Hiking Stick...

[+ARONK76]

So I have only been cachiin since April and this is my first summer doing this. I usually just find a nice thick branch to use while out but have been finding more dead wood than sturdy lately. I want to get a nice thick hiking stick but wasn't sure where to look. Wondering if anyone might have some info or advice on a website to check?

[+Viajero Perdido]

REI has some: http://www.rei.com/brand/REI/c/4500049

 

Get the springy style. I love my pole (I prefer to use just one; the other is a spare). It's great for fending off dogs and other wild animals, for support on steep slopes, and for poking - carefully - in the forest for the happy sound of plastic or metal.

[+DragonsWest]

Out here in California, I picked up a length of Blue Gum (Eucalyptus), cut it to length and whittled off the sharp bits from twigs and such. Works great and has been strong enough to give me support, even when standing it against a tall stump to use as a step.

 

Hiking poles are great, too. I borrowed a set while hiking the Grand Canyon. REI will have a great selection, but I'm non-plussed regarding any pole that costs more than $30. Seriously.

[+NandL51008]

So I have only been cachiin since April and this is my first summer doing this. I usually just find a nice thick branch to use while out but have been finding more dead wood than sturdy lately. I want to get a nice thick hiking stick but wasn't sure where to look. Wondering if anyone might have some info or advice on a website to check?

 

My wife and I recently got 2 for 12.88 a piece at wal-mart. Any sporting goods store will have a good variety of styles and a range of prices to work with. Target and K-mart should have them in stock. On-line, check amazon.com or e-bay for good discounts. Keep in mind what sort of hiker you are, and that will help you choose what sort of pole you buy. Poles can be pricy. If you're a casual hiker, a pole that could stand up against a samari sword may not be what you need. Whatever works best you and your budget.

[+Chokecherry]

I got a cheap, collapsible one at walmart or some place like that. Mostly for poking and a little extra support for balance when going over questionable terrain.

 

I refuse to spend more than $30 for something like that.

[+Quossum]

Mine is a trekking pole, very, very light and sturdy, and has come in handy many times for poking in the bushes, knocking away spider webs, and helping me up slopes. They came as a pair, but I only use one at a time.

 

I've also left it leaning against a tree at GZ more than once and had to run back and get it!

 

Such trekking poles can be had for a wide range of prices. On the other hand, my husband prefers a tall, sturdy hiking stick he bought at RenFaire for around $20.

 

They're a great item for hiking in the woods.

 

--Q

[+Walts Hunting]

As is said above a lot depends on your price range. I purchased mine from REI for $70. It is collapsible with markings so I can extend it when I need to and get the same length, has a nice cork ball top with a camera mounting bolt that doesn't get in the way. Of most importance is a metal tip (grabs well on rock) that is spring loaded.

[+Charlie Fingers]

Mine is a Scott ski pole that I bought as a pair at goodwill for @2.92. Very lightweight, good grip with a strap, just doesn't collapse.

[+GrateBear]

Just yesterday I picked up a collapsable one at my local Army/Navy store. Stansport, with a carrying pouch. Only $20. I think it will do fine for me.

[+BlueDeuce]

So I have only been cachiin since April and this is my first summer doing this. I usually just find a nice thick branch to use while out but have been finding more dead wood than sturdy lately. I want to get a nice thick hiking stick but wasn't sure where to look. Wondering if anyone might have some info or advice on a website to check?

 

I found some great sticks after the power company did some pruning underneath the lines that went through a wooded area. They cut plenty of nice straight saplings that had grown since the last time they trimmed.

 

Go check an area and see what the growth is like.

[Clan Riffster]

There are some really neat, metal hiking poles out there these days, but I've found, through experience, that I am too abusive of equipment to own them. While I've owned probably half a dozen over the years, from el-cheapo Wally World red ones, to high end brands, none have survived. I don't blame the poles for their untimely demise though. That blame falls squarely on me, being too rough on my gear.

 

In financial self defense, I've taken to utilizing only stout wooden hiking staffs. I've gotten to where I actually prefer the heft of a real wooden staff. At one point I decided I wanted something a bit more unique than an oak dowel, and with some poking around the Internet, I found a website called Treeline, which sells, among other things, unusual breeds of hardwood sticks, both finished and unfinished, which are suitable for hiking. My only complaint was the lengths were too short for my liking, so I called the company. For no added charge, they were able to hand select a couple different staffs that fit my needs.

 

For the handy man types, a forum regular, (and staff making genius), El Diablo, posted a thread detailing a process by which you can make your own beautiful and strong hiking staff.

http://forums.Groundspeak.com/GC/index.php...hl=hiking+staff

[+Team Cotati]

I have a really great, cheapo hiking stick, very sturdy and collapsible.

 

Had it about 4 years now and it is as good as the day I bought it except that it is more dirty and has some scratches on it.

Edited July 11, 2010 by Team Cotati

[+Mother Wolf]

My 1st stick was a 5ft piece of heavy doll (sp). The closet poles!. I hand carved out my geonick as well as other decorative items. Lightly sanded it then stained it & sealed it. It is actually light weight but strong enough to help in pole vaulting creeks, wedging up rocks I wont reach into, knocking a critter out of the tree without being close enough to be bitten as well as giving someone a good head wack, knee cracker or a healthy jab in the....stomach without being close enough to grab.

Total cost was less than $10.

[+LovellbirdAndScatter]

I use different sticks for different hikes....depends on what my mood is on that particular day.

 

I have a pair of cheapie twist-lock metals ones I got for 12 bucks apiece on Amazon.....

 

I also have one I sort of made, out of a neat-looking metal curtain-rod I found for dollar at the Salvation Army store (I glued a rubber foot on the bottom and put some athletic grip tape where your hand goes, and it already has a pretty crystal-looking thing at the top end)....

 

I've got a stick that someone carved an indian-head on the top of, and some other little symbols around it...I named the Indian Elmer, and sometimes I take Elmer with me out into the woods, because he has a nice carved hand-grip too.

 

Sometimes, I take my clinical-looking offset metal cane with me, to which I have attached a bicycle bell. Why not, right? Scatter uses the same type of cane (he has legitimate back trouble) with no bell, of course, or his wooden cane. He would rather keep his arm straight down and lean on it that way.

 

I don't think you have to spend a huge amount of money on this stuff, really. There are sooo many options out there...just find something YOU like.

 

Lovellbird

[+jmd65]

I went to Lowe's Hardware and bought a six foot length of 1.25" diameter wood rod, cut it down a bit, drilled a hole for a cord loop, sprayed it with urethane, and wound some leather strips near one end for a grip. Total cost was about $10. It's very sturdy.

[+Take A Hike!]

I get the cheap ones from Walmart because I keep leaving them behind at cache GZ's! Think I have gone thru 4 in three years.

[+AuntieWeasel]

I've tried a variety of sticks over time. My favorite is still a cheap, collapsible Wal*Mart springy trekking pole. Cost me $10.

 

Was. I left it in the passenger side of the car I sold when I moved.

[+Team MacKenzie]

I have a pair of the springy adjustable hiking sticks from Wal-Mart.

 

I've added a RAM mount for the GPS onto the one that I use for caching. Absolutely love it and can't imagine being without it.

 

I'm very dependant on the hiking stick to keep me upright....it's like an outrigger for me.... so having the mount means that I don't need to grow a third hand anymore.

 

It also means that I don't get more than a few steps away from a cache without the GPS now...I was forever setting it down somewhere while I signed the log, etc. I can't count the number of times I had to go back to a cache to retrieve the darn thing. Now I never get more than a few steps away from a cache before I realize that I'm missing my hiking stick.

Edited July 12, 2010 by Team MacKenzie

[+humboldt flier]

I use a recycled shovel handle, stout and " tough as nails ".

[+Pork King]

Down here in Mississip', everyone knows the best hiking stick is a coveted SSO, or SuperSquid Original. If you are lucky enough to find a SSO voucher in a cache, a custom made beautiful hiking stick will be yours!

 

Me with my trusty SSO

Edited July 14, 2010 by Pork King

[+DeepButi]

You have to try this ones. Of course, carefull planning is needed ...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[ashnikes]

Ive got a very nice lightweight pvc pipe which is roughly 1 inch thick, about the diameter of a silver dollar, and just my size.

 

i use it for bushwhacking, hiking, and slapping bees who get too frisky with me.

 

found it on a trail one day, and will use it till it breaks.

 

nice free pole,

[+The Daydreamers]

I was at a Rendevous (think of it as a renissiance fair, but set between 1830-1870) in Western Wisconsin, I picked up a handmade hiking stick for $10. Solid oak, with a lacquer finish. It's sturdy, lightweight, and I love it.

[Andronicus]

Ive got a very nice lightweight pvc pipe which is roughly 1 inch thick, about the diameter of a silver dollar, and just my size.

 

i use it for bushwhacking, hiking, and slapping bees who get too frisky with me.

 

found it on a trail one day, and will use it till it breaks.

 

nice free pole,

One of those rarish times I agree with ashnikes' "re-use garbage" theory. I use sticks I find on the hike. They tend to break after wacking at deadfall though. My latest one survived a prety rough trip in a massivly deadfall infested hike. Then it broke about 5 minutes into a fairly tame hike. Go figure.

[+Team Cotati]

Down here in Mississip', everyone knows the best hiking stick is a coveted SSO, or SuperSquid Original. If you are lucky enough to find a SSO voucher in a cache, a custom made beautiful hiking stick will be yours!

 

Me with my trusty SSO

 

Aren't you afraid that that thing will get dirt on it?

[+Boxcars]

I've made several from young white ash saplings. Just peel off the bark (which comes off nicely when they're green) and your good to go. Also found a nice stick with all the bark chewed off by a beaver. Looks really neat. Best of all: FREE!

[+Kabuthunk]

I at one point made my own hiking staff out of a stick that I found in the bushes while caching one day, covered it in several coats of varnish, and added a leather wrist strap.

 

Otherwise, for more casual city hiking, I recently found and bought Komperdell Featherlight Foam type hiking sticks. I got rid of the stupid wrist strap glove thing, since my hands just sweated inside of them. Nothing beats a regular old loose leather strap for my likings.

 

It took me forever to find hiking sticks that I liked though. I've tried, and absolutely hate the collapsible or shock-absorbent ones. So I was glad to find a rigid one all the way up.

Edited August 10, 2010 by Kabuthunk

[SlayerOfBunnies]

I'm using this maple sapling that I found and trimmed up with my Becker BK-2 (don't leave home without it)...