|
|
The Crawford Survival Staff
Another high tech offering, the Survival Staff from Crawford Knives of West Memphis, Arkansas, offers several survival weapon options. Fully assembled this staff is 57" of hardened black anodized aluminum convertable to a 38" walking stick or a 24" baton. The different sections can be screwed together in alternate ways and contain additional options. The staff converts easily to a frog or fishing spear (extra purchase of that tip is required), a 440C Stainless steel cane sword, baton handled or full length, and the longest section of the shaft becomes a working blow gun, with six darts hidden in the tubing.
Once again, it's a high tech tool that will require some maintenance. The sections will need inspection from time to time on the trail to make sure nothing's coming loose, and if you choose to take a few hard swings at a tree with it, well, good luck with that. You wouldn't swing a rifle at a tree trunk without expecting damage, and you shouldn't expect more of the Survival Staff. Parts are replacable, and if you do use it as a blunt weapon you'll need to replace a few. Cost of the basic configuration is $281.95.
Another high tech offering, the Survival Staff from Crawford Knives of West Memphis, Arkansas, offers several survival weapon options. Fully assembled this staff is 57" of hardened black anodized aluminum convertable to a 38" walking stick or a 24" baton. The different sections can be screwed together in alternate ways and contain additional options. The staff converts easily to a frog or fishing spear (extra purchase of that tip is required), a 440C Stainless steel cane sword, baton handled or full length, and the longest section of the shaft becomes a working blow gun, with six darts hidden in the tubing.
Once again, it's a high tech tool that will require some maintenance. The sections will need inspection from time to time on the trail to make sure nothing's coming loose, and if you choose to take a few hard swings at a tree with it, well, good luck with that. You wouldn't swing a rifle at a tree trunk without expecting damage, and you shouldn't expect more of the Survival Staff. Parts are replacable, and if you do use it as a blunt weapon you'll need to replace a few. Cost of the basic configuration is $281.95.
Martial arts suppliers offer a confusing variety of bo's, jo's,
hanbo's and staffs. The martial arts stick comes in all sizes, from
tiny six inch fist loads to nine foot dragon poles. You can get
foam or rattan sticks for training, double taper toothpick designs
for wushu routines, single taper for specialized kata, and straight
staffs for combat. For a trail staff there's no reason not to get the
best, because even the best isn't very expensive. Go for a
combat version.
One of the best sources for martial arts quality staffs is Wing Lam Kung Fu--that's where I got mine a few years ago and I've always gotten good service and good products from Wing Lam no matter what strange item I was shopping to find. Wing Lam now offers a three piece carbon fiber staff which is very reasonably priced, especially in comparison to the high tech alternatives available from other dealers.
A six foot staff of at least 1 1/4" red oak or white oak is a good choice, long enough to poke things at a distance without getting in the way of traveling. Red oak is a little lighter but not quite as strong as white oak--either one may splinter if smashed against a hard surface, but that's acceptable. It won't happen much. Mine has a few cracks in the ends from doing exactly that.
I can't personally recommend any of the modern hiking sticks, the lightweight ski pole clones that are somewhat popular now, as being of self defense quality. They are too light to be of much use for anything but balance. If weight is that much of a concern to you, I recommend the carbon fiber staff from Wing Lam, a light but full sized alternative to a heavy combat staff.
One of the best sources for martial arts quality staffs is Wing Lam Kung Fu--that's where I got mine a few years ago and I've always gotten good service and good products from Wing Lam no matter what strange item I was shopping to find. Wing Lam now offers a three piece carbon fiber staff which is very reasonably priced, especially in comparison to the high tech alternatives available from other dealers.
A six foot staff of at least 1 1/4" red oak or white oak is a good choice, long enough to poke things at a distance without getting in the way of traveling. Red oak is a little lighter but not quite as strong as white oak--either one may splinter if smashed against a hard surface, but that's acceptable. It won't happen much. Mine has a few cracks in the ends from doing exactly that.
I can't personally recommend any of the modern hiking sticks, the lightweight ski pole clones that are somewhat popular now, as being of self defense quality. They are too light to be of much use for anything but balance. If weight is that much of a concern to you, I recommend the carbon fiber staff from Wing Lam, a light but full sized alternative to a heavy combat staff.
Shillelagh's on the Web
A good shillelagh is hard to find today even in Ireland, popular because of its practicality and light weight. In the British Isles where walking is a common way to take a vacation, the demand for blackthorn has placed a strain on the resource. It's renewable but it does take time.
With any natural product, you get a lot of variation, so if you buy a real blackthorn stick you generally will not get exactly what you see in a picture on the internet. You may get better, and you may get something you don't like as much. If you want what you see, one option is to buy the Cold Steel polypropylene version. It's hard, light, sturdy, and it's exactly what you see -- durable plastic.
A good shillelagh is hard to find today even in Ireland, popular because of its practicality and light weight. In the British Isles where walking is a common way to take a vacation, the demand for blackthorn has placed a strain on the resource. It's renewable but it does take time.
With any natural product, you get a lot of variation, so if you buy a real blackthorn stick you generally will not get exactly what you see in a picture on the internet. You may get better, and you may get something you don't like as much. If you want what you see, one option is to buy the Cold Steel polypropylene version. It's hard, light, sturdy, and it's exactly what you see -- durable plastic.
High Tech Solutions
The Big Survival Stik Carbon Hiking Staff manufactured in Texas by LuxuryLite is built of the same carbon fiber materials you find in the best airplanes and the best ski poles. You can start with a short version and add pieces to get a high test hiking stick from 48" to 73" in length, with an aluminum "needle knife" and removable metal sheath hidden in the tip. It's strong enough to be used for pole vaulting. For a 48" staff with hand strap, spear point and sheath the price is $159 plus shipping. This is not a combat staff and will be damaged if you use it as a blunt weapon. The spear tip makes it functional in self defense applications.
Durability of the carbon fiber shaft is not arguable, but the needle knife, sheared from a section of aluminum tubing, is definitely not bullet proof. Sectional builds like these, even when the workmanship is top notch, are always eventually going to be trouble. If grit gets in the works they'll never seat right. Care for it properly and don't use the needle knife except in emergencies. One last weak point is the aluminum cap at the foot of the staff. That will be the first thing to get beaten to death on the rocks and may need replacement if you put a lot of mileage on it.
The Big Survival Stik Carbon Hiking Staff manufactured in Texas by LuxuryLite is built of the same carbon fiber materials you find in the best airplanes and the best ski poles. You can start with a short version and add pieces to get a high test hiking stick from 48" to 73" in length, with an aluminum "needle knife" and removable metal sheath hidden in the tip. It's strong enough to be used for pole vaulting. For a 48" staff with hand strap, spear point and sheath the price is $159 plus shipping. This is not a combat staff and will be damaged if you use it as a blunt weapon. The spear tip makes it functional in self defense applications.
Durability of the carbon fiber shaft is not arguable, but the needle knife, sheared from a section of aluminum tubing, is definitely not bullet proof. Sectional builds like these, even when the workmanship is top notch, are always eventually going to be trouble. If grit gets in the works they'll never seat right. Care for it properly and don't use the needle knife except in emergencies. One last weak point is the aluminum cap at the foot of the staff. That will be the first thing to get beaten to death on the rocks and may need replacement if you put a lot of mileage on it.
Photos from
LuxuryLite.com
LuxuryLite.com
have some decorative carving on the crook -- any carving weakens the curve, and
even though hickory is tough, this can't be good if you intend to use the crook as
a climbing aid as shown on the Canemasters website. The staff is strong enough
to be a practical aid, but supporting your full weight on the hook is a little spooky.
Even so I remember all the times I've been struggling up steep slopes where even
a clump of grass was a welcome handhold and a couple of ounces of extra
traction made the difference. The Highland Staff is a great idea, putting any
number of inaccessible handholds within reach.
The Canemaster Highland Staff comes with a few accessories attached -- bubble compass, whistle, 35 feet of 450 lb test paracord wrapped around the shaft for a hand grip, and a firesteel and striker. This is all detachable, and I'd definitely be putting the small items in my pockets immediately, where they wouldn't be snagged by brush or distract me with jangling noises.
The primary piece of wisdom is the stainless steel chisel pointed foot, a replaceable tip that makes a lot more sense than a hollow aluminum tube and could be a more useful defense than the hidden spears of either the Big Stik or the Crawford. The people who designed the Highland Staff are obviously familiar with rocky ground. Stainless steel will hold up.
The Canemaster Highland Staff comes with a few accessories attached -- bubble compass, whistle, 35 feet of 450 lb test paracord wrapped around the shaft for a hand grip, and a firesteel and striker. This is all detachable, and I'd definitely be putting the small items in my pockets immediately, where they wouldn't be snagged by brush or distract me with jangling noises.
The primary piece of wisdom is the stainless steel chisel pointed foot, a replaceable tip that makes a lot more sense than a hollow aluminum tube and could be a more useful defense than the hidden spears of either the Big Stik or the Crawford. The people who designed the Highland Staff are obviously familiar with rocky ground. Stainless steel will hold up.
Photos from
Canemaster.com
Canemaster.com
Canemaster Highland Survival Staff
The Highland Hiking and Survival Staff ($239.95) from Canemasters was developed with the cooperation of Colorado Search & Rescue personnel. Standard length of this 1" diameter hickory crook is 64" and it can be ordered to custom lengths. The several types shown
The Highland Hiking and Survival Staff ($239.95) from Canemasters was developed with the cooperation of Colorado Search & Rescue personnel. Standard length of this 1" diameter hickory crook is 64" and it can be ordered to custom lengths. The several types shown
Photos from Crawford Knives
Copyright Warning
Copyright 2009: All original material on this site is the sole property of the author. Reproduction in any form without the owner's express permission is forbidden. Feel free to ask.
Copyright 2009: All original material on this site is the sole property of the author. Reproduction in any form without the owner's express permission is forbidden. Feel free to ask.