Could a hiking staff live a second life as a cane?
December 14, 2018 7:28 AM Subscribe
I'm looking at this staff to serve as both an everyday cane and, later in my recovery and past it, as a hiking staff. Bone-breaking snowflakes inside.
Last April I suffered an accident at an indoor trampoline park. Yes, I was and am too old to be doing such a thing, but so it goes to make our children happy. And yes, though it's not relevant to my question, there was an extensive waiver signed by me. I suffered a tibial shelf fracture, pretty severe and complex. After two surgeries I got not just an infection, but complex regional pain syndrome in my ankle and foot, leading to that area being immobilized in a boot, and due to the infection, two more surgeries on my knee and leg.
All this to explain that for around six months my leg, ankle and foot have been immobilized and unused. Now I'm in physical therapy, and it's a very slow process. Eventually, I suspect I will graduate from using a walker/crutches, and I think a cane would be a good idea for the transition and maybe long-term. I also have a family trip to Arizona and the Grand Canyon area planned in late March of next year. I may not be ready for hiking by then, but if I am I am sure a hiking staff would come in handy.
Regardless, more hiking will hopefully lie in my future, and i have come to accept that my injured leg will never be nearly in the condition it was before. Since I gravitate to technical gear, I thought this Leki pole would be a good investment, and something I could use as a multi-purpose tool.
Having never used a cane or a hiking staff (beyond a sizable stick found on the AT or other trails), I thought I might get some advice from this fine group before I make the investment.
Thank you!
Last April I suffered an accident at an indoor trampoline park. Yes, I was and am too old to be doing such a thing, but so it goes to make our children happy. And yes, though it's not relevant to my question, there was an extensive waiver signed by me. I suffered a tibial shelf fracture, pretty severe and complex. After two surgeries I got not just an infection, but complex regional pain syndrome in my ankle and foot, leading to that area being immobilized in a boot, and due to the infection, two more surgeries on my knee and leg.
All this to explain that for around six months my leg, ankle and foot have been immobilized and unused. Now I'm in physical therapy, and it's a very slow process. Eventually, I suspect I will graduate from using a walker/crutches, and I think a cane would be a good idea for the transition and maybe long-term. I also have a family trip to Arizona and the Grand Canyon area planned in late March of next year. I may not be ready for hiking by then, but if I am I am sure a hiking staff would come in handy.
Regardless, more hiking will hopefully lie in my future, and i have come to accept that my injured leg will never be nearly in the condition it was before. Since I gravitate to technical gear, I thought this Leki pole would be a good investment, and something I could use as a multi-purpose tool.
Having never used a cane or a hiking staff (beyond a sizable stick found on the AT or other trails), I thought I might get some advice from this fine group before I make the investment.
Thank you!
Possibly, but ask your physical therapist.
One thing to keep in mind is that hiking staff tips are pointy metal, designed to dig into dirt and grip the surfaces of rough rocks. They're not meant for hardwood floors and tile. If you used it as a cane you'd probably want to get a different tip for it, which is something you can often do.
posted by bondcliff at 7:34 AM on December 14, 2018 [5 favorites]
One thing to keep in mind is that hiking staff tips are pointy metal, designed to dig into dirt and grip the surfaces of rough rocks. They're not meant for hardwood floors and tile. If you used it as a cane you'd probably want to get a different tip for it, which is something you can often do.
posted by bondcliff at 7:34 AM on December 14, 2018 [5 favorites]
Best answer: Hiking staffs typically come with a removable rubber tip that covers the carbide tip when necessary. This staff does include one.
It looks like a fine staff from here. I wish there were better pictures of the adjustment locks, as those are in my experience the most common point of failure on trekking poles. I prefer the cam-style kind over the twist-lock kind as they seem more reliable, and it looks like that's what this has, but I'd want to play with them in a store (or just be prepared to return the staff immediately if ordered online) to make sure they seem sturdy. It has aluminum shafts, which most people prefer over carbon because the weight savings with carbon are minimal and are exchanged for a decrease in durability and an approximate 2x price jump.
I've never seen that style of staff on a trail before, though. The kind I always see are the kind where you have two poles with ski-pole style vertical grips with loops on them that can be used to support your wrists. This works better than a T-style grip for hiking use, as you normally keep the poles closer to chest height than waist height, as with a cane. Single poles (less common nowadays) are usually shoulder height, again necessitating a vertical grip.
However, there are doubtless hikers out there who prefer a T-style grip for whatever reason, and if you really just want support on the one side of your body rather than both then maybe this is the staff for you. It's not what I would choose, but you could give it a try and see how you like it.
Or at least, it might be the style of staff for you. The reviews on REI mention problems with insecure clips that cause self-shortening, and a grip that wears down too quickly, necessitating replacement. Those are both significant issues, and ones that are common enough that I've experienced them myself with other trekking poles, so I believe that they're real issues here. People also say that the shock absorption system has gotten worse in this staff as compared to its previous generation. So on the whole, I would pass.
Honestly, I would just get a cane for now, and then some regular trekking poles for later. I don't usually use trekking poles myself because I like to keep my hands free and I still have young-ish knees (although I probably should!) but my father uses these Black Diamond Trail Pro Shock poles and they are excellent. Just a very strong, durable, lightweight, simple, reliable set of poles that have been through a lot and always just work. I've leant them to friends, used them myself, hiked with my father many times while he uses them, and I can recommend them without qualification.
posted by Anticipation Of A New Lover's Arrival, The at 8:06 AM on December 14, 2018 [4 favorites]
It looks like a fine staff from here. I wish there were better pictures of the adjustment locks, as those are in my experience the most common point of failure on trekking poles. I prefer the cam-style kind over the twist-lock kind as they seem more reliable, and it looks like that's what this has, but I'd want to play with them in a store (or just be prepared to return the staff immediately if ordered online) to make sure they seem sturdy. It has aluminum shafts, which most people prefer over carbon because the weight savings with carbon are minimal and are exchanged for a decrease in durability and an approximate 2x price jump.
I've never seen that style of staff on a trail before, though. The kind I always see are the kind where you have two poles with ski-pole style vertical grips with loops on them that can be used to support your wrists. This works better than a T-style grip for hiking use, as you normally keep the poles closer to chest height than waist height, as with a cane. Single poles (less common nowadays) are usually shoulder height, again necessitating a vertical grip.
However, there are doubtless hikers out there who prefer a T-style grip for whatever reason, and if you really just want support on the one side of your body rather than both then maybe this is the staff for you. It's not what I would choose, but you could give it a try and see how you like it.
Or at least, it might be the style of staff for you. The reviews on REI mention problems with insecure clips that cause self-shortening, and a grip that wears down too quickly, necessitating replacement. Those are both significant issues, and ones that are common enough that I've experienced them myself with other trekking poles, so I believe that they're real issues here. People also say that the shock absorption system has gotten worse in this staff as compared to its previous generation. So on the whole, I would pass.
Honestly, I would just get a cane for now, and then some regular trekking poles for later. I don't usually use trekking poles myself because I like to keep my hands free and I still have young-ish knees (although I probably should!) but my father uses these Black Diamond Trail Pro Shock poles and they are excellent. Just a very strong, durable, lightweight, simple, reliable set of poles that have been through a lot and always just work. I've leant them to friends, used them myself, hiked with my father many times while he uses them, and I can recommend them without qualification.
posted by Anticipation Of A New Lover's Arrival, The at 8:06 AM on December 14, 2018 [4 favorites]
Best answer: My grandfather used a “cane” like this for several years and took pride in its compactness and modern appearance. Its portability ensured it was never left behind when he might need it.
posted by zachxman at 8:17 AM on December 14, 2018 [1 favorite]
posted by zachxman at 8:17 AM on December 14, 2018 [1 favorite]
By the way, you can use a trekking pole with a lower-down grip although it's probably less comfortable than a cane over longer distances. When descending a steep slope, one generally sticks the pole out and down and then (with one's wrist through the strap for stability, as usual) palms the pommel of the pole and pushes straight down into it like that. Think of it like a cane with a knob on it rather than a cane with a handle. This may not be suitable for your needs, however.
posted by Anticipation Of A New Lover's Arrival, The at 8:22 AM on December 14, 2018 [1 favorite]
posted by Anticipation Of A New Lover's Arrival, The at 8:22 AM on December 14, 2018 [1 favorite]
A former roommate did just this with one of my Nordic trekking poles after a slip down some stairs hurt his leg. The pole collapsed and had a removable tip on the end. He used it when I wasn’t working out with them
posted by ayc200 at 12:13 PM on December 14, 2018 [2 favorites]
posted by ayc200 at 12:13 PM on December 14, 2018 [2 favorites]
Just my opinion but I wouldn't try to combine two very different purposes into one cane. For temporary use during recovery just get a cheap folding adjustable cane for about 10 bucks. It will have a T-grip and skid proof fat rubber tip.
Then get yourself a pair of hiking poles for hiking. For hiking you generally don't want a T-grip -- you want wrist straps. And two is much better than one.
posted by JackFlash at 12:53 PM on December 14, 2018 [2 favorites]
Then get yourself a pair of hiking poles for hiking. For hiking you generally don't want a T-grip -- you want wrist straps. And two is much better than one.
posted by JackFlash at 12:53 PM on December 14, 2018 [2 favorites]
A friend of mine actually uses 2 trekking poles in place of a cane.
posted by 8603 at 2:00 PM on December 14, 2018
posted by 8603 at 2:00 PM on December 14, 2018
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by Carol Anne at 7:29 AM on December 14, 2018 [2 favorites]