This is an interesting thread. In the past, if I needed a walking support I just found a suitable stick as needed. And threw it on the ground when I was done. I never carried a fancy trekking pole or staff, but that was in forests where you can find numerous makeshift walking sticks all around you.
Now that I know better, and hunt where there might not be sticks handy, I have been interested in trekking poles. Awhile back I started to follow Skurka and Adventure Alan, and both recommend the Costco poles. Actually, I think Skurka recommends the Black Diamond at the high end or Costco at the other extreme, and to skip everything in between. I thought that was intersting.
I now have poles with twist locks and others with lever locks. And I bought two tents that use trekking poles for setup. I actually like the lever locks better.
