Trekking poles

> I don't care to walk with something in my hand and wondered if one would be enough to enjoy the benefits of trek poles?

I've seen people using 2, but I think one allows you to have the other hand free to swat at bugs and other tasks that tend to be a bad idea; with a long pointed object in your hand.

> Suggestions, please...

Make sure you have one that is adjustable, it will help on uneven ground, steep trails and switchbacks.

> Also, can these be taken on the plane as carry on?

I would check with the airlines before i carried it with me, up to the ticket counter to pick-up my boarding pass....;-)

The TSA says NO to Ski Poles, so my guess would be NO to Trekking poles.

Radar

Thanks Radar, that was my thinking, too... I saw the limitation to ski poles on the TSA site, but since these collapse to 25" I thought that they might slip by. I've already written TSA for an answer. According to the TSA site some of the requirements are local and subjective.

I boarded a plane in Grand Forks North Dakota a few weeks ago; it was A LOT different than going through TSA in Seattle.....

That TSa thing is funny. Last time I flew out of FCA, someone was carrying one bull elk antler, a seven point- onto the plane. Made me glad I left my nail clippers at home.....o.O

We are going through the line and the TSA takes my son's finger nail clippers.
OK, seems kind of silly, but fine.

While we are waiting an elderly women shows up really late and goes through inspection and sits down next to us. She pulls out these knitting needles and starts knitting. I look at the wife and she shrugs. Apparently knitting needles are not a problem but finger nail clippers are. Since then I've seen a number of women knitting on planes.

So I'd check-who knows.

TSA took my souvenier baseball bat from Louisville Slugger museum in Ky. You would think they had seen these enough to know a weapon from a souvenier. nope.

> Last time I flew out of FCA, someone was carrying one bull elk antler, a seven point- onto the plane.

Probably safe if the rut was over.

Rant on...
Why not just put them into checked luggage since they get down small enough?

Not directed at you foggyidea but why don't more people just check their luggage and not try to squeeze it into the overhead luggage space. I understand about extra fees but you are going on a trip and must be going for more than a couple of days to have that much luggage so please just check the luggage.

Sorry...I use to fly frequently and it never bothered me to pay a little extra to check some of my luggage.

If only going for a couple of days maybe just ship them via UPS or something but the cost may be more than checking them on the plane.

Rant off

Trekking poles>CHICK SURVEYING

I understand and feel the same way. I've also had my luggage arrive a few days late.

I have already shipped one box UPS to Phoenix that has my tent and sleeping bags in it. I will be checking a bag with the rest of our camping gear. I just wanted to be sure that our "accommodations" arrived safely and that seemed to be the best way.

Joe F. in Phoenix is safe guarding the UPS shipment.

I was just curious about the poles on the plane because I'm not sure that a 25" (minimum that I have fond in collapsed length) pair of poles will fit in my checked bag. All we are going to check are the items that we can live without. I think that the poles would fit into that category but only if they fit the bag!

Don

When going into a canyon or climbing steep ground take 2, 4' lath and use them as walking sticks, if I don't need both, they can be carried in one hand as a pair. Helps when climbing out of steep ground to have them, you can get your arms and shoulders into the act by using them as a climbing aid, saves the legs. Had thought about making my own walking stick, it would have a hard point and a spur so I could reach out and hook a branch to help pull myself up if needed, never built the thing, but the lath was used often. When I lost the sight in my right eye, depth perception went with it, those lath sure helped getting around on steep and rough ground, kind have gotten some sense of where the ground is now, but the lath still helps.
jud

Don't know your itinerary, but Jet Blue doesn't charge for the first checked bag under 50 lbs, and one carry-on for each person is free.

Two poles are easier to use than one. They do allow you to move more easily along rocky and/or slick trails. When I'm on relatively easy trails I carry a wooden staff though.

Andy

Trekking poles>CHICK SURVEYING

Don,

Don't take my comments too seriously. It just gets to me to see others try to stuff all of their belongings into one bag and try to put it in the overhead.

~Loran

I prefer wood, about 3/4" square by four feet with a chisel point at one end and painted white.

> For those of you that have used them, are two necessary? Can you get by with one walking stick, or do the two poles make more sense?

For me, two poles is the way to go, because it's less about balance and more about saving my knees. One pole doesn't allow you to transfer nearly as much weight to your shoulders when stepping off a significant drop (12" or larger).

Regarding adjustability, I like being able to collapse my poles for travel, but in use I always set them to the same length, regardless of whether I'm going up or down. The difference comes in the way I hold them: going up I grip them like I'm holding a hammer (i.e. hand around the barrel of the grip); going down I hold the butt end of the grip in my palm so I can extend further and push directly on the pole centerline. The hand straps make it easy to switch back and forth between these two grips without losing control of the pole.

> I don't care to walk with something in my hand and wondered if one would be enough to enjoy the benefits of trek poles?

I resisted poles for a long time because of the "I don't like stuff in my hands" thing. I quickly got used to them, though, and now it's only on very long stretches of flat trail that I'll bother to put them away.

I use two poles for winter mountain hiking. One pole helps in steep snow & ice, but not nearly as much as two. I usually don't use poles for summer hiking, but a single pole can help negotiate river crossings or other tricky spots.

Trekking poles>CHICK SURVEYING>Loran

I take almost nothing personally, and rarely seriously 🙂

The first time I went to sea on a Destroyer, the ship would roll to port and I went to port, when she rolled back and continued to roll to starboard, I would regain my lost position. Chief Bosun was watching my travels and brought me a swab for a crutch. That swab stabilized me until I got my sea legs, didn't take long to get the hang of it once I was able to stay in one place. First experience using a third leg.
jud.

Bundle of lathe in one hand, a brush hook in the other. Trek on.
Otherwise, not much need for those yuppie canes, unless I got a couple of slats strapped to my feet while headed down a snow covered mountainside.