Misunderstanding 1: Single or double sticks
Trekking poles have two main functions, balance and support, or can be summed up as one function, balanced support.
Terrestrial mammals generally use the way of walking on all fours to share the weight of the body. After human evolution, after walking on the ground with two feet, the weight originally shared by four points of force is now shared by two points. The weight of the legs is innate. It doubles, plus the weight of the backpack, the load on the legs can be imagined when walking for a long time. Even though a trekking pole can increase the point of force and reduce the load on the legs, if only one cane is used, the support will not be balanced no matter where you put it, even though the reduced pressure on one side of the cane will transfer to no On the side used, it will increase the possibility of injury due to uneven force.
Furthermore, in theory, any point of force contacting the ground will generate a reaction force. The legs of the human body are two parallel points, and the reaction forces generated during walking can cancel each other out. When there is no reaction force on one side, the balance of the human body is reduced. Of course, through the coordination of human muscle tissue, these problems can be covered up, but these problems will still erupt in emergencies or when they accumulate to a certain extent. , then the danger arises. Therefore, in Europe and the United States, walking sticks are mostly sold in pairs, and some brands have designed different styles for the left and right hands to meet the different grasping needs of the two hands. Many people still use a trekking pole in mountain sports, which is the biggest misunderstanding of using a trekking pole.
The trekking pole is not a crutch that supports the body when the legs and feet are unchanged, it is a tool to help you walk with less effort. For steeper slopes, move the arms forward and place the seat of the trekking pole in front of the body, and use the trekking pole to support the body upwards to reduce the pressure on the legs. Since the impact force of the downhill is relatively large, it is necessary to use trekking poles to reduce the load on the legs.
Misunderstanding 2: What is the right length
There are many scales on trekking poles, but most people don’t know what these scales are for. In fact, they should be adjusted according to the proportion of the body. These scales are the standard for easy adjustment according to the body proportion.
When adjusting the length, the general statement is to stand up straight, the upper arm naturally sags perpendicular to the ground, and the forearm is bent to form a right angle with the upper arm. The length of the knowledge grasping stick is the proper length. In fact, according to the different terrain conditions, the length of the cane should also be adjusted appropriately to match the terrain conditions. Although the adjustment method in general is basically correct, this method is suitable for walking and walking on flat terrain. With the scientific method, multiply the height by 0.66, and the obtained height is the appropriate height of the trekking pole. For complex mountain environments, the length of the cane should be slightly longer than usual. The correct length is the height multiplied by 0.7 to be the appropriate pole length. The length can be adjusted, don't be lazy to use this function
Appropriate length of trekking poles Trekking poles for trekking: Raise x 0.7Or arms are vertical Walking poles: Height x 0.66
Misunderstanding 3: How to adjust the length
Most of the damage to trekking poles is related to improper length adjustment. It is often seen that some people have pulled one section too long when they first started to use the poles, and some even exposed the expansion plugs that fixed the poles. , in fact, this part is the fragile part of the cane, and if it is pulled here to use, the cane cannot escape its fate.
All trekking poles will have a STOP sign at the end of each section. This is the adjustment limit of the walking pole. If you still feel that it is not long enough, either your height has exceeded 2 meters, or you use Wrong stick. Mountain trekking poles generally have a three-section structure. Many people do not know how much the two energy can be pulled out to be true. In fact, if one section is pulled too long and the other section is pulled very short, it is not correct. Doing this for a long time can also cause damage to the stick. Generally, the two sections that can be pulled out have a scale of 105 to 140. What is the number obtained by multiplying your height by the corresponding ratio, then pull both sections to the corresponding scale and fix it, which is the length of the cane you need. When adjusting the trekking pole, it should not exceed the maximum adjustment length shown on the trekking pole. Each section of the waist cane should be pulled to the appropriate length, tightened, and used.
Misunderstanding 4: Will the trekking poles be used for a long time without breaking?
To be precise, if you choose a good brand of trekking poles and use them correctly, the poles are not easy to damage. It is not a consumable item. But the cane is not an iron cane, and it also has some fragile parts that are prone to problems, and some parts will fail due to wear and tear.
Problems that are prone to occur include: loss of the rod holder; flat or detached tip; failure of the expansion plug securing the rod; broken wrist strap. These problems, if not frequent, occur in large numbers, are normal phenomena. The loss of the rod holder is mostly because the installation is not really secure. Good cane brands will have a locking device, which is difficult to remove after a little lock; the wear of the rod tip is also difficult to avoid, and it is impossible to use hard materials. Guaranteed to never wear out. The falling off of the tip of the stick is generally a process problem of the link. The probability of a problem is extremely small, but not impossible; the failure of the expansion plug is generally caused by wear and tear and thread deformation in a special environment; fracture of the wristband It is generally because of the material of the wristband that the material becomes brittle in long-term use or in extreme environments. Good cane brands provide replaceable accessories for these vulnerable parts, so even if there is a problem, you can't worry, as long as it's not the problem of the pole itself, just replace it where it is broken.
Misunderstanding 5: Is the original cane purchased suitable for all environments?
In fact, the canes we bought can basically be called bare canes, which are suitable for general use. A good cane brand also designs a lot of interchangeable accessories according to different environments, so that the cane can play a larger role in different environments.
trekking pole tip protective cover: Many people think that the role of the rubber cover is to protect the cane when it is stored, and prevent the stick tip from scratching other items. In fact, the rubber cover does much more than that. If you walk on hard rock, cement, and asphalt roads, the effect of using rubber sleeves is much better than that of ordinary pole tips, which reduces the wear of pole tips and provides more elasticity and friction.
Stick support: The function of the stick support is to prevent the tip of the stick from being inserted into the ground too deeply. It is easier to operate the stick and at the same time reduces the possibility of damage to the tip of the stick. There are more different usage environments. , Mountain care, etc. Roughly come down, the softer and less stable the road. Need a rod with a large area of force.
Wristband: The use of wristbands should also be selected according to different needs. For long-distance transfusions and hiking, full-wrap wristbands that completely wrap the wrists provide more support; in general skiing and mountain sports, synthetic fabric wristbands with wider feet are more comfortable and lighter; and for extreme sports For use in environments, traditional nylon wristbands are superior in reliability.
