Walking Poles?

[Kiwi]

Can anyone give me some info on walking poles? I broke my knee cap last year playing rugby and was wondering if the poles would help when in the hills. They seem really popular nowadays but can't really see how they would reduce the impact on your knees. Are they just a gimmick or do they really make a noticable difference?

Cheers

 

[andyn]

Google is a man's (and woman's) best friend...well a good friend anyway....

Hope this helps:

http://www.personal.dundee.ac.uk/~pjclinch/poles.htm

 

[redflex]

some thoughts on poles here

http://www.bushcraftuk.com/community/showthread.php?t=1937&highlight=trekking+poles

even lidi are doing them now

http://www.lidl.co.uk/uk/home.nsf/pages/c.o.20060904.p.Telescopic_Trekking_Poles.ar4

 

[MartiniDave]

Following on from my comments in the linked article above, I'd now say spend the dosh on a decent branded pole - or pair if you prefer. The cheap one I had bent during a moderate descent last year when it caugth on a rock. Its now been replaced with a Leki which has so far stood up to lots of far heavier use than the cheapie did. I descended the scree slope on Red Pike near Buttermere with it just a couple of weeks back, something I certainly wouldn't have done without a decent pole. I don't get any knee pain anymore either.

Hope your knee mends well and swiftly.

Dave

 

[fred gordon]

walking poles are great and really work. They do what it says on the tin. A few years ago I pulled my knee a few months before I went to Nepal. Used poles are part of my training bck to fitness and have used then ever since. being an 'older' person now I find them really useful for going down hill with a pack on, they do take the strain off the knees

 

[ArkAngel]

IMO they make a massive difference.
I had my left knee well and truly shafted in a martial arts competetion in my early 20's. Poles take quite a lot of the strain of the legs and hips and i think spread the load of a rucksack more easily.
I prefer to use them when coming downhill as they can almost break your fall. Thats the bit i find most difficult but you can lean quite heavily on the poles, for climbing and descending hills ...well i couldn't do it without them

PS i use Leki poles as well, and i think a pair are more useful than 1.

 

[redcollective]

They're the dog's proverbials in my opinion, used properly. Get two. i've got Leki poles too. Not cheap - but pretty bombproof with easily replaced parts.

 

[JAG009]

They are no gimmick they work ! i use two leki poles and on the down hill sections they really take the pressure off your knees, but you need to use two poles to get the full benefit

Jason

 

[BorderReiver]

As with all the other opinions, a great benefit, even without damaged knees. You walk further with less effort and they're particularly good when walking down off the hill; they take a lot of impact off your knee joints, and stop you going nadir over zenith down the slope. You don't see many 4 legged animals falling over on hard ground, and you have 4 points of support with two sticks.

Don't buy one, you feel unbalanced and you miss out on the full benefits.

Down side: Hands occupied; you can trip yourself up; not easy to pack for air travel.

 

[Shewie]

I recently bought some Pacer Poles, a slightly different way of walking but so far impressions are very good.


Lots of good info and animations of the walking style on their website ...
http://www.pacerpole.com/

 

[coln18]

They are rubbish, i've been fighting the midgies for years with them and still dont have any glorious victories to name as yet, but in all seriousness, you will be hard pressed to find a man that has trekked for a week with a pair of poles and easily discount them as gimmicks. As all posts above say and anyone you talk to on the trail, they do work well

 

[rik_uk3]

Kiwi, trust me they work and I only wish they had been around 40 years ago. My right knee is FUBAR now (karate and climbing often = bad knees in later life) but poles really help if I'm walking any distance camping (not that I do these days TBH). I use one around town as a traditional walking stick even on pain free days, it takes some weight off my knee.

 

[Mikey P]

Poles are great, especially when you are wearing a pack and especially when moving downhill - like having extra legs. However, you don't appreciate them until you leave them in the car by mistake.

 

[Nova & Pinky]

They also have the benefit of making v. good tarp supports

 

[sandbender]

Never leave home without a pair.

 

[Doc]

They also have the benefit of making v. good tarp supports

Very true. Have tried this and it works extremely well: a 300g tarp and 2 trek poles weighs less than my tent, though it's not so good in severe midge conditions.

You can also get ultra lightweight tents that use trekking poles. Of course, if you have one of these and forget/lose/break your poles, you are up that well known creek without a maplewood propulsion instrument.

 

[ex member coconino]

backpackinglight.co.uk have quality poles at a reasonable price, a good deal cheaper than the high street outdoor shops, and they produce their own extender which adds extra length to poles so they can be used for tents. (I've got no connection with BPL, not even as a customer, but I hear good things about them and enjoy their podcast). When I need new poles I shall likely be buying from them.

 

[Nova & Pinky]

I've got a pair of the Mountain King Expedition Carbon poles from them and am very pleased with them. We've used them as tarp supports a few times as well.

 

[Teepee]

I always take my Leki poles, I can't rate them highly enough. I can walk faster and further, make crossing streams and bogs much easier, they hold my tarp up, save my knees,make decents quicker, cure my tennis elbow and bad back, keep me upright(ish) on ice, hold all my gaffer tape and keep my boots off the ground. I love 'em, as you can tell.

 

[John Fenna]

They are good kit!
I prefer the sort with "shock absorbers" in them and with multi hand position handles...a bit like a walking stick/crook shape... described in one review as "giving hand relief" as you can change your grip...make sure you get poles with decent twist bolt locks (if you go for telescopic ones) or they might go down on you as well!