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#197643 - 03/10/10 11:10 AM Re: Walking stick? staff? Hiking poles? [Re: camerono]
THIRDPIG Offline
Journeyman

Registered: 11/26/01
Posts: 81
Yes. I walk my dog 1-2 miles a day a lot of it in the woods. Its nice for checking the depth of creeks, getting up and down hills,smashing limbs out of the way.

I use a Cold Steel Walkabout . Not a great "hiking" stick but a mighty fine weapon. Which is a main reason. Last year 3 times unleashed dogs went after mine,2 had a .38 snub pointed at them while I kicked them. One had a aluminum trekking pole broken over its snout/eyes. Which is why I switched the Walkabout.

The walkabout is nice because I can swing it with one hand,while the other holds the leash .

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#197645 - 03/10/10 11:43 AM Re: Walking stick? staff? Hiking poles? [Re: TeacherRO]
Andy Offline
Enthusiast

Registered: 09/13/07
Posts: 378
Loc: SE PA
For dog walking I use this with a button compass in the top. It's handy for moving branches from the path, fending off unleashed dogs, correcting my dog's behavior (with a gentle tap) and helping me up and down the hills. I added a leather wrap at the top for a more comfortable hold and a strap to make sure I don't drop the darn thing.
_________________________
In a crisis one does not rise to one's level of expectations but rather falls to one's level of training.

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#197647 - 03/10/10 12:40 PM Re: Walking stick? staff? Hiking poles? [Re: wildman800]
williamlatham Offline
Enthusiast

Registered: 01/12/04
Posts: 265
Loc: Stafford, VA, USA
Old broomstick with a crutch tip and a paracord wrap for the handgrip.

Bill

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#197648 - 03/10/10 12:41 PM Re: Walking stick? staff? Hiking poles? [Re: Andy]
unimogbert Offline
Old Hand

Registered: 08/10/06
Posts: 882
Loc: Colorado
Trax staff I bought at REI last century.
Spiderwebs, snakes - check.

3rd leg for offtrail and off balance situations. Has prevented many falls over the years.

Helps with keeping trail rhythm. Gives my hands something to do and to switch off occasionally.

Hiking without it would feel very wrong.

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#197650 - 03/10/10 01:25 PM Re: Walking stick? staff? Hiking poles? [Re: unimogbert]
hikermor Offline
Geezer in Chief
Geezer

Registered: 08/26/06
Posts: 7705
Loc: southern Cal
I have several, everything from collapsible aluminum trekking poles to modified shovel handles to my favorite, a natural cane I happened to find. Very useful in snake country and in fording streams, as well as pitching shelters and tarps. When we carried our child in a baby carrier on hikes, the person carrying the carrier always used a stick.

Using a hiking staff definitely improves stability.
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Geezer in Chief

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#197656 - 03/10/10 02:21 PM Re: Walking stick? staff? Hiking poles? [Re: TeacherRO]
DesertFox Offline
Enthusiast

Registered: 01/04/07
Posts: 339
Loc: New York, NY
Now that my knees remind me that I'm getting old, I have started using the aluminum hiking poles. They really do help with the knees, and with stability in rough country.

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#197658 - 03/10/10 02:48 PM Re: Walking stick? staff? Hiking poles? [Re: DesertFox]
benjammin Offline
Rapscallion
Carpal Tunnel

Registered: 02/06/04
Posts: 4020
Loc: Anchorage AK
I prefer to cut a 6 foot staff from a decent cedar sapling. There are a number of cedar groves up where I play in the big woods, and I thin them out once in a while for this purpose. Cedar is light, durable, and has a lot of longitudinal strength. I like the butt about 2" diameter; it fits my hand. I name every staff I make, no two are the same. I carve their name in the mid section and I sand, stain and varnish them in a natural look. My staffs last me about a decade, and I only make them for me and my immediate family. I have leather thonged the top of a couple for a better grip, but usually I just go with natural. As with my knives, all my staffs are blooded.

The last three I made were named "AEI", "VAEINE", and "MAEIR". I don't know if I will make any more in that series or if I will start a new series of names.
_________________________
The ultimate result of shielding men from the effects of folly is to fill the world with fools.
-- Herbert Spencer, English Philosopher (1820-1903)

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#197659 - 03/10/10 03:06 PM Re: Walking stick? staff? Hiking poles? [Re: Byrd_Huntr]
scafool Offline
Pooh-Bah

Registered: 12/18/08
Posts: 1534
Loc: Muskoka
Yup, several.
What I take, or even if I take one, depends on where I am going and what I am packing.
Sometimes I prefer my hands free.

Some have mentioned using a found stick.
Those have the great advantage of being easily replaced when you are done with them.
(but I am not sure if you can just release naturally grown walking sticks back into he wild without a permit)
_________________________
May set off to explore without any sense of direction or how to return.

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#197665 - 03/10/10 04:10 PM Re: Walking stick? staff? Hiking poles? [Re: scafool]
Jeff_M Offline
Addict

Registered: 07/18/07
Posts: 665
Loc: Northwest Florida
Dual collapsible "trekking" poles. Too many miles, too many falls. They do help with sketchy terrain, save some strain on the knees, and come in handy for various other uses. A custom hiking staff can be a thing of beauty, but is hard to stow when not in use on the trail.

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#197670 - 03/10/10 04:57 PM Re: Walking stick? staff? Hiking poles? [Re: Jeff_M]
Dagny Offline
Pooh-Bah

Registered: 11/25/08
Posts: 1918
Loc: Washington, DC
Never leave home with trekking poles -- keep a pair in the car all the time.

For easier hikes I carry just one. Two for steep, rocky terrain.

Priceless when you have a bum knee and ankle. Great for clearing spider webs.

For several years I've relied on these REI super lightweight poles for women. The pair weigh 14.7 ounces and telescope down very small so they be stored in my pack or strapped to the outside.

http://www.rei.com/product/784272

And my snowshoe poles with snow baskets more than paid for themselves during and after the three major snowstorms we experienced this winter. For two weeks I did not walk anywhere without one of the snowshoe poles to keep from slipping on snow mounds that blocked many street corners. I lent the other pole to a friend who is now shopping for her own.


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