You’ve heard of them:  mythical devices that ease knee pain, work your upper body, and improve balance.  You may even have seen them, flying past you on the trail.  These are trekking poles, and you definitely need to check them out.

Trekking poles can be put into two main categories:  poles with shock absorption, and poles without.  You may think that shock absorption should be a standard feature on all trekking poles, but there are some reasons why it’s not.  Any device that absorbs shock will take up space.  This space will limit the amount that your poles will collapse.  If you are trying to stuff your shock absorption poles into your suitcase, you may have problems making them small enough.  Shock absorbers also add weight to a pair of poles.  On the other hand, absorbing some of the force that your knees would usually handle is an attractive option.

Trekking poles are sold singularly as well as in pairs.  Some people really only want one pole to help out with balance.  The single poles have some options that the pairs don’t offer, such as a camera attachment on the grip of the pole, or a horizontal cane-like handle instead of the normal ski pole grip.  Speaking of grips, you can usually choose from a cork grip or a rubber grip on your trekking poles.  People have their reasons for choosing one over the other, but it all comes down to personal comfort.  If you like it, go with it!

Some optional accessories to think about include larger winter baskets, rubber tips for the metal end of your poles to eliminate that loud clicking on rocks, and extra expander tubes.  The expander tubes allow your poles to expand and collapse.  After heavy use, you may notice your poles moaning and groaning as you lengthen or shorten them.  They may need some expander replacement love.