Do you need hiking poles for the Camino?

Lots of pilgrims walk with hiking or trekking poles on the Camino Frances, or any other Camino for that matter. I did the Portuguese Coastal without, and the Camino Frances with. And I have become a convert like many others.

I never did much hiking with hiking poles in my younger years, and always felt weird with them whenever I tried them out. Hikes I did without trekking poles include the Hadrian’s Wall path, Dutch Limes, Camino Portuguese Coastal, and a section hike on the Appalachian Trail of Big Bald Mountain. I had it in my head that trekking poles were for the weak, and that they made an annoying noise every time I passed or got passed by someone with them. Boy was I wrong about them.

Team Hiking Poles > Team Plain

On the Camino Portuguese, something changed that made me consider them, and that was an old meniscus knee injury that almost made me quit the hike halfway—something almost unthinkable and hugely demotivating.

I finished the Portuguese without and started my Camino Frances without, for any pilgrim that did the first day from Saint Jean Pied de Port to Roncesvalles in one day. I can confirm that it was a tough first day. So in Pamplona Spain, I got myself some hiking sticks for 20 euros. And I am not going back on any hiking trail without hiking sticks. They make such a big difference with the following advantages.

Overall fatigue – less worn out at the end of the day

Preventing injury by having more contact points in tricky steps

Lessening the impact on the knees on downhill climbs

Boosting you up a mountain with every push

Distributing walking over more muscle groups and less on your legs and knees

For those reasons, my advice is to either get them already before you start out, or pick them up along the way like I did. They can be had in the bigger towns, and also a lot along the way in smaller towns. In my opinion, you don’t need to keep buying the rubber end caps for them, since they wear out so fast on the Camino.

If you are still skipping along without and think they will only be annoying I suggest giving them a try first on a day hike before you decide. I was also of that mindset and changed my view completely. So maybe so can you and make you enjoy your hikes even more. The first time my hiking tramily borrowed some to try them out we felt like we were flying.

Some hikers also prefer the use of only one trekking pole, so if you are still on the fence about them you can also try a single trekking pole to see if that makes any difference for you. At the end of the day like many things hiking, it comes down to personal preference. Hiking poles however are something that I talked to many pilgrims and hikers about, and all for one pilgrim they are for Team Hiking Poles.

Happy Hiking and Hike for Purpose

Buen Camino