DowtyCamino
Active Member
- Time of past OR future Camino
- May-Jn2014
May-Jn 2017
VF Jl-O 2021
Mar-My 2023
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I had never used poles before, but I absolutely love my Pacer Poles, which I learned about from this forum. I have the carbon fiber ones. The grip feels so natural that I joke that they are idiot proof - really no learning curve.
On my First Camino in 2015 I used Leki poles, although I liked them I bought Pacerpoles after reading many positive reviews and viewing some video's on the internet.Another vote for pacerpoles
That's what I found too. They really make you feel stable and secure.Pacer poles for the win. I've used them (the same set, still going strong) for the past six years, including five pilgrimage walks in Europe. The second year I was walking in France, a German couple offered to buy them off of me, "name any price". I refused! What I have found is that the ergonomic shape of the handle allows quite a lot of pushing-down force to be applied through the hand. This makes for propulsive support when going uphill, and significant shock/stress avoidance on the knees going downhill.
That is wonderful news, and thank you for offering to share the information.Recently I've contacted York Nordic and they've been exceptionally helpful and have agreed to MacGyver up a custom pole set. I've tried them out for a few weeks and they entirely meet my needs. If anyone is interested I can pass along contact information.
You will have seen by now that the pacer pole aficionados think that any discussion on poles is an opportunity to trot out their support for this product, irrespective of it being completely out of context as a response to your post.
Indeed, but that headline is not the context established by the actual text of the original post. I suppose there might be some people who merely read headlines, and form their responses on that basis. But in this case, I am suggesting that there is more to understanding the context than that.The thread is entitled "Poles... a recommendation"
Indeed, but that headline is not the context established by the actual text of the original post. I suppose there might be some people who merely read headlines, and form their responses on that basis. But in this case, I am suggesting that there is more to understanding the context than that.
Strange as it might seem, I think the first part of your assessment is correct. I also couldn't find a way of reading it as a recommendation, just a good news story that @DowtyCamino had been able to get a suitable replacement for his poles, and an offer to share the information about that. Instead of thanking him for that offer, what we seem to have had so far is the pacer pole product promotion players touting that particular brand. In its place, there is nothing particularly wrong with that, provided that we don't confuse the volume of the promotion with the quality of the product.So the OP is not a recommendation and has nothing to do with poles?
The last sentence in the post by dougfitz for me seems to imply that for a first time pole user pacerpoles could be a possibility that deserves consideration. I for one would have been happy to know of this alternative before I bought my expensive Lekis which are kept unused in my closet since buying my Pacerpoles. ( A big disadvantage of pacerpoles stays that you have to buy them in the internet and cannot try or see them in a shop)@Magwood, I am always torn in any discussion that includes pacer poles. I would rather people get the benefits of proper pole use than use them badly, and the one advantage that I think pacer poles have is that they appear impossible to use incorrectly.
That is wonderful news, and thank you for offering to share the information.
You will have seen by now that the pacer pole aficionados think that any discussion on poles is an opportunity to trot out their support for this product, irrespective of it being completely out of context as a response to your post.
I suspect that there aren't many of them that have actually compared pacer poles with other design approaches to know whether or not the claimed advantages are real. I know that I finally got the opportunity earlier this year to use a set of pacer poles for just long enough to realize just how awkward and cumbersome they were compared to conventional trekking poles. I think @trecile has it right - they are idiot proof. Which is quite different to being substantially better than the alternatives.
Anyhow, having fulfilled a commitment that I made on this forum some time ago to try pacer poles with an open mind, I was left with just a couple of thoughts. The first goes along the lines of an old song lyric - is that all there is? The second is that if one were already an experienced walking pole user, why would one change? Unfortunately, the answers keep coming back to yes, and I wouldn't.
Thanks again for sharing your news, and all the very best for your 2017 camino with your custom poles.
Used correctly, the wrist strap on a conventional technical pole will also transmit the load through the wrist. There should be no need to grip ever, other than a light touch to guide the tip if that is needed.To be honest I really didn't like formed grip poles. I can see their advantage, but with the glove grip of the Nordic Walking style, all the load is in your wrist (during a down thrust). My favorite thing is with the glove you don't actually have to grip the pole at all.
I think that @DowtyCamino handled this quite well in the OP, and provided the name of the company that helped him and offered to provide the details to those that asked. I personally think that promoting a business is the concern of the business itself, not of forum members.The company used by the OP seems to me to be worth all the promotion it can get. Such customer service deserves recognition.
I have spent my life with poles in my hands, many years more than 100 days a year, skiing, hiking, even fly fishing.
Three pieces of wisdom (or stupidity deending on whether you agree)
1. The strap is way more important than the grip
I had never used poles before, but I absolutely love my Pacer Poles, which I learned about from this forum. I have the carbon fiber ones. The grip feels so natural that I joke that they are idiot proof - really no learning curve.
Walked my first Camino 2015 and I used Pacer Poles. loved them and they saved me many a time going down steep inclines. They become part of you and the handles were really comfortable. Highly recommendI had never used poles before, but I absolutely love my Pacer Poles, which I learned about from this forum. I have the carbon fiber ones. The grip feels so natural that I joke that they are idiot proof - really no learning curve.
Used correctly, the wrist strap on a conventional technical pole will also transmit the load through the wrist. There should be no need to grip ever, other than a light touch to guide the tip if that is needed.
As a former Cross Country Ski Instructor, many people were amazed to discover there's a right way to use pole straps, with the hand coming up from below, grabbing the strap and then the pole grip.
I prefer a t handle with shock proof sprung sticks. I can get cheap ones but wonder with all the pontificating on the subject of poles. Can I get a a good quality pole with these characteristics? Help would be appreciated
I found this link -->> http://www.cross-skate-shop.com/KVplus-Vid-Tip-Antishock-shock-absorbing-tip, which appears to be for a cross country ski pole.Can't say for certain, but you may be able to buy a shock absorbing tip (in lieu of a shock absorbing handle) that may fit your existing poles. I've seen them advertised, but I can't seem to find it at the moment....OK back to work.
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