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Trekking Poles For Giants
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- This topic has 6 replies, 5 voices, and was last updated 7 years, 6 months ago by Tyler Greek.
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Sep 25, 2016 at 11:03 pm #3428107
Greekings,
My apologies if this has been touched upon already. I tried searching the forums for a matching topic, but nothing came up.
Looking into purchasing some trekking poles, however, being 6’7”, my search for poles that would adjust to my specifications has been in vain (the joys of being a tall backpacker:) ). Looks like most companies stick to a max height of 130cm on most of their poles with a few brands featuring poles with a max height of 140cm.
Does anyone know of trekking poles that would be long enough for me? Do you think a pole with a max height of 140cm would give me enough length for downhill portions of the trail?
Greek out.
Sep 26, 2016 at 8:36 am #3428130The key to finding poles for tall hikers is ignoring all the bad advice on how long your poles need to be. The typical mantra is “elbow at 90 degrees when pole is vertical.” That’s just way too long for hiking–the 90-degree thing is for skiing. I’m 6’5″ and hike with my poles set at about 117 to 118cm. You want them well under you so you can get your weight on them. When they’re too long you can’t get much weight on them without tiring your arms, so they become little more than feelers…which can work if you’re a slow hiker just looking for a little help with balance, but does little to relieve stress on knees and feet.
I don’t set mine any longer for downhills, but if you prefer that, I’d think 140cm would be more than adequate.
</opinion>Sep 26, 2016 at 9:13 am #3428134.
Sep 26, 2016 at 9:17 am #3428136.
Sep 26, 2016 at 9:21 am #3428138Agree that “conventional wisdom” regarding pole length is not necessarily correct. I’m 6’1″ and should use a 120cm pole, but find 110-115 more suitable. In general I would much prefer a too short pole to one that was too long.
I suggest you try a few and decide what length you really need.
Sep 26, 2016 at 9:59 am #3428142I’m not tall, but +1 on poles shorter than 90* elbow bend. For downhills I might change my grip to palming the top of the handle to gain an inch of length but I don’t adjust the poles, in fact I often prefer shorter poles on downhills so that if I’m reaching the pole downhill I’m extending my arm a bit more, which I feel is better for bracing and braking.
Sep 27, 2016 at 1:07 am #3428257Many thanks to all of your feedback:) I tried a few different kinds at REI today and think I found some I liked.
After walking around the store with poles, 90 degrees definitely feels too high. Almost awkward to be honest.
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