When I was 40 I would have said they were just a waste of effort.
Now 12 years later I have 4 standing in the corner by the door to chose from.

I have a bad knee from a pretty serious injury 3 years ago, it gets sore away too easily.
So,yes I find hiking staffs handy, especially when going over rough or slippery ground.

Mine are all just a bit short for hiking in the wild woods but are fine for country walks.


One is a modern technical wonder by a company called Paws (that might be a pun).
It telescopes from cane length to about 5'9", has a rubber tip that can be removed to expose a pointy wicked sharp hardened carbon steel spike.

Then there is a 5' piece of 1.5" white oak dowel, nice and straight grained.

The next one is a bit odd.
It is a handle for a half sized garden shovel, 40" long in ash. I put a rubber crutch tip on the taper.
The nice thing about this is when I take the crutch tip off the taper fits a Cold Steel Bushman socket handled knife, or a Cold Steel "Spetznaz" shovel's socket, no screws needed. I take it when I am out collecting wild foods.

The fourth is a piece of beaverwood (please, no crude comments). Beaverwood is usually poplar but this piece is red alder.
Beaverwood is when the beavers cut it to length for you, clean all the bark off and then put it on top of their lodge to dry and cure for you until you can come by and pick it up.

For hiking that trail I would likely take the techno-wonder or the oak stave if I was taking one, but knowing me I likely would not take either one.
I would most likely expect the beavers to have prepared a few choice sticks knowing I would be by for them soon.
I might also hope to find a nice piece of diamond willow.