Hiking. It seems accessible to everyone: put one foot in front of the other, then start again. Yes, but not quite. The more kilometres go by, and the more experience you gain, the more you understand why good equipment matters. And that equipment also means using hiking poles!
Why use hiking poles?
Poles? It was simple: I had decided they were completely pointless. Why spend money on them and carry them around? A stick from the path would do the job. If I needed one at all. Honestly, I was young and sporty, and I could pull myself along perfectly well. Then one day came a steep climb, a proper wall. A friend made the sacrifice and lent me one of her poles. And that is when I got it. They are not truly “essential”, but once you understand what they bring, you cannot do without them. Especially uphill. They really did take some of the load off my knees. They also let me move faster, with better balance, on steep ground. Let’s just say I clung to them during my 100 km Oxfam Trailwalker. And they never left my side on the Camino de Santiago.
So, to the question everyone asks, “are poles really essential for hiking?”, I would say no, of course not. Shoes and a rucksack are the essentials, the things you should really prioritise. But poles remain one of the most useful accessories for walking. Let me show you why…
What is a hiking pole?
Let’s start at the very beginning. What do we mean by a hiking pole? Some people picture Gandalf’s enormous staff. Others recycle their ski poles. A proper hiking pole, also called a trekking pole, is designed for the discipline. It differs notably from nordic walking poles. It is usually telescopic and ends in a steel tip surrounded by a small ring. The handles come in several materials: cork, plastic or foam. There is often a wrist strap too. The length adjusts easily, unless you are really not gifted at it, like me. Prices vary a lot between models, and the material has a big impact on the weight and, of course, on the painful bill! You can easily go from €50 to €150 if you go for a carbon model, for example. There are many brands: Leki, Black Diamond, Guidetti…
The benefits of hiking poles
A pole is not as simple as it looks. So let’s look at the reasons to use hiking poles. They are not one of the “essentials”. Still, they bring plenty of advantages. Let’s see which ones.
Protect your joints
Hiking is gentler than high-impact sports such as running. So we tend to forget how many joints work when we walk. The knees of course, but also the ankles, the spine and more. Your body carries its own weight, plus the weight of your rucksack. That load changes with the type of hike: multi-day trek or day hike.
Hiking poles share the impact and the load between your arms and your legs. Your joints take less weight with each step. And so poles limit the risk of injury! Your joints will thank you.
Share the effort by relieving the lower body
You thought your arms would get away with it, the lazy things… Well, no! With hiking poles, your chest, shoulders, biceps and upper body get to work. The upper body helps you move forward, which relieves the thigh and calf muscles in particular. You feel it most uphill, where the way the weight is shared is frankly impressive. It spreads the effort better, especially when you carry a rucksack. Poles are therefore valuable allies on steep ground or on a multi-day hike. Your legs feel lighter and more responsive when you set off again the next day!
Be more stable and keep better balance
Let the person who has never taken a tumble on a hike throw the first pole at me. The more unstable the terrain (scree, sand) or the more slippery it is (ice, mud), the quicker poles become indispensable. They give you better balance on difficult, uneven ground. That is even truer with a heavy rucksack adding a little more imbalance to the picture. Four points of contact with the ground are far more stable and efficient than two, thank you gravity. Your poles will save you from crawling a few metres on all fours. Or from ending up with your bottom in the air. Especially on descents, where they add a lot more balance.
Walk better, with better posture
Walk better? But I walk very well, thank you! Fair enough, but with poles your posture would probably improve. It would be more natural and less arched. That is if they are properly adjusted, of course, with your elbows forming an angle of about 90 degrees. You then stand straight almost automatically, instead of stooping like a potato picker. A real benefit for your back and your spine. If Quasimodo had known… okay, I’ll see myself out!
Walk faster, with a steady rhythm
This is more or less the result of all the benefits above. Engaging your upper body, being more stable and standing better all help you walk faster. But it does not stop there. Poles also let you keep a much more constant pace. Your arm swing syncs with your steps. The walking rhythm becomes steadier and helps regulate your breathing. So you go faster and tire less. Pushing yourself forward also gives your pace more energy. The gain can be 1 to 2 km/h, depending on the terrain of course.
Uphill, they help a great deal to stop you crawling along at 2 km/h. They will not save your breath (they are poles, not a portable inhaler). But they let you pull with your arms, which lowers your heart rate and your muscle fatigue.
Avoid or anticipate obstacles
On the Camino, I was sometimes very glad to have my two little poles to help me. They are useful for keeping your balance and staying steady on tricky ground, as I said above. They also help you get past awkward obstacles. You can force a path through branches. Tree trunks are easier to step over when your rucksack pushes you forward. And rivers become a tightrope walk between two stones. They quickly prove handy once you leave the tarmac. They also let you test how reliable and stable the ground is before you commit to it. And they push away anything you would rather not take in the face.
Use hiking poles to protect yourself
Well, if you come face to face with a colony of rutting bears, I still advise you to run. Your poles might even help you run faster, if all goes well. But seriously, in some situations poles can be useful, even life-saving. The selfie stick kills more people than the great white shark. Your pole, on the other hand, can help you fend off wild animals. It can hold a nasty dog at a distance when it fancies a bite of your leg. It can move a stone. In short, it handles all those things where it is better not to use your leg or your hand.
You will have understood: after shunning them for a long time, I have now moved to the “pro poles” camp. Of course I do not take them out for everything. I am not going to pop to the shops leaning on my poles. But on most of my big hikes, I prefer to take them. If you have followed the different points, you know it already. How useful they are depends on the distance and the kind of terrain.
PS. They are also very handy for drying your socks during a short break.
The drawbacks of hiking poles
Naturally, there is always a downside. We do not live in a fairy tale, and you should not expect your poles to become the miracle accessory.
Bulk and weight
The main drawback, in my view, is simply the bulk. Most of the time, your poles are meant to be working for you. Otherwise, you probably should not have brought them. But overall, there are few stretches where they are useless. If that is the case, you have to fold them and put them in your rucksack. In big towns, for example, they can be awkward to hold in your hand. That means extra weight to carry. The extra weight is more or less minimal. It depends on the price you paid, and so on the material of your poles.
Using hiking poles is something you learn
“Oh come on, they’re just sticks.” Some people think using poles comes naturally, so they use them very badly. If they are badly adjusted, they can do more harm than good. You do not need a degree to adjust a pole properly. You just need a few seconds to make sure it is set to the right length.
Busy hands
Naturally, poles mean your hands are occupied. It is not dramatic, but it can feel a little odd at first.
To finish, I would say that investing in poles, good poles, is a safe bet. You are unlikely to regret it. If you do, they can always dust the kitchen light fitting, you never know. Still, you should use them with as much respect for the environment as possible. They can sometimes damage the ground and the vegetation. They can also poke the eye of the hiker behind you, who asked for nothing. So handle them with care!
In short
Hiking poles are not essential, since shoes and a rucksack come first. But they protect your joints and share the effort between your arms and your legs. Your balance is steadier and your pace more regular. They add some bulk and weight. They need adjusting. And you must use them with care for the terrain and for the people around you. I take mine on most of my big hikes. Planning a long route such as the Tour du Mont Blanc? Have a look at our guide to the Tour du Mont Blanc hike.
FAQ
Are hiking poles really essential?
No. Shoes and a rucksack are the essentials. Poles remain a very useful extra, especially uphill, on uneven ground or on a multi-day hike.
How much do they cost?
The price varies a lot between models. The material has a big impact on the weight and on the price. You can easily go from €50 to €150 for a carbon model, for example.
How do you adjust them?
Set them so your elbows form an angle of about 90 degrees. Badly adjusted poles can do more harm than good, so take a few seconds to check them.
Do hiking poles help uphill?
Yes. They let you pull with your arms, which relieves your thighs and calves. It is uphill that you feel the difference most.
When do you use them?
I take mine on most of my big hikes. How useful they are depends on the distance and the kind of terrain.