What is the difference between trekking poles and walking poles

The two are mainly different in three aspects: origin function, appearance design, and usage method. Among them, the appearance design is the most intuitive and obvious.
Origin and function: Walking stick is also called Nordic walking stick, which originated from Nordic skiing and is designed for fitness walking;
Trekking poles are auxiliary equipment used in mountain climbing. Walking sticks and crutches have been used by people for a long time, and then they were introduced into the mountaineering industry and widely popular among mountain friends.
Walking sticks are mainly used on flat roads or mountains below 3500 meters above sea level;
The main purpose of trekking poles is to maintain body balance, reduce body load, and protect knees.
Appearance design: The trekking pole adopts a simple annular wristband; the walking pole is a wearable wristband, which is connected to the pole head with a push button device.
The metal tip at the bottom of the trekking pole is equipped with a circular shock-absorbing head, which adopts a multi-section adjustable design, and has a mud support and a snow support;
The walking pole is equipped with a "small boot" type shock-absorbing head. Because most of them are used on flat roads, the design of the pole support is basically cancelled, and the whole non-adjustable structure is adopted.
How to use: The use of trekking poles is mainly based on grasping the handle. There are different methods of use when walking on flat ground and going up and down steep slopes.
The use of the walking stick is different from it, it requires the user's shoulder joint to swing back and forth, and the amplitude of the swing arm is increased to enhance the fitness effect and protective effect.
Walking on a flat road, the back leg is straight, the front leg and the back heel are on the ground, the arms are spread out, the support point of the cane is slightly behind the side of the body, and the rod body is inclined to push the body forward.
The structure of the trekking pole is simple and clear, usually it consists of a handle, a wrist strap, a pole, a pole support, a pole tip, and a pole tip cover.
The most important thing to note is the stick. It is a "bowl-mounted" structural component at the base of the rod, which is inconspicuous but indispensable. It increases the force-bearing surface of the tip of the pole, preventing the situation that the trekking pole is difficult to pull out from being inserted into the snow or in the rock.
According to different classification standards, trekking poles can be divided into different types.
According to the type of handle, it can be divided into 5 materials: cork, EVA foam, rubber, and plastic. Each material has its own advantages and disadvantages.
EVA and cork handles are used for mid- to high-end trekking poles, while rubber or plastic handles are used for low-end entry-level trekking poles, which don't absorb sweat, but are durable and resilient. Users should choose trekking poles with different handles according to the application scenario. If they travel long distances in the wild, in order to prevent the palm from grinding out blisters, the fit and durability should be given priority. In this case, it is better to choose EVA foam or cork.
Type of pole: The pole is the core support of the trekking pole, and its material directly determines the weight and durability of the trekking pole. Common materials are aluminum alloy, carbon fiber, titanium alloy.
Titanium alloy is light and durable, but the disadvantage is that it is expensive, and the total amount in the market is relatively small; the carbon fiber rod is light and tough, and the main component is carbon, which has the disadvantages of low ignition point and poor heat resistance; aluminum alloy is cheap, strong and durable, but relatively Heavy.
According to the locking method, it can be divided into three types: inner lock, outer lock and mixed lock.
Internal lock: The inner part is expanded by rotation, and then the trekking pole is locked inside, which has the advantage of light weight, but there is a risk of being easily caught by sand.
External lock, the trekking pole is locked by the external hoop, the operation is simple and durable. It has become the mainstream locking system in the market.
Hybrid locks are generally used for folding rods. The main part adopts a knob-type inner lock, and an outer lock is used at the handle to lock the telescopic rod. This design is easy to carry, but less supportive and stronger.