The tips are the most heavily used part of your poles. They therefore tend to be the first to wear out. Fortunately, they are easy to replace. Let's look at how to go about it.
Replacing your pole tips: How to do it?
The tip is the most exposed part of your poles — it is the only part in constant contact with the ground, whether that's tarmac, dry earth, stones, or sometimes even snow, water, or mud. It is also one of the most important parts of your poles, particularly for reasons of safety and stability, as it is the sole point of contact between your poles and the ground.
To protect your tips, you can cover them with removable end caps, for example when walking on concrete or along a stony path. This will also help reduce the noise the tip makes when it strikes tarmac. Even so, after several outings, the repeated impact of bearing your weight (especially during nordic walking) can cause your tips to wear down, deteriorate, or even break. To slow this process as much as possible, when choosing your poles you can opt for tungsten carbide tips. Far more resistant than standard steel tips, tungsten carbide tips almost never break and provide better grip on the ground. They therefore offer greater safety. However, it is not impossible that with repeated use, they may start to slip out of their plastic housing. No need to panic! Replacing the tips on your hiking poles is something anyone can do. Let's look at how to go about it.
It is entirely possible to easily replace the worn tips on your walking or hiking poles yourself. The process, as well as being straightforward, is cost-effective — and you most likely already have everything you need at home.
- The first thing to do before replacing your pole tips is to get hold of some new ones. If possible, in tungsten carbide, for the reasons outlined above. You can source spare parts from many retailers and resellers.
- Next, simply heat the tip using warm water or the warm airflow from a heat gun or your hair dryer, until the glue no longer holds.
- You can then remove the worn tip with your fingers or with the help of a pair of pliers.
- You can now replace the old tip with the new one by securing it with glue (a glue gun will make this step much easier). Make sure to place the tip perfectly straight, checking the alignment between your tip and the handle. Press firmly.
There you go! Your tips have been replaced — you're now ready for new adventures!
