Walking Pole

[kantonysen]

These days I think a walking pole is essential. They offer great support when going down steep slopes. Since using a pole I don't tend to get knee shudder when going down hill. I use a single pole rather than a pair, two poles would be too akward. They can be a bit of a pain when trying to scramble up a peak though. I bought the heaviest and cheapest I could find.
But I reckon if I was still 20 something I wouldn't use walking poles in a fit.
Keith

[Penguin]

Keith I am with you. Due t a range of issues I have chronically inflammed right knee. The single pole, in left hand, has been my saviour going down hill. Also with the knee being a bit wobbly, it has really helped my balance. Tried two poles, I too found this awkward. the loss of a had to grab branches etc made the second pole more of a hinderence than a help. Over the lasst four years have destroyed two walking poles and now onto my third. I would not go walking without one - more to the point I probably cannot go walking without one.

Shame about all the little holes you leave behind.

[Joe]

Im undecided on walking poles. For ages I was picking up the wooden "poles" left by other walkers leaning on signs at the beginning of walks. This made me decide to purchase a proper pole. My fleabay special with shock absorbers and tungsten carbide tip has been ok. If you don't really reef it up on the extension locks it does tend to slip a touch...but apart from that its a good unit.
I still take it on shorter walks but on long ones it gets left in effort to save weight. My dicky ankle does love me if i do take it though. Used on opposite side.

[corvus]

I also use a walking pole these days for much the same reasons as the others,it also doubles a tarp pole.

[Son of a Beach]

(Note that this topic has been split off from the What Gear is Essential topic - hence the wording of the first sentence of the first post).

[under10kg]

I use pacer poles that have an unique grip that allows the poles to be used to help push you along on the flat. I walk faster with the poles on the flat. I tired the usual poles and found they put a lot of force on my wrist. On climbs and decents they are great as I use 2. I find that I can decend fast using them to jump down rocks with the poles taking a lot of the weight. The poles also are used in my pacer tent. http://www.pacerpole.com/

[walkinTas]

I too think that walking poles are pretty well essential for long descents. They can get in the way a bit on tracks with close bush on either side, so it is a good idea to get a pole that can easily be tucked away on the pack when its not needed. I have had a couple of pole-induced falls where I have tripped over my walking pole, but on the other side I have had a couple of big saves on down hill sections thanks to my walking pole.

I bought a mono-pod that has a quick release head, with the hope of combining the walking pole and tripod into one item. Unfortunately the mono-pod wasn't up to the job, because it wasn't strong enough to support my weight on steep descents. I sometimes strap my walking pole to my wrist and use it as an extra support for hand-held shots, but it is not really a good substitute for a mono-pod. So I'm still looking for the mono-pod / walking pole combo.

[Joe]

I too think that walking poles are pretty well essential for long descents. They can get in the way a bit on tracks with close bush on either side, so it is a good idea to get a pole that can easily be tucked away on the pack when its not needed. I have had a couple of pole-induced falls where I have tripped over my walking pole, but on the other side I have had a couple of big saves on down hill sections thanks to my walking pole.

I bought a mono-pod that has a quick release head, with the hope of combining the walking pole and tripod into one item. Unfortunately the mono-pod wasn't up to the job, because it wasn't strong enough to support my weight on steep descents. I sometimes strap my walking pole to my wrist and use it as an extra support for hand-held shots, but it is not really a good substitute for a mono-pod. So I'm still looking for the mono-pod / walking pole combo.

we had a manfrotto monopod in work up untill i sold it couple weeks ago. another is on order. It would take my weight. i actually jumped and put all weight on it coming down to test it (thank christ it was as good as i anticipated...would have been hard to explain to boss why the frotto monopod was broken...) and it was fine. I had been toying with the idea of combining the two...then i decided for the vast majority of my photography a monopod was useless...and just bought a $15 fleabay walking pole. i have two of them now..a staff type and a cane type...the cane one is by far the pick.

[tasadam]

I'm on the fence a bit.
I don't like the idea of a pole but see the benefits others get so I don't like to dismiss them.
As it is, when I'm walking an average track I will either have my camera around my neck and am steadying the camera body with the left hand, and carry the tripod in the right hand, or alternatively as I have been doing more and more, having the camera attached to the tripod and just carrying the lot in one hand with the strap around my wrist. Sometimes it gets a bit heavy so I swap hands for a while. But the kind of walking I do means I'm stopping a fair bit to use the camera, so it's not a problem to do.
One lens in a pocket as well.
So in short, a pole would be in my way and make for a much more uncomfortable stop if I wanted to take a photo - put pole down, take pack off, undo tripod from strap, set camera on tripod, etc...... As opposed to extending the tripod legs and taking a photo without having to put a pole down or take the pack off as I do now.
That's why I carry the tripod when walking - too much bother to take the pack off all the time so I was getting lazy & not using it, results suffered, so now I carry it so it gets used.

Maybe one day my knees will be so bad I will have to carry a pole. Here's hoping they hand in as long as possible.

[under10kg]

I think the pacer pole comes with an attachment in that you can attach your camera to the top of the pole. Not sure if this would help.

[walkinTas]

I think the pacer pole comes with an attachment in that you can attach your camera to the top of the pole. Not sure if this would help.

Thanks. There is looking and then there is OK... now I'm really looking!

Pacer Pole (You have to email them for info on the camera mount! what the ...? "Winged keel" revisited).
Trailwise T85P.
The Leki Sierra FotoSystem.
Komperdell Guide Foam Trekking Pole with Camera Mount - Anti-Shock. (OK! So they need to do a tad more work on the name).

[tas-man]

I have had the LEKI SEIRRA treking pole for 6 years now and have used it for most day and extended walking since then. I have not made use of the camera mount as much as I should have, but have certainly found it worked for me as a combination treking pole and monopod. I have found it more useful on specific photo trips where I carry a quick release ball head that can be fitted to the pole and give much more flexible adjustment to the camera position. Also good for getting those scenic photos above the scrub by setting the timer and raising the pole above your head!
As a walking pole I have gone for the firm setting and not worried about the "shock absorbing" setting. It save my balance several times last week where I was able to jam the tip into tree roots and stop my boot (and me + pack) sliding further downhill than intended.

[walkinTas]

Tas-man, I was surfing looking for a ball head that might fit. Have got / can you get some pics and some more details? Which camera are you using on the walking pole?

[tas-man]

Tas-man, I was surfing looking for a ball head that might fit. Have got / can you get some pics and some more details? Which camera are you using on the walking pole?

The one I use is about 40 years old! German made "BILORA" Model 1000, weight 92 gms. Was strong enough to handle my old Konica SLR and 21mm to 135mm lenses. My current digital is a Lumix LC-5 weighing in at 450 grams - much lighter than the SLR. Here are some close up photos of the rig in action and the component parts. the LEKI SIERRA PHOTO pole weight is 300gms.

[photohiker]

I bought the PacerPole camera mount, but I wasn't really happy with it due to having to fiddle with the thread every time I wanted to use it so I came up with a quick release for it.
It doesn't allow me to use the mount for verticals, but I can live with that for just 58g.

Details of parts and assembly on my blog here.

[flatfoot]

For those of you with Pacer Poles ... do you have the carbon fibre version? Are you happy with the durability of the poles? Have you had any trouble with the various mechanisms?

[photohiker]

Alloy for me. The weight savings of the carbon are not enough when compared to the greater risk of tube fracture. You can bend and crush alloy and still have a (bent, wonky, but usable) pole, but when the carbon gets the same treatment it fractures.

[Ent]

Alloy for me. The weight savings of the carbon are not enough when compared to the greater risk of tube fracture. You can bend and crush alloy and still have a (bent, wonky, but usable) pole, but when the carbon gets the same treatment it fractures.

Good point and sounds very similar what Thompson, a leader in bike seat posts, said re Alloy versus carbon and they also pointed out that sitting on a wonky bike seat is a much better place to be than on a broken off carbon one Their sales pitch worked for me.

Cheers Brett

[adventurerichard]

Hi folks, my virgin post but is one of my pet subjects!

Agree with previous comments about carbon v alloy - mate works in F1 (so familiar with materials) and is a gun cyclist who's never bought a carbon handle bar in his life! not all CF is created equal and it'd be fair to say that the manufacturing tolerances of CF poles are way different to that of say F1. Given the minuscule weight advantage, I wouldn't bother myself.

One other thing, i've used cheap poles in the past and aside from the weight, they typically have steel tips as opposed to carbide and so a) wear out quickly or b) grip very poorly. The handles of the cheap poles have in the past given me sore hands and you find the foam grips of say Black Diamond ones (that I have now) are far more comfortable. It's one of those gear items i think where you don't have to spend that much more in actual $ terms to go from really low quality to really good quality (perhaps $60 a pole).

My 5c.

[under10kg]

I use pacer carbon and have not had any issues with breakage. I do place a lot of weight decending on them with no issues to date. I did break a pacer metal pole on a snow slope in NZ but I think any pole would have broken. I sliped decending on a steepish snow slope and the pole went in about half way and it broke as I held onto it!