>>1549976No they're legit. I take them /out/ every time I'm carrying decent weight on my back, and I'll take a single pole sometimes if I'm doing a lot of distance on rough terrain.
They've saved me sprained ankles when I'm hiking too quickly trying to make up time, I use them for crossing streams or unstable rocks when I have weight on my back impeding my balance. I can set up a tarp with them. They're great for increasing your descent speed while not sacrificing your knees and risking sprains, and your ascent speed by allowing you to haul yourself with your arms a bit. When I was last on a multi day hike I got a mad blister mid way through my last day and couldn't put much weight on my foot. I used a pole to hobble to last 10 miles or so and made my train home, really made the difference.
Sure, boomers will take them out wearing a daybag on gentle paths, but don't let that deter your from making use of poles.
