I am intrigued by the wide variety of hiking staffs, up to and including ice axes, that have been useful over the years,
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6) for the hiker who has everything -
http://www.bladehq.com/item--Crawford-Knives-Survival-Staff--12525 -must be a bargain at less than $300. Buy me one and I will graciously perform the field testing....
7) When conditions are right, nothing beats a suitable ice axe, but it is definitely a specialized tool