Trekking poles may be the most appreciated not required backpacking gear item you can come up with. Don’t take them and your legs do all the work, but you save weight and gear complexity. Take them and your upper body gets involved in the hike, and stability is added on rougher terrain with additional points of contact. Unlike your shelter or sleeping bag, trekking poles are without a doubt, not required for the trail. However, if you do take them, your knees will likely only thank you later.

Trekking poles can be useful in many backpacking situations and across the seasons.

Trekking Pole Use Pros and Cons

Another great thing about trekking poles is their dual-use capability. Many ultralight tents on the market are designed specifically to utilize your trekking poles for setup in lieu of dedicated tent poles. This saves weight if you’re already a trekking pole user. That said, even traditional tents or tents that don’t utilize trekking poles for setup can benefit from the extra support that trekking poles can offer.

By incorporating trekking poles on additional guy-out points you can create a more wind and weather-worthy tent. Instead of running a long guyline straight to the ground, run it to your trekking pole, then to the ground. This gets the guyline at a 90 degree angle to the fabric facet and results in a more effective guyout point. For this use, I do like to utilize a trekking pole cup to make things easier and cleaner.

Trekking Pole Materials

Most trekking poles will be made from either aluminum or carbon fiber and the pros and cons of those two materials for any other application typically apply. Carbon fiber poles like the Gossamer Gear LT5s will typically be lighter, but require more care and will break instead of bend as with aluminum. Carbon absorbs more shock than aluminum. As someone who appreciates lighter weights and shock absorption carbon is my preference here.

If your trekking poles will face rougher usage, such as in a mountaineering type scenario or for winter use in snow, aluminum and going with a heavier / stronger trekking pole would be a good choice. With some care and large snow baskets however, I have had success using carbon poles in deep snow.

Grips

Foam or cork are the traditional materials here and you will want to go with your own personal preference in this regard. For me, I’ll take a foam grip over “agglomerated cork”, which is a material made from bits and pieces of natural cork glued together. I do prefer a natural-colored foam grip if I can get it (which typically looks like cork) to reduce the chances of sweaty hands causing dark dyes to stain my hands by the end of the day in the backcountry where handwashing isn’t quite as easy as at home.

An open cell foam works well to absorb sweat during the day and has just enough give for comfort – but you’ll want to look for a rather dense foam. Cork however, is a traditional choice. Cork or foam no matter, note that backcountry critters seem to be especially attracted to chewing on trekking pole grips, as I’ve unfortunately experienced. Keep your poles in a safe spot when not in use!

Collapsible vs. Non-Collapsible Trekking Poles & Locking Mechanisms

To be completely honest, I have no preference in regards to closing mechanisms on trekking poles, so long as they work. I primarily look at material, grip, weight, price, and then make sure the pole extends enough for my height while collapsing short enough for easy transport. In general you will find me using twist-lock trekking poles – 2 section poles collapse plenty for me to get them in the vehicle and as any lock is a potential point of failure, I’ll take a 2 section pole over a 3 section if I can get it – it’s also one less thing to adjust. Poles may collapse via either a telescoping construction or by way of a shock corded sections that fit together, the latter of which may be preferred if you prefer more of a rapid deployment from stowed.

Flick lock / flip lock / quick lock / clasp lock poles utilizing some type of lever lock closure are the other option and are generally less problematic than twist-lock poles and are usually found on trekking poles that are in the slightly heavier lightweight category, rather than the most ultralight. I have had some issues / annoyances using twist-lock poles in the past: if you don’t tighten them enough they can slip when you apply heavier force, and from time to time I have them fail to engage (the lock just won’t tighten and just spins and spins). The first problem is easily fixed – tighten the poles more, and with the second I’ve been able to remedy in the field, albeit with some fiddling at times. This all depends on the way the locks are manufactured of course. Test at home first.

No matter what material or closing mechanism you decide to go with, make sure your trekking poles extend far enough for your height. Ideally, you’ll want your elbows at about a 90 degree angle on flat ground when holding the pole, but you may prefer more or less from this starting point. At home if you don’t have trekking poles currently, you can hold anything from a longer garden stake to a section of PVC pipe – whatever you have on hand – and if you don’t have a helper, use a mirror and a tape to obtain the measurement that works best and is most comfortable to you.

Perpetually puzzling to me, at 6’ 2”, many and most ultralight trekking poles on the market are not long enough when fully extended for me – the Mountainsmith Andesite is an exception. You want to avoid pushing adjustable trekking poles beyond their maximum extension point as this will likely lead to breakage the first time you put substantial weight on the trekking pole, such as during a stream crossing.

Of course, if transport is not a concern and you do not need to an adjustable trekking pole for your shelter / you don’t like to adjust your poles for uphills and downhills (many people like to shorten up for the uphills and extend for the long descents), a non-adjustable trekking pole can be an option and will save some weight along with potential failure points. As I do like to use poles with my shelter, I prefer to adjust length on occasion, and sometimes I just like to stash my trekking pole on my pack and like easy car transport, a 2-piece trekking pole has been the best choice and compromise for me. Note that some non-adjustable trekking poles do have multiple hand positions to help with the hills.

Straps vs. No Straps & Accessories

It’s a bit hard to believe, but after all this time I really have no preference for straps, and I buy based on other factors than this. Sometimes I use them – sometimes I don’t. The straps are nice to distribute weight and for more of a connection to the trekking pole when used properly, and are great for retaining the pole when you need to use your hands. They do however add a bit of weight and add a little complexity. Many times you’ll find me not using the straps and if I need to use my hands, I take a break and lean the poles against a tree, etc. – the straps being there and not being used doesn’t bother me. Other times, I use the straps with the weight distributed under the wrist (not just as a “keeper”). Long story short – sometimes I use them and sometimes I don’t, but they stay on my trekking poles.

One item I am more opinionated about are trekking pole tips – and a rubber boot / rubber trekking pole tip stays on my trekking poles at all times, during all seasons, as long as I’m not encountering ice, which is the only thing I find the stock metal tips good for. These rubber tips leave less of a trace on the trail and on rock and are dramatically less noisy while absorbing a little more shock. All pros and few cons. The only con would be in mud – they can come off and the last thing we want to be doing is leaving any gear behind.

Thus, I try to avoid mud when possible (example, aim for the rock or log rather than the deep mud) and keep an eye on the tips through any unavoidable muddy sections to make sure they don’t come off. Or more likely, I will simply briefly carry them through these sections. You may need to experiment with different offerings for the best fit. During winter, these do get removed for me since I use my same trekking poles across the seasons. However, this wouldn’t be an issue if you have ultralight 3-season poles combined with a heavy duty aluminum winter pole, or if you’re not a 4-season hiker – and in these cases you could consider a more permanent attachment of the rubber tips / boots.

In regards to baskets, as previously mentioned for snow, the larger the basket the better and these can usually be screwed right on. While debatable, for 3 season use I do like one of the small faux snow baskets typically included with trekking poles – they help in unexpected mud and keep your poles from going too far down between talus blocks, help prevent or limit some rock strikes on carbon poles, and perhaps most critically make stowing poles on the back of my pack easier.

Weight and Price

The lightest carbon trekking poles on the market will likely weigh in around 4-5 ounces each, but as previously stated many of these are not suitable for taller users. A more average range among lightweight poles will see you looking at poles that are around 7-8 ounces or so, like the REI Co-op Flash Carbon Poles. I would without a doubt suggest looking for a set that weighs in under a pound for both at the most, lightweight is not only nice to reduce your total weight carried on the trail but keep in mind this is an item you’ll be swinging forward thousands of times a day. Going as light as possible while still staying in the budget and meeting your durability requirements is the key here. In regards to price it’s safe to cap spend for a pair at just under $200, and many great choices can be had for less.

Conclusion

Trekking poles, or at least one pole, are something that every backpacker should probably have on hand to at least consider taking along on their next trip. For me, I prefer to almost always hike with just one which is a good compromise and a choice that both helps my knees and stability but also reduces the fiddle-factor by half when it’s time to grab a snack or a photo opportunity arises (quite frequently for me) on the trail. However, if the trip is particularly long with a lot of food to carry, or it’s a desert trip with a heavy water carry, you’ll find me using two.

Personal preference varies and you may prefer two poles on anything from a quick day hike to longer backpacking trips. All said, trekking poles – a fancy version of the traditional hiking staff that’s been used for just about forever, adds some complexity and is another thing to keep track of on the trail, but as any trip concludes with the trailhead back in sight again your knees will likely only thank you.

You can find a full selection of trekking poles here at REI.com.

Editor's Note: This article originally appeared in Issue 58 of TrailGroove Magazine. You can read the original article here with additional photos.