By Marcus Hale, Lead Pack Research Editor · Published September 14, 2026, 6:03 PM ET
Direct Answer
Trekking poles carry on a hiking backpack by sliding the tips into a bottom loop, usually on the side compression strap or hipbelt, then securing the shafts near shoulder height with an upper bungee, Velcro tab, or a quick-stow panel. This two-point hold keeps poles from swinging or sliding free while walking.
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In plain English
Trekking poles are like ski poles for walking. They help with balance and take some strain off your knees, especially going downhill. But sometimes you want your hands free, such as when climbing over rocks, reading a map or walking a long flat stretch, so you need a way to fix them onto your backpack.
Most hiking packs have a small loop near the bottom and a strap or elastic cord higher up. You shorten the poles, push the pointy ends into the bottom loop, then fasten the tops with the upper strap. It's the same idea as tying something long to a car roof at two points so it can't wobble.
Point the tips down and away from you and other people, and check the straps after a few minutes of walking.
Trekking poles carry on a hiking backpack using a two-point attachment: a lower loop anchors the pole tips, and an upper strap, bungee, or quick-stow panel holds the shafts against the pack body near shoulder height.
Step-by-step: stowing trekking poles
Collapse both poles to their shortest length and align the tips together.
Slide the tips down through the lower pole loop, usually mounted on a side compression strap or near the hipbelt.
Angle the pole shafts up along the side of the pack, tips pointing down and away from the body.
Secure the shafts with the upper strap, bungee cord, or quick-stow panel, cinching until the poles sit snug against the pack.
Check that the tips are covered or padded if the pack will bump against other hikers or gear.
What if a pack has no dedicated pole loop?
A pack without dedicated pole hardware can still carry poles using daisy chain webbing and a spare strap or short bungee, threading the tips through one loop and the shafts through a higher loop before cinching everything snug. This method is slower to rig than dedicated hardware but works on nearly any pack with front or side webbing.
Where should poles sit for the best balance?
Poles should sit along the side of the pack, close to the body, rather than sticking straight up above the pack or angled far out to the side. A pole carried too high raises the load's center of gravity; one angled too far out can catch branches, other hikers, or a passing trail sign on narrow sections.
Attachment method
Speed
Best for
Quick-stow panel
Fastest, one-handed
Frequent on/off use
Loop and strap
Moderate
Standard day hikes and backpacking
Daisy chain + bungee
Slowest
Packs without dedicated pole hardware
Poles left loosely stowed tend to work free within a mile or two of walking, so a quick check and retighten after the first climb or descent is worth the ten seconds it takes.
When to carry them and when to stow them
The best time to stow poles follows from what research says they do. On a 25-degree downhill ramp, hiking poles significantly lowered ground reaction force and knee joint moment, and knee compressive and shear forces fell by 12 to 25%.1 A later downhill study tested no pack, a day pack of 15% of body weight and an expedition pack of 30%, and found poles reduced lower-limb joint moments across all three loads.2
Level walking is different. A study of walking on flat ground found poles did not appear to reduce knee compressive load, even when walkers pushed 2.4 times harder on them.3 So stowing poles on long flat stretches, hand-over-hand scrambles or ladders gives up little, while stowing them before a long descent gives up their clearest benefit. That's where a quick-stow system earns its place: on routes where the terrain keeps switching between the two.
Why placement on the pack matters
Poles are light, but their length makes them awkward. A review of soldier load carriage found that keeping the load's center of mass as close as possible to the body's gives the lowest energy cost,4 and the same logic applies to anything long strapped to a pack: the tighter it sits along the side, the less it levers the pack around when you twist or duck under a branch. US Army doctrine notes that compression straps hold a load closer to the body and stop it shifting,5 so running a side compression strap over the shafts, where a pack has one, is a useful backup to a single bungee.
Snag risk is the other factor. Poles sticking up above the pack catch low branches, and poles angled outward catch rock and people on narrow trail. On busy paths, uphill hikers have the right of way,6 so you may often be stepping aside with your pack turned toward the slope. Tips pointing down, and covered where possible, are safer for everyone behind you.
Flying with poles
Stowing poles also matters on the way to the trailhead. The TSA allows blunt-tipped hiking poles in carry-on or checked bags, but sharp-tipped poles cannot go in carry-on bags.7 Most trekking poles have hard, pointed tips, so plan on checking them unless yours are blunt, and fit rubber tip protectors before packing.
If the whole pack is going in the hold, collapse the poles fully and strap them tight along the side, or put them inside the pack, so nothing long can catch on baggage belts. The TSA officer at the checkpoint has the final say, so pack for the stricter reading if you're unsure.
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