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On much of the CF in 2011 & 13 it seemed to me that more people were carrying poles than using them.No I don't use them any more, did on my first camino, a bit but they just seem to get in the way. On my second CF I didn't use them at all walked both times in mainly June if that's any help.
Hence Con Palos was meant to be Con Polos ( with poles ) but misspelt my forum name should be Sin Polos now?
Buen Camino
The Camino is almost entirely on good-quality trails (often paved) and balance / stability isn't an issue. If you don't like poles, you'll be fine. Where the poles help most is on the hills, especially descents and muddy sections (on the off-chance it rains in Spain). But many thousands of people do it without poles every year without any apparent problems.
Personally, I couldn't walk it without poles - my body is too beaten up for my knees / hips to make it without support. But I've also been using poles for 25 years and have come to rely upon them. If this were a more rugged trail, I would suggest you use them but on the Camino it is very optional.
Of course people have walked without poles! And as @paul.ferris observes, many people carry them but don't use them, which seems a bit of a waste. Some that do use them wonder how it would be that anyone would want to forego the benefits of pole use, but accept that this is a choice people make!I was wondering if anyone has done the Camino without poles. I'm not a fan & would rather not use them (doing camino in august/sept) I have done 10 days in Torres del Paine without them with a heavier pack over hilly terrain... But its less than a 1/3 of the distance. Just after people's experiences.
I did my camino last year!! and used the walking poles almost every day and all day!, I notice that the days I used them at the end of the day no knee pain, no back pain... so I decide to use almost every day! you can do the camino without the walking poles but I can imagine going down hill to molinaseca, or uphill to el Acebo without them!
Nobody should think that they need to buy poles to walk the Camino. Poles can be useful, some people need them, but most of us get along fine without them.Of course people have walked without poles! And as @paul.ferris observes, many people carry them but don't use them, which seems a bit of a waste. Some of that do use them wonder how it would be that anyone would want to forego the benefits of pole use, but accept that this is a choice people make!
I've found on long distances with a light pack the trekking poles really reduce back, shoulder, and knee fatigue at the end of the day. I never really needed them, but I feel 10 times better at the end of the day with them. I invested in a pair of Black Diamond carbon Z’s. They are amazingly light 295 g for the pair, and they quickly fold down to stow away in the back pocket of my pack. I’m 6’2 and the 130cm poles are a perfect fit. Highly recommended! I also wrapped gaffers tape around the logos on the poles, it’s a handy stash of tape for repairs and it covers the “I’m a $150 pair of poles” logos. I recommend the same tactic with expensive DSLR gear.
Leave the poles at home. you certainly do not need them - just a distraction to the other wakers (click/clack). Something to loose on the way, a pain on the plane and dead weight. But then i am not agreat fan of the
@Patch, I cannot help but puzzle over why your personal inability to keep track of your personal property should form the basis of a recommendation to others not to use a device that clearly has so many benefits. I hesitate to use the term loser here, but clearly your absent-mindedness is not an affliction that everyone suffers.But after loosing a number of them i feel whatever benefit they give me now really doesn't outweigh the nuisance of carrying them on the Camino.
Without debating the truth of your self assessment, this clearly sounds like a quite specific recommendation:Doug - no recommendation intended just my preference and explanation, I am far to inexperienced to take on that mantle
Leaving them at home (or not even purchasing them in the first place) is clearly an option, but many of the justifications offered so far are matters that would be addressed by carrying a couple of relatively cheap rubber tips, and proper pole use.Leave the poles at home. you certainly do not need them
I used poles and would never go without them. I had NO ankle, knee or hip pain with them, and I had an ACL ligament operation on one knee. But please please learn how to use them before you go, well before. Months before. Practice and practice. It takes a while to get used to them-- it is not "natural", but a learned skill. If you check out Youtube there are plenty of video options. They also let me take lighter weight shoes. I hiked in sport shoes and never had an ankle turn. If you buy poles right before you go and never practice with them, you won't use them or won't use them properly. It is a skill. You have to find what works for you, just like shoes and socks. Be sure to take duct tape wrapped around one in case one of your collapsible poles collapses permanently. I fixed it with tape on the second day and left the poles in Spain when I flew out.Hi all,
I was wondering if anyone has done the Camino without poles. I'm not a fan & would rather not use them (doing camino in august/sept) I have done 10 days in Torres del Paine without them with a heavier pack over hilly terrain... But its less than a 1/3 of the distance. Just after people's experiences. Thanks
@Pepin thank you for these tips! super helpful! then I could leave my poles for anothr peregrino
Not a YouTube video, but still one of the best resources on pole use is Pete's Pole Page.Can someone recommend a you tube video showing the right way to use poles? Thanks!
DougFitz, hoping to get my poles when I arrive to SJPP, so this information is very useful. Thank you.Not a YouTube video, but still one of the best resources on pole use is Pete's Pole Page.
Hi all,
I was wondering if anyone has done the Camino without poles. I'm not a fan & would rather not use them (doing camino in august/sept) I have done 10 days in Torres del Paine without them with a heavier pack over hilly terrain... But its less than a 1/3 of the distance. Just after people's experiences. Thanks
I have brought back a wooden walking stick from Europe. It was inspected by the Quarantine Service on arrival, and passed muster. The risk is that it has been infected by a borer or the like, when it would have to be treated or destroyed.Unfortunately, being wood, I wasn't able to bring mine back into Australia when I returned, so had to leave it in Santiago.
... The risk is that it has been infected by a borer or the like, when it would have to be treated or destroyed.
Hopefully only treated! Destroying a pilgrims walking staff - Sacrilege! SY
I just completed CF and did not use poles. ... Pretty useless and something extra to carry.
@Nickan, this suggests that you use poles elsewhere. Is that so?There might have been some parts were they could have been handy (and they could have come in handy to fend off that old German man who tried to kiss me..) but I can't say I missed them. I saw so many people just dragging them and not using them properly.
No I don't use them any more, did on my first camino, a bit but they just seem to get in the way. On my second CF I didn't use them at all walked both times in mainly June if that's any help.
Hence Con Palos was meant to be Con Polos ( with poles ) but misspelt my forum name should be Sin Polos now?
Buen Camino[/QUOT
I take it all back 2 days into my third camino and I'm using my trekking pole all the time!No I don't use them any more, did on my first camino, a bit but they just seem to get in the way. On my second CF I didn't use them at all walked both times in mainly June if that's any help.
Hence Con Palos was meant to be Con Polos ( with poles ) but misspelt my forum name should be Sin Polos now?
Buen Camino
I was wondering if anyone has done the Camino without poles. I'm not a fan & would rather not use them
Coming full circle!they may be more of a hindrance than a help so I'll be leaving them behind.
Possible risk of confirmation bias!Coming full circle!
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