Mt. Whitney Portal Store & Hostel Forums General Mt. Whitney Portal Store Message Board Rubber tips on trekking poles?

Can anybody give a good explanation why trekking poles, such as the WalMart specials noted in Trekking Poles, come with optional rubber tips?

Yesterday I had trail fever and did a day hike to Trail Camp. When I was getting ready to leave, a ranger walked up to me and looked at my trekking poles. I asked him what he was looking for, and he indicated that a number of people were hiking the main trail with the tips and that a number of dislodged tips have been found on the trail. (I was okay since I had normal tips on my poles).

Lo and behold, I passed a couple of hikers on the trail with the add-on tips. One of them was taking a rest so I confronted him on the subject.

If you're hiking across rock slabs a lot the rubber tips are preferable. They grip instead of skate and they don't make that annoying noise.

On dirt or mixed surfaces they are a disadvantage.

Thanks. So why are so many rubber tips lost on the main trail? It sounds like people would not want to use them on most of the route, unless they hated the noise.

I use rubber tips to reduce slipping on rock and protect the metal tips from wear and damage. Not real sure that this is best. I just do it.
I use little hose clamps to keep the rubber tips from falling off.

I now use the rubber tips all the time unless I am on snow. This started since I been using poles made with carbon fibers. I've had such poles snap into two without warning, without abnormal stress put on them. I suspect that impacts of the pole tips on rocks generate micro-fractures, which build up and eventually cause them to fail (they break cleanly, perfectly perpendicular to the length). The rubber tips dampen the vibration from impacts and presumably prevent the micro-fractures. So far (~1.5 yrs), I have not had a carbon fiber pole break on me with the tips.

I've never had them come off on trails, unless they just wore out during the use and broke apart. I now use Leki's tips, which have a metal disc inside the rubber and last at least 20X longer than Komperdell's or REI's tips. (Leki's tips will fit Black Diamonds and Komperdell poles; I am pretty sure they fit REI poles as well.)

If there really are more lost tips on the MWT then other Sierra trails then the question becomes "what's different about the MWT?"

I can think of one obvious difference.

There is a body of people who believe that the bare carbide tips scar the rocks on the trails where they are used, and so degrade the experience, by "leaving a mark".

However, I think the most common reason is that people think that they are supposed to be fitted on, so they do that, and just leave them there.

Personally, I don't use them, although I can see the potential benefit on rock.

I use my hiking staff as a camera monopod, so tend to have it with me in urban settings as well as on the trail. I use the rubber tips when I'm in town so I won't scar floors with the carbide spikes.

On the trail, I take the rubber tips off.

Thanks for the info on the carbon fiber poles! Just bought a pair this past summer & would hate to have to spend another $200.00!!!

Several years ago I posed this question to Leki. I had recently lost a couple of rubber tips (probably on the Whitney trail), and was complaining that they should be better secured. Besides, they didn't seem to offer any advantage over carbide ones--except for income to Leki.

The rep responded that the rubber tips are meant for use on sidewalks and floors, etc., with the carbide ones recommended for trails.

So I have accumulated quite a collection of new rubber tips over the years, and are happy to trade for a beer or two.

this is sorta related

when putting a lot of weight on the pole (as when descending over a big step or ledge) the newer fancy-material poles bend, thus changing the angle of attack that the carbide or the rubber tip grips the rock, thus increasing the chance it may slip and skip. Ask me how I know.

So I still like my old stiff aluminum walking staff. No springy shock absorbers, no special molded grip, no added bells and whistles. It's just a "hard stick" on the rock that I can trust.

Harvey