[pct-l] Trekking poles?

[Stephen Adams]

How do you put pressure on your thumb?  Are you all thumbs?  
Anyway, it is good to change hand positions regularly.  Straps are good if you use them right, and using the palm over the handle as I do most is really nice.  I just change all the time as terrain predicts.     
On Jan 14, 2010, at 3:42 PM, Steve McAllister wrote:

> Regarding the straps. As stated in my earlier email, I rely heavily on poles.
> 
> I hate straps as I always feel like I'd get tangled in them.
> 
> I have found that on long hikes, with lots of ups and downs, that not
> using straps has really caused repetitive stress issues on my thumbs.
> I have had to go back to using the straps again as it was stressing
> the thumb joints and tendons without.
> 
> The straps tend to spread the pressure over more of your hands.
> I suspect this is important when catching yourself in a fall. If you
> fall without straps, you tend to put more of the pressure on your
> thumbs and can end injuring them to the point of ending up without the
> use of your thumbs for a long period of time, which kinda sucks.
> 
> So I've gone back to using the straps.
> 
> -- 
> ... when your feeling blue, and you've lost all your dreams, there's
> nothing like a campfire and a can of beans!
>   -- Tom Waits
> 
> http://kayakbrooklyn.blogspot.com
> _______________________________________________
> Pct-l mailing list
> Pct-l at backcountry.net
> To unsubcribe, or change options visit:
> http://mailman.backcountry.net/mailman/listinfo/pct-l
> 
> List Archives:
> http://mailman.backcountry.net/pipermail/pct-l/