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Today, more parents take their kids on hiking adventures and get them to experience the outdoors’ wonders at a young age. Trails can be challenging for anyone, though, especially younger children. So you might want to consider taking a look at kids trekking poles and the benefits they will offerer your child on a hiking trip.
Properly used, trekking poles decrease fatigue while increasing speed and stability. With the right gear, your child will really feel part of the hiking adventure. You’ll often find kids on the trail grab a fallen branch and use it as makeshift pole – get them the real deal and make them fallin love with outdoor adventure.
In this guide, we’ll firstly look at the best kids trekking poles available and provide the information in a comparison table. Next, we’ll look at the key benefits of using trekking poles, what trekking poles for kids need to be and what they don’t need to be. Lastly,we’ll offer some additional advice on what key features to look forin in trekking poles fr children.
Best Kids Trekking Poles
Benefts Of Using Childrens Trekking Poles
- Reduce the shock on their knees, especially as they are still growing.
- Stability for your child when your crossing rivers or walking on challenging and uneven terrain.
- Trekking poles will help your child maintain balance and stay safe at all times.
- Hiking poles are a great way to reduce fatigue. Fatigue can ruin a child's hiking experience.
Trekking Poles Kids Must Be
- Adjustable: Trekking poles for children have to be adjustable so they will match the height of your child.
- Durable: They need to be strong, well made, and capable of taking a good bashing on the trail. Avoid Carbon-Fibre poles and stick to the Aluminum poles.
- Appealing: If the trekking poles you buy for your kids are bland and boring, they're less likely to use them. Find a pole that looks fun, has vibrant colors, and they'll love using them.
- Easy To Use: Avoid trekking poles with fancy locking-systems or adjustment mechanisms. You'll need a pole which is easy for your children to use.
- Lightweight: Luckily, most poles are pretty lightweight these days. Just double-check the weight, though - you don't want a hiking pole that is too heavy.
- Comfortable Grip: The grip and the straps on the trekking pole need to be comfortable and easy to grip.
What Trekking Poles For Kids DO NOT Need To Be
- Expensive: We have found some great trekking poles for children; these poles are affordable and high-quality. There is no reason to spend crazy money on your hiking poles.
- Big Brand Name: Big brand name poles are fine for specialized or regular hikers who might need to save weight, packing size, etc. No need when buying a trekking pole for children.
- Specialized: Kids trekking poles need to have the all-around capability, so there is no need to buy a specialized hiking pole set.
Trekking Poles For Kids: Key Features
A company makes trekking poles for kids, and we have included them in our comparison table at the beginning of this guide. However, you don’t have to go for trekking poles specially designed for kids. As long as the poles have certain key features, the trekking pole will be suitable for children to use.
Shaft Material Of The Trekking Pole
One of the most critical factors for choosing trekking poles is the shaft material. Usually, hiking pole companies use either aluminum or carbon fiber in the design Aluminum poles are strong and durable. Under extreme force, they can bend. However, the good thing about them is they can be bent back into shape. Aluminum trekking poles are slso less expensive and weigh a little more as compared to carbon fiber poles. Carbon fiber poles are lightweight, reasonably strong, and shock-absorbent. However, rather than bending, they can snap under stress and are more expensive.
Kids Hiking Pole That Is Adjustable
Trekking poles for children will need to be adjustable, so there is no point in buying fixed-length poles. When it comes to growing children, the variable-length poles are perfect as they can adapt to your child’s changing height, so you’ll get many more years of use from them. Another fab feature with variable trekking poles is that they can be adjusted on the fly to work more effectively and in varying terrains. For mountain ascents, you will need a shorter pole length than you would for a mountain descent.
Collapsible Trekking Poles For Children
Today, many trekking poles are collapsible for easier storage in a backpack. When it comes to hiking poles and collapsing then, you have two choices – folding and telescopic.
Folding or Z folding poles are foldable poles linked by shock cords. They’re more packable, lightweight, and compact. However, they’re not as robust as their telescopic poles. If one section breaks or gets damaged, they are much harder to repair. They are fixed length as well, so they can’t be adjusted to your child’s height. Even the shortest of adult folding poles will be too big for children to use.
The telescopic trekking poles, on the other hand, feature smaller sections sliding within large ones. They are usually two or three-section poles and feature more adjustability options. Overall, if you are looking for hiking poles for kids, I would avoid folding poles and stick to telescopic ones.
Safe Locking System On Trekking Poles
When it comes to trekking poles for kids, locks are essential for safety and stability. However, they also need to be easy to use if your child needs to make a quick adjustment. Locking systems secure the pole sections together to form a rigid, robust shaft to the pole. Commonly, you’ll find two types of locking systems, twist, and lever/flip locks. You’ll find twist locks on cheaper poles. While the twist locks provide tremendous strength, flip locks will be easier for your child to use.
Comfortable Grip On Kids Hiking Poles
The pole grip is essential since it connects your child to the pole. Poles grips tend to be made of either cork, foam, plastic, or rubber.
Cork grips dampen vibration, mold to the user’s hand over time, and be used in all weather conditions. However, it’s sometimes costly and not needed on shorter hikes.
Foam grips are still very comfortable, absorb moisture, less expensive, and not as heavy.
You should avoid trekking poles with plastic handles; they are not comfortable to use unless wearing gloves. The plastic can rub on your hands and cause heat spots and blisters.
Rubberized grips are durable and an affordable option. Their drawback is that they feel sticky in humid weather.
If you want to know more about one of our top picks, go and take a look at our TrailBuddy Trekking Pole Review for why we rate these poles so highly.
Disclaimer: This article contains affiliate links, and I earn a small commission from any sale that comes via my links. This does not influence my opinion; I always do my best to provide the facts and recommend a product that will benefit my readers. You pay no more and no less for using my link. It does, however, help to support my blog.
Thanks for the tip about how I should also look for good locking features when buying trekking poles. I’m interested in shopping for hiking gear because my friends are inviting me to their next trip for that. I’ve never climbed a mountain before so I want to make sure that I have all the tools require for keeping my balance.