I've read some rubbish about trekking poles lately, written with the sort of bile that any sane person would reserve for the likes of Pol Pot or Hitler as opposed to a defenceless inanimate object. Look, they're metal poles, a manufactured substitute for the kind of sticks country folk with flat caps would lean on to chew grass before setting off for a stroll. Yet some ill-thought-out literary garbage portrays them as a sort of evil mountain consuming virus and use the type of argument a militant celibate would use against Viagra.
'Don't use them they cause erosion' is one argument. 'If you need to use trekking poles you shouldn't be trekking in the first place' is another. These sort of comments and observations would be worth laughing at if they'd been written by people with a sense of humour or who knew what they were talking about. If taken to its full conclusion, the erosion argument would have us all as vegetables, 'don't move you'll cause erosion'.
Pack right and you'll feel comfortable and well balanced all day. Pack wrong and you'll know it.
But surely packing a bag is easy? Just keep stuffing it with random handfuls of kit until the seams are about to split, heave it onto your shoulders and stagger off, right? Who needs to be told how to do it? Well, anyone who believes that, for a start.
Ever felt like a top-heavy armadillo, stumbling along under the shifting weight of a badly packed sack? By the end of the day you're bruised and scraped from all those falls; your shoulders ache and your back is sore from where your camping stove has been digging into it. This has probably happened to most of us at some point. But there are ways to avoid it.
I reckon there's a little bit of the mountaineer in all of us. As kids, scrambling about on rocks and climbing trees consumes a vast amount of energy. And whilst as adults we might lack the will to indulge in truly life-threatening pursuits, there's no doubt that those of us who remain more active still yearn to look down upon things. Which is why hill walking is so popular, and the logical follow-on from there, trekking.
But if you're a trekker or hill walker with a more adventurous nature, the logical next step is a trekking peal. It's not a step to be taken lightly, though. Fitness and stamina are prerequisites, as is a willingness to commit yourself. A trekking peak can be every bit as dangerous as any “real life” mountaineering expedition, so you'll need determination and self-reliance combined with an element of team spirit to make an expedition to the summit of a trekking peak achievable.
Let's face it, when it's blowing a hoolie and tipping down with rain, life on trail is no picnic. However, there are things you can do to make your adventure a little more comfortable and safe. Hit the read more button to check out Adventure Travel's wet weather tips.
It's all about location, location, location and, er, location
One of the great things about wilderness camping is that you can stop and set up home for no other reason than you like the view. But things can turn very naughty if that happens to be in a dry riverbed during the evening of the night of the great storm.
Click the 'Read More' button for Adventure Travel's top tips to make your canvas capers run more smoothly.
A Guide to Trekking Poles
Pack right and you'll feel comfortable and well balanced all day. Pack wrong and you'll know it. 
Essential gear to get you going
Take on the wet stuff and win 
It's all about location, location, location and, er, location