Walking Stick Basics 

good

👍🏻 nice idea?

Same. I bought an oak dowel, stained & oiled it, & it's great.

HaHa, I have often said that North Carolina would be a much nicer place if they would cut down all of the trees so that a person could see the place.

+kc329191 Yea they can be annoying at times to carry. But they're definitely worth it.

Thank you!

You can tie younglings at their base for future use. My father in law has been making staffs for people for 20 years.

Why kill snakes? Theyre not after you.

Lol is it because you don't need to pick up after them.

There's nothing at all wrong with walking on ice. In many places, it's the only way to get where you're going without taking four days. You even ride snowmobiles on the ice. I don't know why you think there's something wrong with walking on ice? It's perfectly normal. People even skate on it. And believe me, punching the ice ahead of you with your stick is a very good idea. If the ice cracks even a tiny bit, you take a different direction. You also want to feel for open water under the snow, which happens surprisingly often. Without probing ahead, you could, and probably would, walk right into the hole.

do you find an accelerated rate of decay with the bark on?

I use Bay Laurel and have had the same sticks for probably 10 yrs. They look just like they did in year 1.

+Black Owl Outdoors It depends on the wood, and the drying process. I have a walnut stick that's five years old, and it's better than the day I cut it. Many hardwoods hold their bark nearly forever, if you cut them live, in the fall or, better, the winter, and let them dry properly. I find hickory almost always loses its bark quickly, though. So does ash. I've had great luck with basswood and sassafras. The trouble with basswood is that it's one of the best carving woods in existence, and I always want to use it for that. It's easy to find in the wild, but unbelievably expensive to buy for carving. Laurel is good, and so is maple. But some wood is just too pretty to leave the bark on.

That’s what brought me here.

Look Ma! Those are all great ideas. I was just deciding how to give my staff more grip on the ends. I think I'm going to try a combination of ranger bands and strips of tube. Let me know what you decide to use. -Krik

+Look Ma! I wish I could remember what it was called, but can't. There a kind of tape made specifically for such things. It comes in plain, in colors, and in camouflage, and works really well. You can even wrap the entire stick in it. I ran out, but haven't bought more because I haven't needed any. But any of your ideas will work well. I've used paracord with ranger bands over it, but gave up on using anything else some time ago. The paracord and ranger bands work well for a survival stick, but I prefer bark, or a plain stick. If I want grip on a woods stick,, I leave the bark on where I typically hold the stick, even if I want to strip the bark off elsewhere.

I simply use what is available in my area, which is oak.

+Phillip Elias That makes sense

+Michael Reed If you want pretty, almost any wood that strikes your eye will work well. If you want strength, use hickory. In a pinch, you can even turn it into a bow. Oak works well, too, as does yew. Hickory is the classic, though. It's available almost everywhere, and there's a reason the use it for such things as axe handles and bows.

+James Ritchie Thanks for the suggestion. It makes since that Hickory is prime material. I just asked because we have a lot of Sycomore near here and wondered about it.

+Michael Reed We have sycamore around here, too, but I've never tried it. If you do, I'd love to know how it works out.

the stick was made by us. thanks for watching. - stony

BlackOwlOutdoors Beautiful Work. Do you sell them ?

+Black Owl Outdoors any chance selling me the one from the video?

Duke Makedo, yeah, and man had nothing to do with making them. This kid is steeped in environmental indoctrination thanks to public education.

D M, Beauty is in the eye of the beholder ...

Absolutely ! - On steep hills you should have a staff a few inches taller than yourself. - You can impale yourself on a Nordic pole or shorter staff. A longer staff with a hard wood ball on the end is a real advantage.

You can simply thin the stick by using a knife. Knives that have a Scandinavian grind are great for wood working. -Krik

That's funny, 'cause I'm from Denmark :o) I was also thinking about using a really Sharp Draw knife. Would that Work?

shrink ray

That would be awesome :o)

Draw knife or spoke shave. Spoke shaves are a little trickier to eat up properly but give you great control once set.

Mike Wright why would anyone voluntarily use a cane or the high tech "trekking poles". There are myriad uses for a hiking staff/stick, remember hike your own hike.

+Michael Reed This is Krik. Stony does not use a trekking pole or walking stick. You just can't when you're carrying a camera the entire time. There are many sacrifices he makes while we're out so he's able to film the entire time.

+Black Owl Outdoors OK, well that was what I was afraid you would say. lol

+Michael Reed the >mefoto walkabout< mono-pod is 5 feet down to 18 inches and weight is about 20 ounces ????????????

+Mike Wright That is a cool idea. 2 in 1. Is it stable as a walking stick? It looks like a good monopod but is it strong enough to be a hiking stick for a 200 pound man in the woods? If so, What a great combo.

it won't be a digging stick, it is listed to hold 30 lbs, if you open it all the way and close each section about 3-4 inches before locking, i think you'll like it.

Find the best photo of your grampa, put it where you see it/him everyday, & say a few words to him daily or weekly. In this way HE will always be close & never gone...It might (also) be nice for you to make a hiking staff with your grampa`s name burnt or carved into it, to honor HIS memory. In this way you will never walk alone.....

Where do you live? I've never seen a penguin with horns like an owl. Oh that was your attempt at a joke? 👎

@@gregkis ?

@@RepostCollection what?

@@gregkis the symbol he used 5 years ago is definitely not an owl

i know it's pretty randomly asking but do anybody know a good place to watch new series online?

I good solid stick has more uses than a trekking pole in my opinion.

hairy 1 hmmmm good point maybe I am to defensive it's the way our leaders make us. Cuz we got to defend our family homes from them or the regular guy from down the street. I'm quite interested to kno what country do you live in hairy

hairy 1 A lot of America is still surrounded by wilderness. We have many more dangers besides humans, including but not limited to bears, mountain lions, rapid streams, and deadly falls down mountainsides! You dont have to get so mad about one guy describing a staff as a great defense weapon... the fact is that it is versatile and is a great defense from many things. Sorry you were offended but as an American I am more offended by the ignorance leaking out of your comment

No one said everyone is out to get is. But it only takes one person to be trouble. Everything is a defensive weapon, and if you really believe it isn't needed here, and right where you are, you're a damned fool who is playing the odds with your own life, and with the lives of everyone around you. In case you hadn't noticed, the world is a very dangerous place. There isn't a city in the world that's safe to walk around in without being very careful where you go, and the wilderness is a far more dangerous place that most imaging. Three hundred people per year go missing, and are never seen again. And that's in one wilderness area. This is why Americans are so defensive, and it's why no one but a shelter adult would think it's odd. I don't know which country you're in, but check the crime rate. You are not safe, except by the odds. If you want to play the odds with your own life, go ahead. I don't, and won't do that, especially with people I love depending on me. I suggest you watch the evening news more often. No, everyone is not out to get us, but with a violent crimes every thirty seconds, a lot of people most certainly are out to get us. If it's all right with you, or even if it isn't, I'll just keep being a man and protecting myself and my loved ones.

hairy 1 why do you assume that the defense is in relation to people?

What do you care?

Rolo stfu

Don't mind, as long as we are "happy together"....😊

Great tip. Thanks!