The great thing about walking sticks is that they can be fabricated in many ways to very different levels of finish and technology. I have found nice cane walking sticks on the beach that only needed a little smoothing to work well. On another occasion, I found a mop handle that worked superbly for several years. Recently I pulled a willow stem from a brush pile when faced with a long uphill pull. It now has a place in my quiver of walking sticks, which also includes some of the collapsible aluminum hi-tech jobs.

My guess is that oak is a bit heavy (I really like light swing weight), but that is a matter of taste. In any event, don't stop at just one walking stick! <img src="images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />