> > You would be surprised but there are so many debates in the hiking community. This debate is to bring hiking poles or not.
> I definitely recommend using hiking poles.
This "hiking community" is just the people getting into those debates online. The vast majority of the actual hiking community just enjoys their trips in silence without getting into online arguments.
Source: In my circles of about 40-50 hiking enthusiasts, only about 2-3 engage in online debates. Everybody else enjoys their trips and learns from own experiences and the occasional chat with friends. Debating for weeks whether hiking poles are a must (I never use any, but it's a matter of preference) or whether to break off your toothbrush to save extra weight (IMO ridiculous) are mostly a waste of time.
Debate is a strong term. Most of the online discussion is the same chill banter as you experience IRL. A forum like /r/ultralight might seem a bit odd when you first read it, like any other online forum dedicated to a niche subculture, but it's all in good fun, and people are self-aware and are able to poke fun at themselves for being such nerds and "weight weenies." My weight goals are nowhere near "ultralight" (yes, there's a definition) but the ultralight community is a great source of ideas and information, even for beginners.
I only know one person who openly declared breaking off his toothbrush to save weight. As well as using aluminium crampons and all manner of tricks. This was 'cos he was 60 at the time and his knees weren't as good as they'd been. I'm extremely grateful to him for sharing his expertise leading a climb, taking a number of us up Mt Baker, WA. So, you know, sometimes, quote from Hamlet, "there's method in his madness". ;) Or to quote Tesco's (true but disingenuous) slogan, "Every little helps" ;)
> I definitely recommend using hiking poles.
This "hiking community" is just the people getting into those debates online. The vast majority of the actual hiking community just enjoys their trips in silence without getting into online arguments.
Source: In my circles of about 40-50 hiking enthusiasts, only about 2-3 engage in online debates. Everybody else enjoys their trips and learns from own experiences and the occasional chat with friends. Debating for weeks whether hiking poles are a must (I never use any, but it's a matter of preference) or whether to break off your toothbrush to save extra weight (IMO ridiculous) are mostly a waste of time.