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[at-l] Trekking poles? Nomad lite?
Quoting Jim and/or Ginny Owen <spiriteagle99@hotmail.com>:
> David Jessop wrote:
>
> >I am considering purchasing a Nomad lite tent which would require me
> to
> >use trekking poles. I've never used poles before and don't really
> see the
> >need. However, I understand that many long distance hikers use them.
> I'm
> >wondering what your thoughts are on poles and the Nomad lite? If
> this
> >discussion has taken place already in the archives, please point me
> to
> >them. Thanks!
>
> David -
> This "discussion" has taken place several times - with varying
> degrees of
> opinion and rancor. However, allow me to add a couple thoughts -
>
> First - you didn't say whether you were buying the Nomad new or used.
> If
> you're buying "pre-owned", then, as Art suggested - call Kurt and he
> can
> supply a set of shock-corded tent poles if you don't want to use
> hiking
> poles. If you're buying new, then ask Kurt to send you a set of
> shock-corded tent poles just so you'll have them if you don't want
> to carry
> the hiking poles sometimes. Or if you don't want to use them at all.
> I
> believe he can also supply a set of hiking poles if you want.
>
> Second - the poles - should you use them? The decision, of course,
> is yours
> - you're young and probably don't have the knee problems that some of
> us
> have developed. Maybe you don't need them. On the other hand, using
> the
> poles (or at least one pole) will aid in NOT developing those knee
> problems.
> I'll append a short article from one of last years PCTA newsletters
> that you
> might find interesting.
>
> Third - if hiking poles, what kind? If you're gonna use a Nomad tent
> "and"
> use hiking poles, then you'll probably want collapsible poles - like
> Lekis.
> While you "can" use the shock-corded tent poles, they won't always
> fit right
> - it depends on the surface you set up the tent on. The collapsible
> hiking
> poles are adjustable and can compensate for surface/material
> variations in
> your tent site. That makes them somewhat better than ski poles or
> one-piece
> wood or aluminum poles. The collapsible poles have additional
> advantages.
> I used various types of one-piece poles (including aluminum, pine,
> ash and
> bamboo) for local hiking before I started the AT, then I used ski
> poles for
> the AT - they worked very well. But I didn't fly to Atlanta to get
> to the
> trail - I drove. So I didn't run into problems with the airlines.
> When we
> flew to Colorado in 97, we used ski poles, put them in a large
> mailing tube
> and sent them as checked luggage. It worked, but it was a pain.
> When we
> later flew to Montana, we used Lekis and just collapsed them and
> buried them
> in our packs. So - why all the gyrations? Simple - a 4 or 5 ft
> stick,
> regardless of material or intended usage, is considered a weapon and
> will be
> confiscated unless it's checked baggage. And is likely to
> "disappear" if
> not hidden in a box, tube or bag of some sort. That's not
> speculation - I
> ran into that long before 9/11. I'll bet it hasn't gotten any better
> since.
> <G>
>
> Fourth - regardless of the type of hiking pole you use, they do
> contribute
> to a reduction in injury. They've saved me from a lot more than one
> fall.
> And when I was on the AT, I also realized that if I had reason to
> hurry
> (like getting to a post office to pick up a mail drop), they enabled
> me to
> hike 30% faster than normal. I try to avoid the "hiking faster"
> stuff
> though - I'm not into "race hiking".
>
> Finally - when I use the Lekis, I "do not " use the straps. In
> fact, on
> the PCT they annoyed me so much that I cut them off. I do know the
> "prescribed" way to use hiking poles. I also know a number of people
> who
> have had medical problems after using the poles by that method for a
> long
> hike - generally muscle/tendon/nerve damage in the forearm and/or
> hand. And
> at one time, I fell and broke a thumb because my hand got hung up in
> the
> strap. As a matter of fact, that used to be one of the major types
> of
> skiing injury - broken bones due to an inability to release the strap
> in a
> fall.
>
> As always - YMMV.
>
> Walk softly,
> Jim
>
> __
>
________________________________________________________________________
________
>
> Michael Hodgson, a 1995 Eco-Challenger and publisher of SNEWS, an
> on-line
> newsletter for the outdoor industry, was totally dubious about
> hiking
> poles, but agreed to try them on a four-day Colorado mountain trek.
>
> “I realized I’d never had such a feeling of power and control while
> hiking.
> Not only that \, but at the endo of the day, my knees had never felt
> better
> or my legs less fatigued. Never again wil I hike without poles” he
> reported.
>
> Hodgson’s wife, Theresa Iknoian, co-publisher of SNEWS and an
> exercise
> physiologist, noted that pole users showed increased muscular use
> throughout
> the body, turning hiking into something a lot more like cross-country
>
> skiing.”
>
> She added “This year we’ve seen two more in-depth studies, from
> Steadman-Hawkins Foundation in Vail and the University of
> Massachusetts.
> These show a general reduction of 4.4 percent in impacts to the body
> when a
> hikers foot hits the ground. The conclusion was, if you use poles,
> you’ll
> reduce the possibility of tendonitis, and other painful injuries to
> hips,
> thighs, calves, knees and ankles.
>
> You can use the same poles in winter for snowshoeing of Nordic skiing
> – just
> add the large snow-basket to the pole; for summer, snap on the
> smaller
> trekking basket, or no basket at all. To make poles even more
> versatile,
> different tips can be added to provide balance for any kind of
> surface from
> snow or rubble to cement or even interior floors. And one further
> point,
> poles provide upper body exercise which is lacking in simple
> trudging.
>
> When I stared snowshoeing, nobody used poles. About 15 years ago,
> some of
> us took up poles, and today, it is practically unthinkable to go
> without
> poles. It will happen in hiking.
>
> Bear Klaw
> Pacific Crest Trail Communicator, April-May 2002
>
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