I made a hiking stick and want to add a hand grip and perhaps a lanyard too. Anyone here have any suggestions on how to wrap leather & or para-cord on it?

Have you checked out your local golf or tennis shops? I seem to recall that they used to carry do it yourself leather wraps to re-wrap golf clubs and tennis rackets. I did my tennis racket long ago and it held up fine. Maybe a product like that is still available and could be used for your walking stick.

I have never tried it for this purpose, but if you want a tacky feeling grip, you might try wrapping it with a mastic, or self fusing, type of electrical tape. You can find it in any hardware store...

When camping, between glasses of Jack Daniels I cut a small sapling
down and stripped all the bark off of it, then decided where I would be holding it. I cut into the wood about a quarter of and inch all around and about five and a quarter in length, then I cut out all that wood, I figured this way when I wrapped the para cord around it it would be flush with the rest of the staff. I wrapped para cord around it and secured it by sewing the cord behind the wrapped portion much like the make leather wallets. Thats as best as I can explain it. It worked great and is still holding up.If I get a chance to take a picture I will post it.

you could try a koppa wrap with some paracord. It is like the whipping of the end of a rope for those out there that know how. There is a tutorial on it here. Hope this helps. My EDC flashlight has paracord around it using this without the excess layard.

i used this as a guide for wrapping my hiking staff - using manila rope:

http://www.backpacking.net/makegear.html

look in the left frame for 'accessories', then 'hiking staff.'

here's the 'french whipping' he refers to:

http://www.mikelucasyachting.co.uk/articles/dec_rope_work.htm

i then found and added this leather wrap from the boy scouts:

http://www.scoutstuff.org/BSASupply/ItemDetail.aspx?cat=01RTL&ctgy=PRODUCTS&c2=CAMPING&C3=HIKING&C4=&LV=3&item=17028&prodid=17028^8^01RTL&

and a 3/4" copper plumbing cap epoxied to the bottom of the staff for protection.

works for me.

good luck!

You might try wrapping with paracord sleeve - paracord with the strands pulled out. Maybe see how that feels and how you like it. I've used the tennis racket wrap that others mentioned, but never on a hiking staff.

If you like leather, you can get 3-4oz leather, about 3/16" wide, at any good crafts store like Hobby Lobby or whatever you have there. Leather can be glued just like wood, with white or yellow aliphatic resin, liquid hide glue, contact cement, etc. If you wrapped it tightly, that would make it hold nice but it would also be (semi) permanent.

I was always a fan of hockey tape on a staff (back when I use to hike a lot). Wrap it just like you would a hockey stick and you have nice finger grooves. Maybe thats my canadian upbringing ;-). I just found that it was very comfortable.

Its not for something that you want to keep forever, but for the summer it worked great.

After being here (ETS), i'd take it one step farther and keep a good chunk of duct tape on the staff, then wrap over the duct tape with paracord. Can never have too much of both of those items.

Kris

i first wrapped with paracord. it wasn't as "grippable" as the manila was. thinking was, to use the staff as a 6' arm to reach and help someone up a hillside. paracord wrap is too smooth for that application.

so i switched to manila.

then moved the paracord to the middle of the staff - below the boy scout leather hand grip - as backup to other paracord i carry.

i found the smooth leather was easier on my hands than either the paracord or manila.

but that's just me. other users may have different results.

good luck.

The Boy Scouts make a leather hiking staff grip for just this purpose. it is at:

http://www.scoutstuff.org/BSASupply/Item...&item=17028

I have used this on all of my hiking staffs and it works great. I wrap my paracord down on the lower end of the staff and stash a few items like band-aids underneath.

Thank you all for the great replies. I think i should be able able to figure it out using the links you guys posted...thanx again!!

I used to wrap the grip area with leather that was originally intended for bootlaces. The square cross-section was smooth enough not to cause blisters but under stress cants a bit and the edges grip back.

These come dyed with an orange dye that will stain your hands as soon as the leather gets wet or you sweat. I washed mine several times in water with a bit of mild detergent. I hung it to get the water out and wrapped it tightly around the grip area, with locking half-hitches every turn so it doesn't all fall off if cut, while it was still damp.

It lasted for quite a few years. Or at least until someone decided they liked my stick more than I did. Easy come. Easy go.