Trekking pole questions (arthritis? scrambling? how to start?)

(sorry! previous message was formatted poorly, still getting the hang of this!)

I was wondering if folks with trekking pole experience (love or hate em!) might be able to toss me a little advice…

I’ve been backpacking for years without trekking poles and never really found balance or grip an issue.

The past few years though, a bone issue has caused me to have pretty bad arthritis in my ankle. Reducing my weight (both pack and body) has helped a bit, but I still end long days with quite a bit of ankle and foot pain and tend to consume a lot of Aleve as the miles pile up.

So I had a few trekking pole questions —

* For those with joint arthritis — especially in the feet/ankles — have you found that trekking poles help with the pain any?
* For those new to trekking poles — what’s the best way to start using them? I’m doing a 9-day hike in Patagonia in a few weeks, and I’m debating whether I should use that as an opportunity to try out trekking poles, or whether I should start on some shorter hikes.
* For those of you who do a lot of scrambling (big boulder fields, slickrock), do the poles get annoying? I like to have my hands free for these kinds of obstacles.

Hi Joshua – not sure about the arthritis question, but the best way to start using poles is to read up a little on different techniques and just practice yourself using different techniques and pole heights. You’ll get highly personal points of view on leashes versus leashless, how to use poles properly, length, etc.

As for boulder fields, this is one area where trekking poles are almost universally a liability IMHO. You might argue that poles help with snow covered boulders, so you can poke around before you step, but cons usually outweigh the pros and a nice long mountain axe does a much better job under those conditions. On long boulder fields, I’ll may put the poles on my pack. On shorter boulders, I usually carry in one hand.

Where trekking poles really shine is on the downhill or on snow, especially if you’re trying to be gentle on your knees. I also like them hiking uphill as my arms help a little with upward propulsion, taking a little of the work away from the legs. I like my poles short on the uphill, moderate on the downhill and uneven in height on steep, sustained side hilling. Poles are also very useful as a shelter support, if you have a shelter that can accept trekking poles in place of dedicated tent poles.

Also consider that reducing your pack weight may be more helpful for your feet/ankles than picking up trekking poles.

I have issues with my ankle, not (mainly) arthritis, but with the tendons and bone spurs.  Trekking poles are the way I’m able to go down a hill without pain.  Even when I’m not carrying any pack, they help going downhill.  It makes climbing easier also, but not by as much. I don’t much need them on the flat, but I find they don’t get in the way so I don’t mess with stowing them.

It wasn’t hard to get the hang of using them.  I may be using the strap wrong, but I’ve never had any issues.

On a talus field I agree that poles are a liabiltiy.  You want to focus on balance and agility.

I spend a lot of time off trail in the Grand Canyon, and on terrain like that I tend to use one pole a lot of the time, keeping one hand free.    On steep loose terrain, it often works well to have one pole in the lower hand to dig in, with the other hand free to find stabilizing holds.

Given your uncertainties, I’d strongly recommend the Fizan Compact poles.   They are extremely light and collapse down quickly and easily so you can stow them in your pack side pocket when not in use.    When I first used them I was skeptical about how they would hold up because they are so light, but they have never let me down in years of heavy rough use.   I have retired several with dents in them, but I have never had one break.

You can get them on Massdrop.

I have arthritis in my left knee, and find that the poles help immensely with taking the stress off the joint on downhills and also when taking a large step across something (up, down, or flat).

I don’t have arthritis, but have wimpy feet that take a beating.  Poles are a godsend.  The keys:

• Get the pole length right.  And right is not very long.  MUCH shorter than the typical advice of a horizontal forearm when the pole is vertical.  Start with the poles about navel height and adjust to taste.
• Use the straps correctly.  Up through the bottom, down over the top.

If you don’t do those two things you won’t be taking very much weight off your legs and feet.  Do them right and…well, I’ll never again hike without poles.

I think another reason I was looking into poles was due to all the tent designs that use them. I figure that they might be worth it even if I’m not using them 100% of the time on the trail.

Joshua, if you are into photography, then a third use for trekking poles is as an UL bipod. You can take some pretty sharp images in the single digits for shutter speed, with proper technique. Trekking poles, tent/tarp support and photo bipod – few other UL gear items have that many significant multi-use applications.

Once I made the switch to using poles I’ve never looked back. In addition to the benefits for downhills and saving one’s feet and knees that have already been mentioned, one of the biggest advantages for me is added stability when crossing streams and rivers. I like how they become my tent poles at the end of the day, and there’s just something more…fun? engaging? integrated? about using all four limbs when walking with poles. I highly recommend trying them out.

To answer a couple of your questions, sure, I’d try them out for a dayhike before you leave for Patagonia, but I don’t think that you would regret bringing them along. And yes, boulder fields can be quite dangerous if you try to keep using your poles through them, but I just hold them with one hand and use my other hand for navigating. If it’s real scrambling, then I pop my poles into the side pocket of my backpack and use both hands. It’s pretty easy to stash them away. And +1 to the Fizan Compact recommendation. Cheap, light, and durable enough for me so far.

I highly recommend the use of trekking poles for almost anyone!  Even if you are lucky enough to have no pain issues, using a pair of poles can help keep you that way.  Wish I had used them when I was schlepping 40-lb backpacks full of rocks when I was in my 20’s and 30’s.  My knees used to hurt, but now it’s hips.  Carrying poles has helped a great deal.

Using the poles should definitely make a difference if you have any lower body joint pain.  Seems intuitive as it takes a lot of stress off those joints, but you might notice some irritable wrists if you don’t switch hand positions frequently.  Try to keep your lower arms and wrists in line as opposed to angling your wrists.  Some manufacturers (Black Diamond) actually build some of their poles with an angled grip which keeps wrists aligned.

As far as practicing with poles beforehand, probably not necessary.  You can experiment with comfortable heights as you walk.  People have been hiking with sticks from the woods for thousands of years; it’s pretty natural!

You might well want at least one or both hands free for scrambling, but it’s pretty easy to stash the poles into a side pocket of a pack.

I am a Black Diamond fan girl where their poles are concerned.  Their “ergo” poles have the angled grips which are so comfortable, and the Distance FLZ series are very lightweight and durable.  You need to consider overall length and adjustability if you intend to use them as tent poles; many of the lighter weight poles will not cover the same range of adjustment as the full-sized/heavier models.

Have a great trip!

Use the straps correctly. Up through the bottom, down over the top.

That’s something I’ve not done correctly, but I don’t see why it’s supposed to cause problems for your feet. I found that I was switching both poles to the same hand over flat terrain, usually so I would have a hand free to adjust my hat or eat or whatever. The straps were getting in my way, so I stopped using them. I never cut them off because various places on the internet keep putting up warning like yours.

I said,

Use the straps correctly. Up through the bottom, down over the top.

MJH said,

That’s something I’ve not done correctly, but I don’t see why it’s supposed to cause problems for your feet.

The point is that without using the straps correctly, any weight you take off your knees and feet must be held by your hands gripping the poles. Used correctly, the straps take virtually all the load–you don’t really even have to hold the poles at all beyond a light curling of the fingers around the pole grip to keep it from flopping around.

Trekking poles certainly have other advantages that apply whether you use the straps or not, but the OP is trying to take weight off of legs and feet.

The point is that without using the straps correctly, any weight you take off your knees and feet must be held by your hands gripping the poles.

Well, yes. I grip the poles hard when I want to take weight off my legs and feet. It’s not been a problem.

Maybe if I keep getting older, hand pain will show up because I’ve been abusing them to save my feet?

I’ve noticed there’s a wide range in how people use their poles.  Some use them mainly, if not only, for balance and as feelers.  Others use them aggressively only on aggressive terrain (e.g., when descending steeply).  Others, like me, use them aggressively all day every day.  I probably take 20lb off my feet with every step, even on flat ground.  There’s no way I could do that if I had to take the load with my grip.

That said, and as you allude, taking significant weight off legs can cause issues elsewhere.  I do occasionally have to stop using the poles for a minute or so to fend off a little numbness from the straps cinching on my wrists.  But my feet whine more than my wrists, so…

Well, dang, I guess I better give poles a shot. Thanks for all the advice!

I’ll try it out over the next few hikes and report back with what I find. Anything that reduces my ankle/foot pain will be much appreciated, and I like the idea that it can give me more grip on off-trail terrain.

The packs I normally hike with have deep external pockets or little pole attachments, so hopefully stashing them out of the way when I’m doing more scrambling isn’t a big issue.

Just ordered some of the Fizan poles!

I have “severe” osteoarthritis in my left ankle. Defence force injury from long ago. I find the poles help, mainly when I have a heavier pack though, and/or on steeper terrain. If my pack is really light, and the terrain is flat or extremely complicated I’m better off stowing them. The complicated terrain is key. I can think and place my feet better and move faster and more efficiently. On dead flat easy terrain, literally a concrete footpath, I get almost zero benefit from the poles unless the pack is very heavy (well over 30lbs).

Personally I find a fixed length pole just fine. Carrying lightweight fixed length poles is not hard, if you aren’t using them. You can develop techniques to “drag” them using the straps while mostly keeping your hands free for short bits of technical terrain.

I am finding it better to bias a bit towards using both poles to protect my bad ankle, sometimes, rather than having a pole with each leg. If I’m moving fast enough there’s no way I can keep up my arms with my legs anyway.

Personally I find a fixed length pole just fine.

I was thinking about trying that. I find that I don’t adjust the length of my poles while walking and am often annoyed when I don’t set the twist lock firmly enough so the pole slips. However, I need the adjustment to pitch the tarp. Or at least I find it much easier to pitch a tarp with adjustable poles.

Depending on your tarp, there are ways of getting a fixed pole to work. Eg

• put pole(s) on a slant
• tie a clove hitch with guyline around pole, then run it down to the tarp
• get “pole jacks” to extend length of your pole. Basically just a piece of CF tube. Rota Locura sells them, as do others. Probably works out lighter than having extendable trekking poles just for shelter, and would work out much more efficient as it isn’t useless weight you are swinging in your hands

As a seriously aggressive pole user, I concur that fixed-length is fine.  Regardless of the steepness or direction of the slope, the same length works just fine.  The trick, though, is finding fixed-length poles the right length.  I would never suggest someone get fixed-length for their first pair.