Crisp autumn air announces the start of fall and with it one of my favorite activities, hiking in the woods. What I love about the sport of hiking is it involves minimal equipment and expense, can be done close to home or five states away, and is a truly peaceful escape from our chaotic world.
Having just returned from hiking in the Delaware Water Gap, inspired me to share with you my thoughts on hiking gear, specifically trekking poles. In the Gap we were blessed with cool days and clean air. The daily hikes were distances of roughly six miles, with modest elevation changes (@1,000 ft). But one thing is certain, trekking poles made the experience much more pleasant.
In the group, I was approached by two of our fellow hikers about what gear to purchase, how to properly select trekking poles, and what features to look for. As one never knows what the weather will bring, I recommended waterproof, higher profile hiking boots. Underneath it all, I start with wicking light weight sock liners to avoid blistering, followed by wool blend socks. But as to trekking poles, I have some specifics features that I looked for and used to purchase mine, many years ago.
First, why do you need poles? Well you don’t for short, flat, easy hikes. But for more moderate and hilly terrain, they will make you more efficient, provide better balance while going over rough patches of trail and relieve pressure on your knees. After years of running, my knees are the first source of pain on longer hikes.
What to look for in a set of trekking poles? Three things are important features: 1. grips 2. weight 3. collapsable mechanism.
- Grips are important for comfort and come in three options: plastic, cork and molded foam padding. My preference is the molded foam padding. I find that they tend not to slip with sweat in the summer, and are easier to grip with gloves in the winter. Look for padding that extends beyond the handle to provide a secondary placement of your hands for ascents (up hill). This will save you repeated stops to adjust the height of your poles to accomodate the up and downs on hilly terrain. You should start by adjusting your poles on flat ground to allow your arm to hang at 90 degrees, while gripping the poles.
- The weight of poles varies by composite used. For versitility I find lightweight carbon to be the best performing composite. For long hikes you will appreciate the lightness, and for moderate to easy hikes, you can hook the poles to your backpack and use them only on the tougher terrain. This versatility provides you what you need, when you need it.
- As poles are built to be universally sized, there is a mechanism to expand or collapse the pole for sizing and for transport. Newer technology has engineered a z-style collapse to allow poles to fit into packs or luggage for ease of transport. Mechanisms to secure the pole adjustment are a clamp or screw. I prefer clamp style and would recommend spending the extra dollars, as I have yet to meet anyone happy with the screw only adjustment mechanism. In my opinion, they do not seem to hold up to wear and tear. When they fail to hold, the poles are ineffective to use as they slip, and you are unable to put pressure on them without the pole collapsing. The clamp down style needs to be tightened on occassion, but has a much longer wear. I am still on my original poles from five years ago, and I hike four seasons.
Prices vary and remember you get what you pay for, so be selective and enjoy your trekking poles year round for many years to come. Black Diamond has some of the best pole selections around. Here is a product I recommended to my fellow hikers: Note: As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.