Thread: Why Don't More People Use Walking Sticks?

Well i suppose mate things change and what was then with most things is now not with much at all ,I have noticed over the last ten yrs many walking aids that are used by power walkers ect,but as all things based on trend and not necessity or usfulness they tend to fall to the wayside to make way for the next. Myself who through being a bit of a (if it needed doin just do it) kinda way of things ,faced one day with the fact like so many others that the body or parts of give in ,Well it`s hard for many people to accept that ,and a walking stick makes that statement,I`m older now /i`m a bit broken /no longer the legend /whatever so many still hide behind the facadeMyself well i should use mine more than i do but i don`t because i still like gettin some things done an don`t need the mental head space statment that comes with using a stick (even if it ain`t true)so i carved my own as a self satisfying statement ,and get lot`s of comments and checkin out ,so when me an me stick go for a walk i feel okay about the statment it says ,SOOO keep on doin what you do an make it okay or better in a ,look at my amazing walking stick kinda way,As i`m sure those that have one of your`s would feel, and justified they would be,As a user yourself you are always at the cutting edge of uses ,styles ,and most of all COMFORT ,style ain`t everything eh ,ounce again majic work ,or is it majic worksDANNY

Plus these days we have replacement hips, knees etc and pain killers. Personaly for self protection, the old rifle up the walking stick would be the go.

Originally Posted by stixman

In the past a walking stick was a part of a typical guy's attire along with a good hat. Today lot's of people still use a hat, but the walking stick isn't as popular as it once was.
The walking stick or cane was used for support as well as defense from animals or robbers.

<link rel="File-List" href="file:///C:%5CDOCUME%7E1%5CBob%5CLOCALS%7E1%5CTemp%5Cmsohtml1%5C01%5Cclip_filelist.xml"><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:WordDocument> <w:View>Normal</w:View> <w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:PunctuationKerning/> <w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/> <w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <wompatibility> <wreakWrappedTables/> <w:SnapToGridInCell/> <w:WrapTextWithPunct/> <wseAsianBreakRules/> <wontGrowAutofit/> </wompatibility> <wrowserLevel>MicrosoftInternetExplorer4</wrowserLevel> </w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" LatentStyleCount="156"> </w:LatentStyles> </xml><![endif]--><style> <!-- /* Style Definitions */ p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal {mso-style-parent:""; margin:0cm; margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size:12.0pt; font-family:Arial; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-ansi-language:EN-GB;} @page Section1 {size:612.0pt 792.0pt; margin:72.0pt 90.0pt 72.0pt 90.0pt; mso-header-margin:35.4pt; mso-footer-margin:35.4pt; mso-paper-source:0;} div.Section1 {page:Section1;} --> </style><!--[if gte mso 10]> <style> /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0cm; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-ansi-language:#0400; mso-fareast-language:#0400; mso-bidi-language:#0400;} </style> <![endif]--> You've answered your own question - sensible people aren't about to whack a dog or person for fear (no matter how unjust it may sound) of being sued. I'm surprised, living in such a litigious society, that you're not more attuned to that aspect.

I have several sticks which I use daily.

Another factor is fear. Not of the person using the stick but from people around them. I have found that if you are not old, sticks are viewed as a threatening item, i.e. weapon.

I once carried a walking stick size of wood from my dorm room the university workshop, people gave me such a wide birth that it was not funny.

Also walking sticks have a long tradition of being sheaths for swords, and gun's. A french martial tradition called savate, actually studies the use of walking stick's, and swords sheathed in walking stick's. A remnant when gentleman would routinely cary such items.

I actually like walking stick's they give you a comfortable stride. When I did Kendo, I carried my bokken (wooden sword) in a cloth bag and I used to use it as a walking stick, when ever I needed to carry it. When ever go bush walking I always have my collapsable aluminum walking stick.

I doubt, regrettable that walking stick's will not make a comeback.

stixman, I see your a member of lumberjocks too lol...

Originally Posted by stixman

but the walking stick isn't as popular as it once was.
.

perhaps people are mostly driving and not walking,
hmmmm.... a driving stick

It's simple, a walking stick is seen as an old person item in a "Must always look young" world

I liked my walking staff. A simple, straight branch, about 6' long & shod at both ends with copper ferrules.

But the last time I took it for a walk, I was pulled over by Mr. Plod and told it's a "prohibited weapon" as they confiscated it.

Big Brother is an a******e.

Originally Posted by Skew ChiDAMN!!

I liked my walking staff. A simple, straight branch, about 6' long & shod at both ends with copper ferrules.

But the last time I took it for a walk, I was pulled over by Mr. Plod and told it's a "prohibited weapon" as they confiscated it.

Big Brother is an a******e.

Andy do you think the fact you had one of those pesty little neighbours kids pinned to the brick wall with it had any influence on their decision to remove it from your pocession.

Cheers

Don't need a staff to do that.

I managed to find another potential walking staff, which I was going to carve into a spirit stick. Had it leaning against my woodpile for a few weeks when I noticed small piles of dust underneath it. Fortunately, a check of my woodpile showed it to be seemingly borer free, I assume I carried the li'l buggers home in the stick. [fingers Xed]

So, I'm still on the look-out for a replacement.

Like you Stickman, I carve walking sticks too. My efforts are in the 'hobby' category, but the reason I got into making them in the first place was that I was already a collector and user of all kinds of walking sticks and staves. I've been walking with a stick for 40 years. I don't need them, I just like them. I really don't give a rodent's rear end what other people think of them or me. When I took up carving as a hobby, it was only natural that I turn my attention to walking sticks.

As it turns out though, there are still quite a few of us around. As a stick maker, I've got a 3 month waiting list for custom made sticks, and I'm finding myself pushed a bit harder than I'd like to stay ahead of the demands of the monthly market I attend.

From what I've read of your earlier entries, you don't seem to be having any trouble finding people who like walking sticks enough to keep your production line humming along.

I agree with Claw Hama. I had both knees replaced a few years back, but hobblerd about on walking stick forfourteen years or so before the ops. I had badly carved heavy lump of a walking stick, that I found in a $2.00 shop. The handle snapped, and so I drilled it out, and then planted the biggest wooden TEK I could into both parts of the handle to make it one piece again. This added some weight to the handle end, and the stick was almost long enough to be able to use some taiaha movements (Maori version of Kendo) if necessay. A fortnight after having my second knee job, the walking stick went into the home museum. (Spare Room) and has stayed there.

I guess the reason I prefer a staff to a walking stick, is time spent in the military. Bad memories associated with swagger sticks.

The thing is, no matter what current trends are, there'll always be a market (albeit small) for a well-made walking stick/staff/swagger stick.

I doubt that the same will ever be true for bum-bags, I-pods or any other modern techo flash-in-the-pan. Sometimes simplicity rules... and what's simpler than a stick?

MMMMM seems like lotsa good toss n turn there me thinks that at the moment it`s got a small but constant need of sticks an staffs but the up side is with an aging population ,it got HUUUUge potential like um 20% market now with a potential of 80%, in the next ten yrs ,SOOO get carvin , did i just let that out