Fixed, folding or telescopic walking poles?

Fixed, folding or telescopic poles? It’s one of the first questions you face when choosing hiking poles, Nordic walking poles or trail poles. Here’s our advice and a comparison table to help you decide.

First, it’s more accurate to distinguish between single-section and multi-section poles than between fixed and telescopic poles. As the name suggests, single-section poles consist of one section. Their length cannot be adjusted: it always stays the same. Multi-section poles, on the other hand, have several sections and can be folded or retracted for storage. They can therefore be folding or telescopic. Bear in mind that not all retractable poles fold, and not all folding poles retract.

Nordic walking takes place on easy, relatively flat terrain that isn’t steep or uneven. Walkers use their poles throughout the entire walk and never put them away. They therefore don’t need folding or telescopic poles, which tend to be heavier and don’t provide the powerful, straight propulsion or optimal vibration absorption of a single-section pole.

When hiking or trail running, it helps to be able to pack your poles in your rucksack or attach them to your belt for certain sections, keeping them as compact as possible. Folding or telescopic poles are therefore the better choice.

Telescopic or folding poles?

For hiking or trail, if you choose multi-section poles, you’ll need to decide between telescopic and folding poles. Both work well and let you pack your poles in your rucksack or attach them to your belt to keep them compact.

Before you decide, bear in mind that:

• You can always adjust the length of telescopic poles, but this isn’t necessarily true of folding poles. If you’ll be using them on terrain with climbs and descents, check carefully that their length is adjustable.

• Telescopic poles generally have two or three sections, while folding poles have at least three. The more sections they have, the more compact they are when folded.

• There are two types of telescopic poles, depending on their locking system: twist-lock poles and clip-lock telescopic poles. The table below excludes twist-lock telescopic poles, as they can slip out of adjustment while hiking or be too difficult to loosen. They’re inexpensive, but they don’t really compare with folding poles. They are, however, suitable for occasional short outings on easy terrain.

The table below compares fixed-length single-section poles, multi-section telescopic poles and multi-section folding poles. Our ratings run from 1 for the most advantageous option to 3 for the least advantageous.

Remember that pole weight and strength depend not only on the number of sections or how the poles pack away, but also on factors such as the shaft material and locking system. In this table, we compare poles with shafts made from the same material and of the same quality level.