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Trekking Poles

DyanTX

DyanTX
Time of past OR future Camino
CF Sept 22 - Nov 3, 2016
After buying the nice tri-fold trekking poles, I've pretty much decided NOT to bring them to avoid the possibility of having to check them somewhere along the trip. Where in SJPDP does one buy them and at what cost? And what does one do with them when finished? Many thanks for your thoughts! And hope to see some of you along the way beginning on Sept. 22!
DyanTX
 
The 2024 Camino guides will be coming out little by little. Here is a collection of the ones that are out so far.
There is lots of shops selling cheap poles and probably more expensive ones, just take a walk down rue de citedelle from the pilgrim,s office and you will find one. By the way I brought my two poles in pack folded down on Ryanair from Dublin no problem??
 
I've pretty much decided NOT to bring them to avoid the possibility of having to check them somewhere along the trip.
Do you have extremely tight connections that you are worried about? Checking them is normally not an issue - carry on your backpack with everything else. Put your poles in a separate box or bag. The vast majority of bags arrive with their owners, but if it goes missing, then you only need to buy new poles.
 
The 2024 Camino guides will be coming out little by little. Here is a collection of the ones that are out so far.
Hello Dyan! I also will be starting from SJPP on the 22nd Sept! I have bought poles online and had them shipped to where I will sleep before I start, in Bayonne.

Will you be staying at Orison on the 22nd? I shall look out for your blonde bob end camino!

Nancy (from Manchester)
 
The Camino Shop just west of the Pilgrims Ofc. in Old Town has basic poles for under 10e each. Was there on 23 Aug. so pretty recent!
 
I never understood the conflict around bringing trekking poles on flights? Is it only an issue if they are hanging loose outside your pack, or are they simply not permitted on board?
 
3rd Edition. More content, training & pack guides avoid common mistakes, bed bugs etc
Not permitted on board in general as they could be used as a weapon in the right (actually the wrong!) hands. Buen Camino, SY
 
I bought some this morning from the shop down the hill from the Pilgrims Office. A good range and Nadia who works there explained some top tips for using them.
 
When considering some of the less expensive poles you will find at St. Jean PdP and along the Camino, I advise avoiding the "anti-shock" versions. This is because they are heavier than regular sectioned poles, and have more internal parts to malfunction or break. The springs inside many of them also tend to be noisy over time.

Remember, if starting in France, you are going to carry these poles for more than one month. Do not carry any more weight than absolutely necessary.

At the pilgrim office, I have the chance to evaluate all the various poles, sticks, and staffs that people abandon after their Caminos. You would be surprised what people simply dispose of after a single trip.

I also ask people about their pole's performance on the Camino. It turns out that the anti-shock feature is evidently a sales gimmick, particularly at the lower end of the price spectrum. Most folks I ask are not sold on the concept. It is one of those things that seems like it would be a great idea, but the drawbacks, weight, complexity, and relative lack of reliability, tend to argue against them, at least at the lower price points. These are the types I most frequently see arriving at Santiago.

Anyway, as regards sectioned aluminum or carbon fiber poles. I usually check the condition of the poles that are abandoned to see which can be repurposed by putting them into Donativo at the Pilgrim House (Rua Nova 19), and which should be trashed.

As a general observation, the anti-shock poles are usually the most broken, noisy and "trash-able." All wooden staffs go into a recycle box to be cut down for kindling for poorer households still using wood and coal stoves for cooking or heating. The remaining, sectioned aluminum or carbon fiber poles, in good condition, usually find their way over to Pilgrim House.

On the other hand, the conventional screw-tightening, or flip-lock tightening, traditional, "stiff" hiking sticks typically fare better, at least in my observations over three-years. I suspect this is because the design is simpler to build, operate, and maintain.

You can also find replacement parts along the Camino as these poles are largely generic in design and size. Many parts (and there are surprisingly few) are generically interchangeable, regardless of branding. I have repaired more than a few slippery twist-tightening, plastic collars or "nuts" using a twist or two of duck tape. It really does work! I have even cannibalized inexpensive, twist-fastening, sectioned aluminum poles to obtain replacement parts for better, but in need of parts, similar poles.

While there is not a Decathlon store in or near St. Jean PdP, their "house brand" Quechua twist lock poles are among the most evident at the P/O. True, you can buy lighter or stronger poles from "name brands." However, these poles do offer very good value for money. I personally use either Leki or Black Diamond hiking sticks. But lighter weight can be very expensive.

You can find inexpensive aluminum walking sticks for €10 - 15 each at Decathlon or many other sporting goods stores. They will be fine for one Camino or two. if you take care of them, they will take care of you.

Please, for "the good of the order," Be sure to obtain a set of black rubber tips for any poles you do buy to eliminate the dreaded click-clack, click-clack noise the steel tips make on paved surfaces.

After several days or weeks of grimy, sweaty or wet use, take the poles apart, rinse the tube segments with clean water, allow them to air dry, open side down so they drain fully. You can wash the grips and wrist straps with soap and water. I take mine into the shower with me, usually on a weekly basis to give them a good scrub.

You should be able to find twist or flip-latch, segmented poles for €10 - 15 each, at St. Jean. At that price point, and after a month of use, abandoning them is not a huge loss.

However, if you decide you must keep them, plan on taking then completely apart (remove the twist fit segments from each other) to make them as short as possible, place them inside your return, checked luggage, and they will go home with you. Simply loosen the poles so they are adjustable, then loosen one more turn. You should be able to pull on both sections and "pop" the tubes apart.

I find that my Leki poles are about 2-3 inches shorter if I remove the twist segments from each other and rubber band them together. This makes the difference between being able to ride inside my checked rucksack, or outside on the trip home. My carbon fiber Black Diamond "Z" poles are only 16-inches long when folded, so Easy-Peasy...

In addition to the two "Direction Compostelle" shops in the old town, one on Rue de Citadelle 32, and the other on the parallel street (Place Floquet) just across the bridge, across from the Hotel de Ville (town hall), there is another very large sporting goods shop on the West side of town, on the flats, adjacent to a Carrefour market.

It is named "Maya Marc" and is located at 18 Avenue du Jai Alai, 64220 Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port. Use your Maps app to find it. I have been in there several times to buy last minute items, and they have a quite a wide selection of sporting goods, not only hiking items. But, hiking items are very well represented and their selection is different than the other two shops.

I suggest it might be worth the 10-minutes it will take to walk there from the Pilgrim Office on Rue de Citadelle, via Rue de France, and then a right onto Place du Trinquet, to Avenue du Jai Alai... Between these three shops, and any others you might find, you will be able to find something suitable to purpose.

I hope this helps.
 
Last edited:
The 2024 Camino guides will be coming out little by little. Here is a collection of the ones that are out so far.
I have the tri-fold poles and I have never had a problem with them in my pack for travel US to Spain for 4 Caminos. No questions have ever been asked traveling in either direction. I would fold them and put them in your pack. No need to declare them as anything special if they are folded.
 
I used a staff which I bought in SJPDP... and after Muxia, I debated whether to leave it behind in the albergue as there were, lots of poles and staff left by other pilgrims.. I could not take it on board, as it is not foldable, plus I would have to pay to check it in.

Eventually I took it back to Santiago with me, and was leaving it behind in the hotel before I went to the airport..... I felt very sad to have to leave it, as it had been my loyal companion since I started my Camino... in the end I took it to the airport wt me. To my astonishment and joy, Vueling checked it in for me, free of charge!! :) I dont know if this is a one-off gesture as other pilgrims on the plane had not known and left their staff and poles behind...:oops:
 
Ideal sleeping bag liner whether we want to add a thermal plus to our bag, or if we want to use it alone to sleep in shelters or hostels. Thanks to its mummy shape, it adapts perfectly to our body.

€46,-
Many thanks to all who responded to my question. A lot of good info to use to make the final decision. I really would like to avoid checking anything on the way over - just because and not for tight connections. On the way back doesn't matter so much.

Since several have said that the folded poles in the backpack should (or has) work, I'm thinking to try it that way and if they don't get through the screeners in Baltimore, I could just let my family take them back home and continue with Plan B- buy when I get there.

To: t2andreo - I agree that the anti-shock poles are totally unnecessary. I do have a pair purchased on sale many years ago. Still good but too long to pack. Perhaps the anti-shock means more to someone larger (taller and heavier) than I.

To: Nancy (from Manchester) - yeah! I will watch for you! A friend - Debra- from California will be meeting me and both of us will be staying in Orisson on the 22nd. See you soon! Buen Camino!
 
We took our poles apart and put them in our packs and carried them on going and coming.
With those of you that took them as carry on how big was your pack in liters? My Osprey 48L I think would not fit the carry on requirement. I do have some poles I could loose just to test the system (good poles just not as light as my carbon set) I would buy some if I lost them.
I checked my bag the last Camino. I would like to put my theory to test that a person could show up with just the clothes they have on. Not sure how far I should test it but it makes for good thought.
 
The Black Diamond Z poles fold very short. My Pacers are much longer collapsed but sill hit in my Tempest 40l.

The problem with poles in the cabin is not an issue for every airport. Montreal for example allows them, but Santiago does not.

Also, the poles can also be attached outside of your pack. I had to do that with my first pair and I simple had my back wrapped at the airport.
 
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I'm thinking to try it that way and if they don't get through the screeners in Baltimore, I could just let my family take them back home
Or bring a cheap spare bag of some sort and get to the airport a little early. If they don't let you through security, go back and check in the small bag. If they DO let you through you can discard the bag or keep it for the return trip.
 
TSA San Jose, CA told us no problem carrying folding trekking poles on flights.
 

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