Hiking sticks take pressure off your legs, knees, hips and back, making walking and hiking less painful especially for seniors with arthritis or bad joints.
Hiking sticks also improve stability and balance on different kinds of terrain, making hiking safer. As a bonus, they also give your arms some workout, which is good for your arms and body.
In this buying guide, we recommend the best hiking sticks for seniors available on the UK market, and tell you what to look for when shopping for hiking sticks.
What To Consider When Choosing Hiking Sticks for Seniors
A. Aluminium vs. Carbon Fibre Hiking Sticks
There are only two types of hiking sticks you should consider: aluminium or carbon fibre.
These materials provide the best balance between lightweight and strength.
Carbon fibre poles are the lightest, but they are expensive. Another downside of carbon fibre is that it’s brittle.
Carbon fibre walking sticks can easily withstand forces from the top and bottom, but stress from the sides weakens them. When one of the walking sticks fails, it’ll snap, giving you no chance to recover your balance.
We recommend carbon fibre hiking sticks if you only do light walking on mild terrain. They are also great for seniors with arthritis or weak arms who need ultralight walking sticks.
Aluminium hiking sticks are heavier, but still light enough for most seniors to easily hike with them. They are stronger and more durable, making them perfect for frequent hikers and difficult terrain.
If an aluminium walking stick fails, it’ll bend instead of snapping. This is safer as it gives you a better chance to regain your balance.
B. Telescopic vs. Trifold Hiking Sticks
Telescopic hiking sticks are the best for seniors. It’s easy to adjust their length on the go. For easy portability when not in use, most telescopic hiking sticks can collapse to a length of 65cm.
But if you want the best portability, get trifold hiking sticks. They have foldable sections, which allows you to collapse them to a smaller size that can fit in a backpack.
Trifold hiking sticks are also lighter.
We recommend trifold hiking sticks if you’ll be using them only for some sections of the hike (you can put them in the backpack when you are not using them) or if you plan to travel in a plane.
C. Adjustable Height Range
Check the shortest and longest length of the hiking sticks.
Most hiking sticks can accommodate all adult heights. They usually range from 65cm at their shortest and 135cm at their longest.
The right walking stick length is one that keeps your elbows at a 90-degree angle.
D. Anti-shock
Some hiking sticks come with an anti-shock feature. Springs inside the poles absorb some of the shock off your hands when you are walking.
An anti-shock stick can be particularly useful for seniors with arthritis or joint problems.
E. Grip
The grip of the hiking sticks is super important for safety, comfort and ease of use.
The best hiking sticks for seniors have a cork grip. Cork has a non-slip texture, it feels comfortable in your hand, and it’s porous so it absorbs sweat from your palms.
Foam is the second best grip material. It’s comfortable and stays dry, but it doesn’t last long. The constant pressure and friction breaks down the foam quickly.
Rubber is durable but it can get uncomfortable after some hiking. It doesn’t absorb sweat, so it’ll get slippery after some time.
Some hiking sticks have two grips. The upper grip made from rubber or cork, and a lower grip made with EVA foam.
This lets you choose the best grip for the moment and terrain.
F. Tips & Accessories
Finally, check what accessories come with the hiking sticks.
The most important hiking sticks accessories are the interchangeable tips. These allow you to use the hiking sticks on different kinds of surfaces like mud, snow and asphalt.
Most hiking sticks come with a built-in metal tip that’s perfect for rocky surfaces and packed earth. Additional tips include rubber tips for asphalt and concrete, a snow basket, and a mud basket.
Best Hiking Sticks for Seniors: Top 5 Reviews
1. Glymnis Carbon Fibre Trekking Poles, 2 Pack
If you are shopping for carbon fibre hiking sticks, this 2-pack from Glymnis is our top pick.
The Glymnis carbon fibre trekking poles are incredibly light. Each one weighs just 226g, making these poles perfect for seniors, including those with reduced strength in their hands.
The poles have a telescopic mechanism that allows you to quickly adjust their length from 65cm to 135cm depending on your height and the terrain.
Make sure you don’t adjust the poles beyond the indicated STOP position. This could damage the carbon fibre poles.
The handle is made with natural cork. It has a good grip and doesn’t get slippery when you sweat. If you need a softer grip, there’s a second EVA foam handle below.
A comfortable wrist strap completes the handle setup.
On the other end of the pole is a tungsten steel tip that provides a strong grip on different kinds of hard surfaces.
The poles also come with several interchangeable tips for different terrains and seasons. These include boot tips, snow baskets, mud tips and rubber tips.
What we like about them:
- Very light.
- Interchangeable tips.
- Includes storage bag.
- Easy to adjust pole length.
2. Black Diamond Women Trail Trek Poles
Prefer aluminium hiking sticks? We recommend the Black Diamond women trail trek poles. They are some of the best quality hiking poles in the market.
They are made from one of the strongest types of aluminium (7075 aluminium), providing more peace of mind when you are on the trail.
While they are heavier than carbon fibre hiking sticks, the Black Diamond trek poles are still pretty light at 400g each.
The telescopic shafts can collapse up to 62cm for easy portability and extend up to 125cm. Double locks keep the shafts in place once you’ve adjusted them.
The handle is rubber covered with a soft EVA foam grip. You get the durability of rubber and the non-slip comfort of foam.
There are a couple things we don’t like about these Black Diamond trek poles.
One is the price. Probably because of the grade of aluminium used, they cost more than even some carbon fibre hiking sticks we’ve come across.
Two, you have to buy rubber tips separately, which adds to the price.
Other than that, these are great aluminium hiking poles. They are especially ideal for frequent hikers who tackle difficult terrain. These Black Diamond poles can take a beating without any damage.
What we like about them:
- Strong and durable aluminium poles.
- Comfortable rubber and foam handle.
- Easy to adjust.
3. TheFitLife Hiking Walking Trekking Poles
Shopping on a budget? TheFitLife trekking poles are some of the most affordable you’ll find.
They are made with aviation aluminium, so you can be sure they can handle rough terrain and will last a long time.
They are pretty light too, with each pole weighing just 270g.
The shafts are telescopic. You can adjust them from 65cm when closed to 130cm when fully extended.
The poles contain an anti-shock spring mechanism inside, which helps take additional pressure off your hands and body. The shock absorbing springs are especially useful for seniors with bad or painful wrists.
TheFitLife trekking poles have two grips. The primary grip at the top is rubber with contours for your fingers. When your hands get sweaty, you can use the secondary EVA foam grip below.
The handle also includes an adjustable wrists trap.
TheFitLife trekking poles come as a full package complete with all the accessories you need to go hiking.
These include small and large snow baskets, rubber tips, walking tips, and a carrying bag.
What we like about them:
- Lightweight.
- Affordable.
- Assortment of tips and accessories.
- Available in multiple colour options.
4. Trekrite Active Antishock Telescopic Power Walking Poles
This pair of Trekrite antishock walking poles is another good choice if you are shopping on a budget.
For an affordable price, you get a full package that includes two hiking sticks plus removable tips.
The Trekrite poles are constructed with 6061 aluminium. It’s not as strong as 7075 aluminium, but it can still withstand frequent use in all kinds of environments.
Each pole weighs 300g and can telescope from 68cm to 135cm.
The handles are made with moulded rubber with grooves cut into it to provide a stronger grip.
Unlike most hiking sticks, there isn’t an EVA foam sleeve. If your hands get sweaty, the rubber handles can start to slip and feel uncomfortable.
The poles have an anti-shock feature that makes hiking easier, especially on hard ground. They reduce impact on your hands and wrists.
Included with the poles are removable tips for different kinds of surfaces. These include power walking rubber feet, rubber ferrules, and snow and mud baskets.
What we like about them:
- Lightweight construction.
- Anti-shock.
- Interchangeable tips.
- Reflective strip for easier visibility in the dark.
5. BAFX Hiking Poles
These BAFX aluminium poles are made with 6061 aluminium and weigh about 351 grams each. That’s a bit on the heavy side, but still light enough for most seniors.
The anti-shock features integrated into the poles makes hiking and walking a lot easier. You’ll notice that your arms and hands get less fatigued.
The BAFX hiking poles have telescoping shafts that you can adjust from 65cm to 132cm.
The plastic handles are moulded and have grooves to provide a strong grip. But they don’t absorb moisture, so they can get a bit slippery when your palms sweat.
The padded wrist strap improves your grip and provides security in case you accidentally let go of the pole.
At the bottom of the poles are metal carbide tips that work great on uneven surfaces like rocky trails. You can add on rubber tips or mud baskets to adapt the poles to different terrain.
What we like about them:
- Strong and light aluminium construction.
- Comes with accessories.
- Anti-shock.
