Someone on Instagram Direct Messaged me asking about my trekking poles. They wanted to know why I would decide to keep my hands from being free and what the benefits are to me for using them. So I decided to take that question and write a post for others out there who might be interested in trekking poles, why I use them, and how to choose them. So here we go.

There are many pros and even a few cons to using trekking poles for your hikes and even neighborhood walks. I thought I might list a few here for you. Let’s start with the Pros…

First off and the most important to me is they take the strain off my knees and ankle joints. When you hike, especially downhill, there can be a huge amount of pressure on the knees and ankles and my poles allow me to transfer some of that pressure to them. They also take an ENRMOUS amount of pressure off my back. I just took a hike without them in my last IG Video post and let me tell you, my back was aching that evening and well into the next day. By allowing me to transfer some of the work to the poles (and by keeping my posture in alignment) either uphill or downhill, they take an extreme amount of pressure off my joints and allows me to hike longer and farther. I have noticed a huge difference in the quality and the length of my hikes since I purchased my poles.

My trekking poles help me to go faster. Wait. What? OK, with the poles they help me to maintain a good pace therefore, I usually end up going at a faster pace. The hike I took without the poles, my average mile was 40 minutes (hills) but with the poles, I average 25-30 minute miles. I would say that is a huge difference. I am not one to care much about my time, but 10-15 minutes per mile can mean the difference between getting tired while hiking and being tired while hiking. Get it?

Balance baby! Because I have broken every joint in the lower half of my body and have really screwed up my back, I do not have the greatest balance! When you are trekking up some of these rocky trails, balance is a huge issue. You need to have it or else this is when accidents can happen and on some of the trails I hike some really bad accidents could occur.

Trekking poles are a full-body workout. When I use them, especially going uphill, I really dig those spikes into the dirt and use my arms to help pull me up those hills. This gives my arms, shoulders, pectoral muscles, and even my obliques a good workout. The first few times I used my sticks my upper body really felt it. I was sore as if I had worked out at the gym. I remember getting up the next day asking myself why in the world my chest was aching. Trekking poles baby!

Animal Control is another huge reason to use them. There have been many occasions I have had to steer off another dog from coming up to Raven (my dog). Usually, those strange dogs are either on one of those retractable leashes (can’t stand those) or have an owner who thinks all dogs need to be friends. I have put the pole in between my dog and the other hikers’ dog. It scares them which in turn keeps them away…every time. And I am pretty sure it would work on wild animals. Thank God I have not had the opportunity to try the wild animal theory out.

Lastly, they are great for backpackers. I have not had the chance to use them for this either, but they can be used as tent poles. Hmm, go figure. Plus if you hike in the winter in ice (I’m in Southern Calif) then they can help you to break up ice on the trails. OK, well those last two, I have not used them for, but I have read this to be the case.

In a very quick and simple nutshell, trekking poles, which you will hear me say hiking or walking sticks or even hiking or walking poles, assist me in walking by giving me stability, reduce the strain on my back, and joints, help me to hike faster and farther, give me the balance I need on the hills, and ward off other animals.

So what are the cons? Well, there are a few and the most obvious one is your hands are not free. If you need to do a hand-over-hand climb on a really rocky trail, the poles obviously are in the way. That is one reason why you would want to get telescoping or folding poles. This way you can put them in your pack to free up your hands.

The cost can be REALLLLLLY expensive. I have seen poles in the $500 range. Yes, you read this correctly. Crazy!!!!. But you really don’t need to spend a ton of money. Especially if you are just starting out. As long as they are of decent quality, you can get some for as little as $40. Those extremely expensive ones, I feel, are more for backpackers and people who have a good amount of money to throw around. I am not saying that they are not worth the money, but I have had mine for two years and they have held up through some serious abuse! Including banging them as hard as I can on the ground to scare off snakes!

There are several types of poles. I am not going to go into an exhausted list of what to buy, but I want to give you a simplified rundown. There are Aluminum and Carbon Fiber poles. Carbon is lightweight and is a durable fiber reinforced plastic. A lot of hikers like them because they are tremendously lightweight. Carbon tends to be a bit pricy! Aluminum is also pretty lightweight but they are exceptionally durable and tend to be much more affordable for the average hiker. I prefer Aluminum because they are much more affordable than carbon fiber yet have the durability a big-boned hiker needs.

There really are only three types of poles, telescoping, fixed, foldable. Well, there are also the fixed wooding hiking sticks. But we won’t really go into that. They are on a whole different level than trekking poles. I’m going to start with fixed trekking poles. I truly do not recommend these. They would have to be at the perfect height for them to work properly and honestly, they are more like a ski pole than a trekking pole. If you truly want a fixed pole, go pick up a wooded hiking stick. That, in my opinion, is a much better option and will last you forever compared to a fixed trekking pole. The foldable poles are nice because they fold down to a very small package and these fit nicely into your backpacks. They’re also good for travel because of their compactness. By my favorite is the telescope poles. these allow me to fully adjust them to the height I need for the hiking I am doing. If I am going up a really steep hill, I can make them shorter to help me out. If I am on a flat trail, I can adjust for that. I like the versability of telescoping poles.

Now for the handles, there are three popular types. Cork, foam, or rubber handles. Rubber handles are very affordable and very durable, but when you get sweaty they tend to slip and they can really cause some nasty sores. Foam handles tend to be the most comfortable, but they break down super fast. Whereas cork you have the best of all the worlds. They are extraordinarily durable, comfortable on sweaty hands, and are pretty affordable. But honestly, the best advice is to get a pair of weight lifting or hiking gloves. It cushions the hands, allows for a great grip, and keeps the sun off the hands. My Favorite ones are These pretty floral ones. Great cushion and since they are leather (sorry Mr. moo moo) they are going to last a long time.

As you can see there are a lot of choices out there. But honestly, there is no right or wrong choice. It really depends on you. What is your preference? What do you like, what feels good, and what can your pocketbook afford? I have the telescoping, aluminum poles with cork handles. I chose this combination for my hiking poles because I wanted something extremely lightweight but also was sturdy enough to bear my weight. Remember I am a plus-size woman so they need to be durable. I did not want them to give out just when I need them most. And for the very same reason, I chose the poles that collapse into themselves, telescope, instead of folding because after checking them out in the store I felt they were just more sturdy. Now for the grip, I have to say that cork is going to be the better choice. Rubber is uncomfortable and foam won’t last very long on the trails. Cork will last a very long time. Well, 2 years so far on mine and not a worn down spot on them yet!

One last thing I want to mention is rubber caps. Please make sure whatever poles you choose to purchase come with at least 1 set of rubber caps that will cover the carbide tips. This is important for two reasons. If you decide to use these walking on concrete, you will definitely need them. Otherwise, your poles will slip on the smooth surface and you could damage whatever pavement or wood you are walking on. Also when storing or transporting your poles, in some cases, having the tips can protect whatever you are storing them in.

So now you ask, which ones do I have or I like? I am going to give you some links to some of the ones I like. And yes I will give you some affordable ones. I am not one to spend tons of money on gear. Especially since I know, in this case, it may not make a huge difference if you spend $0 or $140. But you should go to your local camping stores like REI or even Target or Walmart and put your hands on the grips and play around. You don’t have to buy them right away, but at least you will get the touchy-feely thing out of the way. And you can decide which grip or type of pole you like.

Below are a few of my favorite poles.

Good luck to you. I hope this post helps you to make the decision to use trekking poles or not and gives you a few good choices to choose from. Look for more posts on hiking and yoga gear.