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Walking sticks earn their keep on the way down, when a steep, rocky descent puts weight through your knees and a second point of contact keeps you steady on loose ground. Most styles here come as a single stick or a pair, so you can start with one and add the other later. Compass watches and insulated bottles sit with the rest of our hiking gear.
Telescopic poles slide into themselves and lock at any point along the shaft. The carbon trekking pole is one example, running from 62 to 135 cm in three sections. Folding poles break apart on an inner cable or cord and pack much smaller: the five-section aluminium pair folds to 30 cm and the carbon fibre pair to 34 cm, short enough for a suitcase. With a pole in each hand, keep a water bottle where you can reach it from your pack strap.
The lock decides how a pole holds under load. Flip locks clamp from the outside, and the one on the heavy duty hiking stick works with gloves on. A few travel styles use twist or screw locks instead. Some trekking poles print a length scale and a STOP mark on the shaft, so both sides end up the same height. Grips are mostly shaped EVA foam with an adjustable wrist strap, while the anti shock stick and the three-piece nordic set have cork. On the heavier models a tungsten steel tip grips rock, and a few styles hide a spring inside the shaft to soften the jolt on descents.
Many adult poles reach 135 cm at full stretch. The women's poles adjust from 110 to 125 cm and suit walkers from 150 to 190 cm tall, while the kids' sticks are carbon fibre at 120 g, light enough for a full day out. For footpaths and coastal walks, the non-slip nordic walking poles stand on a wide anti-slip tip, and the travel set has a neoprene gauntlet strap that takes the strain off your grip. Most styles come in black, blue or red, and a few add lilac or yellow. When alpine tracks freeze over in winter, the four-section snow sticks with their dual lock go well with a set of our crampons.
