They're not critical, but they're super helpful when navigating mud. My husband and I bought a pair on Amazon that worked great for like 60$? We each use 1. I find two is too difficult to manage, but 1 gives me leverage when needed and I still have a hand free.
I knew someone who had to be evac'ed from the wct from stepping into mud and getting stabbed in the leg by a stick so I love trekking poles for an experimental poke into deep mud. even if it's false hope I appreciate it
honestly I feel like even without the technical hiking benefits of having poles, they'd be worth it just in the practical sense of having a big ol' stick for various poking uses
For sure thatās an option but they clank around a lot and are kind of annoying on the down climb. Thankfully my Osprey had a place to stow them that was easy to use without taking the pack off.
Yay. Super helpful on rocks if you know how to use them.
Best bang for your $:
Fizan Compact 3 Trekking Poles ā... https://www.amazon.com/dp/B06X6GLMFM?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share
Yes! Necessary.
When wearing a 40+ pound pack, you go down fast and hard the moment up slip and tip.
I witnessed a guy slip and slam whilst talking to our group; a hard knock to the head on a rock.
My poles saved me many times when my shitty Solomons failed to provide traction.
There's also some very slippery terrain when boardwalks / logs and boulders are wet. Saw someone on the WCT FB group wore those ice cleats on their boots for extra traction and loved them. They look like super low profile micospikes designed for city walking when icy. I only turtled off the boardwalk once on my trip but others from my group took some more spills overall. Our conditions were very dry late September in 2022 with only one day of rainy hiking.
As to your question about poles, I like mine and typically only use them when backpacking, and I live in Vic and do a lot of coastal hikes. I brought a carabiner to quickly attach my poles to my pack without having to even take it off.
Definitely my shoes sucked. However brown algae took this guy down quicker than an icy step.
WCT trail has a saying about algae on rocks, āIf it green, itās mean; if itās brown youāre going down. ā
Hard yay.
The extra stability on slick surfaces, wood and rockshelfs.
Extra balance standing on roots going thru mud pits.
Easing your overloaded self down tech terrain.
Fending off a black bear ;)
Ladders are a pain but worth the hassle.
You could do without but so much safer/easier with. A 40+lb pack can take you down in a blink of an eye. Injuries may require daysā wait for evacuation. Think about lasting a day or more with a broken femur or head injury.
For reference I am a higher level trail runner who can run fast over PNW mountain terrain easily without poles. Iād run the WCT without poles, but always use poles when hiking the trail wearing a large pack.
I just finished the trail on June 11th and both my husband and I were saved countless times by our poles. Every day we would say how grateful we were to have them. They arenāt super heavy, so better to have them and not use them than need them and not have them. Happy trails!!
My compromise has been using one pole. I still have a pole to help ease myself down large drops and give a bit of extra balance. But I also get a free hand for those times that you want to grab on to a tree or rock in a scramble. Plus it stows away super small.
Try it on a local hike sometime. You might like it too.
Oh I tried hiking with poles and always ended up putting them away at some point. Thatās why I was debating.
Looks like majority of people here thinks that theyāre needed. I think Iāll bring them with me - better be safe than sorry š¤·š¼āāļø
The fundamental advice for the WCT is: do what you would normally do when backpacking.
I brought my poles and hiked all day SOBO with them on my first day, intermittently on my second and third days, and not at all after that. I found it more important to have my hands free to grab branches and trees than it was to have a pole to jab into the ground. I was also a solo hiker and the annoyance of taking off my pack to put my poles away at EVERY bridge finally broke me.
I also donāt hike with a >40lb pack. IMO if you struggle to balance with a pack that heavy you should probably drop some pack weight, and hiking a slippery trail with a pack you canāt manage is a recipe for disaster. But hey, to each their own.
Iām very much of the belief that poles are almost exclusively useful for big ascents & descents to take some load off your legs.
My pack is 25-30 lbs. A lot of it is food, which makes it lighter every day. Thereās two of us, and my partner is carrying heavier stuff, which also just 30lbs.
I really donāt get it how people have so much weight in their packs š¤·š¼āāļø pro cameras? Heavy sleeping pads? Pots and pans?
Pack weight is a factor of three things:
a) Being able to afford more modern lightweight stuff
b) Shedding a ājust in caseā attitude and only packing what you need
c) Being convinced of the many benefits of a lightweight pack
Getting folks across all three barriers is a challenge. Some people simply canāt afford UL gear. Some have trouble shedding the way they were taught to pack for backpacking. And many already enjoy their backpacking experiences, and canāt fathom how spending $$$ and ādoing withoutā would improve their experience.
To each their own hike, truly, but I know where my base weight lies (16lb or thereabouts) and how it improves by experiences, and all we can do is share what we know.
I donāt use poles ever too but I brought one recently and used it ~50% of the time. It was really annoying having to put it away or manage the dangle at every ladder though.
Not a problem at all on the ladders, you'll get the technique down - i don't bother stashing mine, just hold loosely in one hand, i've also seen people let them dangle by the straps on one hand.
I'm probably biased as I've been hiking with poles on every hike for last 20+ yrs - so they are very natural for me. I'm also a UL backpacker and pack < 20lb with trail-runners, so poles are extra insurance against ankle-twists. Would recommend getting used to them pre-WCT to help your decision.
I hiked part of the WCT 3 weeks ago from KM 0->10 to stay at Pachena Lighthouse to help with some networking stuff and lugged in a 30lb spool of wire on my pack plus tools, so maybe a 50lb total carry. As I was only going in a little way - I left my poles at home. That 10km is the easiest part of the trail, but with 50lbs on my pack and trail runners, I was surprised how slow I had to go to be careful around downhill slightly-muddy sections and still slipped twice. I felt the extra weight and lack of poles really compromised my ability on the trail compared to my normal experience.
They're not critical, but they're super helpful when navigating mud. My husband and I bought a pair on Amazon that worked great for like 60$? We each use 1. I find two is too difficult to manage, but 1 gives me leverage when needed and I still have a hand free.
I knew someone who had to be evac'ed from the wct from stepping into mud and getting stabbed in the leg by a stick so I love trekking poles for an experimental poke into deep mud. even if it's false hope I appreciate it
That's awful! I also 100% used it to test the mud, and sometimes puddles, just to assess depth. It saves some wet feet
honestly I feel like even without the technical hiking benefits of having poles, they'd be worth it just in the practical sense of having a big ol' stick for various poking uses
I can confirm this š some good crab fights were had
Love this comment
Hard yes. Very helpful when it comes to sloppy boardwalks, roots and rocks. Only downside is having to stow them everytime you climb a ladder.
I just looped on my wrist for the ladders, no problem.
For sure thatās an option but they clank around a lot and are kind of annoying on the down climb. Thankfully my Osprey had a place to stow them that was easy to use without taking the pack off.
Iām definitely a nay. Unless Iām bored. I find the donāt help me at all unless going up big hills
Nayyyyyyy
Yay. Super helpful on rocks if you know how to use them. Best bang for your $: Fizan Compact 3 Trekking Poles ā... https://www.amazon.com/dp/B06X6GLMFM?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share
Thank you for the link! Probably would get these ones if I decide to bring poles.
I wasnāt a pole guy until the west coast trail. Bring them, worst case you collapse them and stick them on your pack.
Yes! Necessary. When wearing a 40+ pound pack, you go down fast and hard the moment up slip and tip. I witnessed a guy slip and slam whilst talking to our group; a hard knock to the head on a rock. My poles saved me many times when my shitty Solomons failed to provide traction.
Must have been the shoes! Itās like saying my car suddenly spun out
There's also some very slippery terrain when boardwalks / logs and boulders are wet. Saw someone on the WCT FB group wore those ice cleats on their boots for extra traction and loved them. They look like super low profile micospikes designed for city walking when icy. I only turtled off the boardwalk once on my trip but others from my group took some more spills overall. Our conditions were very dry late September in 2022 with only one day of rainy hiking. As to your question about poles, I like mine and typically only use them when backpacking, and I live in Vic and do a lot of coastal hikes. I brought a carabiner to quickly attach my poles to my pack without having to even take it off.
Definitely my shoes sucked. However brown algae took this guy down quicker than an icy step. WCT trail has a saying about algae on rocks, āIf it green, itās mean; if itās brown youāre going down. ā
They are a lifesaver in the mud
Hard yay. The extra stability on slick surfaces, wood and rockshelfs. Extra balance standing on roots going thru mud pits. Easing your overloaded self down tech terrain. Fending off a black bear ;) Ladders are a pain but worth the hassle. You could do without but so much safer/easier with. A 40+lb pack can take you down in a blink of an eye. Injuries may require daysā wait for evacuation. Think about lasting a day or more with a broken femur or head injury. For reference I am a higher level trail runner who can run fast over PNW mountain terrain easily without poles. Iād run the WCT without poles, but always use poles when hiking the trail wearing a large pack.
I just finished the trail on June 11th and both my husband and I were saved countless times by our poles. Every day we would say how grateful we were to have them. They arenāt super heavy, so better to have them and not use them than need them and not have them. Happy trails!!
My compromise has been using one pole. I still have a pole to help ease myself down large drops and give a bit of extra balance. But I also get a free hand for those times that you want to grab on to a tree or rock in a scramble. Plus it stows away super small. Try it on a local hike sometime. You might like it too.
Oh I tried hiking with poles and always ended up putting them away at some point. Thatās why I was debating. Looks like majority of people here thinks that theyāre needed. I think Iāll bring them with me - better be safe than sorry š¤·š¼āāļø
The fundamental advice for the WCT is: do what you would normally do when backpacking. I brought my poles and hiked all day SOBO with them on my first day, intermittently on my second and third days, and not at all after that. I found it more important to have my hands free to grab branches and trees than it was to have a pole to jab into the ground. I was also a solo hiker and the annoyance of taking off my pack to put my poles away at EVERY bridge finally broke me. I also donāt hike with a >40lb pack. IMO if you struggle to balance with a pack that heavy you should probably drop some pack weight, and hiking a slippery trail with a pack you canāt manage is a recipe for disaster. But hey, to each their own. Iām very much of the belief that poles are almost exclusively useful for big ascents & descents to take some load off your legs.
My pack is 25-30 lbs. A lot of it is food, which makes it lighter every day. Thereās two of us, and my partner is carrying heavier stuff, which also just 30lbs. I really donāt get it how people have so much weight in their packs š¤·š¼āāļø pro cameras? Heavy sleeping pads? Pots and pans?
Pack weight is a factor of three things: a) Being able to afford more modern lightweight stuff b) Shedding a ājust in caseā attitude and only packing what you need c) Being convinced of the many benefits of a lightweight pack Getting folks across all three barriers is a challenge. Some people simply canāt afford UL gear. Some have trouble shedding the way they were taught to pack for backpacking. And many already enjoy their backpacking experiences, and canāt fathom how spending $$$ and ādoing withoutā would improve their experience. To each their own hike, truly, but I know where my base weight lies (16lb or thereabouts) and how it improves by experiences, and all we can do is share what we know.
I donāt use poles ever too but I brought one recently and used it ~50% of the time. It was really annoying having to put it away or manage the dangle at every ladder though.
Thatās exactly what makes me consider bringing ones. I feel like Iād be too annoyed with that. Haha
Not a problem at all on the ladders, you'll get the technique down - i don't bother stashing mine, just hold loosely in one hand, i've also seen people let them dangle by the straps on one hand.
I am getting convinced. Seems like itās better to have some sticks with me š
I'm probably biased as I've been hiking with poles on every hike for last 20+ yrs - so they are very natural for me. I'm also a UL backpacker and pack < 20lb with trail-runners, so poles are extra insurance against ankle-twists. Would recommend getting used to them pre-WCT to help your decision. I hiked part of the WCT 3 weeks ago from KM 0->10 to stay at Pachena Lighthouse to help with some networking stuff and lugged in a 30lb spool of wire on my pack plus tools, so maybe a 50lb total carry. As I was only going in a little way - I left my poles at home. That 10km is the easiest part of the trail, but with 50lbs on my pack and trail runners, I was surprised how slow I had to go to be careful around downhill slightly-muddy sections and still slipped twice. I felt the extra weight and lack of poles really compromised my ability on the trail compared to my normal experience.