Musing about Trekking Poles.

You see a lot more Poles trekking around Europe now than you used to....

Arch ,

My wife has a pair. Weight/strength (lightest/strongest is considered best) is a huge factor. Also, they adjust in length (longer when descending, shorter when climbing) and when not in use compress down to around 2 feet. One additional thing, many contain a shock absorber system that can be locked out (I forget if the locked is for climbing or descent). Those are pretty tall spec's for something made of wood. It would be pretty tough to compete with titanium.

Larry

Nordic walking poles are generally preferred to be of one solid length sized to the walker. Most are made from carbon and a few from aluminum. The collapsible poles are Skiing/Hiking poles although some manufacturers do make collapsible Nordic poles for travelers. It really depends on the use of pole... walking, hiking, skiing, snowshoeing or Nordic walking.

Nordic walking has made it to the US, but it's mainly popular in colder regions, along with snowshoeing. Turned poles for hiking, general walking and even Nordic walking are a neat idea. I do make some hiking/walking poles and some for the renaissance festivals. It's a fun along with making wands for the kids to play Harry Potter.

Larry,

I have a few of the poles like your wife and they are great, especially when I travel out of state, but I do prefer a more natural and non-collapsible type when walking locally and hiking in the woods. Part of it for me is the added security of having a long hardwood stave that I can also use to defend myself, and the collapsible ones just aren't as effective of menacing.

I also have a Cold Steel Walkabout cane that's built like a baseball bat (practically). I got it after an accident which left me with great difficulty walking and needing something really solid and comfortable. It's a neat stick. Check the Walkabout out, as I suspect those are completely whole turned pieces of Ash and/or Hickory.

I've been playing around with several ways to make poles. I find them fun and useful. I hope some of this info gives a few others out there a little more creative inspiration as it did for me. Keep trekking!!

`Casper

Train your mind to test every thought, ideology, train of reasoning, and claim to truth.

Don't know about "trekking poles" as such, but I like a good staff. However, I don't consider turning to be especially appropriate for making staves - I like to find a good stick and peel the bark off, perhaps work it over a bit with a spokeshave. None too convenient for non-local travel, of course - too long.

Well Arch here's a novel idea. As a young'un in rural England it was customary to endure 4 - 5 mile evening walks after "tea". Usually Grandfather was in attendance and out would come his well sharpened pocket knife and after some considerable deliberation he would plunge into a roadside thicket and after a few minutes, return with a suitable walking pole. He would hand it over along with the knife and encourage me to carve some decorations on the pole. Usually the next spring the poles were found in the vegetable garden as supports for runner beans or peas. So the tradition would carry on each year. I have a couple of similar walking poles that have a sentimental connection to a wilderness experience and are now a nice souvenir. No lathe work involved but a nice way to get the young 'uns safely using a sharp tool. Another walking activity was the making of twig whistles, usually from hazel nut (filbert) shrubs in the hedgerows. Again more knife work. I guess we had a more simpler lifestyle back then. Thanks for dredging up the memories! Pete

I agree. I made one of mine with a screw joint courtesy of Lee Valley, which I keep in the car trunk. While I was at it, I put a tripod screw on top which I have used for steadying distant shots and when not in use for that, have a brass door knob which screws on.

Hello Arch,

Several years ago, I made several walking stick. (That is what I called them). Mine were made in two or three pieces with screw thread joints. I used a brass 3/4" pipe coupling and made the male threads from lignum viate. They were about five feet long and when unscrewed they easily were carried in a car. I made one out of mesquite in three pieces for a customer. The mesquite threaded quite well for the male threads. The brass couplings were hex shaped, so I turned then round to fit with the shape of the wood. I used one for walking on rugh terrain and they helped with the balance greatly. They didn't sell well at the craft fairs that I was attending at the time.

Fred Holder

GROAN!

Mine has an interchangeable foot. Rubber tip, spike, and a parachute/cup like thingy for sand or snow.

Craft supplies does carry some parts

I made a regular walking cane for a friend with a laminated shaft and a horse-hame handle. I'm reasonably strong and can only barely (~1/4") flex the shaft. No one has seemed interested in trying out the hame ... but he had plenty of 'takers' for its $9.99 drugstore issue predecessor.

He has a half-dozen canes but, in almost two years, I think I've seen him with one of the others exactly once.

All in all, one of my better pieces.

Bill

Grin. This is likely one of the very few places where almost everybody will know what a hame is and have seen it in use. Good idea for a cane handle!

I made one that was very similar to what I found with a quick google search to try and convince my wife to go hiking with me. It didn't really work, as her idea of "hiking" is my idea of strolling on a sidewalk. She didn't care for actually going onto dirt paths in the woods, and it's a shame, as we are right next to a really nice "Ice Age trail" that extends most of the way across the state.

The one I made was turned from purpleheart, and I turned the finger grooves, then sanded about 70* of the diameter flat for where the palm sits. Works pretty good for me, but it might be a little heavy if the standard ones are aluminum.

I've also turned a number of canes as gifts, and they seem to go over well. With an ebonized shaft and an exotic head, they can be used as dress canes by the guys who do various kinds of re-enactment. My dad does some competition cowboy shooting where a lot of the guys like to carry thin walking sticks, though he actually needs it for walking, so his are a bit more stout, with a large knob at the end about 1/2" above palm level so that he can lean on the thing.