my walking stick has become my favorite peice of equipment somehow. Its always with me and on so many excursions. Its a piece of maple about 5 ft long and 1 in dia. I wrapped 1/3 of it with emergency duct tape and taped a small throwing knife to it, in case I needed a spear. Next I wrapped 550 cord around it in various lenghts. Ive adorned it with small bells, saint Michael charms and some other little do dads that you'd hang from a mirror. Finished it with a rubber cane foot cap.

For protection from bears and cougars, Icarry a very slow poodle that can be deployed "thrown at" any wild animal that goes for me