anyone using leki poles? (1 Viewer)

[matt green]

for the past couple of weeks i've been using a cut length of hazel for long distance walking,ever since i bashed my knee two years ago i find using a stick has helped enormously when climbing over ditch's,steep hills and generally aiding my balance.so lately i've been thinking about getting one of those flash retractable leki poles hillwalkers use.they have the benefit of being very light yet strong enough to cope with a bit of nettle/bramble bashing!,also i believe they can fold away quite small when not required.anyone else using these for birding trips?

matt

 

[symphony]

for the past couple of weeks i've been using a cut length of hazel for long distance walking,ever since i bashed my knee two years ago i find using a stick has helped enormously when climbing over ditch's,steep hills and generally aiding my balance.so lately i've been thinking about getting one of those flash retractable leki poles hillwalkers use.they have the benefit of being very light yet strong enough to cope with a bit of nettle/bramble bashing!,also i believe they can fold away quite small when not required.anyone else using these for birding trips?

I'm not using them these days but I occured to me one could be converted to double up as a monopod to support optical gear. Handy though a 'full' tripod is wouldn't it be nice not lugging one around all day. By the way there are many manufacturers producing good quality walking poles and some of them may be cheaper in price than Leki. Just a thought.

I used to do a lot of hillwalking and they are excellent for relieving impact and strain on the knees you can have your hands and arms take a lot of the strain both uphill and downhill particularly if you use two as many walkers do. Though you can look a bit silly like a skier without skis! They are very good for preventing falls too as you can push yourself upright against the pole.

If were in the hills a lot with all my optical kit I'd be using a pole to get some some the weight away from my knees.

 

[MikeEvans]

for the past couple of weeks i've been using a cut length of hazel for long distance walking,ever since i bashed my knee two years ago i find using a stick has helped enormously when climbing over ditch's,steep hills and generally aiding my balance.so lately i've been thinking about getting one of those flash retractable leki poles hillwalkers use.they have the benefit of being very light yet strong enough to cope with a bit of nettle/bramble bashing!,also i believe they can fold away quite small when not required.anyone else using these for birding trips?

matt

Not used for birding, but I pretty much always take my walking poles when hillwalking, and I find they help a lot to reduce knee pain, especially when descending. A few things to note though: -

1) Using a pair of poles is much more than twice as good as using a single pole - you can transfer your weight to the poles (and off your knees) a great deal more effectively when there are two of them
2) They're pointless unless you use them properly - which means using the strap at the top of the pole to support your weight, and not trying to just grip the things tightly, and also not just wafting them around
3) Don't waste your money on expensive 'Anti-shock' poles - if you're using them properly, i.e. placing them and smoothly transferring your weight onto them, there is no shock to reduce - just another gizmo to suck up your cash and then break!

Check out Pete's Pole Page for more info and advice on how the things actually should be used.

 

[matt green]

thanks for the above link mike,the section on knee injury was very helpfull. about two years ago i did a very daft thing that laid me up for a month!,after climbing over a stile i stepped down from the last footstep[about two feet from the ground] on one leg with the full weight including my daysack and my bicycle,which i held over my back.the combined weight strained my knee and although the pain was immediate after half an hour i managed to cycle the twelve miles home in relatively little discomfort,which is more that can be said for the next month or so.
probably should have gone down the doctors [hate doctors :-O ]but what ever i did that day it has slowly got better and now i'm able to cope with longer walks.

matt

 

[gordon g]

I have used poles for years when hill walking, especially in winter when heavily laden on slippy ground. They certainly save your knees from a hammering. You used to see some poles that could be converted into monopods, but unfortunately I cant remember the brand. I would advise against the shock absorbing poles - heavy and not noticeably better - but would recommend a good comfortable wrist strap. If you have to grip the pole instead of relying on the strap you end up with tennis elbow instead of sore knees!

 

[Colin Key]

I don't have enough hands to carry and use all my current essential kit - to add walking poles would more or less be an end to birding as I know (and like) it.

I actually saw a middle-aged couple recently (not birders) walking on flat coastal ground, both with huge rucksacks and a pair of walking poles - they looked absolutely riddiculous!!

On a serious note, my wife has a single, telescopic "Brasher" pole which she uses as a casual walking stick; it has a spherical cork handle which unscrews to leave a thread for camera or scope and serves as a reasonable monopod. :t: