Why You Need Trekking Poles and How to Hike with Them
Last Updated: 10/17/2024
Not just for those with knee and ankle issues, trekking poles are a great way to improve your hiking experience. They can help reduce joint fatigue on long hikes, help you cross rivers, check the stability of innocent looking mud, and improve balance. If you’re new to the idea of using trekking poles and aren’t sure if they’re worth the splurge, then this post is for you. We’re going to cover what trekking poles are, how they can help you hike, best tips for how to use them, and we’ll recommend our favorite pairs to get you started. Let’s go!
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When I was younger and in my prime, I used to think hiking with trekking poles were for old people with bad knees. Boy was I wrong! Although they can feel like an unnecessary splurge, I have come to find them an indispensable part of my hiking kit.
On a long day hike, trekking poles help my body maintain a fast pace, even when my knees are hurting from the impact of hiking mile after mile. I’ve noticed that my speed has increased, my legs aren’t as tired the next day, and my general recovery period is shorter. So how did a staunch anti- trekking pole hiker turn to a trekking pole advocate?
It was actually after I twisted my ankle 3 weeks before hiking Half Dome that I came to really appreciate them. I experienced a grade 2 ankle sprain a little more than 3 weeks before our window to hike Half Dome, and it felt like a once in a lifetime opportunity that I just couldn’t miss.
After talking with my group, my friend essentially said the only way I’d be able to [maybe] do this hike was with a good set of trekking poles so that I could take some of my weight off of my ankles and knees and into my shoulders and wrists, as well as help me with balance and the tough downhill descent.
I started using the poles from mile 1 of this hike, and miraculously I made it to the top and the bottom in one piece, my ankle still intact if not a little sore. I swear up and down that a combo of trekking poles, good hiking boots, and even better friends got me through that hike.
Ever since that experience in Yosemite, I have brought poles on every hike and backpacking trip since and I just cannot recommend them enough.
Pro-Tip:
If you're looking for more information on what to pack for a day hike, we go over that here:
Even if you have excellent knees and your ankles are in perfect healthy, hiking with poles will likely keep them in good shape for longer. So with that story in mind, let’s dig into why you need trekking poles, and how to use them once you get them!
What Are Trekking Poles?
Trekking poles are generally a pair of fancy sticks, AKA poles, that are used to improve stability, reduce the impact on your lower body, and help you move faster up and down the trail. Typically poles come in pairs, although you could use a single pole called a walking sticks.
What are the different types of trekking poles and which ones are best?
Now that you know what trekking poles are, let’s take a look at the different types. There are several types of poles you can use, each with its own purpose, pros and cons. Here are some common features to consider while shopping:
Materials
1. Aluminum Trekking Poles:
Pros: Aluminum poles are durable, affordable, and relatively lightweight. They can withstand rugged terrain and impacts.
Cons: They may be slightly heavier than carbon fiber poles, and they transmit more vibration to your body, which could become tiresome after many hours on the trail.
2. Carbon Fibre Trekking Poles:
Pros:
Carbon fiber poles are exceptionally lightweight, making them ideal for long-distance treks.
They also absorb shock well.
Cons:
They tend to be more expensive and may be less durable than aluminum poles.
These Black Diamond trekking poles have high quality mechanics to adjust the length of the pole.
Length of the Poles
Adjustable length
The majority of modern trekking poles are adjustable poles, allowing you to customize the length. These types of trekking poles are designed to have a telescope design so that they can expand to your desired length.
Pros:
You can set them to the length you need for that terrain, allowing you to customize them for your exact needs.
They collapse back to a size that is lightweight and portable, allowing you the option to store them when not in use.
Cons:
If you get a budget pair of trekking poles, they may collapse under you weight. See pro tip below.
They tend to be heavier.
They take time to get the length exactly right.
Due to the telescoping feature, there are more pieces that may need maintenance over time and after use.
Pro-Tip:
My first trekking poles were a budget pair of adjustable poles. I found that they kept collapsing under my weight- no matter how much I tightened the screws on the locking mechanisms they just wouldn’t hold me and my heavy load on the descent.
If you are going to go the collapsable route, I suggest you spend the money and go with a reputable brand and a high quality pair of poles.
2. Fixed length
Fixed-length poles are not able to be adjusted collapsed. they are designed in a single piece, like ski poles. This is as Because the fixed-length trekking pole doesn’t have adjustable mechanisms, which will save you weight by eliminating the adjustable length and required hardware that make the telescope feature possible.
Pros:
These types of trekking poles are typically lighter and more durable than the adjustable type, and therefore a popular pick for trail runners and speed hikers.
Often less money, unless you are getting a highly specialized pair for speed or trail running.
You don’t need to take the time to make the adjustments, so you can save some time and possible frustration.
Cons:
A great hack for hiking with trekking poles is to adjust the length while hiking up or down hill, but you will be unable to do so with fixed length poles.
Because they don’t collapse you’ll be unable to store them when not in use, so you may get tired of holding them if you come to a point in the trail when you no longer need them.
Pro-Tip:
If you don’t want to spend the money on a good pair of collapsable trekking poles, I recommend buying or borrowing a pair of ski poles that are the correct length for you along, that way you can test the waters before making the financial commitment.
Hiking with trekking poles can be a real life saver on a long hike!
Grip Materials
1. Cork
Cork is a comfortable grip material that wicks away moisture, stays cool in the heat, and conforms to your hand shape over time. And yes, they are the same material that your office corkboard is made of.
Pros:
Light weight.
Wicks moisture.
Stays cool in the heat.
Conforms to your hand shape over time.
Cons:
May not last as long as other materials.
Tend to soak up sweat and get heavier as you hike.
Personal Experience:
My first pair of trekking poles were cork and I found that they became uncomfortable after a few miles. You’d be surprised how much you sweat on a hike, and the cork material became more like a heavy, slippery, wet sponge after only a few hours on the trail.
2. Foam
Another popular option, foam is lightweight, comfortable, and insulates against the cold.
Pros:
Absorbs sweat and water well.
Cons:
Due to the absorbing properties, they may become soggy and uncomfortable in certain conditions.
Personal Experience:
My current Black Diamond trekking poles are made of foam, and although they do absorb sweat and become slick after awhile, I still find them to be more comfortable than cork. They are also comfortable and soft under hand.
More on trekking pole suggestions here.
A good pair of trekking poles will have wide and comfortable wrist straps like these Black Diamonds.
Wrist strap features
1. Adjustable Straps
Allowing you to customize the straps to the exact length that you find comfortable, adjustable wrist straps should be a standard feature in even the most basic of trekking poles. This feature has several advantages:
Pros:
Can be adjusted to fit your wrist as snugly as you’d like, giving you a secure and custom fit.
Easy to take on and off due to the adjustable mechanism.
Cons:
Takes time to make the necessary adjustments.
2. Padded Straps
This feature may be less common in budget trekking poles, but are totally worth the upgrade if you’re going to be doing long day hikes and I would argue are a necessity when backpacking. Let’s go over the main perks of getting trekking poles with this feature:
Pros:
They are far more comfortable for your wrists than a thin strip of material, which is especially nice on a long hike.
The padding also helps reduce the likelihood of chafing and hurting wrists, which is a concern when carrying a heavy pack or going for long distances.
Cons:
May cost more money.
Personal Experience:
My first pair of trekking poles were budget, and they did not offer the padded wrist straps. They had a thin, adjustable strap that went across your wrist and I found it to be very uncomfortable after a few hours on the trail.
I would say that if you’re going to be going on long day hikes or even short backpacking trips, it’s worth the extra money to get padded wrist straps.
How Trekking Poles Can Help You Hike
1. Better Stability and Balance
Trekking poles are great for improving your balance and stability while hiking as they provide multiple points of contact with the ground. Having those extra points with the ground can help you balance with a heavy pack, help you move across rocky or uneven trails, and are especially useful during a water crossing.
Having the poles to reach out and be able to steady yourself on the solid ground is a huge help. I find poles super helpful when hiking across rough terrain, hiking with a heavy pack, or if I have a lot of miles ahead of me. They can also help you when going over patches of snow.
Walking with the poles out front to catch your weight will reduce slipping significantly. I’ve had to cross many snowfields, with and without poles, and I can tell you that hiking across the snow is so much easier with trekking poles. You might be surprised how much a pair of trekking poles can improve your balance!
2. Reduced Impact on Joints
Hiking with trekking poles takes some weight off of your hips, knees, and ankles, and distributes that weight across your shoulders and wrists as you lean into the trekking poles. Having sturdy, reliable poles to support you through a rocky or long descent has been a huge game changer for me, and I’ll bet it will make a difference for you as well.
Before I started using poles my knees would be in significant pain halfway down a tough hike, but now that I’ve incorporated poles into my hikes my knees rarely hurt, or at least not until the very end.
Even if you’re young and you think poles are for old people (hello younger me!), you’d be surprised how much more comfortable they can make your hike!
3. Increased Speed and Improved Rhythm
Using trekking poles helps you get into a rhythm as you match your arm movements with your leg movements, allowing you to dial in your speed and reduce leg and joint fatigue. Hiking with poles engages your upper body muscles like your shoulders, which distributes the effort of the hike across your entire body.
Now it’s not just your legs and hips working, it’s your whole body working to support the movement.
Having your entire body be engaged allows you to more easily get into a rhythm, which will help you increase your speed on the trail.
4. Versatile for Different Types of Terrain
Hiking poles are versatile tools that can adapt to various types of terrain, offering specific advantages for different conditions. This is especially true for adjustable hiking poles! Not just for hiking, here are some other ways that you can use your trekking poles:
Test the depth of water.
Swat down a scary spider web.
Beat a bush into submission.
Use them as tent poles to hold up a tarp in case you need emergency shelter.
Poke at rocks to see if they’re steady before you trust it with your body weight.
Stop yourself from sliding around on muddy trails.
Appropriate to use on flat trails or steep ones, uphill and downhill.
5. Better Posture and Breathing
Trekking poles may also help you improve your posture. By having these babies in your hand at a 90-degree angle, you’ll naturally stand up straighter and improve your posture on hikes. No more slumping under the weight of your pack- your trusty trekking poles are there to help you stand tall.
Standing tall will also open up your airways, increasing your lung capacity and making breathing more efficient. This may be especially helpful if hiking at altitude!
More about that here:
How to Prepare to Altitude Hiking
When to Use Trekking Poles
Trekking poles are a very versatile tool that can be used on all types of terrain; flat, rocky, muddy, snowy, and even uphill and downhill. Using trekking poles is a helpful when encountering the following:
Hiking on uneven terrain
Long-distance hikes
Steep ascents and descents- especially rocky ones!
Hiking in snow
Water-crossings
When carrying a heavy backpack
When Not to Use Trekking Poles
As helpful as these babies are however, you may not need them on every adventure. These are the scenarios when I keep them at home:
Short, easy hikes on flat terrain
Situations requiring hands-free movement (scrambling, climbing)
Dense, overgrown trails where poles might get tangled (you might get tripped up by the undergrowth)
A great of example of when you DON’T need trekking poles.
Tips on How to Use Trekking Poles
Having the trekking poles is the first step, but to truly get the most out of these tools you should consider these tips to help you.
1. Get the Right Length
Step 1: you want to take the time to get the LENGTH correct. What that correct length is may change depending on the scenario. As a general rule of thumb, you’ll want to make sure your elbows are at a 90-degree angle. To get the length just right, I find it helpful to reverse the pole so that the handle is on the ground by my side and the basket area or rubber tips are in my hand. From there, I will adjust the length as needed until I get my hand at a comfortable angle.
Pro-Tip:
This tip changed my life and how I use poles:
To get the most out of your poles, you’ll want to adjust the length for the terrain.
If you are going downhill, you’ll want longer poles. This is because the ground in front of you is sloped downward, so you have a longer distance to go before the pole hits the ground. Following this tip will allow you to properly put the weight of your pack and body into your shoulders and wrists, allowing for a more comfortable descent.
On the flip side, when you’re going uphill you’ll want to make your poles shorter. The ground in front of you is on the uphill, so you’ll want to reduce the distance between your shoulders and the ground. Having the poles shorter will allow you to pull yourself up using your upper body, giving your legs a much needed break. This tip is especially helpful when hiking with a heavy pack or on a long day hike.
Seriously- once I started using this tip hiking on rocky terrain and backpacking with a 30 pound bag became so much easier.
Give this tip a try on your next outing and see what a difference it will make for you!
Make sure the wrist strap is laying flat
With the strap laying flat, put your hand up through the bottom of the strap.
Once you have the strap situated correctly, wrap you fingers around the strap and the pole, locking the strap into place.
2. Use your wrist straps correctly
I didn’t realize that I had been using my wrist straps incorrectly for YEARS until a friend pointed out that I had my hand backwards. Once I corrected my error, my wrists hurt less and I felt more in control of where I placed my poles.
In other words, using the wrist strap correctly made hiking more comfortable and supportive. How to use the wrist straps should be in the user guide of your new trekking poles, but if not here is a general rule that you can follow:
3. Where to place your poles while hiking
Where you place your pole is another important consideration when using them for the first time. It’s important that you find your own rhythm and what works for you, but I find that when going downhill I like a wider stance on my poles- a little wider than my shoulders is usually comfortable.
This allows me more stability and the option to pivot if needed. For rocky terrain, I prefer to put my pole in an area that is dirt rather than on the actual rock itself- it’s less slick.
When going uphill, I find it most beneficial to keep my poles close together so that I can easily use my shoulders and biceps to pull myself up. These are just suggestions and the best way to find what works for you is to get out there and hike! :D
4. How to Hike around Obstacles
Whenever you’re out on the trail, you’re likely to run into obstacles along the way. Here are some common terrain types and some tips on how to navigate them:
Rocky and Uneven Terrain
Plant your poles firmly on stable rocks or ground before stepping forward, this provides extra points of contact and stability. And if you are climbing or stepping on rocks or logs use your poles to test their stability. It may even prevent a fall!
Crossing Streams
Use both poles to maintain balance by placing one pole upstream and the other downstream. Having those extra points of contact will help stabilize you against the current. You can also use the poles to test the depth of water and the stability of stepping stones as you go along.
That way you know that they’re safe before you put your weight on them, and you’re keeping 3 points of contact at all times- one foot and two poles.
Descending Slopes
Plant your poles ahead of you as you step down to provide stability and support. Also make sure that you're using your poles to control your speed and reduce the impact on your knees by leaning slightly back and letting the poles take some of your weight. Don’t forget the pro tip mentioned above, and keep your poles slightly longer when descending.
Ascending Slopes
Use the poles to push off the ground and propel yourself upward. This distributes the effort between your arms and legs, reducing strain on your lower body. If the terrain is very steep, I will plant my poles close to my feet and pull myself up a rock or a ledge in addition to pushing off with my legs.
Try taking shorter, more controlled steps while using the poles to maintain balance. Don’t forget the pro tip mentioned above, and keep your poles slightly shorter when ascending.
Mud and Slippery Terrain
Test the ground ahead of you for firmness as you're navigating muddy areas where your foot might sink or slip out from under you. I find poles to be very helpful along boggy parts of the trail, where you might not know how soft or deep the mud is. You can also give yourself extra grip and support along the mud by giving yourself more points of contact with the ground.
5. Storing Your Poles
Once your adventure comes to an end, you’ll want to make sure that you properly store your poles. Taking care of them when not in use will help you get the most life out of them. When not in use make sure that they’re collapsed (if using extendable poles) and that they’re stored together with all the extra accessories. That way you’ll know your whole kit is ready to go at a moment’s notice!
When on the trail and storing your poles, you may be able to strap them to the outside of your bag. Most modern backpacks will have external straps, slots, or adjustable attachments to keep your poles safe. Make sure that when you strap them to the outside of your backpack that they don’t come into contact with your feet or legs, and that they are secured. You don’t want them falling out mid hike!
Best Trekking Poles
As promised, here are some recommendations of where to start for your first pair of trekking poles:
Black Diamond Trail Trekking Poles
These are the pair that I currently have, and I absolutely love them. I thought they were a bit of a splurge, but now that I own them I think they were worth every penny. They're lightweight, comfortable, and don't slide down when I put all my weight on them! Anything by Black Diamond is going to be quality, so if you're looking for a pair of trekking poles to last you years- these are it.
REI Co-op Trailmade Trekking Poles - Pair
If you're looking for a similar pair to the Black Diamond but need a smaller dollar amount, you might consider these. Also lightweight, collapsable, and good quality, the REI brand is very similar to the Black Diamond.
Tell us below: what trekking poles will you be getting? Did we miss a good pair of trekking poles that you swear by? Let us know in the comments!
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