Taking care of hiking poles

Knowing how too take care of hiking poles is just common sense. There are a few things that you can do while on the using hiking poles on the trail and also things to do when you get back home that will extend the life of your poles. Why spend a lot of money on a good set just to throw them away when they get damaged?

First you need to recognize the different types of poles and how to maintain each one. Let's look at each type first and then we'll break them down. Before we give you these tips we highly recommend going to the manufactures site and follow their instructions.

You have the Expander poles. By expander poles we do not mean all poles that lengthen by pulling one section out of the other section. Expander poles refer to the locking mechanism inside the pole itself. This mechanism is just a piece that expands and contracts depending on which way you twist the pole sections. Generally you turn right to tighten and left to loosen. These are the most well known.

Next you have the pushbutton poles. These refer to the poles that extend by pushing in buttons on the sides that unlock and lock the sections into place.

And finally you have the Snap-lock poles. These use a clamping device on the bottom part of each section to lock the other section into place. They generally have a little lever that you flip out to loosen and push in to tighten.

Now on how to take care of hiking poles.
Definitely follow manufacturer instructions. You can buy extra parts for all these types and you should do so if at all possible.

Expander poles:
Take apart the poles after each hike and wash each section but be careful to NOT wash the interior. Also, DO NOT use any lubricants, the poles have a special interior and a specialized brush needs to be used to clean the interior. Carefully dry each section after you wash it and let air dry for 24-48 hrs after cleaning. Clean the plug on the inside and if the sections slip after you put it back together then get a new plug.

Pushbutton poles:
Use the same cleaning instructions as the expander poles except one thing. You CAN use lubricants on these if the manufacturer suggests it. This will help the sections slide easier.

Snap-Lock poles:
Again the same instructions as the expander poles. Only thing different is if the locking mechanism doesn't completely lock the sections together then replace the lock. Remember DO NOT wash the interior and NO lubricants.

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