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  1. #61
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    I used to think they were useless; however, I have learned to make them useful!

    My friend has arthritis, and she has Leki poles that have more than a strap - it is actually a "grip" that goes around the hand and between the thumb and forefinger. Her mom picked them up somewhere, and they have no idea where or what the purpose of the specialized grip is for. If ANYONE knows about this, please let me know as I have another friend interested (the local hiking/sports stores do not have a clue!).

  2. #62
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    Shelb
    Sounds like one of the Nordic Walking poles. look them up.

  3. #63

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    Quote Originally Posted by handlebar View Post
    No. That's how I use mine and rather than tightly gripping the pole, I insert my hands upwards (as with ski poles) and put most of the pressure on the straps. Going uphill, on the level, or only slightly downhill, I plant the poles about even with the opposite foot and push off. I find that lengthens my stride by an inch or two adding about 1/10 or 1/5 mph to my speed. Going steep downhill, I use my palms and plant the pole a little ahead to belay myself.
    This is exactly how I use mine. By coming upwards and using the strap, you don't actually need to grip the poles when applying downward pressure. Much easier on the arms and hands. When you open your hand and lift upwards, there's enough slack in the strap that it doesn't lock your wrist in place.

  4. #64

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    I like the straps for all the obvious reasons but figure it's up to the person using the pole.

  5. #65
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    Straps help you pull your sticks out from rocks when they get stuck and you have passed by the insert point.
    Strap help you push down on sticks when climbing.

    "May all your steps be without blisters and the driving rain be only at you back" Myself

  6. #66
    Registered User ny breakfast's Avatar
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    i used the straps a few times when i started out. you do feel the gain that they provide, i find them to much to fiddle with as i much prefer running my poles maxed out and being able to grip up and down the pole easier, i cut everything off my poles and put a short grip that i liked with baseball bat wrap the rest of the way down that i would grip, with a rubber gasket at the base of the grip. i like having more hand positions available to me without the fiddle factor, it's just what i like but the straps are there for a reason HYOH see what works for you

  7. #67
    Registered User gbolt's Avatar
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    If I got rid of the straps...how would I know which pole was the right versus left? lol. Actually, I like the lightweight ribbon straps on my Leki Corklite Poles. They seem to work in conjuction with the grips and help me keep a good, steady, and relaxed rythm. I was only half joking, because I compared the shape of the straps as they pass across my palm, or better yet, the portion of the strap my palm rest on. The one closest to each thumb is a thinner peice of the strap. If it's thicker, the pole is in the wrong hand. I can now tell without looking because of friction on the thumb pad, if the ribbon strap is wrong. But as has been mentioned before...to each their own.
    "gbolt" on the Trail

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  8. #68
    Registered User HighLiner's Avatar
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    I didn't read all the posts but when crossing certain streams in Maine they were essential, at least in my opinion. Slip in the water and the first thing you will instinctly do is let go of one. Say good-by to it if the water is swift. Been there done that!
    HighLiner
    2000 Miler

  9. #69
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    Quote Originally Posted by Elder View Post
    Oh, and don't be a gram weinie..leave the baskets on too!
    Baskets protect the tip, the lower shaft and the trail, by limiting the little holes!
    I leave my baskets on but I completely understand why some take them off. It's not just weight; baskets have an annoying tendency to jerk your arm back when they become wedged behind a root or rock.

  10. #70
    Registered User KDogg's Avatar
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    I used straps for the entire AT. After you hike with them for a while (several months!) you get used to gripping very loosely and relying on the straps for support. From much experience with falling, the poles never got in the way when using them correctly with the straps. The straps also allowed me to "drop" the poles when climbing and not have to stop and put them on my pack. I'm older and have bad knees (worse now that I have a thru under my belt) and the poles were indispensable. Can't recommend them enough.

  11. #71
    Registered User MikekiM's Avatar
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    I used to swear by pole straps.. For all the reasons stated above.

    Then I made a set of DIY 4 oz carbon fiber poles using Gossamer Gear handles and no straps and now I swear by no straps. I did contour the grips so that I can hold them with nearly no pressure and that helps a lot.
    _______________________________________
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  12. #72

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    Quote Originally Posted by HighLiner View Post
    I didn't read all the posts but when crossing certain streams in Maine they were essential, at least in my opinion. Slip in the water and the first thing you will instinctly do is let go of one. Say good-by to it if the water is swift. Been there done that!
    Impromptu stick(s) gets it done too. Maine is the pine tree state with abundant varieties and number of trees. Many well used trails just by giving a quick look around around teh shoreline where folks tend to cross you'll very often find previously used staffs.

  13. #73
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    Default Straps on trekking poles

    I didn't read em all either. But I've also dropped poles before, and the thought hit me long ago that I could lose one over the side of a steep ridge. So I use the straps, mainly for that.
    I'm told, if you use the straps correctly, then if you fall your hand can slip out. I guess that's a good thing - not really sure.

  14. #74
    Registered User Redbird2's Avatar
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    I always use the straps. They've saved me from losing the pole and falling down when the pole gets caught between rocks etc

  15. #75

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    Quote Originally Posted by KDogg View Post
    I used straps for the entire AT. After you hike with them for a while (several months!) you get used to gripping very loosely and relying on the straps for support. From much experience with falling, the poles never got in the way when using them correctly with the straps. The straps also allowed me to "drop" the poles when climbing and not have to stop and put them on my pack. I'm older and have bad knees (worse now that I have a thru under my belt) and the poles were indispensable. Can't recommend them enough.
    +1 I really can't say it any better than this; also drop the poles when taking pictures.
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  16. #76
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    Quote Originally Posted by Redbird2 View Post
    I always use the straps. They've saved me from losing the pole and falling down when the pole gets caught between rocks etc
    Same here - in addition to allowing me to avoid the strain of a continual death-grip, straps have saved me from accidentally littering a steep mountainside with a dropped pole.

  17. #77
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    Fully realizing that those who use trekking pole straps consider those of us who don't to be weirdo, contrarian outliers — and just plain wrong! — I can explain why I don't and how it came to be.

    Hiking here in the Northeast there many places where there are a lot of little ups and downs, and being someone who does not prefer to use poles on flat or gentle up and down trails, I found myself constantly switching back and forth between briefly using the poles to go up or down a hill, and then carrying them again, either one pole in each hand or both in one hand. For this kind of use, I found that this endless repetition of engaging and disengaging hands from the straps to be a constant annoyance. With conventional poles I noticed that I could go pretty much all day without ever using the straps.

    One fateful day I did a hike with some new friends, one of whom was using some Gossamer Gear LightTrek poles. He let me try them, and Ooohh-la-la, it was love at first swing, and about 10 seconds and 100 feet down the trail I knew I just had to have some very light poles. However, that same day my friend managed to break one of them during what was a 'garden variety' trail stumble, so I thought perhaps they might be a skosh too light. I also really-really-really don't like twist lock, so after considerable mulling I decided to make my own 2-section, flicklock version. Distilling a very long saga down to one sentence, I made my own with some China-sourced carbon fiber tubes, GG grips and Black Diamond flicklocks and Distance Z pole tips.

    On the trail, I did indeed notice that it took more hand strength to hold the GG grips than I liked. I looked at my old Leki grips on the Makalu Ti poles that seemed easier to grip, observing that there is a little 'shelf' where the index finger wraps around the grip. So I took a Dremel tool and sanded out the GG grip, making the shelf a little deeper than that on the Leki grips. This finger rest made a huge difference! It reduced hand strain enormously because now my thumb wrapped around the grip and also helped 'lock' the index finger into the recessed area. Additionally, the pole can be held with the middle finger on the shelf and the thumb over the top of the grip, resulting in a very, very low amount of hand strain.

    Later on, I decided to do the same finger rest treatment to the bottom of the grip, adding a small tube of EVA foam below the GG grip to extend the bottom of the grip. This makes it easy to slide the hand down the grip for steep uphill sections without having to release the flicklock and shorten the pole... very handy IMO.

    Recently on one set of these poles (of course I have a few sets from various prototype testing!) I added some Black Diamond Distance straps and have been testing those. They work fine, although when I start off using them in the morning I find that later I revert to habit and simply don't use them... I truly find them unnecessary with the grip mods I have incorporated.

    So even though I don't use straps, I have put considerable thought, effort and testing into the process and am not some uninformed doofus on this topic.

    trek_pole_01.jpg
    trek_pole_02.jpg trek_pole_03.jpg
    Last edited by cmoulder; 11-30-2018 at 12:40.

  18. #78
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    Fully realizing that those who use trekking pole straps consider those of us who don't to be weirdo, contrarian outliers .

    True :0) And worse things ha ha

    thom

  19. #79

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    Quote Originally Posted by cmoulder View Post
    Recently on one set of these poles (of course I have a few sets from various prototype testing!) I added some Black Diamond Distance straps and have been testing those. They work fine, although when I start off using them in the morning I find that later I revert to habit and simply don't use them... I truly find them unnecessary with the grip mods I have incorporated.
    So even though I don't use straps, I have put considerable thought, effort and testing into the process and am not some uninformed doofus on this topic.
    trek_pole_01.jpg
    trek_pole_02.jpg trek_pole_03.jpg
    What do you do with all the prototypes as you move on to new designs?

  20. #80
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    Quote Originally Posted by CalebJ View Post
    What do you do with all the prototypes as you move on to new designs?
    I keep rotating them to see how they hold up over time... I currently have 3 pairs and my oldest original pair have well over 2k mi on them. And I try new things with them, such as the test with straps, and the grip extension thing on the bottom. One pair are fixed-length, 2-section units that weigh about 3.9oz per pole. The ones with the straps weigh about 4.4oz each (and they're also a little heavier because I spliced some leftovers on the lower sections) and the originals weigh about 4.1oz each. For winter I'm also trying out some Hitor poles I got on Amazon... they're less than 7oz with snow baskets and it's astonishing that they're selling these for about $30 a pair.

    trek_pole_04.jpg

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