Trekking poles a necessity?

[PapaBear]

New hunter getting ready for a hunt in eastern wyoming. Ive plotted out some hypothetical routes in OnX and hikes with 1800 feet down and 1800 feet back up within 3 miles are common.

Would you consider trekking poles to be a nessesity, a nice to have, or a gimmick for this?

 

[PapaBear]

I should add we are going to have a camper/wall tent base camp so hopefully relatively light packs except for packing out meat. Elk in this case.

 

[BBob]

Some like them, some hate them. I use them especially for heading in and out. Once at destination I for the most part collapse/fold them up and stuff them in a side pocket but will pull them back out if the terrain warrants it. I can cover steep ground faster and more efficient with them. A cheap minded friend wouldn't use them. He found a single pole on a trail and became a convert. He bought another cheap import single pole and hikes with that mismatched pair to this day

 

[Amos Moses]

Costco sells a set that have pretty good reviews for $30-40. Now that I’ve started using them, wouldn’t be happy if I left them in the truck. Especially in snow and mud.

 

[bsnedeker]

If I'm going to be more than a couple miles from the truck I take them with me. Even on relatively flat terrain they help you cover ground much more efficiently, and when hauling loads up/down steep/nasty terrain they are life-changing.

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[Wihunter12]

I bought a pair of the lightweight Cascade poles, just tried the out last week and liked them alot. Really helped on a very rocky descent I did over the weekend.

 

[WeiserBucks]

For me they're 100% necessary when carrying a heavy load in rough terrain. Really helps with balance while crossing creeks, rocky stuff, steep downhill ect. I always have them with me but I don't use them until my pack is really heavy.

 

[JDB9818]

A necessity to me when packing any weight. They also really help with steep up hills or steep downhills.

I generally always have them with me even if I don't always use them.

 

[Geewhiz]

I hate them for hiking without a heavy load. I have a silex that uses trekking poles and I either strap them to my pack or just carry them and find myself whacking bushes and whatnot. lol I feel that they would be beneficial when carrying really heavy loads and especially when side hilling with alot of weight.

 

[Wildgame]

Trekking poles are a necessity to save your knees. I never used them until I noticed the difference.
Going downhill in rocky terrains sucks. Add a dead animal on your back and it sucks even more.
Trekking poles have saved my ass from falling many times. They are also very useful for a lightweight tent that doesn't come with poles. they can be used to shoot a rifle when you cross them.
The pros outweigh the cons. And if you ever feel they are annoying, collapse them and put them away in your pack side pockets.

 

[sodaksooner]

My brother made fun of me the first year I had them. Somehow he ended up with a set the next year. I do appreciate them for hikes in and out. They also keep my hands from going numb, which I don't think anyone mentioned yet. If you rifle hunt you can also use them for shooting sticks and they make good tent poles. Lots of uses. Mine are super light and Carbon so I don't notice the weight. FWIW, don't get twist locks, get cam lock poles.

 

[Poser]

If you are going off trail in righted terrain, I consider them a necessity. For example, hiking down a 40 degree avalanche chute without poles is stupid.

 

[Rock-o]

I was skeptical, so I bought a cheap pair. Now I'm a believer. So much so that on my last trip I broke one (not a product failure do to being poor quality, it was my fault) and wondered how I had previously got by without them.

 

[KHNC]

I only use one, never two. Two get in my way all the time. But , I wont leave camp without the one nowadays.

 

[Archerichards]

I finished 55 miles in the Wind River Range of Wyoming last week, all at 9 to 11,000 feet high and lots of up/downs. I used ONE trekking pole, and found it just right. Your pole(s) help your efficiency a little, but more importantly, they help your balance when navigating tricky, steep steps up or down; they help keep your weight centered and over your big, strong muscles, instead of getting off balanced and quickly tiring your smaller, fine muscles. I recommend at least one.

 

[Desk Jockey]

more of a must have for me. Especially as I age.

FWIW, I picked up the dual trekking pole habit when I started backpacking in the mid 1990s. For reference, back then I was Army/Airborne/Green Beret/GI Joe/Kung Fu grip strong. We did some monster rucking with soul crushing loads. Moved through uneven terrain with 100-150# of gear on the regular. I learned to love trekking poles on my civilian hikes mainly for balance on rocky terrain.

flash forward a lot of years and a lot of miles and I am on my fourth set of lekis. I use them when I can but spotting and stalking or walking with a bow make that tough. Once I am in meat hauling mode, those poles come out. I do short and light hikes without them but for anything over a few miles they are with me.

 

[Patriot2]

I just started using them this year and will definitely have them with me. The greatest chance of injury is tweaking a knee or ankle in the rough terrain elk occupy. But I am also setup to pack in for 3-5 days at a time and will use them bringing camp in and out, and if I pack out an animal (HA HA! - I like to amuse myself). I also use an army style poncho which makes a great quick shelter with use of two hiking poles and I just bought a Durston X-Mid tent that used hiking poles to pitch. If I was still doing short day hunts from a car camp I may opt to not take them.

 

[Overdrive]

Trekking poles are nice to have and use. They can take 15-25% (debatable numbers) of weight off your knees and less over all stress on your body. I use them often in steep terrain and especially with snow on the ground, don't need any unwanted injuries.

 

[Hoodie]

Yes.

 

[BadTostada]

I keep a pair collapsed in my pack and mostly use them for packing out a heavy load. They’re great to have when it’s snowy/icy too. If you ever find yourself having to push through a minor injury like a rolled ankle or strained muscle you’ll be glad to have them.