How to Use Trekking Poles

Trekking poles are a given for most experienced outdoor travelers, yet we often see new hikers hesitant to bring them along. Whether it’s a misunderstanding of how they are used, lack of knowledge on their benefits, or a simple ‘I don’t need those’ mindset, we see many hikers choosing to hit the trail without them.

This is one of the most common mistakes made by beginner backpackers and hikers. Trekking or hiking poles reduce fatigue on your joints, provide additional stability in challenging terrain, and can even be combined with shelters to create multi-purpose use. Check out our tips below on how to use trekking poles properly, why you should be using them, and when to adapt their set-up for various terrain. Soon, a life without poles will be unthinkable!

Do I Need Trekking Poles?: The Benefits Of Using Trekking Poles

Why use walking sticks?

If you hope to enjoy your time on the trail for many years and many miles, take a closer look at the many benefits of hiking poles. Using hiking poles early and often may be one of the simplest ways you can extend your body’s ability to hike.

Years ago, hikers of yore used to head to the hills with giant hiking staffs like the kind carried by Gandalf in Lord of the Rings. Hiking with trekking poles won’t give you the same magic powers as Middle Earth’s favorite magician, granted. But using poles just might let you extend your trail life and, thankfully, modern iterations are much lighter and far easier to use. 

Further Hiking & Backpacking Reading

If you are new to the world of hiking or backpacking then check out our hiking 101 guide, or alternatively, get started on your prep by going through our guides on what to bring hiking or for longer trips, our backpacking gear checklist.

Stability

It’s no secret that the terrain you often find yourself hiking through can be rocky, rooty, steep, and uneven. Never-ending paths of awkward foot placements make ankle-twisting slips and falls very common, particularly when going downhill. And this is one of the main reasons to pack some sticks!

The use of trekking sticks greatly increases your steadiness and reduces the likelihood of a bad fall while on the trail. Once you cross your first stream with the aid of walking sticks, you’ll never look back!

Reduced Joint Fatigue

When hiking without walking sticks, your feet, legs, and knees take a beating with every step. Just imagine how quickly that impact can add up over the course of many miles. For many, this can result in sore, fatigued joints or debilitating overuse injuries like tendonitis. Take advantage of the shock absorption found in most quality hiking sticks to help lessen the impact your joints experience while hiking, particularly on downhill sections which can be rough on knees.

More Balanced Fitness

If you’ve ever witnessed the toned calves of a thru-hiker, it shouldn’t come as a surprise that consistent hiking will strengthen your legs considerably. Why not spread the workout to your upper body for full-body fitness?

Distributing some of the impact force from the ground through your pole and the arms holding them, not only minimizes joint fatigue in the legs but, also, helps to build fitness in your arms. The extra boost from pole planting will allow you to move quickly while toning arm muscles, thereby giving you a full-body workout.

100% legs = tired feet, ankles, knees

70% legs + 30% arms = less fatigue, better full-body balance

How To Correctly Size Your Trekking Sticks

Determining Pole Length

The length at which you set your adjustable poles will depend on the terrain you plan to hike. Generally, you’ll want to look for a 90-degree angle formed at your elbow when holding the handle of your trekking poles, tips placed next to your feet. This will provide the ideal support position for hiking, while still maintaining the natural movement of your arms.

For lengthy, uphill sections of trail, it is recommended that you shorten the length of your poles (1” to 4” depending on gradient). This results in a more powerful pole plant helping to boost you onward and upward.

Long, downhill segments require a longer pole height to better aid with stabilization and shock absorption. This small change in length can be critical for joint protection when gravity is pulling you down fast.

Proper Wrist Strap Use

Improper strap use is something we, frequently, encounter out on the trail. Here are a few tips to ensure that you are attaching yourself to your trekking sticks in the correct manner.

Many hiking pole styles are designed for wrist strap adjustability via a small locking mechanism at the top of the strap. Confirm that yours are set properly – wide enough that you can easily slide your hands up through them yet small enough that you still feel slight tension from the strap while holding the handle.

1. Slide your hand up through the strap from behind the pole’s grip materials
2. Grip the handle of your pole – the strap should now be running down, between your thumb and forefinger into your palm, and around the back of your wrist
3. Make sure that there are no extra twists in the strap and that the webbing sits flush against your skin
4. If you let go of the pole it should fall down out of your hand

How to Use Trekking Poles: Trekking Pole Technique

You may not recognize it at first, but there are, actually, several strategies behind the method and rhythm to which you swing your sticks and step forward. 

Knowing the differences before you hit the trail will help in determining which may work best for you. Ultimately, your goal should be to develop a rhythm so that they act and feel like an extension of your body’s natural movement.

Where To Plant Poles

It is commonly recommended to plant one pole opposite your forward leg (right pole planted when the left foot is forward and vice versa), providing maximum stability while matching the natural inclination of your arm movement whilst walking. I find it limiting, however, to say that this is how you should always do it.

In fact, I routinely prefer the opposite strategy of placing the pole next to the foot with which I am stepping. This method provides greater joint support and helps with propulsion forward.

I often find myself switching between the two methods throughout a hike based on my rhythm and the terrain. My point here is that there is a time and place for both methods, with neither being the only ‘right’ way. Keep the below comparison in mind and practice both to determine which works best for you:

Planting trekking pole with…

…Same Leg	…Opposite Leg
Greater propulsion/speed	Better overall stability
Increased joint support	More natural motion

Moving Them Forward

As you move forward with each solid pole plant, raise your forearm slightly to allow the pole to swing forward ready for its next plant. This should be a subtle, natural movement with the arms and less of a noticeable pickup and throw forward.

Terrain Considerations

Stream Crossings

Using trekking poles when fording rivers and streams is a great way to add stability to your frame within moving current. Face upstream if the current is strong and maintain a tripod position as you shuffle sideways through the water. Don’t forget to use them to probe upcoming rocks or other underwater hazards that may not be visible from above the surface.

Steep Terrain

As we mentioned earlier, experienced pole users will alter the length when hiking straight up or downhill. You will want to set a shorter length for ascending and a longer one for descending. When going uphill, try to incorporate a solid pole plant and arm push to better launch (that is what it feels like when you time it correctly!) yourself over trail obstacles.

When traveling through steep, downhill terrain or rock stairs we, often, find it more comfortable to place our hands on top of the grips. Establish both sticks on the lower level before stepping down. This is a great way to reduce the impact experienced by your joints when your entire body weight comes crashing down onto the next step.

Snow

One of the best adjustments you can make when using trekking poles in deep snow is to add large-diameter snow baskets near the tip. This prevents the tip from sinking too deep and provides better traction. Most people also find it useful to shorten the length in deep snow.

Rocky Surfaces

If you will be hiking over trails that feature long sections of bedrock or consistent boulder hopping, you will benefit from adding rubber feet onto the tips of each pole. Without them, you will find that your pole’s carbide tip frequently slips upon planting it onto a rocky surface

Additional Hiking Pole Uses

Every good hiker or backpacker knows that the best gear items are those that have multiple uses. Consider these clever ways in which you can incorporate trekking sticks.

Shelter Support

Trekking poles are a great way to support your tent or tarp each night while backpacking, especially since you will already have them with you on most trips (hopefully, we’ve convinced you of this by now!). 

Substituting “walking sticks” for tent poles is a popular strategy amongst ultralight backpackers because it eliminates the need to carry folding, aluminum poles designed only for use with a tent. This Stratospire 2, from Tarptent, is a great example of a shelter that accommodates the support of hiking sticks.

Obviously, this won’t work so well with single-length models like ski poles, but with telescoping poles, it’s a great way to save a little weight, especially if you’re using carbon fiber poles. 

Depth Or Surface Condition Testing

Have you ever hopped off a rock without knowing whether the mud in front of you was a negligible ¼ inch deep or a shoe-ruining 6 inches? What about leaping onto a rock while crossing a creek unsure of its stability?

Eliminate the mystery of unknown terrain by probing with a pole, people! We commonly check things like mud or snow depth, rock stability, and even tap logs we’re about to step on in hopes of scaring critters away before our foot is on top of their home.

Emergency Splinting

A trekking stick can serve as the critical support necessary for creating a splint commonly used for serious sprains or bone fractures experienced while on the trail.

If you’ve ever taken a wilderness first-aid class or read through what you should carry in a backpacking first aid kit, you’re familiar with the need to sometimes improvise emergency medical supplies in a backcountry setting.

Trekking poles were the most commonly used item for improvising splints during scenarios throughout my training as a Wilderness First Responder.

Bushwacking

Walking sticks are really nice to have when hiking through areas that have dense vegetation or heavy foliage. For some reason, we seem to prefer moving branches and foliage out of our path with our walking sticks rather than our faces.

Camera Monopod

Any skilled photographer knows the importance of stabilizing the camera for obtaining crisp images worthy of sharing. Consider purchasing a small handle accessory that turns a trekking pole into a convenient monopod for better photos.

Bear Awareness

When hiking in bear country, we will routinely tap our hiking sticks together for extra noise in hopes of alerting a bear or other large predator that we are coming. This is particularly comforting when hiking around blind corners and is a lot less annoying than bear bells.