Hiking Poles, Trekking Poles or Walking Poles. Whatever term you use, these poles can be a handy piece of equipment when you’re out hitting the trails and need to take the load off your joints. In this guide, I’m going to discuss how to choose and how to use hiking poles.
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What Are Hiking Poles?
Hiking poles are a hiking accessory to help you maintain stability, reduce the stress in your joints and create a rhythm when hiking. Hiking poles are similar to ski poles, however, they are specifically designed for hiking.
Hiking poles are commonly made from aluminium or carbon, with a soft rubber or cork handle. They are usually telescoping, meaning they can be shortened or lengthened to suit the height of the hiker.
Hiking poles are more commonly used on long trekking trips or journeys covering rough terrain where your joints might become sore from a long day walking.
How do Hiking Poles Help?
There are a number of ways that hiking poles can help when you are out for a hike.
Help Maintain Stability
If you are anything like me, then chances are you have had a slip or two in your time out hiking. It is pretty common that when walking over rough terrain, maintaining your balance is much more difficult. This is where hiking poles can be your trusty friend.
Hiking poles give you two more contact points with the ground, which spreads your weight over a larger surface area. When the ground is particularly wet or icy, having your weight spread will help reduce the risk of slipping as well as providing an extra contact point with the ground.
Take the Stress off Your Knees and Hips
One of the most common complaints about hiking is the stress it can put on your joints. Take it from me as someone who has knee pain when climbing and descending hills. Whilst there are numerous reasons why the pain may have started in a joint, the one thing that is clear is that the more weight you put through that joint, the more it will hurt.
Using hiking poles will help reduce this pain and potential additional damage as using poles helps to spread your weight across other parts of the body, with your shoulders and arms absorbing some of the stresses when hiking.
Essentially, using a hiking pole will mean that you reduce any pain you have in your hips and knees, which means you can hike more and probably for longer too.
Putting up a Tent or Tarp Shelter
If you’re planning to hike to a spot where you can wild camp, there are lots of tents on the market that you set up using a hiking pole. This means that instead of taking a tent with poles, which will inevitably be heavier, all you need is a simple tarp tent or tent designed to be used with a hiking pole, which will be much lighter.
Some of our favourite hiking pole tents are:
- Hilleberg Anaris
- Geertop 1 Person Tent
- DD Superlight 1 Person Tarp Tent
- Six Moons Designs Lunar Solo Tent
Sustain a Faster Walking Rhythm
Hiking poles are a great way to increase your overall hiking speed, as they help with establishing a good, solid rhythm whilst you’re walking.
You’ve probably noticed that if you walk swinging your arms a little more than normal, you end up walking faster. This is because your legs and arms work together the help set your hiking pace. Now add some hiking poles, which you are also using to propel yourself forwards, and you have a complete setup to make you hike faster than normal.
Going Through Overgrown Trails
If you’re ever hiked in places where the is a lot of stinging nettles, thistles and bramble bushes to contend with, you’ve probably had a few scrapes and stings on your legs along the way. If you take hiking poles with you, you can use them to push and hold these annoying plants out of the way, meaning no more cuts and stings for you.
Testing the Path Ahead of You
When you come across a large puddle that you can’t get around, it is often difficult to know how deep it is. Going in without testing the depth runs the risk of you being knee-high in dirty water. Using your hiking poles to test the water will allow you to see if you can simply walk through it, or will need to use your pole to vault it!
The same goes for icy water as well. A quick poke with your hiking pole will let you know whether it is safe to walk on, or whether you’ll be on thin ice.
Are Hiking Poles Worth It?
Hiking poles are a great addition to your hiking kit, particularly if you are looking to hike over long distances. The benefit they bring in reducing the stress that is put on your joints far outweighs the extra weight that you will need to carry. That, coupled with the fact they can be used with a tarp to create an emergency shelter, means you can pack lighter if you are planning a multi-day trip.
How to Use Hiking Poles
To say that there is only one way to use hiking poles would be wrong, however, there are some tips that you can follow to get the most benefit out of your hiking poles:
1. Keep Your Arms in a Neutral Position
Most people when they start using hiking poles are tempted to bend their arms more to allow them to place the tip of the pole ahead of them. This is wrong as it puts strain on the elbows and wrists. Instead, use your shoulders to reach forward with the pole and propel yourself forwards. This will create the most efficient movement when using your hiking poles.
2. Use the Right Tip for the Job
Hiking poles come with a variety of tips, which are suitable for different occasions. You should select the appropriate tip for the terrain you are likely to encounter.
- Rocky Terrain = Rubber tip as this will grip better and won’t slide as much
- Soft, boggy terrain = Basket tip as this will provide mroe surface area and is less likely to sink into the ground
- In all other cases, use your standard tip
3. Don’t Hold on Too Tight
You don’t want to be holding your poles too tight as this will make your hands feel tired whilst you are out hiking. Gripping too tight is a compensating behaviour for when you think you might drop your poles.
The remedy to this issue, put your hands through the wrist straps of your poles. This will make sure you don’t drop the hiking pole and, hopefully, will allow you to relax a little!
4. Put the Poles Slightly in Front When Walking Downhill
Putting the poles just in front of you when you are travelling downhill will help you to reduce the impact on your knees and reduce the general strains you have on other joints.
5. Shorten Your Poles When Walking Uphill
When you’re going uphill, you want to shorten the poles to allow for the height difference between where you are and where you are going. You don’t need to do this for every step of course, just for the general incline.
Shortening your poles will allow you to reach out in front of you and have your hand in line with the tip vertically to the ground, meaning you can pull yourself up the hill easier.
Is it Better to Hike With One Pole or Two?
Two hiking poles are definitely better than one hiking pole. Not only do you get the benefit of more easily being able to get a better rhythm with two poles, but you also get the benefit of a more balanced posture, which is better for your back and your joints.
That said, one pole is better than none, particularly if you have a weak knee on one side. In the short term using one pole will help you to get out hiking again. However, this isn’t advised for long term use as this can lead to our gait being off balance and potentially lead to injury when carrying heavier loads.
How to Choose the Right Hiking Pole
Now you know that you are definitely after a walking pole, it is a matter of choosing the right one. There are many different types of hiking poles on the market, so here are a few factors that you should consider when making your choice.
Weight
You will be carrying your hiking pole with you all day, so it makes sense that you should try and choose something light when walking.
Whilst you might think that lighter options will be a bit flimsy and not able to take your weight, you would be surprised as some of the strongest poles are made from either super-light aluminium or carbon fibre, which are stronger and lighter than steel and aluminium alloys.
As lighter poles tend to be more expensive, think about the types of journey you will be making as well as how often you will be hiking to help you decide the cost/benefit of a light pole.
Length
Choosing a hiking pole that is the right length is probably the most important factor to consider before making a purchase.
As a lot of hiking poles are telescopic, you will generally be able to find one that is the right height for you, however, you should still check before making a purchase.
To measure the right length for your hiking pole, you should be holding the pole with your elbows at a right angle for the most comfortable position.
If you are buying online and unable to try out the pole, make a fist with your hand and measure from the top of your fist to the floor, when your elbow is at a right angle. You should then add around 5cm to this height to allow for the top of the grip which will be above your fist when you are walking.
Handles
Hiking poles come with a variety of different handle shapes and sizes, with some being better than others.
If you want something that feels good in your hand, opt for a cork grip pole as these are not only soft but also great if your hand gets clammy as they won’t slip around in your palm. Alternatively something with a soft rubber handle as opposed to a cheaper, plastic or hard rubber handle.
An ergonomic design is also key here. A handle that is designed to fit well in the hand will be more comfortable on longer hikes and will stop your hands from getting sore.
Straps
Straps are a must for walking poles as they allow you to relax your grip on the pole, so you don’t feel like you are holding on to your pole for dear life!
Just like a comfortable handle, you should try and get hiking poles with a softer material as this will feel better on your wrist and avoid any potential friction burn that you might get with cheaper material.
Pole Tips
The tips that come with your hiking pole can make all the difference as to what conditions your hiking poles will be suitable to use in.
Tungsten carbide tips are very durable and great in various walking conditions. Ideally, you will have the option of switching these out for rubber tips, which are particularly useful in conditions where the poles will have a tendency to slip, such as particularly rocky sections.
The final thing you should look for is a basket with your poles. Whether this is integrated in to the design or can be switched in as an alternative tip, the basket will stop the pole from sinking into the softer ground when being used and provide extra grip on this type of surface.
Summary
I hope that after reading this guide you now know how to choose the right hiking poles for your next adventure and how to use them.
Happy hiking!
