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boa vinda on the forum -Hello,
I see a lot on the Camino Frances boards regarding the need for walking sticks, especially in the Pyrenees. I'll be taking the Camino Portuguese (combination coastal way, central way and spiritual variant) next year which, as far as I can tell, had no extreme inclines or declines.
That being said, are walking sticks really necessary on a mostly level Camino?
Thank you!
Clark
I used my poles all the time on the Frances, not just on the hills.
I wanted to make sure that my arms got a workout as well as my legs.
Also, using poles keep your hands from swelling.
boa vinda on the forum -
And how lovely that you'll be on the caminho portuguese. Bom Caminho!
Anyones " really necessary ?" will be different. For me, YES! necessary!
i walked from Lisboa to SdC - and did one day without the LEKI hiking poles from Matasinho to Vila de Conde - and lived to regret it. My line of - not so smart - reasoning was: it's all flat - and much walking on wooden boardwalk - don't need the poles.
Well, walking towards VdC I noticed with some dismay that my hands/fingers were swollen. Not so amusing. And that only ever happened on that day when i walked sans poles. Then onwards I decided that no matter how flat the terrain would be, i'd be using the poles regardless.
found them also very very useful when traversing mud-stretches, roman roads, creeks/rivers etc.
not to mention to keep the very speedy portuguese drivers at some sort of distance that isn't heart-stopping.
(using it as a sort of flag-pole) or chase away/keep on distance pesky dogs.
ah, and when you do think of the PC as "on a mostly level Camino" - it is at your own peril
cheers -
c
Some of us are lucky that wayThank you for the advice! I can honestly say that I had never heard of one's hands swelling during the walk before. This is definitely something I'll have to bear in mind.
Hi Clark yes you won't be crossing the Pyrenees but the CP isn't flat all the way. Using poles is really down to personal preference, I find they just seem to make walking easier on knees, hips and ankles nowadays but never bothered with them until recently. Maybe try out some long-ish walks with a pack before you go and see how you get on?
Walking poles are aids for most people, and the benefits come from their proper use in all conditions, not just in difficult terrain. They provide their benefits on level surfaces as well as on climbs and descents.That being said, are walking sticks really necessary on a mostly level Camino?
They prevent your hands from swelling? I didn't know that would happen. Any idea why that is?
Exercise induced oedema of the hands isn't that uncommon, although I find it more common with vigourous walking like longer distance race-walks. I have a tendency during these to let my forearms fall below the more ideal position of being held about level as they move back and forth in sync with my feet. The response at the link given by @trecile appears to ignore the possibility that gravity and centrifugal forces might be at work increasing and retaining the fluid in the hands.My hands will sometimes swell if I walk long distances, particularly if it warm.
Apparently the reason why it happens isn't entirely understood, but keeping your hands active with the poles does keep it from happening.
http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/edema/expert-answers/hand-swelling/faq-20058255
While learning to use poles properly should not be a particularly difficult thing, I continue to be amazed by the large proportion of people who are prepared to make what for many is a large financial investment in good poles, but do not appear to have made a similar investment in their time to learn to use them properly. Other things aside, there are only a couple of key things to learnYeah I think that's my plan at this point. If I go with walking poles I don't plan on picking any up until I'm in Portugal. Really don't want the hassle at the airport.
They prevent your hands from swelling? I didn't know that would happen. Any idea why that is?
Would that be everyone except the air safety regulators like the TSA, which lists them here as a prohibited item in carry on luggage?I've done it before and have looked online and everyone seems to have no problem even as a carry-on.
This has been my experience as well. I'm flying Iberia from Heathrow this time, and called them specifically to ask about poles in carry-ons a few weeks ago. They said "no" to carrying them on, and the other U.S.-based airlines wouldn't permit them the previous Caminos either. Vueling doesn't permit them in carry-ons either.Would that be everyone except the air safety regulators like the TSA, which lists them here as a prohibited item in carry on luggage?
After the second day I left the rubber tips on all the time.Only drawback - I find it compelling to replacing the rubber tips back on when entering towns and walking on concrete and tarmac. It is annoying to the locals to hear the tickety tack all day long.
- but don´t you miss the bite the bare tips have when hitting rocks and hard gravel, then ?
This is a very personal perspective. I used a ash plant staff for many years before switching to a single trekking pole, and I have regularly used two poles for nearly 15 years. My view is that there is little advantage to having a staff, and many more advantages to properly used trekking poles.A staff is better all things being equal than poles, but it also takes far longer to learn how to use one properly, so that for a shorter Camino (less than 1200-1500 Km), poles are probably more advisable to most people. This is also because it can be quite hard to find a staff of the right wood, height, thickness, strength, and weight ; whereas finding the right sort of poles is dead easy.
Nevertheless, use a staff if you are big and tall and heavy, or you have the sort of mobility problems that require something strong to easily support your full weight when needed ; poles if you have no such problems and you're unsure that you need any sort of stick in the first place, or if you're looking for a means to help boost your speed and the regularity of your pace without encumbering yourself with a large piece of wood.
Used properly, a staff provides the same advantages as a pair of poles, though the technique is very different, and it takes a very long time to be sufficiently familiar with a staff for its use to feel natural and fluid.
This is a very personal perspective.
Thanks! Good advice on video, I love my poles!I've used trekking poles for over 5,000 backpacking miles and wished that I had discovered them far earlier. I currently use Leki adjustable poles, with the quick release levers to adjust the sections for length or to collapse them when not needed. Since my ultralight tent uses my trekking poles for the uprights, they serve multiple uses.
After much use, I found that I did not like the straps and removed them. Although some feel that the straps add to the efficacy of trekking pole use, I found this not to be the case for me. A lot of backpackers agree with me, others don't. It takes time to properly evaluate what works best for you.
Aside from not improving anything for me performance wise, there are some other reasons that I long ago gave up straps:
1. quickly let go of poles if they get stuck and avoid breaking/bending poles
2. quickly hold both poles to grab your water bottle and drink while walking
3. quickly hold both poles to ascend or descend a short steep section when I need my hands
4. quickly drop both poles down to descent a section you need your hands
5. switch grips between the handle, under the grip, etc
6. I have met backpackers who have broken wrists due to falling and the straps trapping their wrists when a pole became lodged at an awkward angle.
And, yes, one would be correct to say that falls can produce broken wrists that have nothing to do with straps and poles. But these were the direct result of using the straps. And, yes, many folks use their straps, fall, and never break a wrist.
Here's a YouTube of how to properly use the straps:
Coincidentally, the demonstrator is using the same model of Leki poles that I am now using. Small world.
And the staff at Santiago airport. They showed me a room full of confiscated poles.Would that be everyone except the air safety regulators like the TSA, which lists them here as a prohibited item in carry on luggage?
Yes they confiscate all poles as you leave Santiago unless they are checked in. Yet I managed to take them in my pack as hand luggage from Sydney- Abu Dhabi - Madrid - Porto.And the staff at Santiago airport. They showed me a room full of confiscated poles.
Just finished my second Portugese and both time I was using a bamboo stick found "on the way" (I also didn't bother a hassle with airport security). Every time this helped me a lot: as a walking aid, a drying line, a threat for the "flasher" and dogs (single walker). I would say not "necessary" but "very helpful". And also helps for swelling hands
Just finished my second Portugese and both time I was using a bamboo stick found "on the way" (I also didn't bother a hassle with airport security). Every time this helped me a lot: as a walking aid, a drying line, a threat for the "flasher" and dogs (single walker). I would say not "necessary" but "very helpful". And also helps for swelling hands
I always started from Porto... There is lots of fields on the way - just look aroundIs it easy to find a bamboo/ rattan /wood stick or staff in the beginning from Lisbon? I also think that such a tool would be helpful for me.
Is it easy to find a bamboo/ rattan /wood stick or staff in the beginning from Lisbon? I also think that such a tool would be helpful for me.
I usually walk with a single stick or pole. For the past couple of years I have brought a rubber walking stick ferrule from home then bought a wooden broom handle from a ferreteria or China Bazaar on arrival in Spain or Portugal. I tie my spare boot laces to the hanging loop as a wrist strap. Works very well for me. Cheap and simple.Is it easy to find a bamboo/ rattan /wood stick or staff in the beginning from Lisbon? I also think that such a tool would be helpful for me.
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