You need hiking, nordic walking or trail poles, but you do not know where to start when it comes to choosing the right ones? Here is a practical guide to help you choose the right walking poles for your next outings.
Aluminium or carbon alloy? Telescopic or foldable poles? With the sheer variety of nordic walking, trail and hiking poles available on the market, it is not always easy to make a decision.
To avoid making the wrong choice and to be confident you are making the right decision, it is first important to get well informed about the various options, features and characteristics available. To help you think it through, we have prepared a handy reference covering the key questions and essential elements that will guide you in choosing your poles.
What will I use my poles for?
Before buying your poles, you first need to ask yourself what you will be using them for. Here are the very first questions you need to answer:
- What activity will I use my walking poles for? Ok, it's the basics — but it's an important question to answer. Hiking poles are different from nordic walking poles or trail poles. Every sport has its pole. Good news, though: depending on your requirements, your level and the terrain you practise on, it can sometimes be possible to choose poles that work for two different activities.
To help you, we have prepared detailed guides for each activity. Make the right choice for your hiking, trail or nordic walking poles with our expert advice.
- What is my level? A beginner hiker who goes out occasionally on Sundays over easy terrain does not have the same requirements as a more experienced hiker who goes out every week and sometimes heads off on multi-day treks. Your level and how frequently you practise will determine a great deal: the choice of materials, accessories, and a whole range of factors that affect the final price. Which brings us back to the budget question — not "how much am I willing to spend?" but "how much should I spend on the pole that meets all my needs?".
- Who will use my poles? This question might seem slightly absurd, but it is far from it. If you choose retractable, telescopic or adjustable foldable poles, you can lend them without any problem, since it will be possible to adjust their height to suit whoever is using them. So, if you do not practise regularly throughout the year but still want to invest in good poles, knowing that you will not be the only one using them may well reinforce your decision and make you less hesitant to spend a little more.
- What terrain will I practise on, and in what situations? Answering this question will help you most when deciding on the composition of your poles and their storage system. You need to think as far ahead as possible. Will you sometimes go out in the rain? Do you plan to use your poles in the snow? Do you intend to go on multi-day treks during which you will need to carry your poles over long distances without necessarily using them? These are all points that are essential to clarify before choosing new nordic walking, hiking or trail poles.
Once you have answered these preliminary questions, you can move on to the more concrete details. Which alloy, which size, or which locking system to choose? Let's quickly run through the key characteristics of each of these elements.
Aluminium or carbon poles: which material should I choose?
To choose the right tube composition for your poles, it is necessary to take several factors into account. Here are the main points to check to help you make your choice. If this is not enough, our detailed article will help you choose between aluminium and carbon poles.
- The activity you practise: as mentioned above, every sport has its pole. Depending on the activity you practise, the ideal composition of the shaft changes.
- For hiking, aluminium tends to be the material of choice — sturdier than carbon, more resistant and durable. You can also comfortably use aluminium poles in the snow, for example on a ski hiking trip or snowshoeing. While aluminium is slightly heavier than carbon, it remains a lightweight material.
- For nordic walking, carbon is recommended — even more lightweight than aluminium, it also absorbs vibrations far better, which is essential for this sport. The higher the percentage of carbon in the tube's composition, the better.
- For trail, both aluminium and carbon are excellent options. Once again, it all depends on your level and your priorities. If you want to prioritise lightness, go for carbon trail poles. After all, trail is a race, and the less weight you carry, the more lightweight you will be, the faster you will go, and the less you will tire. If you prefer more robust poles that handle impacts, cold temperatures or heavy loads better, then go for aluminium.
- Your level, the terrain and the occasion: as with all sports equipment, there is no absolute rule for choosing ideal poles. As mentioned above, it depends on multiple factors that vary from person to person. In short, the two main distinctions to keep in mind are: aluminium is more resistant, carbon is more lightweight. If you plan to practise on steep, rugged terrain in all weathers, you have a sturdy build and your technique relies on heavy pressure, then go for aluminium. If you tend towards long-distance outings on terrain with few obstacles or elevation changes, you need to protect your joints as much as possible and stay as lightweight as possible, then carbon is probably the best option.
Telescopic, fixed or foldable poles: which should you choose?
Single-section, multi-section, foldable, telescopic, adjustable or fixed — the options are numerous and it is not always easy to make up your mind. Let's break it down together so you can easily choose the option and storage system best suited to your activity. For more information, check out our page on single-section or multi-section poles, fixed, telescopic or foldable.
- Single-section or multi-section? Walking poles can be made up of a single section or multiple sections.
- Single-section poles: it is impossible to practise nordic walking without poles — you use them from start to finish of every outing. There is therefore no real need to store them (and consequently to fold or retract them) in your backpack. Which is a good thing, because nordic walking poles must be single-section. Why? Because single-section poles provide the powerful, straight-line drive the walker needs, and because they reduce vibrations better than multi-section poles. The shaft is made of a single section, and the length remains fixed. The pole is also less fragile, since its structure is less complex.
- Multi-section poles: for hiking and trail, foldable or telescopic poles — made up of several sections that lock and unlock or slide into each other — are preferred. Why? Because there may be times when you need to stow your poles in your backpack for tricky sections, on flat ground or gentle slopes (particularly in trail), which is only possible with multi-section poles. Moreover, for hiking you will almost certainly need to adjust the length of your poles during outings — on traverses, for example, or on climbs and descents. It is therefore necessary to be equipped with telescopic poles or adjustable folding poles.
- Foldable or telescopic? The storage system for multi-section poles should not be chosen lightly either. It will affect the handling of the poles, as well as their weight and bulk.
- Telescopic poles: these are the most commonly used for hiking. Their length is necessarily adjustable, which is essential for keeping your poles at the right height throughout the hike. You can also use them for trail, but be aware that they are often slightly heavier than their foldable counterparts. There are two types of locking system for telescopic poles: screw or clip. With a clip system, you adjust the poles with greater ease and speed — it is also a safer system, though slightly more expensive. The screw system is more affordable, but less reliable and far less practical.
- Foldable poles: this storage system is particularly popular for trail, but also for hiking. However, it cannot be ruled out that foldable poles may be more fragile than telescopic poles, which can be a deal-breaker for some hikers. Extremely easy and quick to fold and deploy, they offer a significant time saving, especially during a race. They are also generally more lightweight than telescopic poles and less bulky. The more sections there are, the more compact the poles once folded. Foldable poles may or may not be adjustable. Therefore, if you need to adjust the length of your poles, make sure this is possible before buying.
Which grips should I choose?
Once you have chosen the alloy and storage system best suited to your needs, if you have the opportunity, you can move on to choosing the grip. Even though you tend to get used to almost any grip, one that does not suit your morphology or that you do not find sufficiently comfortable risks causing long-term pain. And what starts as a minor irritation at the beginning of an outing can very quickly become considerably bothersome. That is why the choice of grip is not just a minor detail.
Where possible, we recommend avoiding plastic or rubber grips, which are rigid and tend to cause sweating. It is possible to counter this by wearing gloves, but they may make your hands warm. More ergonomic and therefore more comfortable, cork and foam grips are also anti-perspiration, more resistant and therefore more durable.
Which wrist straps should I choose?
Choosing your wrist straps is a fairly quick process. For hiking, a simple strap is sufficient; for extra comfort, you can choose a padded one. For nordic walking, it is essential to choose a glove-type strap, meaning one that wraps around the wrist and thumb, much like putting on a mitten. If the strap is removable, even better — you will be able to free yourself from the pole more easily, to grab your water bottle for example. For trail, straps can be either simple or glove-type. With simple straps, you can move your hand to different heights — on the pommel or below the grip, for instance. With glove-type straps, you will have more relaxed control. It is up to you to decide which type of strap suits you best.
Which tips should I choose?
The tip is one of the most important elements of your poles, as it is the sole point of contact between your poles and the ground. Your grip on the ground — and therefore, in part, your stability — depends on it. Generally sold in steel, tips can also be made from tungsten carbide, a material far more resistant and therefore far more durable than steel. While the upfront cost is higher, if you use your poles more than once every two months, you will quickly recoup the investment in your tungsten tips.
It is also possible to cover your tips with interchangeable end caps, which vary depending on the terrain you practise on or the activity you are dedicated to. For example, in nordic walking, bevelled tips specific to the sport are used — these can be made of rubber or, better still, carbide. Alternatively, if you want to reduce the noise caused by your tips striking tarmac (and at the same time protect your tips), you can add a plastic end cap.
Finally, the baskets are also interchangeable depending on the activity and terrain. So, if you are going hiking in the summer season, you will use small baskets, known as "summer baskets". If you want to go snowshoeing or ski hiking in the snow, you will need to swap them for "winter baskets". Wider, they will prevent your poles from sinking too deep into the snow.
What size should I choose?
That's it — you are now absolutely sure and know exactly which pole to choose, the one made for you! You have reviewed and considered every possible option, and finally decided which pole to buy. Now it's time for the last step: choosing the size of your poles! Nothing could be simpler. Just multiply your height in centimetres by 0.68 to get an idea of the ideal length for your future poles. Then, once you have a pole to hand, make sure it is the right size. Wear the same shoes you will use when using the poles, hold one of them in your hand while standing upright and keeping the pole perpendicular to the ground. In this position, if the pole is the right size, your elbow and forearm should form a right angle of 90°.
