Are walking sticks necessary and which ones are good?

Sports and Hobbies
21
I don’t see anyone running...

22
Nor was the anything about running in the OP, yet you saw fit to - wrongly, it would seem - suggest that nobody used sticks for running.

23
It's generally the cheap ones that have this. It's an unnecessary gimmick really. In reality it's highly negative to balance while descending steep slopes. Having the pole give or flex is exactly what you don't want to happen.

24
A lot of the studies relate to Nordic walking walking or power walking. They wanted to establish that using poles was a higher level of exercise. The studies did show that was the case.

Of course that might not apply to trekking and recognising that the UIAA Medical Comission produced their consensus statement confirming that poles are not actually saving energy and do increase cardiovascular workload. This is due to the fairly obvious increased upper body activity.

The Medcom statement cites the original research where reference is made to the perceived reduction in exertion. The benefits in reduction of impact in the lower body were pretty clear.

That paper is here https://www.theuiaa.org/documents/mo..._2008_V1-2.pdf

That's from 2008 but only an update from 1994 but apparently not well known. Coincidentally there's currently a dialogue about increasing knowledge of physiology and anatomy in the professional sphere, this is probably a good example of something of more general interest than trail running or speed hiking.

25
I hoped you'd be along to chip in in this thread, but it would be great if you could address the original questions - for general 'hiking' would you recommend poles at all, and would you prefer extendible or fixed length?

26
I can't add much to the UIAA statement, I think they nail it. Personally, I recommend poles to clients, particularly on multi-day trips.

I did mention above that I use fixed length collapsible poles:

https://uk.raidlight.com/trail-poles...ml#/bat-123_cm

They're a couple of cm longer than I'd set adjustable ones to. For adjustable I'd recommend these:

https://www.komperdell.com/en/poles/...id=174_2459_10

They're surprisingly light, come with summer and winter baskets. You often see them cheap and they have a good adjustment system with one section fixed and the other variable, much less faff.

27

Yep and there's composition - Carbon fibre can be more expensive on top of that to absorb vibration and that varies depending on the percentage + there are the tips. Comfort of handgrip makes a difference along with the wrist straps.

Overall though, it is quite dependent on what your activity and level is - even for regular outdoor hiking/walking many have both single fixed length & telescopic sticks

28
Thanks so much to all of you for the help. I feel now that i can go to a shop and not be totally clueless. I decided im going for adjustable extendable poles with clamp locks that are around the 50ish franc range. I dont plan to go to any extreme places. Just a little bit of more support when going down steep paths will be useful. Thanks again

29
Best walking stick I ever had was made of wood.

http://www.woodworkcenter.com/make-w...walking-stick/

Made it myself, but you can also buy em:

https://www.brazos-walking-sticks.com/walking-sticks/

30
Cars have shock absorbers, MTBs have shock absorbers. Even my pogo stick has a bloody great spring in it.

I bet your running shoes have some cushioning too.

So is Leki.

31
My pacerpoles don’t have a spring. I think they are carbon steel. I bought a single walking stick when I was in the UK a few years ago, and it has a spring.

I prefer the non spring as it gives me more stability, so it’s largely a matter of preference. Or perhaps since I’m relying on them to support bad knees.

32
I find myself on the fence - having my hands occupied is annoying, as it makes photography harder and they are in the way whenever you need to scramble or hold a safety line. On the other hand, poles do make hiking easier, especially on downhills - more stability and less effort for the knees.

My current compromise is a pair of rather light folding carbon fiber poles from Black Diamond. The original plastic tips only lasted a season or two, so I bought tungsten replacement tips. The set is light enough that I don't really notice them in my pack, so I carry them up and then get them out for the descent if it seems warranted.

33
I think that's the point. It's a matter of preference.

I don't use poles much but have done when hiking in the mountains with a child in a carrier, lunch for five people, an SLR camera and so on (so quite a heavy pack). I have found that going steeply downhill, with the above load, much easier on the arms with poles with shock absorption and poles generally a good idea for support for the knees.

Honestly I prefer to walk or run without poles. I've never done an ultramarathon distance so can't comment on that.

34
my car has a cup holder and headlights

MTB's have shock absorbers for a design reason, they absorb small bumps and keep the wheels in contact with the ground. If this were comparable you'd be saying that (non-shock absorber) poles deflect when you plant them and the hiker loses control in some way. The argument that says they're required in poles is about reducing the impact on the body. That's completely different and I think there's simply not that kind of impact using poles nor I suggest has anyone quantified that there is.

Specifically, Leki claims they're reducing by 40% the impact on the body. Leaving aside how that's measured and the obvious flaws of that then we'd still need to think that this is an actual problem. The UIAA medical commission over a 25 year period hasn't seen this as an issue having reviewed the original research.

I also strongly suspect that the preference for shock absorbing systems is stronger when people are using the straps.

Leki did try this for Nordic poles and it didn't catch on at all.

35
In the end i went with Komperdell Explorer Contour. They are not the lightest but they are compact enough to tie outside a backpack.

They are extendable and with clump locks. I got them from MigrosXXX because i dont do online shopping