When hiking, you will almost certainly need to change the length of your telescopic or folding poles at some point. Let's look at how to adjust the length of your hiking poles quickly and efficiently.
For better performance as well as comfort and safety, it is important to adjust the length of your poles according to the different gradients or types of terrain you will encounter along your route. You will likely need to extend the length on descents, shorten both poles on ascents, or adjust just one of them on traverses. That is why, when hiking, it is essential to get adjustable multi-section poles, whether telescopic or folding.
There are different locking systems for hiking poles — screw or clip. Let's look at how to proceed in the best way, depending on the locking system of your poles.
- Screw locking system: this is the most common and most affordable system, but it is also the oldest and has a few drawbacks. That is why it is important to use it with certain precautions.
To adjust the length of the poles, simply loosen the screws, slide the different sections against each other until you reach the desired length, then tighten them back at the ideal notch.
Warning: poles can sometimes unscrew on their own while walking, which can be very surprising and even dangerous. Make sure to tighten the screws sufficiently. A second word of caution: if you tighten them too much, you will have great difficulty loosening them, which will cost you time and patience. You need to find the right balance.
- Clip locking system: this is the best option for telescopic poles and is also the system generally found on adjustable folding poles.
To adjust the length of the poles, the hiker opens the latch, slides the different sections against each other until reaching the desired length. Once the right length is reached, they close the latch at the ideal notch. This is a more modern, more robust, more reliable and faster system than the screw lock. Note also that a screw generally allows you to adjust the clamping force of the latch on such systems.
Note: if you choose folding poles, be aware that not all of them are adjustable. If you want to use them for hiking, we strongly recommend choosing poles that offer the option to adjust the length.
