Trekking Poles For Tall People

I hope you love the products I've recommended below, just a heads up that as an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. This means I may earn commissions on products bought via links on this page.

Below you can find the best trekking poles for tall people starting with the longest poles suitable for the very tall person. As hiking poles are pivotal for stability and support while you tackle all kinds of terrains, buying a set suitable to your actual height is the best move you can make.

On this page, you can find out exactly what size trekking poles you need along with 5 of the best options for someone over 6 feet tall. Followed by some usual information to help you decide which ones are best suited to your body type and trekking experience.

Quick Height Comparison

What Height Trekking Poles For A Tall Person

Getting the right trekking poles for your height is extremely important if you want reliable balance and stability on the trails. Even if you are just using them as walking poles around town, knowing what height you need is pivotal for your comfort level.

Naturally, the taller you are, the longer the trekking poles need to be. If you are keen to take on challenging declines on the mountain, getting longer poles are a good idea. This will allow you to extend the pole out for greater reach and stability in tough situations.

People around 6 feet tall will generally need hiking poles that have a minimum height of 49-inches. People over 6’4″ will be looking for a pole at least 140cm  (55″). Poles that are extendable ar best as you can set them up to suit your height.

Unsure What Size You Need?

To get a good idea as to what size hiking poles you need for your height, there’s a simple calculation we use to determine the pole length.

However, this does involve translating your height from feet into centimeters. Simple google your height in feet and convert into cms. Once you have your height in cm’s, next you just multiply this number by .68 (68% of your height).

For example, 6 feet tall is 183cm, now times 183 by 0.68 = 124.44cm. This is the length in cms for the ideal trekking pole for you.

A Manual Method

The manual method of determining what height trekking poles you need is best done with a friend. Simply have your arms by your side with your elbow as a 90° angle.

Get your friend to measure from the floor to the top of your palm, this will give you a good idea as to what height poles you need. If you have longer legs, in proportion to your height, then measure from the floor to the top of thumb when giving a thumbs up.

Extra Tall Hiking Poles 60″

If you like trekking poles that fold or use the lever lock mechanism, then the Hammers HP5 might not be the pole for you. Since it’s a telescopic trekking pole with 3 sectional components that extend from 29″ – 60″ in length. It twists and locks really easy and stays firm when it’s locked.

Telescopic items are things a tall person has become used to. To get the extra reach whether it’s mopping the floor or using an extra-long broom with the help of telescopic poles. The biggest problem, of course, is the fact they are prone to losing grip. Fortunately, this Hammer HP1 has a decent grip which is something you need when hiking. Just be sure to always check you have tightened it enough, especially before taking on descents.

What The Hammers HP5 Has To Offer

There is a lot to like about this trekking pole from Hammers, as it offers more than your average trekking pole. Most trekking poles are usually just the poles themselves. This isn’t the case with this trekking pole as it even includes the ability to mount a camera on the end of the pole.

These extra features are what turns this from a good trekking pole into an excellent trekking pole. It also includes a thermometer and a compass, which are both excellent useful features that an experienced trekker will appreciate. It’s the compass that I really like, but you can always leave it behind if extra weight is of concern to you.

Speaking about the issue of weight, being made out of lightweight aluminum is an advantage and it also gives it some great durability. When you combine this with the spring-loaded shock absorber which was designed to reduce the stress on your joints, makes this Hammer HP5 an easy trekking pole to recommend for the tall trekkers.

140cm Trekking Poles For Tall Person

These Black Diamond trekking poles are not only really stylish but also extremely comfortable to use when hiking. Being a high level of comfort makes these a great option for hiking. The Trail Pro Shock comes in a set of 2 poles. They are 140cm trekking poles, which converts to a tad over 55 inches.

When collapsed, they are about 26 inches in length, making them quite compact for travel and storing away when not needed.

A Pole For Each Hand

One of the reasons these trekking poles are comfortable is the way Black Diamond designed them. They designed the poles to be left and right specific so the poles are more comfortable as they’re designed for one hand only. While others are designed to handle either, but rarely does it make them more comfortable. However, having poles set up like this can be annoying in times when you’re in a rush and end up with the poles in the wrong hands.

The lightweight aluminum has the added advantage of this being a very light trekking pole with one weighing just 20.8 ounces. So portability with these trekking poles is really simple and won’t add to much overall weight to your hiking gear. A small thing but something that most hikers will appreciate.

The lock on a trekking pole is crucial as it can turn a quality pole into something that’s practically useless. This isn’t the case here as the metal flick locks are some of the best on the market in my opinion. They offer a really solid and secure lock that makes you trust these trekking poles considerably more than a cheap weak lock system.

Extra Tall Trekking Poles (Best Collapsible)

Foxelli has knocked it out of the park with these trekking poles as they are some of the most comfortable and sturdy trekking poles on the market for a tall person. Adjusting a trekking pole can be frustrating with some poles, but that’s not the case with these poles as they’re extremely easy to adjust.

They use the lock and latch system which can be adjusted from 24″ to 55″ tall. This gives a good amount of extension for people of varying heights, but in particular the taller people when extended to a full 55 inches.

Excellent Grips For Greater Traction

The handgrips of a trekking pole can make or break a trekking pole. These poles have a cork grip that makes the handles anti-slip, which makes them safer to use compared to some others on the market. I quite like the cork addition as I sweat tremendously and the cork helps to absorb the sweat making the grips safer to hold onto.

The grip continues on and extends into a foam handle beneath the cork, for when you get those abrupt changes in terrain offering you some versatility on steep inclines and challenging crevices.

All Terrain Carbon

One of the big differences between these Foxelli trekking poles compared to a lot of others is that they’re made out of carbon fiber. This makes them really durable and extremely lightweight, with them only weighing 7.6 ounces each. Making them easy to use when challenging conditions confront you or when you want to pack them away in your backpack.

These trekking poles were designed to handle any surface you can throw at it since they come with extra features that help with multiple conditions. These all-terrain inclusions include asphalt tips, snow baskets, and mud baskets, which adds a lot of value to these trekking poles as most charge you separately for them. A carry case is even included for good measure.

Best Entry Level Tall Trekking Poles

If you’re only starting your journey into trekking and are looking for somewhere to start then these trekking poles by G2 Go2gether is a good place to start in my opinion. They offer a lot of features that make your first trek a lot easier and help you be more prepared for any situation.

While I say they are the best entry-level trekking poles, there’s no reason a tall person can’t use them. They are still a high-quality pole with plenty of extras included. The poles uses a telescopic grip to extend from 22 inches to 55 inches. So slightly more variation than the above Foxelli poles.

The reason these are so good for a beginner is all the extra features it gives you that normally you’d have to go buy separately. These added features are really useful as they can be used in a variety of situations such as snow, mud, sand, and asphalt.

For those who like to take pictures when they’re out hiking, then these trekking poles have an extra feature that you’ll like. It not only has the ability to have a camera attached, but you can also set it up to hold your phone to take a picture with the included smartphone holder. This is a nice extra feature that helps decrease the amount you’d need to take.

Being made out of aluminum does offer a lot of durability to these trekking poles. So they’re very sturdy and can handle the times when you need to put that extra bit of pressure on them, which is something you do more than you sometimes realize.

Aluminum poles are more robust or stiffy than carbon, and as carbon is more likely to break than aluminum, these poles by Go Go2gether which are made from Aerometal aluminum, making it a wise choice for the beginner.

Tips For Choosing The Best Trekking Pole For You

Trekking poles are extremely useful when it comes to hiking rugged terrains and steep inclines. Beginners often think they’re just a simple stick so it doesn’t matter what trekking pole they decide to go with. This isn’t the case as there are a lot of trekking poles on the market which may not suit your individual needs.

Many poles are designed to play an important role in a specific task, not to mention adequate to a tall person height. There are a few things to consider before purchasing the first trekking pole you lay your eyes on.

Some of the things you’ll need to consider are things like what it’s made out of, how many poles do you need, what type of locking mechanism does it have, and does it come with shock absorbers?

These are all good questions as they all add something to a quality trekking pole. I will now touch on the features of a trekking pole you should pay particular attention to.

What Are Trekking Poles Made Out Of?

Most trekking poles are made out of either carbon fiber or aluminum. Both have there pros and cons with neither being better than the other. Since what suits you and your style of hiking may not suit someone else’s body type and level of trekking ability. So what is the difference between the two?

Aluminum poles are the more common type of trekking pole you’ll come across in the world of hiking. They’re the cheaper of the two, but just because they’re cheaper, doesn’t mean they’re bad. Aluminum is more durable than carbon fiber so they can take more intense treks.

Aluminum poles can also be more durable and stronger than carbon, but as a drawback, they do weigh more in comparison.

Carbon fiber is much lighter compared to aluminum so if you’re trying to keep the weight down, they’re a good option. They’re generally more expensive and not as durable as an aluminum trekking pole, which can put people off buying them. Which is understandable to a degree, again it all depends on the type of trekking trails you tackle and your level of fitness and ability.

Perform The Knee Test

What many trekkers or hikers do when they are comparing trekking poles is the Knee Test. This is a way to determining which of the poles has more strength and is less likely to break on you. Of course, this can only be done in-store when comparing the poles.

The knee test is also a good way to determine how well a telescopic pole will handle your body weight. To do the knee test, here’s what you have to do:

1. Get on your knees and have two different trekking poles. One in each hand.
2. Adjust the poles to a useable height. Now pull yourself up by using just the poles and your upper body strength.
3. Now compare how much each pole flexed under the pressure or possibly even snapped in half.
4. For telescopic poles, you can determine which one or both maintained their position and didn’t slip.
5. Choose the pole that didn’t flex, snap or shift its height under the pressure forced on it.

Storing & Deploying The Poles

Two more factors to consider when buying trekking poles are 1. How compact they are to store. 2. How efficient they are at transforming into full height.

1. Z folding trekking poles are shorter when storing, but can be an annoyance when attaching to your gear, even when they are lashed together. Whereas telescopic poles are typically longer when shortened, but fit much nicer inside your backpack or suitcase when traveling.

2. When it comes to deploying your trekking poles, the last thing you want is to slow down the team as they wait patiently for you to whip them out. Z folding poles are magical at quickly whipping out and hanging them from a height whee the rest basically transforms into position. Simply hit the locks and you’re away to go if you left your desired height set on your last hike.

Whereas telescopic are a little more fiddly as you have to tighten two joints manually and then adjust the height to match your height. You can’t save your preferred height with telescopic poles like you can with Z folding poles.

How Many Poles To Take?

This will depend on what type of trail you’re going to be tackling,  in my opinion. If you’re only going on a short hike then having just the one pole will work for most people.

Two poles are a must if your trek is going to being long as two helps with balancing your weight which is important on long trips. A secondary pole can also be invaluable on those steep declines where balance is often required. Especially if you’re tall as your center of gravity works against you on steep declines.

What Type Of Lock?

There are two types of locks for trekking poles with them being twist style found on telescopic poles and flick locks found on Z folding poles. If you’re going to be trekking in the summer than a twist-lock is ideal and for the winter a flick lock will be the better choice.

Do You Need Shock Absorbers?

Shock absorbers are a simple design yet play a pivotal role in which trekking poles to choose. The suspension of the pole was made to help people who have joint problems by alleviating the amount of contact pressure you feel when digging the pole into the earth.

Whether you have joint issues, sore knees, a bad back, etc I believe that the best trekking poles should also have the smoothest and softest shock absorbers as well, so they’re mandatory in my opinion.

However, there is the drawback commonly associated with having trekking poles with shocks, that is you lose some power when going up the trail, and you gain some stability issues when going down. So again, it really depends on you and your trail commitments.

Can You Handle It

Once you have determined what size trekking pole you need for your height, the next thing you should consider is the handles on the poles. Do you want wrist straps with your pole so you can relive some of the tension in the hands and distribute some of the pressure into your arms? A wrist strap has this advantage.

Cork, synthetic rubber or foam handles, which do you prefer? There are pros and cons to each type of handle and the type you end up choosing will again be based a lot on when you go trekking, whether you sweat a lot and how frequently you go hiking.

Cork handles have the most beneficial rewards which include, sweat absorbers making them less slippery, contour to your hands shape the more you use them and are lighter than rubber handles.

Whereas synthetic rubber handles have great slip resistance and are more durable than cork. However, they can irritate your skin with the constant rubbing of rubber on your hands. However, this is why you wear gloves right?

Foam handles are the most comfortable of the lot but are only ideal if the temperature is moderate and you don’t sweat much. Otherwise, foam can be more of a slippery mess than its worth.

In Conclusion

Without the right type and size trekking poles, the tall person can easily be discouraged from this great nature escape. With the above information and recommendations for the best trekking poles for tall people, anyone can be more confident in their ability to chose what poles suit their height and needs.