I wanna buy hiking poles

anonymousie

Hi
I'm a fair weather rambler- 5 mils is "long distance" for me (well I can't go to fr ffor my 7 yr old:rotfl: ).
Recently injured my 2nd knee:o (did serious damage to the other one 6yrs ago but it is OK now). Suspect I now have a dodgy cartilage, but am avoiding surgeons if I can:rotfl:
Soooo I rather think I need a pair of hiking poles as falling on a hike and doing myself serious damage would not be ideal!

Recommendations please- do you "get what you pay for" or are the £4.99 aldi/lidl ones OK? Do I need a specific handgrip thingy?
Thanks for your help
Nicola

Debt_Free_Chick

Do you mean ski poles that people use for hiking?

If so, then I only have these words of warning .... ski poles are not intended to provide any support of any description. They are merely intended for the skier to "tap" (if at all) a point ahead of them, to assist the process of initiating a turn.

So I would be very wary of using ski poles if you need to rely on them to support you - they might do, but they were certainly not constructed with that purpose in mind.

Apologies if "hiking poles" are a different thing altogether.

Shaun_d123

Cant reccomend any or if the Aldi ones are as good as the others but Wiggle have a good selection.

Unfortunately they arent the cheapest im afraid

http://www.wiggle.co.uk/CategoryProducts.aspx?categoryName=Walking%20Poles&cat=hike

choccyface2006

I bought Aldi walking poles last year I am are very happy with them! OH also had a dodgy knee (two ops and its still not right) and he found the poles helped to ease the pressure.

Sarah

VickyA_2

I have "Leki" poles, which are fab. They keep me stable and give me confidence on the hills - balance isn't my strongest point :rolleyes:. They have a built in "shock" absorbing system, ideal for knees. You can get some without the spring system, but for poorly knees, I suggest you spend the extra. (DH was advised on this when visiting the physio for his knee problems. :rolleyes:)

Have a look at the selection here for ideas:

http://www.gaynors.co.uk/shop/11/index.htm

And these Pacer Poles were developed by a physio. If nothing else, the website gives you the reasons for needing decent trekking/hiking poles.

http://www.pacerpoles.com/background.html

Techno

I've also got Leki poles and I agree with VickyA - the shock absorbing poles are great - make sure you get 2 as one is neither 'use nor ornament' as my Gran used to say. Also it's quite useful to get the rubber tip covers for when you are walking on hard surfaces such as roads as this protects the tips.
Apart from anything else I've seen research that says nordic walking (ie with poles) uses more calories but I've found it places so much less strain on my back and knees that it doesn't feel like I'm using more energy

VickyA_2

Techno wrote: »

Apart from anything else I've seen research that says nordic walking (ie with poles) uses more calories but I've found it places so much less strain on my back and knees that it doesn't feel like I'm using more energy

They're good for the upper arm muscles. Sadly, I still have massive bingo wings. :rolleyes: More walking needed.

PS Completely agree Techno, 2 poles definitely needed.