What is your favorite item you love to bring for an outdoor adventure? (Not including your phone.)

My favorite item is my trekking poles. It is my favorite thing to carry on the trail. If I could, I would walk with them around town. LOL. It can be one of the most convenient & best tool.

It’s one investment I would recommend not to skimp.

Benefits of Trekking Poles

• It can help with your overall hike. For me it is like having four legs, and the poles alleviate the pressure to my poles for those declines and inclines.
  • My patella tendonitis can easily flare up but having those poles spreads out that pressure to four points. It’s like having 4-point contact without having your hands touch anything but the poles.
  • It can make it easier going up those big rocks. In some places a rock stair-step is impossible to step on without a 4-point contact. I use my trekking poles on the next step, and use it to lift me to the next step. It’s game changer!
• Wrangle rattlesnakes, and help it slither to the other side of the trail.
• Bang each trekking pole together to make noise to make yourself known to the critters, there are some you can hear but not see. Those are the important ones to make yourself know you are out there!
  • We used it to make noises for bears since loud noises scared them.
• It helps me not to eat dirt or injure myself since I can easily catch my fall.
  • I am clutz, and it is one reason I’d carry it around all the time.
  • And Preventing injuries is part of outdoor safety.
• It can be used as a weapon. It’s two long poles that can be strapped around your hands. It’s a good enough distance to keep others at a distance with a pointy tip.
• It’s a good tool to keep people 6ft away.
• It can be a good trap to signal animals or people near your campsite.
  • I carefully place my trekking poles at the bottom of our tent or hang it on a tree nearby. If someone comes nearby, it will fall, and I will know something is there.
  • Legit, it worked at our campsite on the PCT. It scared the bear or a huge deer who pummeled through our campsite and loudly knock my poles down. I hear it heavily breathed next to our tent. Eeeek! Good news, we were ok. I’d like to believe my trap worked. Lol.
• It is nice to have something in your hands for a long trek. We often play around with our poles. I feel like I am in a marching band twirling my batons. Stephen likes to pretend fight with it.

Overall, I love my trekking poles. I feel confident and secure with it. It’s a fun and convenient tool that is worth your investment. Do you have trekking poles? What’s your favorite brand and model? If you don’t have any, are you now considering it?