they help balance when you have to cross a stream (whether wading in the current, tripping lightly across rocks, or balancing on a slippery log high above the stream), they help push you up the hill, you can rest your pack on them while resting and accessing the contents (lean the pack against the grip and poke the point into the ground). I find that using them helps keep a restful but rapid rhythm of pace and breathing, allowing faster coverage of longer distances. Much of the time (such as on my hike up Kilimanjaro described over in the Trailspace News section), one of my poles is a Leki camera monopod (it is a shock-absorber hiking pole as well, and has an optional snow basket). That way, I can put the camera on it when I need a bit of steady support with the long telephoto I use for shooting wildlife and birds. Some people like the shock absorbers, although both Barb and I usually lock them out. I have had several long discussions with one of Leki's resident gurus about the virtues and vices of the shock absorbers - he is all for them and believes you should use them all the time, while we find that sometimes that couple of inches of give when you lean on the pole for support on descending a steep and rocky trail is disconcerting (was that a rock that shifted and is throwing me off-balance?).

Another use for the poles is as an avalanche probe. When I go out in winter conditions, whether on skis or snowshoes, I use my probe poles. Yes, try very hard to avoid avalanche slopes, but sometimes conditions change, or you might have to help some unfortunate soul out (I have used the poles to find a pack that was covered by a 2 foot overnight snowfall for someone who forgot to either bring the pack into the tent or to mark its location).

One of the most valuable tools for the outdoors!

reply

I have learned to love them for supporting these old knees but I do not strap my hands into them. I like to have the options of my hands and arms to help break a fall when I lose my balance.

reply

I started using ski poles while snowshoeing with a heavy backpack for balance. It was no time betore I felt I had to have trekking poles in summer. Trekking poles come in handy for many reasons - especially nice for instant, tarp set up - anywhere.

reply

I use them for balance, mostly. I find these old bones and muscles just don't seem to do very well with 30-45 lbs. on my back. They help a lot. Another use is the 'check for critters' thing.

My wife is disabled, and she sometimes uses them outside on not-so-pleasant days instead of her cane. Seems like a lot of the backpacking gear comes in handy around the house. Stoves and headlamps when the electricity is out ... stuff like that.

I use cheap poles from WalMart. They do well, are spring loaded and seem to last - although I must admit to not putting them through a very hard test.

reply

I have found them useful. They do help redistribute the weight on your back and are very handy for up hills. The only problem I have had with them is they can get in the way if you are going through brush and at other times but I have found them to be worth all the bother they might be. They are also very convienent for knocking spider webs off of the trail. It is very annoying when spider webs hit your face when backpacking.

reply

I'd recommend pacerpoles. They have been a godsend for me.
www.pacerpoles.com

reply

As a middle aged packer/hiker, there is no way that I would go without them. I did research before I committed to a pair. The European information decidedly leaned toward solid poles since they are stronger and less wobbly, and cannot collapse (unless from breakage).

I bought ski poles from a second hand store, cut them to my size, and could not be any happier! The handles are perfect too in that they have an edge where my hand and wrist rest, so I do not need straps (which drive me crazy). I have travel hundreds of miles with them, and they have held up amazingly well. The best part is they are white and neon pink, so not only are they recognizable, they are not attractive, so people leave them alone :)

My knees are happier, and my hands and arms do not swell; I get a better all over workout. Without poles, I would not hike!

reply

I love my poles, great for uphill, sketchy terrain like others have mentioned. I feel like I am using less energy and leg muscle when going uphill and downhill. Your brain has this little automatic feature that keeps you balanced sending neural impulses to your muscles to keep you from falling over. Using the poles lessens the number of times those little neural impulses fire thus lessing the work the muscles have to do to keep you balanced.

Now, I am not a genius by any means and have pretty much deduced this on my own. I might be wrong but, hey if that is what I convince my brain is the truth then the psychological benefit is worth it... so don't go blowing my theory with a bunch of gobb'ldy gook.

I bought my poles at an REI attic sale for $19.00, they were $120 retail. They had only been used once and returned because the original buyer did not like them...

Attic sales rule!! December I bought over $1,000 worth of gear for $250...

reply

We did a program on the science behind trekking poles around a year ago. You can listen here:
http://www.wildebeat.net/index.cgi/2007/05/17#E086
http://www.wildebeat.net/index.cgi/2007/05/24#E087

And myself, I sometimes, but rarely, go without them.

reply

I use a single pole and find it very useful. I would get tangled up with two when going uphill :)

When I could really get out for weeks at a time, I used a hazel staff about six feet long and 7/8" in diameter. That had so many uses - the length was perfect when crossing streams on a log or going downhill (you can shoot the tip ahead of you for support). I wrapped it with a rope grip, but as often as not I was holding it above it or below as needed. While you might think so much solid wood was heavy, the mass was helpful when working your way through tangles and the strength was comforting when vaulting small streams, when wedging it in a crevasse, or when you need a third leg on some boulders.

Reed

reply

I rarely hike without them...now. 40 was about the magic age where I became a believer. They save my knees on extended downhills (e.g. into Grand Canyon). I use them on uphils to pull myself up the trail 4WD style. And they are great for balance on creek crossings. When backpacking I've taken to using a tarp and so now get double duty from them.

reply

On steep downhills -- with my knees, at least -- and stream crossings, they're great. I think they also promote a nice rhythmic arm swing while hiking, too.
And, like others here, I use them to support my tent or tarp.
I personally suspect that shock absorbers are an invention of some manufacturer's marketing department. They just add weight and expense. There's no shock to absorb in normal use. And if I do make a hard stab with a pole to recover from a slip or something, I want the pole to be strong, not spongy.

Oh yeah: I don't like the sound poles make on rocky trails.

But I would certainly try some. Don't be afraid to use thrift-store ski poles, by the way. They work great.

reply

they help with stress and balance, both with snow shoes and without. I use them all the time. For reducing stress you have to remember to use your arms to take the weight off your knees. Otherwise they just help maintain balance.

But, my son and his friends would rather give up the internet and mp3 players than have to use poles. they are, in his words, for old people. However, on our last winter climb he used the ice ax the entire way to maintain balance while I used my poles until the ice ax was needed to traverse ice.

reply

It has only been the last year that I have used the trekking poles. I can’t say enough about them. They give stability on the trail as well as navigating rough and tumble areas. My first trip with them was a mountain camp trip, which by the end of the trip I would have had torn my ankle ligaments 3-4 times. Not slightly sprained, torn. Now miles (Kms) from a road with a pack of camp stuff this means serious stuff.

I found them useful in areas with lots of exposed tree roots along the trail. I have found them helpful climbing steep rocky and or wet trails. Going down hill on all these trails the poles gave valuable service. My knees thanked me, my ankles thanked me and my hiking partners thanked me (they would have had to carry my gear as well as theirs if I had torn an ankle ligament).

I have not needed to use them as Tarp or tent supports as yet, though they would lend themselves nicely. You can find bargain prices for trecking poles/ski poles, they do work, and they can be worth the price for stability, comfort, and shelter. On Land or Snow you may wonder why you didn’t try them before.

reply

I was reading the posts, and realized how utilitarian I found my poles for more than just extra "feet"-- I have strung rope between them to dry my socks by the fire. I have hung my boots off of them for the same reason (one does not want baked boots, only baked beans :)), used one as a tent peg when I left one behind, and I love to lean one against the tent poles so I can lean my pack against the hiking pole so the pack stands up under the vestibule. I have even "staked" my dog down on leash until I had a rope run strung. So, I suppose my poles are my favorite gear.

reply

Poles = good, pretty much all the time. Watch out for Leki's, though. They advertise a high slip strength with their locking system, and from what I've heard, it's true. Leki's will stay strong in nearly every condition, even when down-climbing with a heavy pack on, and your boot slips while your pole doesn't, causing you to think you could save your fall by support on the pole, which would have worked if your wrist was strong enough. But the thing is, its never strong enough, and so when your wrist gives before the pole, which it will every time, well, good luck. I'll be using my Komperdells which, while giving in at around 150lbs sooner than the Leki's, may keep my wrist from being broken. Just a thought.

reply

Leki poles have a life time guarantee which they honor, no questions asked.

reply