How to Choose the Right Trekking Pole Length

Most people set their poles once, guess, and never touch them again. That’s the easiest way to end a hike with sore shoulders instead of saved knees.

The starting point

Stand with the pole tip on the ground and the pole held vertical, hand on the grip. Your elbow should sit at roughly a right angle. That’s your baseline length — not your final one.

Adjust for the terrain, not the trailhead

• Steep climbs: shorten each pole a few centimeters. A shorter pole keeps your arm from overreaching on the push-off.
• Descents: lengthen them back out. A longer pole meets the ground sooner, which means less weight landing through your knees on the way down.
• Flat, easy trail: your baseline length is usually right. Some people skip poles here entirely, and that’s fine — they’re a tool for load and stability, not a requirement for every step.

Adjustable-length poles exist for exactly this. If you’re setting them once at the trailhead and leaving them there for a ten-mile day with real elevation change, you’re leaving the main benefit on the table.

One pole or two

Two, if you’re carrying real pack weight or crossing uneven ground — the stability comes from both hands working together, not from either pole alone. One is enough for flat, easy trail, or when you need a hand free.

The strap matters more than people think

Bring your hand up through the wrist strap from underneath, then grip the strap and handle together. Done right, your hand rests on the strap instead of gripping the pole all day — the difference shows up in the last few miles, not the first.

If you’re choosing your first pair

The trade-off comes down to weight versus forgiveness. Carbon fiber is lighter and damps trail vibration better, which matters most on long days and steep vertical. It also fails differently — a hard sideways impact can crack it, and a cracked carbon pole usually can’t be field-repaired. Aluminum is heavier but bends instead of snapping, which means a bad hit is more likely to get you home rather than end your trip early.

Neither is “better.” One favors lower weight; the other favors more forgiving damage on rocky ground. Our carbon poles publish the full adjustment range for each size so you can check fit before ordering.