Whats the best wood for a hiking stick?

[AroseP]

I'm looking into finding a decent hiking pole for some of the longer/steeper hikes. Preferably something that's not too overly heavy but will last me a long time. I enjoy the feel of wood, anyone have any ideas what wood is "best" for a hiking stick? Ive heard hickory, ash, white cedar, bamboo... any ideas would be great.

[+Renegade Knight]

I just use a sheepherdes staff. No idea what kind of wood its made from. Now if you are making your own, that's another thing and I can't say.

[+BrrrMo]

I have had, and still use a bamboo one I cut in Florida in 1976. It's got a little duct tape on it but works great. I would vote for bamboo unless you are concerned about your image. ; > }

[Clan Riffster]

I called these guys and asked if they had any oversized unfinished staffs. They were most accommodating, selling me a premier diamond willow at roughly 6' and a saguaro cactus at about 5"11. I neglected to apply any kind of sealant, so they suffered the ravages of time. I'm sure with their degree of expertise, they could offer you advice on what wood would best suit your needs.

[+9Key]

I think balsa and cork are out.

[+brokenoaks]

I like vine maple. When properly cured it is light strong and has good flexibility. it also has great character with all the twists and kinks it has. of course if you are making your own it usually depends on what is available in your area. often I will just pick up whatever is lying around, use it for the day and discard it when I am done.

[+bittsen]

Ebony is nice.

[oakenwood]

Aluminum is the best wood.

 

Except in thunderstorms.

Edited December 30, 2009 by oakenwood

[+Gitchee-Gummee]

You are in luck.

Living where you do, you should be able to find some eastern hophornbeam, AKA ironwood. Wiki link.

Cut it green (never pick a standing dead ironwood, as it eats chainsaws), de-bark it and do whatever carving you wish to do before it dries. Sand smooth and allow it to dry for a few weeks or longer. Finish with whatever finish you desire. I prefer hand-rubbing oil into it, deeply. Finish off with a golf shoe spike in the business end.

 

If you ever break it, you're a better wrecker than am I.

 

EDIT: speeling.

Edited December 30, 2009 by Gitchee-Gummee

[vagabond]

I've used calcutta bamboo and its very good, but right now I'm using Pecan since I'm close to a grove of trees

that is not maintained, and I can always pick up limbs or branches. A little heavy but a nice hard wood and it looks good when it has a nice finish on it

[John E Cache]

Diamond Willow

[+360^]

A cheap wood pool que stick

[+WRASTRO]

I have one I made from Rhodedendron. Very strong.

[+Allanon]

I have one I made from Rhodedendron. Very strong.

I'd love to see that one the next time we're in the same place...

[+Team Geofrog]

I made mine from maple as I had a small tree that needed to come down in my yard. I've only used it once in about a year, but it was fun to make.

[+frinklabs]

I took one of these, but smaller and made of wood, going into the Nonquon Swamp Cache to test the ice:

 

[+Hockeyhick]

That is exactly what I hike with!

 

Now for the best wood:

 

White Waxwood...

 

Available at Amazon

 

and other martial arts dealers such as: Karate Depot

[+cerberus1]

Have to agree with Hockeyhick...

If strength is needed, a four foot piece of white waxwood is practically unbreakable.

Many woods lighter, but few that would serve you better.

[+TeamTurtles]

When the local lake level comes up a lot of salt cedar trees are drowned. Find a nice stright one, strip the bark and sand or shave it down to the red heart wood. You will have to pick a large diameter tree to get the proper size of heart wood. I let them dry about 3 months, in the heater closet, seal with varnish and there you are. Making your own staff is well over half the fun.

[+DavidMac]

I have one I made from Rhodedendron. Very strong.

 

My first thought was "Where are you going to find a rhododendron branch straight enough to make a hiking staff?" Then I realized where you're from. I now remember that there are different species in WA state than the stout, weedy, twisty stuff we have back east.

 

I'll second ironwood. I also have one that I made from an American chestnut sapling that had to be cut down. There are too few chestnuts around and I hated that this one had to be destroyed, but since it did I figured I'd put it to good use. It's good strong, smooth wood with a nice taper to it. I didn't remove the bark and it wears like iron.

[+Blue Blazes]

I make my Louisiana Walkin' Sticks from 1-1/4" bamboo. I fill a 1/2" node opening on each end with epoxy for end strength, then I paint them blue and coat them with polyurethane. This makes for a very light-weight and rigid hiking stick.

[+Castle Mischief]

That is exactly what I hike with!

 

Now for the best wood:

 

White Waxwood...

 

Available at Amazon

 

and other martial arts dealers such as: Karate Depot

 

Interesting. What I've always refered to as Chinese Privet* would be the worst thing to make a staff from because it's prone to split. Looks like I might have been calling it the wrong plant all these years.

 

Japanese Deciduous Privet (Ligustrum obtusifolium) Looks more like what we have growing all over Alabama. This stuff is horrible for staffs.

 

I've always had a preference for white oak when it comes to drumsticks. Wonder how that would hold up...?

 

 

*White Wax Wood (Ligustrum lucidum)

[+42at42]

ALUMINUM

 

I have one made of maple. It is quite flexible. Not flexible enough though but it did save me from a nasty fall. I was able to mend it with white glue and camo duct tape.

[+baloo&bd]

The correct answer is one you find on a trail.

 

All the suggestions previously are great. You can also do a search on YouTube using "walking sticks" to not only get types of wood but haw to "enhance" them.

 

Having said that, lighter is always better. You have to lug this around with you.

 

In a pinch, a broom handle works great. Most are made of pine or pine composite.

 

Personality wise, Diamond Willow can not be beat. A good source is listed in the first few replies above.

 

I carve walking sticks. My wood of choice is Aspen however some of the best I have are from sticks I have found along a trail or in woods nearby. If you are in an area where you see someone clearing land or a subdivision going in, saplings can be plentiful, however need to be dried out.

[+TheAlabamaRambler]

I don't know if he still makes them but I would bet that ElDiablo has some seasoned cured staffs that he'd fix you up with. If not he can tell you everything you want to know about good hiking staffs

 

http://www.geo-hikingstick.com/id2.html

[+Harry Dolphin]

My hiking stick is hickory. I've had it about fifteen years. It's hiked over a thousand miles on the Appalachian Trail. (Not to mention the local hiking.) Bending a bit with age (but so are we all). It serves me well.

[+TexasGringo]

I went to Home Depot and bought a Heavy Duty Shovel Handle for around $5......it works fine for walking, busting thru brush, turning over rocks......and if needed, all out battle.

[+Boxcars]

Ash! I've always made my own for hiking, never used anything but white ash. The bark peels off nice and easy, and the wood is nice and smooth.

[+Wooden Cyclist]

Edited out the duplicate.

Edited January 25, 2010 by Wooden Cyclist

[+Wooden Cyclist]

There have been many good recommendations in this thread. I took a different approach when I made my staff. After searching the web for awhile I came across THIS.

 

The staff described in the article looks like this.

 

 

The author started out with a mop handle that has a threaded metal tip that gives the tip added durability. The cord that is tied around the staff not only provides a good grip and good looks it also serves as survival cord if you get into trouble on the trail.

 

If you think about it, mops get used by professional custodians for heavy work on a daily bases, so the strength of the mop handle should not be a concern. My staff looks similar to this one except that I chose more colorful cordage.

 

All that is left is to add one of these Groundpeak Geocaching Staff Medallions.

 

[+frex3wv]

While I am not adding an answer to the orginal poster's question - I have a question that may help others that may read this thread:

 

Does anyone know the rule of thumb about the height/length of the walking stick? Is there some standard? Thanks in advance.

[+In Need of Cache]

I'm a huge fan of the looks of diamond willow, though I don't have a staff made of it myself, simply too cheap to buy a piece and there isn't any in the area. My staff is made of apple.

 

As far as length goes that is a matter of preference. I am using a longer staff, mine is 6' tall. I have the first foot marked every inch and then each foot marked after that. several staff medalions from diff trails I have hiked.

 

The length really is preference, although I did see a guide once, I tend to go with something around my height for a staff. A short walking stick is sometimes preferred for which I use a commercial walking stick (like a skipole type)

[+Hakali]

I'm looking into finding a decent hiking pole for some of the longer/steeper hikes. Preferably something that's not too overly heavy but will last me a long time. I enjoy the feel of wood, anyone have any ideas what wood is "best" for a hiking stick? Ive heard hickory, ash, white cedar, bamboo... any ideas would be great.

 

The hiking stick I'm currently using is redwood, I think....but I'm not entirely sure. I bought it in Santa Cruz; a homeless fellow there was making them and selling them, and I gave him twice his asking price. It comes to just under my chin.

[+anakerose]

You know what? if you can find an old wood hockey stick and drive a few nails into the end that should do it.

[+BCSasquatch]

You know what? if you can find an old wood hockey stick and drive a few nails into the end that should do it.

 

I was thinking the same thing. Strong as heck, durable, and if needed, you can always deliver a good, stiff crosscheck with it

[+Gitchee-Gummee]

<snip>

Does anyone know the rule of thumb about the height/length of the walking stick? Is there some standard? Thanks in advance.

 

Don't know of the "rule of thumb" regarding the height of a walking stick... but it is nearly impossible to beat somebody practiced at using a 7' staff! They get ya coming and going in the blink of an eye.

[+Highland Horde]

Mine is made of white ash...about 6' tall..two sections that screw together like a pool cue...that probably sacrifices a great deal of strength but it makes transport much easier...and the ash i made it from came from a mill and was just under 4' long so i needed to join it anyway...ive never had any issues and it ha saved me a few times...and I am going to be releasing a TB made from a left over scrap of the same ash....(TB34073)

[+Wooden Cyclist]

I don't know if he still makes them but I would bet that ElDiablo has some seasoned cured staffs that he'd fix you up with. If not he can tell you everything you want to know about good hiking staffs

 

http://www.geo-hikingstick.com/id2.html

 

He posted a description of his staff making process HERE.

[+Chi-Town Cacher]

Personally I have 2 hiking staffs made from Colorado Aspen. I absolutely love the coloring on these sticks. I'd try to describe it, but being colorblind I'd probably be off by a mile. Not only do these sticks look very nice they are incredibly lightweight and strong.

 

My staffs are very thick, about shoulder height and look like they'd weigh a lot, but every person who picks one up comments on how light they are. I weigh 240 pounds and on several ocassions I've had to put the majority of my weight on them to stop falls while geocaching and they've so far always done a great job of handling sudden stress and lots of weight on them.

 

If you'd like to see a picture of one of them feel free to contact via my profile page and make sure you tell me your E-Mail address and I'll be happy to send a couple pictures of them. Happy caching!

[+Wooden Cyclist]

While I am not adding an answer to the orginal poster's question - I have a question that may help others that may read this thread:

 

Does anyone know the rule of thumb about the height/length of the walking stick? Is there some standard? Thanks in advance.

 

After searching the net for an answer to your question, I came up with this:

 

The staff should come up to your chin or shoulder, be 6-9 inches higher than your elbow, should be 6 feet long, should be 5 feet long, varies between 46 and 48 inches long, 1.75 meters long, "right for you".

 

As you can see, there is no standard. Mine is 6 feet long because I like to hold the staff slightly below my shoulder level and still have me hand at least 12 inches below the top of the staff.

[+StarBrand]

I don't know if he still makes them but I would bet that ElDiablo has some seasoned cured staffs that he'd fix you up with. If not he can tell you everything you want to know about good hiking staffs

 

http://www.geo-hikingstick.com/id2.html

I have one of these and it has served me very well over the year's.

 

One of my caches is featured on this page of his: http://www.geo-hikingstick.com/id4.html

[+DragonsWest]

Blue Gum (Eucalyptus globulus) which may or may not be available in your neck of the woods. I wanted a good stick which would hold up, yet have some flexibility. Walked over to a nearby park where a large branch had fallen and sawed off a section which was fairly straight and stout enough. It's been perfect.

[+sbell111]

Ebony is nice.

Ebony cracks.

[+duckdogs]

I have one made from cedar that has held up very well for 10 years or so.

[greenworldfeather]

Oak. It is very hard, which means it would probably stand up to vigorous use.

[+bittsen]

Oak. It is very hard, which means it would probably stand up to vigorous use.

 

Isn't Oak a relatively heavy wood?

 

I wonder how purple heart would hold up? I've always liked purple heart.

[AZcachemeister]

Ash or Hickory.

Either way...solid.

[4wheelin_fool]

Acacia is probably the best. Pricey and rare though.

[+T13]

Oak. It is very hard, which means it would probably stand up to vigorous use.

 

Isn't Oak a relatively heavy wood?

 

I wonder how purple heart would hold up? I've always liked purple heart.

 

It'll turn grey with exposure to water, is quite durable, but can be extremely splintery.

Long, sharp, nasty splinters.

Also has calcium deposits, tough on tools when working. Little embedded rocks.

Heat it up with friction to bring out the deep purple color.

[+DragonsWest]

Acacia is probably the best. Pricey and rare though.

 

Rare and Pricey? Do tell!

 

Acacia are considered an undesirable invasive species around here and people hack them down all the time. I suppose I could turn some of those into hiking sticks for $