Are hiking poles worth it? I do worry about my knees, though I have never had a problem with them (knock on wood). Might I just find a walking stick in the woods somewhere? They add about a pound of weight.
james K
Hiking poles..worth it?
system
#2
I used poles on the AT and PCT. But on the CDT, I found that I was carrying my poles in my hands and not using them as they were intended. I don’t know why, but I just didn’t need them anymore. It seemed that I used less energy without the poles than with them. So I mailed them home.
It’s been a few years since I’ve been on the AT, but I do remember that it is a steep trail. Poles may be a good thing to have.
Hint - if there is any piece of gear which you’re not sure you’ll need anymore, don’t send it home from the trail. Instead, bounce it ahead one or two towns. If you get to the next town, and you need that gear, it’s there for you with no waiting. If you don’t need it, you can send it home. And if it was mailed Priority Mail, you can bounce the box home or up the trail again without paying any more postage. This only works if you don’t open the box and if you don’t take it away from the PO counter.
yogi
yogi
system
#3
My knees are fine. It’s my brain that seems to give me the most problems. What my hiking poles have done for me is save me from innumerable falls. Being on the vigorous side of 60, I don’t seem to have the same resilience as when I was, say, 58. Bouncing is something I no longer do well and so I want to minimize the falls. With hiking poles I have never (knock on wood) fallen…not yet.
Unless, of course, you’re talking about hiking with Poles. Hell, I’ll hike with Poles, Swedes, Norweigans, just about anyone if I’ve had enough to drink…I’m teasing, don’t call out the political correctness cops on me.
Nimblefoot
system
#4
I think pole are definately worth it. On your knees and for overall balance. It could be just me and my heavy pack, but my poles saved me from numerous falls and tumbles. Now I feel funny hiking without them–not to mention that my hands swell up if I hike without them now!
xena
system
#5
I spent 16 years prior to last summer wandering around the Sierra with a walking stick fashioned from driftwood. Last year I tried Leki poles. Long story short - my walking stick is history, and will be appropriately mounted in a place of honor in my “I Love Me” room.
Trekking poles made both the climbs and the descents easier. Sometimes during the flats I just drapped them accross my hip belt / water bottle.
booger
system
#6
…Yes. Sweet jesus yes. Lord above in heaven…yes. Just take my advice…don’t lean your poles unattended against anyone’s van. Especially on Day 1. Especially only .9 miles off Springer Mt. Hold on to them. FOR DEAR LIFE!! Are they worth it?
Yes.
Leki-Less
system
#8
One of my friends just bought poles and he remarked “jeez you never told me how much easier hiking became with them!”
I used them on my AT hike even though I never had any knee problems and was 19. They can be a life saver (literally) and I wouldn’t hike without them.
As Yogi said, I did find myself walking while carrying them (often on long flat sections) but they are worth their weight in gold in places like the Mahoosucs and Whites
A-Train
system
#9
Do they only help with balance, or do they also help reduce physical strain on the body? For one with very little hiking experience, please explain the techinique and benefits of hiking poles.
Nomad
system
#10
They provide a subtle push going uphill and on the level - ok, for all you engineers (I’s one myself) - even though the energy expended is the same or slightly higher with poles, using poles brings into play your arm and shoulders, not just your legs.
And going downhill - especially on the steeps (anyone else recently done Shepherd Pass?)they are a knee-saving brake.
I lengthen them going downhill, shorten them going up, and find a middle length for level ground. Pole length comfort is strictly personal preference.
booger
system
#11
Trekking poles easy to get used to…great for fording water also…very benefical on downhills
Hands
system
#12
In a hiking store, they told me hiking poles take 10-20 pounds off of your knees with each step. I guess it is because the weight is spread out. So, even if the poles are 1 pound, that decreases your “pack weight” by about 10 pounds.
They had a scale in the store. I stepped on the scale. They handed me poles, and said “just rest the poles on the ground, don’t lean on them”. So I stood there, holding the poles. Not putting pressure on them. My weight dropped, a little over 10 pounds. They should sell that as a “fad diet”! 
Thinking about it now, I think this could be the weight of your arms - they are being supported by the poles instead of your feet/knees, so the weight on the scale (where your feet, but not the poles, are) drops.
Whatever the reason - this sounds great. I’m getting a pair.
Nunyet
nunyet
system
#13
Quite literally in some cases. I know they saved me from many falls down mountains and from extreme river crossings (Pleasent River after Hurricane Charlie). They are a VERY good thing to have during ice and snow season, especially if you don’t have crampons. It’s the only sharp edge you’ll have to keep you from sliding.
Surprisingly you tend to trip and fall A LOT more often when you are walking on a trail with weight on your back. Poles will save you from taking a digger and that can save you from breaking bones and joints. Definitely worth the $$$. Spend $150. It’ll be the best $150 you spent.
Dave and Miranda
system
#14
Yeah, Leki-less already beat me to this one…
We all felt sorry for you up there after it happened L-Less, but admittingly, it was also funny as hell too…)sorry, sick sense of humor) thankfully Sara’s parents were able to get them to you quickly again…
I know with all the knee injuries I have had over the years, any hiking involving hills or weight on my back over 25 pounds, I carry my poles…
-xtn :boy
airferret
system
#15
I’ve got it figured the way Nunyet explains it…
With each step, a pole supports a given amount of the weight of the arm that momentarily rests upon it, plus more weight if you lean into it a bit. This translates into less weight on the feet, knees, hips and spine for a very short time while that pole is in play doing the supporting. That momentary support multiplies out and really adds up over distance.
As Ray Jardine argues, the poles do weight something and you have to carry that weight, but the weight they support during each stride quickly adds up and cancels out their own weight, creating a net weight savings. Very cool.
There’s the safety factor they give, too. And, if poles were a silly fad and not really effective for lots of hikers, then I don’t think you’d see so many hikers using them.
Absolutely worth the cost. Pacerpoles have these supercomfortable handgrip/rests that put them way ahead of poles with vertical grips in which you have to hang your mitts by straps like dead meat. $125 well spent! One of my favorite pieces of gear… :happy
Tyger
system
#16
Coming from a total skeptic, I’ve come to sing the praises of hiking poles. At my local outdoors store, I bought some Leki poles with the guarantee that, if after trying them on my training route while wearing my pack I didn’t think they offered any benefit, I would return them without hassle. Needless to say, the difference that poles make is amazing. Two years ago I walked a 500 mile trail across Northern Spain (The Camino De Santiago) using the poles. I can tell you, most all who began that trek without poles were looking to buy a set wherever they could along the way. Get a pair. They are absolutely worth it!
Eli Umpierre
system
#17
Really! My trekking poles are simply the most valuable piece of gear I’ve got. Hiking uphill, downhill (they really help here), fording streams, just bending over and leaning on them with a full pack on and … they even work as a camera ‘tripod’ (some models) and a neat place to wrap a little spare duct tape around. Pretty neat invention, I’d say. Don’t leave home without them!
Dustypup
system
#18
By the time I hiked from Springer to Dick’s Creek Gap, my knees were screwed up so bad that I had to leave the trail. I came back a month later with a set of hiking poles and finished the trail with no more serious knee pains. The poles made the difference! It also helped that I reduced my pack weight by at least 10 pounds which gave me an average load of 30 pounds during the hike.
Pancho
system
#19
Yes, poles are worth it, and it’s worth going with Lekis even though they’re more expensive than other brands. Much better design and construction, and pretty much any outfitter will have spare parts on hand. Have fun!
Skittles 03
system
#20
if you search the archives here you can find several threads where i go on against hiking poles, theres some on whiteblaze too. i wasnt going to chime in at all since i and i am sure everyone else is tired of my going against the grain on this but there was no anti pole view represented.
all i ask, and it has never been answered to my satisfaction, is what is wrong with two sticks? they will take pressure off knees, make downhills easier, make fords easier, just like poles do. you can change sticks for changing needs and you dont have to wory about getting left in a pick up.
i hike with no sticks, but everyone seems to think i am just young and in fantastic shape and am lucky. o.k. doesnt seem like a big deal to me though. i pick up sticks for steep downhills.
i really could go on and on! ah, i am like a grumpy old man on this topic. go on and clack your poles, you gullable gearheads. just kidding.
milo