poles

[gungho]

It seems like a majority of people use them from the vids/pics I see... I've never used them. Should I get them for the AT?
Didn't use them on a 5 week 500 mile hike, but that wasn't anything like the ups and downs of the AT....

If you havent ever used them before,then why start now,its just walking

[strollingalong]

on that logic you'd still be hiking in stuff from scouts.

[Bumbull]

Poles seem to make more sense if you can get multiple uses for carrying the weight. Like using your poles for a vestibule or tarp support. You can also use a pole for a camera tripod by adding your own thread or a pop on mount. Check out my polepod.net

[van6497]

As usual, beware the strong opinions on Whiteblaze. I'd say, from the group that posts frequently, it's about 50 / 50 for using poles. For actual thru-hikers that you'll see, at least 90% of them will be using poles.

That 10% minority is just very vocal here...

[Hikes in Rain]

I noted a marked difference between my old hiking staff and new lightweight poles. For all the advantages you noted, ahuevo, (and they are very real ones that I miss), the actual walking and stability improved with two poles that together weigh less than my old staff. I think a lot of it is because I can use both sides of my upper body. I neve was very good as switching a staff from one hand to the other. I'd try, but before I noticed, it was back in my right hand, with no memory of how it got there.

[Spider]

Before I voice my opinion, know that I've only done short 3 day trips to this point. That being said, I have never used poles until my most recent hike. After this past hike, I'll never take another trip again without them. As others say, four legs is certainly better than two. They help by transferring weight from your legs into your arms as well. They also help with getting good footing. My most recent hike was a couple weeks ago and I'm happy to say I didn't even slip once, even with snow and ice covering parts of the trail. I also feel that it takes some stress off of your shoulders, as I didn't feel sore at any point.

I picked up a $20 pair of poles at Target for this hike just to see how I liked them. They worked just fine for me. However, I can see the value of investing in a nicer pair of poles in the future for longer hikes.

Hopefully this will help you make a more informed decision. Poles aren't for everyone, though they've really done well for me and I highly suggest picking up a cheap pair to try them out.

[Blissful]

If you havent ever used them before,then why start now,its just walking

Ha ha Walking eh?

Easier said.

Big diff when it comes to those little ol' elevation changes on the AT and your knees. They don't say its like climbing Mt Everest 35 times for nothing...

[Blissful]

on that logic you'd still be hiking in stuff from scouts.

Scouts are getting better with gear. I was getting more encouraged that the official BSA catalogs are starting to put in better and lighter weight gear.

[wvgrinder]

Poles seem to make more sense if you can get multiple uses for carrying the weight. Like using your poles for a vestibule or tarp support. You can also use a pole for a camera tripod by adding your own thread or a pop on mount. Check out my polepod.net

And if you listen to music while hiking, they're great for playing air drums.

[TIDE-HSV]

I read a study a couple of years ago - not one of those referenced above - which I can't find now, but it was done in New England. (May have been MIT.) The results were similar to those above. They found a 5% increase in overall effort, but that the effort was more evenly spread throughout the body, rather than being concentrated in the legs...

[Tinker]

Making sure that you adjust (and use) the straps correctly makes a big difference in the efficiency of pole usage.
I've used them for the past 8 years. Much like cross country skiing they can help a great deal in propelling you uphill. They can also help you control your rate of descent on steep downhills and can act as a third leg for stability, prod puddles to find slightly submerged rocks for your next step, etc, etc.
Poles are extremely useful once you get over the learning curve. They don't help much at all on trails crowded on both sides with bushes or on extremely (cliff-like) steep ups, when I, personally, tend to stow them in my pack.
Others may disagree with one or more of the above statements.
They're wrong.

[Spokes]

I read a study a couple of years ago - not one of those referenced above - which I can't find now, but it was done in New England. (May have been MIT.) The results were similar to those above. They found a 5% increase in overall effort, but that the effort was more evenly spread throughout the body, rather than being concentrated in the legs...

Interesting. The Journal of Sports Science and Medicine published this study in 2008 and concluded <b><i>"downhill walking induced higher energy expenditure and ventilatory responses with than without poles"</b></i>.

Lone Wolf may be on to something after all!