In the past, trekking poles and hiking poles were still rare items and basically no one used them, but what about now? Whether it is mountaineering, hiking, cross-country running, etc., everyone is beginning to use mountaineering poles. Undoubtedly, it has become an essential equipment for outdoor activities.
So what are the benefits of hiking poles? Why does everyone use it?
During outdoor activities, trekking poles can protect your joints, help you maintain balance, and save effort when walking on some steep mountain roads. Studies have proven that hiking poles can reduce the impact force on the knee joint by more than 40% when hiking, especially when going downhill.
Hiking poles are a bit like ski poles. With them, we can use the power of our arms to help us move forward. Whether on flat ground or steep mountain roads, hiking poles can help us increase our average speed.
In 1999, the "Journal of Sports Medicine" published an article proving that trekking poles can reduce the impact force on the knees by more than 25%, so when doing outdoor sports, especially mountain climbing, hiking, weight-bearing downhill, etc. , trekking poles can reduce the impact of weight-bearing on our legs, knees, ankles, and feet.
In some wild areas, trekking poles can also stir up weeds and scare away snakes, as well as push away thorny vines and spider webs on the road. It can also play a role in self-defense in dangerous areas, especially when encountering wild dogs, bears and other wild animals in the wild.
Generally when hiking, trekking poles can help you maintain balance and increase your walking speed. It can also provide better protection in some muddy areas, snowy areas, etc. It can also play a supporting role when crossing the river. On some dangerous roads, it can also play a role in detecting the road surface. For example, in snow, it can also detect whether there are potholes ahead.
One of the most important functions of trekking poles is to reduce the burden. When we move forward with weight, the trekking poles can transfer the weight of the backpack to the forearms, and then act on the ground through the trekking poles, thus reducing the burden on the legs.
Finally, trekking poles are also an important tent accessory. Some tents can now be set up using only trekking poles, so we don’t need to bring tent poles, which virtually reduces the burden on our backpacks.
