Thread: Walking Poles

Never had a manuka pole let go or fold up on me and they cost almost nothing apart from a bit of time and your chosen oil....just saying

Originally Posted by dannyb

Never had a manuka pole let go or fold up on me and they cost almost nothing apart from a bit of time and your chosen oil....just saying

Just so everyone knows, Danny uses Baby Oil

Originally Posted by dannyb

Never had a manuka pole let go or fold up on me and they cost almost nothing apart from a bit of time and your chosen oil....just saying

How do you fold it up to put in your pack when not needed ?

Originally Posted by veitnamcam

How do you fold it up to put in your pack when not needed ?

With a silky saw, but only once, doubles as emergency firewood though


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Originally Posted by veitnamcam

How do you fold it up to put in your pack when not needed ?

Bit of bungy chord and it slings quite comfortably, really no sweat and I find I'm almost always using it so rarely slung anyway

@BRADS What's wrong with them?

Originally Posted by bumblefoot

@BRADS What's wrong with them?

I went through about 4 pairs before I gave up on them, some just fell apart others bent really easily
I never got more than a trip from a pair, I learnt like binos and scopes you get what you pay for with poles, brought a Leki had it for 3 or 4 years now can beat possums with it hook it in tree roots and its still as good as new.
Others may of had better luck but thats my experience, for the record most my gear is macpac I just wouldn't waste any more money on those poles.

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Originally Posted by BRADS

I went through about 4 pairs before I gave up on them, some just fell apart others bent really easily
I never got more than a trip from a pair, I learnt like binos and scopes you get what you pay for with poles, brought a Leki had it for 3 or 4 years now can beat possums with it hook it in tree roots and its still as good as new.
Others may of had better luck but thats my experience, for the record most my gear is macpac I just wouldn't waste any more money on those poles.

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Only a cocky would fuck 4 pairs (8poles) before trying something else

Im taking the piss of course brads and I haven't even used mine yet.

I bought mine with the intention of useing them only to steady myself while I regain use of my leg and rebuild strenght in it.

Having never used the pussy sticks before I imagined them only being used as a steadying stick for the frail on uneven terrain and as such not subjected to any real load.?

Originally Posted by veitnamcam

Only a cocky would fuck 4 pairs (8poles) before trying something else

Im taking the piss of course brads and I haven't even used mine yet.

I bought mine with the intention of useing them only to steady myself while I regain use of my leg and rebuild strenght in it.

Having never used the pussy sticks before I imagined them only being used as a steadying stick for the frail on uneven terrain and as such not subjected to any real load.?

To be fair was only 4 poles Cam I've only just started using 2
With a fucked knee going down hill one pole gets really loaded up on that side, in some situations if it folded up or gave way it would get interesting
But hey you could die sitting on the couch

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Retired ski poles from recycle centres, Downside is they are one piece and can bend if they take a solid hit, upside they are cheap and can handle a good load, offer bit of hand protection too , A larger mate of mine uses them every tramp as walking poles cannot support his weight.

Manuka poles etc are great, but cannot be loaded in the same way as a good purpose built pole with a hand strap, unless you have forearms like popeye. The hand straps are essential and you can fully load the pole without gripping the handle hard if you put the straps on properly, see the picture below.

The other issue is the amount of grip, good walking poles have a tungsten tip on them which grips on angled rocks, a manuka pole would not provide nearly the same amount of stability in the rocky areas.

Originally Posted by Savage1

Manuka poles etc are great, but cannot be loaded in the same way as a good purpose built pole with a hand strap, unless you have forearms like popeye. The hand straps are essential and you can fully load the pole without gripping the handle hard if you put the straps on properly, see the picture below.

The other issue is the amount of grip, good walking poles have a tungsten tip on them which grips on angled rocks, a manuka pole would not provide nearly the same amount of stability in the rocky areas.

Attachment 163078

Yup do it all the time, mine has a rubber foot on the bottom that is ideal for most terrains and super grippy but also cam be easily removed if a harder tip is required.

I'm not saying they are the be all end all but they are definitely more useful than most give them credit for.

Originally Posted by dannyb

Yup do it all the time, mine has a rubber foot on the bottom that is ideal for most terrains and super grippy but also cam be easily removed if a harder tip is required.

I'm not saying they are the be all end all but they are definitely more useful than most give them credit for.

Attachment 163081

If you want a harder tip for when you have the rubber foot removed, epoxy metal in a broken HSS drill bit (tip, not shank, as the shank is not hardened).

Originally Posted by Savage1

Manuka poles etc are great, but cannot be loaded in the same way as a good purpose built pole with a hand strap, unless you have forearms like popeye. The hand straps are essential and you can fully load the pole without gripping the handle hard if you put the straps on properly, see the picture below.

The other issue is the amount of grip, good walking poles have a tungsten tip on them which grips on angled rocks, a manuka pole would not provide nearly the same amount of stability in the rocky areas.

Attachment 163078

A lot of people think that a mustering stick is used and held with one hand swinging it out like a walking pole. This could not be further from the truth, a mustering stick is correctly held with both hands shoulder width apart in an opposed palm grip. For descending a steep slope, the stick is behind pressed down. The hand behind the body faces down and the one in front faces up. Bend the knees, lean back into the stick and run down the hill in foot long steps, keeping the knees bent. The opposed hands keep a constant down force on the stick so that it acts as suspension

In my experience, compared to two, one pole does fuck all when it comes to propelling you forward and when descending you can take the load off your knees and move much more quickly with two because you can always have one on the ground. One strong pole (heavy stick) is helpful for stability when sideling steep terrain but it has to be fairly long and that becomes a pain in the arse when you are not using it.