Hiking Sticks - Benefits, Sizing & Techniques (2024)

FAQs

What are the benefits of hiking sticks? ›

Hiking sticks can increase balance and stability.

By having four points of contact on the ground, you'll have much better balance and increased stability. Best uses for hiking sticks include uneven terrain, steep ascents or descents, water crossings and treks over loose rocks, wet trails and snow.

Height. Generally speaking, walking poles should reach the top of your palm when your arm is down by your side with your forearm held out in front of you at 90 degrees to your body. Essentially the top of the handle should be at waist or hip level and your elbow at 90 degrees.

Alternate your poles and legs.

Most hikers quickly fall into the proper rhythm of planting a trekking pole in time with the opposing foot (right foot, left pole; left foot, right pole). Doing so removes weight from your leg by leveraging the strength in your opposite arm as you trek, while giving you more stability.

Sure, trekking poles reduce strain on knees and ankles, but they also help secure balance on uneven terrain or during creek crossings and are essential to set up lightweight tents, filters, and camera systems.

Key Takeaways. Walking sticks and poles help shift the load from your lower extremities to your upper extremities, improving mobility, balance, and stability while hiking or walking.

The walking stick or a walking cane is a long-term walking-aid. Walking sticks provide support for a user's body weight as they transfer weight from the legs to the upper body. They are designed to be used on a regular basis to help find great balance and stability and improve mobility.

Trekking poles are almost always used in pairs. There is also something called a hiking staff (also known as a hiking stick) that is a single pole. Most hikers go with two trekking poles over a hiking staff. I think the pair just provides more benefits.

Choose the Thickness of your Hiking Stick:

If you like a lighter, faster stick, and like a thinner profile, choose a diameter of 15/16". If on the other hand, you'd like a heavier staff with a more robust thickness, choose 1" diameter.

Trekking Staff or Pole: The trekking staff or pole is used by people for basically the same reasons as the walking stick for stability and rhythm. The main difference is that they are designed for more difficult terrain. It is commonly advised to use two, one in each hand, like ski poles.

Are hiking sticks worth it? ›

You might not need walking poles if you're just heading out on a flat trail or across roads. But if you're worried about rough or slippery terrains, we recommend using walking poles to keep you on your feet and protect you from injury or unnecessary strain.

Generally, the top of the pole should be 6 to 8 inches above your elbow when standing straight up. If you have an adjustable pole, make it so when you hold the pole, your elbow also creates a 90-degree angle while hiking on flat sections. Going uphill for a long time? Shorten your pole about 5 to 10 centimeters.

Using walking poles, or even a single pole, will reduce knee pain and increase hill climbing power and endurance. They can also help with balance when crossing soft or boggy ground or when crossing rivers, scree running, and doing other activities which put additional strain on your balance.

Find the right length: You're aiming for a 90-degree bend at your elbow when pole tips touch the ground. Choose features: Adjustability, foldability, shock absorption, weight and locking mechanisms (for adjustable poles) are just some of the features and options that will guide your buying choice.

Having all this weight on your back is not natural to balance. Having trekking poles helps keep you stable. If your hike requires stream crossings, trekking poles are great. Having two poles to anchor your way across a series of slippery rocks is invaluable.

Poles take a lot of strain off your joints while you hike and can help you maintain balance through various types of tricky terrain. Some find that they hike faster while using poles and enjoy that they keep their arms entertained, while others find trekking poles cumbersome and don't like that they occupy their hands.

Research has found that walking with poles can burn more calories and raise your heart rate even though you may not feel like you're exerting yourself more than with regular walking. It can increase your metabolism and activate more muscles.

Properly used, a walking stick or cane can relieve pressure on painful joints and can improve your balance.