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Hiking poles

Leki poles. Just did a couple days and easily couple thousand feet of both climbing and descending in Big Bend. Had 45-50# pack on and poles made it easier to secure footing with lots of rock and log ledges to negotiate. Telescoping absolutely essential, much as you’d set up your rifle to fit for function. Only needed one pole, some prefer two. Would not do a serious hike/pack without ‘em.
 
I’ve always just used a stick or something, but as my knees go to never work right again land, this question has been on my mind.

Curious to see if there’s a consensus.
 
Also a 100 foot of para cord weighs nothing and can come in very handy. Especially if you hunt solo. Learn a few basic knots and you can hoist a carcass in minutes.
 
I have Leki and Black Diamond. My favorites are older version of these. I really can't hike without them anymore. Both BD and Leki use a core locking device (Kevlar cable) that makes for speedy deployment and collapse. I use the telescoping feature frequently adjusting the poles longer for descents and shorter for climbs. Ski mountaineering I have adjusted the poles shorter on the up hill side for long traverses.

For ultra light and simplicity in an urban setting I use the fixed length BDs. HERE

Rasyad
 
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I have old Leki poles that have been a lot of places.
They collapse small on my pack if not needed. They use a twist lock that can fail under too much pressure (80+ lbs). This has been easily mitigated with maintenance.

I use Black diamond carbon flick lock poles for skiing. Very light. Very durable. If I did more big back country hunts I would look into their 3 section carbon. 3 young kids so I hunt close to home when i can.

I designed and sewed a femur traction device for myself that uses one of these poles in an emergency.
Plus they save your knees on brutal downhills.