Nordic Poles Revisited

Not actually Erin.

Picture by KJ Photography

& is used with permission.

Now that it's no longer summer, the weather is cooling off in Florida -- by which I mean nighttime temperatures are in the low 70s, maybe even high 60s. This is perfect weather for nighttime walks, and therefore this is the best time for me to get back into the night walking habit I let slip during the summer. 

The last time I talked about Nordic walking poles, I mentioned that while I liked the Attrac poles which I had, I really wished that I had a rapid lock-unlock system for the wrist straps that I could toggle with the thumb of that same hand. As it turns out, Attrac makes a pole with that feature, so I went ahead and bought it. 

Now, I'm going to ask you to follow that link to look at the title. Please note that it says "with Anti-Shock Cushioning" and "Telescopic Adjustment". 

https://amzn.to/47kWuGI

It has nothing of the kind. It is a fixed-position one-piece pole, meaning that there is no possible way to adjust its height and there is nowhere to put an anti-shock system without making it a two-piece pole. Needless to say, I was quite disappointed. 

On the other hand, it did have the "Click and Go" system that I really wanted, and I had some spare rubber tips lying around, so I decided to give it a try before I returned it... and I'm so glad that I did. 

Despite being non-adjustable, I got lucky; these poles are almost perfectly sized for me (the ideal size for my height would be 42.25 inches, but I'm not going to complain about a 2.75 inch difference), and despite not having any kind of detectable anti-shock system I couldn't notice a difference between them and my other set of Attrac poles which has one. 

I also dearly love the Click & Go system. Not only does it make it easier to do things like manipulate a phone while walking, but I can also use my pistol with the hand strap still attached. Yes, the plastic anchor does get in the way more than a little bit, but despite that I am still able to quickly detach the wrap from the pole, grip my pistol, draw it and dry-fire it. I haven't taken the wraps to the actual shooting range, and I suspect that the Range Safety Officers might have a problem with me shooting a gun while wearing them, so recoil and the plastic anchors might not mix well. But the fact remains that I can comfortably grip, aim, and dry fire my regular carry pistol (a Colt Mustang Pocketlite) while wearing these and that's the important thing, because in a self-defense scenario it's better to be able to operate a gun than have comfortable recoil.

The wraps on the new poles. 

After using these poles for a few days, I went back to my older Attrac poles to see if I could feel a difference. In terms of shock absorption, I could not; but I definitely felt a difference in comfort between the "Click & Go" system and whatever system the older poles had. The older poles also had a tendency to pinch me in the skin between thumb and forefinger, which is something that they didn't used to do. I'm not sure why this happened, unless it's because my grip angle changed. As you can see from the pictures above and below, the two pole styles have subtly different grip positions. 

https://amzn.to/4486bX7

So if you're between 5'4" and 5'6" in height and are interested in Nordic walking, then these are the poles for you. If you're taller or shorter than that, I'm sorry; there don't appear to be any other Attrac poles in this style for you, and you'll either have to get an adjustable type of pole (which I have already reviewed) or take a chance on a different brand. 

Whichever you choose, I wish you the best of luck, and I hope to see you out walking!

Nordic Walking Poles

Not actually Erin.

Picture by KJ Photography

& is used with permission.

Last month I talked about using trekking poles for my nightly neighborhood walks and I stated that "my results are inconclusive because I feel like I haven't yet gotten the hang of Nordic walking." In the time since I wrote that post, I have learned the following:

1. Trekking poles actually did help relieve the strain on my lower back while walking. 
2. While walking with trekking poles eventually became more fluid, it never really felt natural and left hand was always numb halfway through a mile walk. 
3. All of this is because I was using the wrong pole for the task. While trekking poles can be used in Nordic walking, they are far from efficient at it. A suitable analogy would be "Yes, you could use a soup ladle to paddle a canoe, because they're both tools for moving water, but there's a difference between scooping and pushing."

The short version of how I came to this realization goes basically like this: I didn't like my hand going numb, so I looked for poles that had shock absorbers. I found some poles which had such a thing, and they weren't that expensive, so I bought them. These poles were actual Nordic walking poles and not trekking poles, and the performance difference is profound, like going from a fixed-gear bicycle to a ten-speed. 

I should perhaps feel dumb about this, but I don't. As an example, the new poles I bought are literally listed as "ATTRAC Trekking Poles Classic 27-53 in Sticks for Hiking with Anti-Shock Cushioning - Lightweight Nordic Walking Poles Telescopic Adjustment Aluminium with Cork Grip". Notice that "trekking poles" comes before "Nordic walking poles"; I just assumed that they were more or less the same thing, with perhaps minor cosmetic differences. Poles is poles, yeah?

Yeah, no. Not at all. So let's talk about the differences between these Nordic walking poles and my Cascade trekking poles. 

https://amzn.to/4486bX7

Non-Slip Cork Handle

In my previous post I said that "No one can seem to agree if cork or foam grips are better" and I honestly can't find any performance or comfort difference between the two. Advantage: neither. 

Adjustable Wrist Strap

Perhaps one reason I can't tell the difference is because I don't have to grip the pole at all due to the fact that my hand is connected to it through a wrist strap. This definitely has its benefits; my left hand no longer goes numb because I don't need to grip the handle. Instead, I can relax my hands  and still get the benefit of a walking pole. On the other hand, having a pole lashed to my hands makes it very difficult to do anything else with the hand, such as tie a shoe, use my phone, or draw and use a pistol for self defense.  I can't even unhook myself quickly, because the strap threads through a plastic loop and folds back on itself, and I have to pull the strap nearly out of the loop to extricate my very small hand.  

https://amzn.to/4486bX7

Advantage: the ease of use and elimination of numbness would make the Attrac a clear winner, except that the inability to hold anything else while tethered to it eliminates that benefit. It's a wash for me, but if you don't have issues with gripping a pole for extended periods then this would definitely put the Cascade trekking poles in the lead.

Anti-Shock System

I thought that a shock absorber on a walking stick was a luxury I could do without. I was wrong. The anti-shock system redeems the Attrac's issue with the tether, and it makes walking a much less jarring and therefore much more comfortable experience. Every pole I buy from now on, be it trekking or Nordic, will have one of these. 

Advantage: the Attrac by a huge margin. 

Safety Reflector

If you're walking at night and you don't have a light or a reflector already on you, these are unlikely to help you. 

Advantage: the Cascade doesn't have this, but this is irrelevant. Wear a headlamp and/or safety reflectors like a responsible adult. 

Telescopic Function

Both the Cascade trekking poles and the Attrac Nordic walking poles telescope. However, the Cascade's lever-lock system is superior, both in speed of use and reliability of locking, to the Attrac's system of twisting left to unlock and twisting right to lock. I can adjust the Cascade mid-walk quickly and without issue, but if I need to adjust the Attrac, I have to stop and give it my full attention... and there's a better than average chance that I won't fully engage the twist lock, resulting in a suddenly collapsing pole at an inconvenient moment. 

https://amzn.to/3HZvFxf

Advantage: the Cascade, by a huge margin. 

Tips

Both poles came with mud baskets, snow baskets, boot tips, and small tips. Only the Attrac came with asphalt tips, however. 

Cascade Tips:

https://amzn.to/3HZvFxf

Attrac Tips:

https://amzn.to/4486bX7

After a month of walking one to two miles a night, the asphalt tips are worn down such that they have no visible tread, but I don't need the tip for traction; I need it to protect the carbide pole tip, and it does that adequately. I'll let you know when I need to replace the tips. I haven't needed to use the baskets so I have no opinion on those as of yet. 

Advantage: technically the Attrac, but I could just as easily use the "forest" or "boot" tips on them as that's what I used with the Cascade. 

In Conclusion

I like walking with my Attrac poles, but they're far from perfect. I don't regret buying them, because they make my walking so much easier; I can now easily do two miles per night, whereas with the Cascades, or without poles at all, I could only do one. As exercise equipment, they're great, but speaking as a prepper and concealed pistol carrier, the loss of manual dexterity is a price I really hate paying. 

In my ideal world, I would have Nordic poles with the following qualities:

1. A rapid lock-unlock system for the wrist straps that I could toggle with the thumb of that same hand. 
2. A built-in shock absorber. 
3. Lever locks on the extensions. 

While I'm certain poles like this exist, I haven't yet been able to find them. My concern is that when I do, they will be expensive ($50 or more). 

I've been enjoying my nightly walks, though. Walking is a low-impact exercise, and I'm able to listen to audiobooks while I walk, so I have been able to effectively "trick" my body into thinking this isn't actually exercise and is, in fact, fun. I'm willing to spend more money on making my walks a better experience, so I'm committed to finding a pole that does everything I need and want it to do. 

When I do, I will let you all know. 

Trekking Poles

Not actually Erin.

Picture by KJ Photography

& is used with permission.

I recently bought a pair of trekking poles for my nightly mile walks around the neighborhood. The arthritis in my lower back has been a limiting factor when it comes to the amount of distance I can comfortably walk, and while researching solutions to this I discovered the concept of Nordic walking -- essentially, cross-country skiing without the skis. Between the increased cardiovascular benefits of Nordic walking and subsequent discovery that trekking poles help with load distribution while walking with a rucksack, I decided to investigate the benefits for myself. 

Since  didn't know if they would work for me, I bought a set of aluminum trekking poles from Cascade Mountain Tech ($21.50 on Amazon) because they had a high rating and because if I ended up not liking them I wouldn't be out a lot of money.

https://amzn.to/3HZvFxf

 Here's what I discovered:

1) No one can seem to agree if cork or foam grips are better. 

Both sides have their supporters, and the only thing they can agree upon is that cork grips are slightly ($10-$20) more expensive than EVA foam. After that, here's what I've been able to make out to the best of my ability:

• Cork is less durable than foam, but is more comfortable because it wicks away your sweat and conforms to your grip. 
• Foam is more durable, but this also means it will chafe more. It also absorbs moisture so sweat and/or rain will reduce your grip. 
• Both foam and cork offer the same amount of cushion/shock absorption, so it's a matter of long-term comfort vs long-term durability. 

I went with foam mainly because I wasn't sure I would like the poles to begin with. At this time I haven't found myself wishing my EVA foam grips were more comfortable or less sweaty, but that may be because my walks only last between 30 and 60 minutes and I'm walking on level asphalt roads. 

2) It takes time to learn how to walk with trekking poles. 

When I first started, I thought I knew how to use them, but within the first few feet I knew something was wrong because I felt no additional stability or speed. I was taking two steps for every use of the pole, and that didn't feel right, but I wasn't sure what I was doing wrong. Even YouTube videos didn't tell me what to do; while they may exist, I couldn't find a "This is how you walk with trekking poles, you dummy" video. 

What I eventually realized was that I needed to search for "How to Nordic Walk" videos instead, and that was tremendously helpful to me. These videos showed me where my pole tips should be striking the ground -- roughly where my heel would be if I were standing still -- and not in front of me at all. This has helped a great deal. 

I'm still getting the hang of it, but I think I'll soon have a natural stride. 

3) My left hand goes numb about halfway through the walk.

To be clear, I'm not blaming this on the poles. My left hand gets pins and needles basically any time I need to hold it at a a 90° angle or higher for more than a few minutes or when I need to grip something tightly for longer than a minute. I lack health insurance so I haven't had this diagnosed by a doctor; the last time I had it looked at (2019) I believe I was told it was tendonitis and not a big deal, although I'm not ruling out carpal tunnel syndrome. 

Either way, this numbness is quite uncomfortable and it's hard for me to concentrate on anything when it happens, especially the position of my trekking poles. The only way to fix this is to shake my hand, or otherwise let it hang down, which is difficult to do when carrying a pole and makes using a pole pretty much impossible. 

Perhaps I'm gripping the pole too tightly, or my pole technique is otherwise improper, and correct form would prevent hand numbness. I will continue to refine my technique and let you know how that goes. 

Do I recommend trekking poles?

Right now I have to say that my results are inconclusive because I feel like I haven't yet gotten the hang of Nordic walking. If I can't seem to get the hang of it after a suitable amount of time, or if I do and see no benefit, then I would say no. 

However, I can see the appeal and the benefits seem logical, and the multitude of Nordic walking enthusiasts can't all be wrong. Perhaps tonight everything will fall into place and I will become a zealous Nordic convert. 

Only time and experience will tell, and I will keep you all posted. 

Rucksack Night Walking

Not actually Erin.

Picture by KJ Photography

& is used with permission.

Now that it's become pleasantly cool here in Florida, I've been taking nighttime walks around the neighborhood loop with my camping rucksack. 

As I mentioned back in April, my Bug Out Bag had become too heavy to carry without back pain, and I needed to slim it down. To that end, I tore everything out and rebuilt it from the ground up with the philosophy of "a pack suitable for a three-day camping trip is also a 72-hour BOB". I then supplemented it sparingly with some items that would be useful in a longer-term emergency. 

I think it's safe to say that I've gotten most of the kinks worked out of this bag, and I can carry it without either pain or difficulty. I'm now able to walk the full loop, 1.1 miles, without back pain or getting out of breath. My stamina still needs work because my goal is to be able to do two full miles -- well, 2.2 in reality, because that's two full loops -- and by the time I finish the first loop I'm exhausted and ready for a shower and bed. Still, this is progress that I'm quite proud of, and I know that if I just keep at it I will eventually reach my goal. 

Last night really wore me out, though. I was wearing hiking boots rather than my usual sneakers because it had rained earlier, and they weigh slightly more than I'm used to having on my feet. Around the 3/4ths mark of the walk my feet felt like they were weighed down with sandbags, and I had to concentrate on putting one foot in front of the other. My new rule is that I either walk in boots or with my rucksack, but not both until I'm stronger. 

For those who want to know more about my current 72 hour bag / camping rucksack, it's a High Sierra Long Trail 90L. 

Specs:

• 90-liter, expedition-sized backpack with extra cargo capacity.
• Top-load main compartment with gusseted drawstring closure and adjustable top lid.
• Drop-bottom sleeping bag compartment with divider.
• ERGO-FIT shoulder harness, constructed with HEX-VENT mesh and foam padding.
• Dual, contoured aluminum frame bars
• Molded foam back panel with AIRFLOW channels.
• Waist belt, with HEX-VENT mesh and high-density foam padding.
• Side and bottom compression straps.
• Internal hydration reservoir sleeve and dual exit ports for tube.
• Front access to the main compartment.
• Adjustable sternum strap.
• Webbing daisy chain for attaching other gear.
• Soft lashing hardware.
• Mesh pockets hold water bottles.
• Tuck-away rain cover also protects pack when checked for air travel.
• Capacity - 5500 cu. in.
• Weight: 6.91 lbs.

I'll tell you more about my new boots in another post, once I have a bit more experience with walking in them.