RE: [Philmont]: Trekking poles

> From:
> I'm thinking of getting trekking poles and have no experience with
> them. My main question is "anti -shock" vs "non anti-shock" ? I've
> heard pros and cons for both. Anti shock has more weight and
> parts that
> can malfunction, non-anti shock is harder on your arms and
> wrists. Any
> experienced trekking pole users out there that can shed some light ?
>
I blew out my knee backpacking to the peak of San Gorgonio here in Calif.
Ever since, I've used trekking poles. They get in the way during scrambles,
but when hiking (particularly where steep, whether up or down), they
are absolutely essential for me. I am confident that had I been using
trekking poles (correctly) on that backpack, I'd have saved myself
a surgery and a lot of pain.

I don't find the anti-shock that useful. I watch others using trekking
poles as we hike, and I notice that about 95% of those with trekking
poles don't use them right, so they don't do much for those hikers. I
think the anti-shock really just makes the poles more useful for those
who don't use them correctly. I also find the more expensive cork
hand grips to be too abrasive on my hands. OTOH, the plastic grips
are too sweaty, so you can't win :-).

For me, the ideal features in trekking poles:
- Plastic or rubberized grips
- Straps that are easy to adjust
- two collapse points (as opposed to just one) so they can get smaller
- screw type connectors (as opposed to levers).

I mentioned my problem with the cork grips. After a long hike, my hands,
rather soft from a desk job, get somewhat abraded, which is unpleasant.
Straps are not adjusted often, but you need to adjust them sometimes,
especially when you loan them to a scout who wants to try them. Or cold
weather hiking and the need to wear gloves. Not the most
critical feature, though.
I put mine into my backpack when not in use. I don't like to hook them
on the outside with a carabiner as they get sat on and swing around too
much. So being able to collapse them in thirds is very important to me.
I've got some with the screw type connectors and some with lever connectors.
I find the lever connectors fail *much* more often than the screw type, and
they will collapse on the trail. I've not found a pole that won't, at some
point, collapse on the trail every once in a while, but it is less frequent
with the screw type.

Proper use: For me, the length must be adjusted such that my elbows are at
90 degrees. I've seem people on the trails where their elbows are turned
too far, so they have no strength to push down own their poles (see below)
and so get no benefit from them. I haven't seen poles that are set too
short very often, I suspect that would be very uncomfortable and even those
who don't bother to figure out how to use them find that out.

I do not, however, often reset the length for up hill and down hill. For
one thing, it is unsual for me to be on a trail that is overwhelmingly
one or the other (peaks and grand canyons being the exception). For
another,
I don't find the slight difference in length particularly noticeable.
I know some people recommend changing for up and down, but it doesn't
work for me.

Have the wrist strap set so that, when around your wrist, it keeps the
bottom of your hand just over the bottom of the grip. I've seen
recommendations that the strap be set to keep your hand fully on the
grip, but I find then it becomes too hard to take the grip on and off.

Lean into your poles when using them. Keep that wrist strap tight.
My arms get a bit tired after a day with my poles, but my legs and feet
sure appreciate it. I've seen claims of studies that say that poles,
used properly, decrease the stress on your legs by some 10% or so.
I believe it. However, if you dont' use them properly, they do nothing.
It's the leaning into that does the trick. If you have them set the
right length, you can push down with your arm without too much effort
and use the poles to partly hold you up.

I think the theory is similar to how internal frames change the way we
backpack. In the old external frame world, we were taught to put all
the weight on our waist, none on the shoulders, so that the upper body
is less stressed and the legs do all the work. I think one of the
reasons internals have virtually taken over backpacking is that plan is
somewhat bankrupt. The internals, hugging so close to your body, make
you use your legs, waist, back and shoulders somewhat evenly, so that
you put less stress on one part of your body. The trekking poles
allow you to distribute that stress to another part of your body that,
without poles, is unsued entirely to support your weight on a long hike,
your arms. Thus, all of your body gets involved, making it such that no
one part must bear more than its share. Poles, used properly, are
particularly effective at reducing stress on feet, ankles and knees.

The most common improper use I see is swinging them along and just putting
them down at random without putting any weight on them, using them only
for balance. This is what a typical scout will do. When you see the poles
being planted in any way but the right pole at the same time as the left
foot, you know this is happening. You learn to get into a rhythm that
just keeps you going forever. I can go further, faster with poles than
I ever could without. I hiked out of the Grand Canyton from Phantom Ranch
to south rim via Bright Angel in four hours using poles, it took me 8
without.

I'll never go without those poles again.

Regards
Don Roberts
Philtrek 05 808-K

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Received on Mon Dec 27 09:15:33 2004