The walking stick/hiking staff thread

post em up, wood, metal, composite walking and hiking sticks/staffs, swagger sticks , cougar snoot boopers etc. . Any and all mods you've made, customs work etc.

my wood short staff, pimped out a bit today while i was home sick with flu.



starting at the top, epoxied bank-line for the main grab handle, sanded smooth. Wood Dude Smiley with bright GITD epoxy eyes. UST Survival print hanky . 20 feet yellow flagging tape for trail marking .




moving on down the pole. 10' x1/8" braided nylon cord, enough for a tarp mainline, 50+' x 2 of 80LB braided fishing line, secured into the grooves with hard wax, some Kevlar rope scraps with 45-70 Govt shells to jingle and jangle (bear bell). (Note the cut down 45-70 shell....found that at a campsite). Also a TOPS magnesium and ferro rod combo, coated in wax to prevent oxidizing. Also a Canadian Looney coin ($1)



moving on further down. hand wrapped and torched and heavily waxed sisal cord about 30+' total (15' x 2). Its for emergency fire-starting. I like to stash and wrap and incorporate fire tinder ANYWHERE I can on the kit. (lighter in every pockets, tinder in every pocket, ferro rods clipped to zipper pulls, etc etc ) Ya never know when you'll need it and its a huge moral boost to find a fire making kit that you forgot you had.

 

Oh, I've got some material for this thread...

My normal walking stick is a 1kg, 7' 3" tall Hazel sapling which I've added an antler topper to. I'll have to get some good pics.

 

where you find hazel?

 

A guy down the road from me was clearing his land and let me take as many as I wanted. Had a whole little grove of em. It's some solid, heavy hardwood. Much more so than Big Leaf Maple or Alder.

 

no way! PM sent

 

The local nature preserve planted a whole bunch of exotic hardwoods like 50 some odd years ago, and the seeds spread. We have a bunch of exotic hardwoods growing around town.

Even things like Black Locust can be found growing here. I just drool every time I see some in a random yard, or on the edge of someones property.

 

Anybody have experience with the Cold Steel sticks/staff? It could be used as a walking stick?

 

Here is my humble little collection of hiking sticks. Two of them were made by a craftsman near Tupelo Mississippi. One of which was a gift from a good friend of mine. The dark brown was bought for a scouting event where a hiking stick was required.



This one was given to me by my buddy. By far my favorite. Very light!

I made this one for my daughter on a camping trip when she was two years old. It has some small detail work and of course a neon pink lanyard. The tip that touches the ground is a .40s&w case. She insists we keep it with my staffs.

 

I'm still looking for a piece of Osage the right size and shape to make one for myself. I pass so many on the way home from work. One day I'm just gonna stop and ask someone if the mind me taking a length.

 

I had the Walk-About ash wood walking stick from them waaaaaaaaaaaaaay back in the 90's. SOLID hefty walking stick, and quite nice as a improvised bopping stick. Gave it to my buddy when he had knee surgery. He walked all over Europe with it. Couldn't get it back but he repaid me in loot from all over Europe.

not sure if they even make it any more.....they seem to have gone to polypropylene plastic for everything now.

 

This short walking stick/cane was used by my great Grandmother.
I'm guessing it was carved in the 30s, by a family member in SW Michigan.

 

^ thats really cool........bit of history right there....

 

pics?

 

Remind me when the sky shiny is in the sky.

 

Beyond cool!!

 

Two and a half
Sets. Komperdells and Lekis. The Komps have shock absorbing feature that can be turned on or off.
The Lekis don't retract as much hence they don't fit inside a large suitcase. The Lekis have cork grips and smaller grip diameter.
Both sets are about 15 years old. Expensive as there weren't any WalMart Chinese versions around then.
Bought the Lekis first and then two sets of Komps for my wife and son.
I like the Komps best. Both came with baskets and rubber caps.
Lots of miles on these.

 

^ always loved their cork grips! Warm in winter, cool in summer, and grippy when wet.

 

It took a while, but here it is!

7' 3" tall x 1.25" diameter Hazel walking staff. Weighs 1kg, or 2.2lb, with an Elk antler topper which is epoxied and pinned on with two 3/16" diameter brass rods.

 

I have a few, and have made and given away dozens. My favorite is this osage orange one. Brass tip with carbide point and copper lanyard tube.

 

I have a drum full of walking sticks! I have made them to give away and there are a ton here still. I made one years back to give @VolGrad one, but he lives so far away.