Best Trekking Poles (2026)
Trekking poles are a pair of adjustable or fixed-length shafts with grips and wrist straps that give a hiker two extra points of contact with the ground. They take load off your knees on descents, add stability on uneven or slick terrain, and help you balance during stream crossings, and some models even pitch as the support poles for trekking-pole tents.
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In plain English
Trekking poles are like ski poles for walking. You hold one in each hand and plant them as you go, so your arms take a little of the work your legs would otherwise do. They give you two extra points of contact with the ground, a bit like using a handrail on stairs.
They help most going downhill. Each step down sends a jolt through your knees, and pushing on the poles takes some of that jolt away. A lab study found poles lowered forces on the knee by 12 to 25% on a steep downhill slope.1 They also help you keep your balance on loose rocks or while crossing a creek.
On flat, smooth trail they matter much less.3 Most poles fold or shrink down, so you can strap them to your pack when you don't need them and pull them out for the steep parts.
Who it's for
Almost any hiker can benefit, but the payoff varies. Someone doing steep descents with a loaded pack will feel the most knee relief, while a fastpacker or trail runner may want a light, packable pair mainly for balance. Backpackers using a trekking-pole tent need poles that hit a specific length range, and winter hikers often want baskets and grips suited to snow and cold hands.
How to choose trekking poles
Aluminum poles are generally heavier than carbon fiber ones, and carbon fiber saves weight. Either material can be damaged by a hard impact or by leaning on a pole wedged in a rock crack, so check the maker's care guidance and warranty rather than assuming one is tougher.
Telescoping poles adjust in length for steep climbs and descents and for sharing between hikers of different heights, but they add a few joints that can loosen over time. Folding poles collapse into short sections for fast packability, ideal for stashing on a pack when not in use. Fixed-length poles are simplest and lightest but only suit one height and terrain type.
Telescoping poles rely on a lever (external cam) lock or an internal twist lock to hold each section in place. Lever locks are easy to adjust with gloves on, stay reliable in cold or wet weather, and are simple to tighten if they loosen. Twist locks are lighter and lower-profile but can slip under load if grit gets inside or the collar isn't seated tight.
Cork grips mold to your hand shape over time and wick sweat well, foam grips are soft and absorbent for warm-weather comfort, and rubber grips insulate against cold but tend to cause more hand sweat and blistering on long days. Padded, adjustable wrist straps let you rest weight through your wrists instead of gripping tightly, which matters most on long descents.
A pole's tip does the real work of gripping terrain: hardened carbide tips bite into rock, roots and hardpack far better than plain metal or rubber. Rubber tip protectors are worth carrying for pavement or fragile trail surfaces. Baskets keep the tip from sinking into mud or snow, and swapping to wider winter baskets makes a big difference once the ground softens or turns to powder.
3 pairs of poles to compare
Real options that fit the criteria above. We don't publish prices or ratings — check the current price and reviews on Amazon.
What the research measures, and why poles help downhill
The clearest evidence is for descents. In a 1999 study, walkers on a 25-degree downhill ramp using hiking poles showed significantly lower ground reaction force and knee joint moment, and knee compressive and shear forces fell by 12 to 25%.1 The researchers traced the reduction to two things: force going into the poles instead of the legs, and a more forward-leaning upper body.1
Pack weight did not erase the effect. A 2007 study tested hikers going downhill with no pack, a day pack at 15% of body weight and an expedition pack at 30%, and found poles significantly reduced the turning forces (moments) at the lower-limb joints, with the benefit holding across all three loads.2 A small 2016 study of obese women found poles reduced temporary markers of muscle and cartilage damage after downhill walking.5 Together these support the page's advice that loaded descents are where poles earn their weight.
What the studies don't show
Some guides say studies and hikers agree that poles reduce knee load. For descents, that is well supported. On flat ground, the picture changes: a 2011 study found walking with poles on level ground did not appear to reduce knee compressive load, and even pushing 2.4 times harder on the poles did not lower it.3 So on a flat trail, poles are mainly about balance and rhythm, not knee protection.
Some guides also say poles can boost uphill efficiency, which is why this page limits the benefit to descents and balance. None of the studies in this site's research library measured uphill energy cost, so treat that as hiker experience rather than an established finding. The studies that do exist are small, lab-based and short, and they measured forces or blood markers, not long-term knee health. That is useful evidence, but it is not proof that poles prevent injury over years of hiking. Technique matters too, since the 1999 study linked part of the benefit to how people leaned and loaded the poles.1
Poles as shelter parts and travel items
For ultralight hikers, poles often double as tent poles. MSR notes that non-freestanding tarp shelters need a pole or trekking poles plus staked guy lines to stand.6 That is why the page flags a specific length range for trekking-pole tents: if your adjustable pole can't reach the height the shelter needs, the pitch sags. Fixed-length poles are the least flexible option here.
Flying to a trailhead brings another rule set. TSA says blunt-tipped hiking poles are allowed in carry-on or checked bags, but sharp-tipped hiking poles cannot go in carry-on bags.4 If your poles have pointed carbide tips, plan to put them in checked baggage. Tent poles, by contrast, are generally allowed in carry-on or checked bags.7
Common questions
Do trekking poles really help on the trail?
Mostly on descents. Studies of downhill walking found poles reduce the load on the knees, and many hikers find they improve balance on uneven ground or during creek crossings. On level ground, one study found no reduction in knee load, so the benefit is most noticeable with a loaded pack, on steep descents or on technical terrain rather than flat, easy trail.
What length should trekking poles be?
A common starting point is a length that lets your elbow sit at roughly a 90-degree angle when the pole tip touches the ground beside your foot. Shorten poles a bit for steep climbs and lengthen them for descents. If you plan to use a trekking-pole tent, check the tent's required pole-length range before you decide on a pair.
Are two poles better than one?
For most hikers, yes. A pair distributes effort evenly on both sides of the body, which helps more with balance, load transfer and rhythm than a single pole. A single pole can still help on moderate terrain or if you need a free hand, but two poles generally give more stability on steep or technical sections.
This is a general buying guide, not a lab review — it explains what to look for so you can choose well, and links to real products to compare. We publish no prices or ratings; current price, availability and reviews are shown on Amazon. Product links are affiliate links: we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. See our affiliate disclosure.