My mother in law is an avid hiker. If there’s a hill or trail, she’ll start in on it, or round up a few friends to make an occasion of the whole thing. My wife and I would like to get her a walking stick or hiking stick but we really don’t know enough about them.
Does anyone know:
The effective difference between a walking and hiking stick
What a length it should be
What kind of tip should it have (rubber, flat brass, pointed?)
Any good sources for ordering a stick (on line or not)
Hiking/walking sticks come in two different styles hi-tech and low-tech. For low-tech, I have seen beautiful wooden staffs at places like REI. There may be a variety of lengths, I don’t know.
I am an avid high-tech stick user. Although they can be purchased individually, mine came as a pair, although I only use one at a time. They are telescoping, so you can alter the length. Mine have molded handgrips, much like a ski pole. I like this because it’s more ergonomic, and less likely to give blisters. Mine is lighter weight than a wooden one, because it’s made of aluminum. At the tip, mine has a short metal ski tip point. However, it came with a rubber cap that fits over the tip. I use the rubber most of the time, but take it off when I’m hiking on snow.
If you’re in the US, the cheapest place to get them is probably Sierra Trading Post, although the aforementioned REI would have them, as would Campmor.
I really, really enjoy having my hiking pole. It saves my knees, I can walk farther and do hillier terrain with fewer problems. I love it.
I’ll come in on the side of a nice shoulder-height walking stick made of wood. I hate telescoping sticks: I have tried a few, and they always telescope at inopportune moments. The wooden sticks at REI do indeed come in a variety of sizes.
I don’t know if you can easily find it, but I’ve found yucca stalk to be a good walking stick. Light but sturdy. Other than that, I really like the telescoping ones. I’ve been places where you just have to scramble at times but want a walking stick as well, and being able to shrink it down to a couple feet and put it in your pack is really convienent.
My mom is also a hiker/walker but getting a little older(58) these days. For christmas one year we bought her a fancy Carbon Fibre telescoping walking stick. And she absolutely loves it. She had a couple pretty nice wooden poles of several lengths, but she say she just hates using them because they weigh too much. The weight of the wooden ones isn’t something I would really notice, but it has become a huge deal for my aging mom. Just a suggestion that depending on your mom-in-laws age and phsyical condition the weight reduction of the non wood sticks may be more important than it would seem to you.
Like a lot of people, I hiked “stickless” for years. Then I met a couple of extremely fit-looking through-hikers on the Appalachian Trail who discoursed on the merits of walking sticks. I bought one and now wonder how I did without it. When the footing gets even a little tricky, you can make faster, safer and more enjoyable progress with a good stick (or two, especially when you’re carrying a pack).
The value of a stick whose length can be changed is probably best seen when heading uphill (stick wants to be shorter) or downhill (longer). Nametag, the telescoping stick you want is the kind that has an internal spring-loaded locking pin - mine has never slipped. Wrist loop highly recommended.
I would advise easing into the use of a stick, though… I got tennis elbow after the first time I tried one. (On a ten-mile hike)
Thanks very much folks. I was thinking along the lines of a wooden stick, but given the weight factor maybe a “ski pole” like one would work better.