Survival Staff

B

bigcountry73

Joined
Feb 18, 2003
Messages
133
I was wondering if you guys use hiking staffs? If so, did you make them yourselves? Did you purchase one? Do you prefer natural materials or more modern versions, such as the crawford hiking and survival staff? The one I use I made several years ago, and its still going strong.
 
My Grand Father made me one out of Sugar Gum before he died, and it's nice to use in wet/rough conditions.
 
I use a 5' cold steel blowgun.. it's made to double as a hiking staff, and has preformed quite well in a handfull of 50-100 miles hikes.

I wouldn't try thru hiking the AT with it, but it's a damn good survival hiking staff, for obvious reasons.
 
I use a 60" hickory staff that started life as a HD rake handle. I wrapped it with 20' of 550 and tapered it to accept a fish spear head. It works great for my needs.
 
I used to make my own as a boy, but now I modern "trekking poles". They are a pair of three section telescoping aluminum poles (like ski poles).

They make HUGE difference hiking for stability, and ease strain on the knees comming down hill. They help a lot with stream and river crossing as well.

The telescoping feature is mandatory for mountaineering and climbing becasue I can use them on the approach, then shrink them down in stick them in my pack for technical climbing. Also, being able to adjust the length lets me make them longer for downhill, shorter for uphill, or one long and one short for traverses on hills.

The baskets are interchangabe, I have bigger snow baskets for winter and little mud baskets for summer.

Mine are about 10 years old, but all the new ones have shock absorber springs in them to relieve strain on the shoulders and elbows. (Getting a little over enginieered! - Although on steep downhill, or crossing mushy ice when I put a lot of weight on them, my elbows feel it at the end of day.)

Will
 
I make my own outa Beech trees on my property, they're strong and springy and relatively light.
 
I use a 5'6" rattan staff with a 550 paracord wrap and about 30' of jute twine wrapped on the lower section. I drilled the end and drove/epoxied a 1/4-20 tee nut in it to take a spike for ice/snow conditions.
Gene :D
 
Crawford Knives makes a great staff that I'd like to get. I'd have one by now, but it's a bit pricey and haven't found the justification yet.

If I remember right, Cold Steel offered this in their Special products catalog once upon a time.
 
I use a 5'6" rattan staff with a 550 paracord wrap and about 30' of jute twine wrapped on the lower section. I drilled the end and drove/epoxied a 1/4-20 tee nut in it to take a spike for ice/snow conditions.
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I cut myself a piece of river cane and will be making a staff with it. Like you, I planned on wrapping jute around the bottom and 550 for the grip. It will end up about 6' and be 1/3 the weight of my hickory staff.
 
I make my own.

I like laburnum. I let them dry at least one full year, then straighten them. I like them pretty thin and tapered on both ends, much like a javelin. Gives them more strength in the middle, where there is more stress, while staying light.

Cheers,

David
 
Turns shaky biped into stable triped. Helps going uphill. A brake going downhill. Tent pole. Tool to place/retrieve balanced bear bags. If it's the right height and rounded on the top end, makes a good "lean on" when taking a blow. Beats back brambles -- and cranky dogs . What's not to like? My favorite is one I made of White Ash --- 17 years and still going.
 
I have two, one solid oak staff, capped with a steel endcap and soaked for two months in Tung oil and then handrubbed with beeswax. and the other one (the survival staff) is a stainless steel pipe 1.5 mm thick x 1" across x 75" long. both have steel caps on the bottom and leather lanyards. the steel one is wrapped with cord for a handle. strong enough to use as a chin up bar and tough enough to throw as a spear handle (making a broad head for it) .
 
Woodybushman,
Thanks for the idea for the steel pole. Do you store anything in it? I need to figure out how to section off the interior.
 
I use a white wax wood staff from Cold Steel. I ordered two. One might as well have been the actual tree, but the other one was perfect in terms of the diameter and weight. I cut off few inches off the top, put on a paracord grip and a cap on the bottom. I did order a hiking staff from Newt Livesay. He processed my credit card but never sent the staff.
 
bigcountry73 said:
Woodybushman,
Thanks for the idea for the steel pole. Do you store anything in it? I need to figure out how to section off the interior.
Click to expand...


I'm having some difficulty figuring that out too...but this may work...if you can find a expandable "star" nut from a bicycle handlebar stem that fits, and rig up some sort of long allen key to tighten it, you can section off a compartment. Or i was thinking of driving a rubber beaker stopper or cork down the inside, to make it waterproof. I plan on adding the usual matches, braided fishing line, water tablets etc to it.
a champagne cork works quite nicely in the top, and is comfortable to put your thumb on. i will probably cold blue it too, to give it a dark matte blue appearence.

:cool:
 
bigcountry73 said:
Woodybushman,
Thanks for the idea for the steel pole. Do you store anything in it? I need to figure out how to section off the interior.
Click to expand...

As another alternative, how about a properly-sized wood plug secured by a screw through the side of the tube?
 
Thomas Linton said:
As another alternative, how about a properly-sized wood plug secured by a screw through the side of the tube?
Click to expand...
Sounds like a very good idea. Place a cork about a quarter of the way down and then maybe another one to seal the top.
 
I dont want to drill any holes in the staff, as that will reduce the strength of the staff. I just bought some medium soft silicone stoppers and drove it into the staff with a dowel , about 8" down from the top of the handle.
 
I make my own, usually out of Hickory but sometimes Oak or Dogwood. It’s a hobby for me and I have several around the house.
The cane length ones goes with me in towns and when traveling and the staff length ones get used for hiking, camping etc.
They are useful for warding off the overaggressive dog or guiding miscreants in the way they should go.
I cap mine with a cane tip from the drug store so it is quiet and has good grip and treat them with a mixture of linseed oil and turpentine several times a year to keep them in good shape.
My preference is for them to be at least shoulder high but find much higher than my nose they start getting cumbersome.
I hike year around and so stay away from the metal ones because of the cold and noise they are prone to. Also good solid wood is completely airport friendly.
 
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