Hiking Stick Information
What is the best wooden hiking stick?
With 36 years of experience, Kingfisher specializes in environmentally friendly products for outdoor use as well as mobility aids not outsourced but all US made with US materials.
An important characteristic of the hiking stick is its shape: a straight staff gives the user the most flexibility in choosing hand position for optimal working length. When hiking uphill or downhill, it can be grasped higher or lower for best reach and balance. Adjustments can be made instantly. Since there is no left or right hand bias, the hiker can quickly shift between hands. Although branches and irregularly shaped sticks provide a whimsical appearance, they also restrict the hiker's hand placement and limit the adjustments possible with a straight uniform staff.
Check out this link for information on the wooden staff of Japan and how we arrived at out knowledge of hiking sticks and their best proportions!
What is the best wood for a hiking staff?
Kingfisher makes the strongest and most reliable wooden hiking sticks from resilient and beautiful Appalachian Hickory of the American Southeast. For information on wood graded for specific properties, first check out our L5 and L7 grade natural wood hiking sticks.
If you'd like an authentic all hand carved staff, choose the hand cut grade (this is our personal favorite). The wood has a superb feeling of torsional grip. The staff is solid but not excessively heavy. There is no comparable product in terms of quality and uniqueness.
If you'd like the heaviest option, and like the idea of a more engineered approach with our resin infused grade, choose the enhanced version.
We offer lots of choices but if you have any questions, feel free to contact us for guidance.
How do I choose a hiking stick length?
When choosing the length of the hiking stick, it's usually good to have an amount of "counter-balance" above the hand grip. Some extra length is also good for downhill pitches. As a general guideline, we recommend using the measurement from the neck (jugular notch area) to the ground as shown below.
Choose the Thickness of your Hiking Stick:
If you like a lighter, faster stick, and like a thinner profile, choose a diameter of 15/16". If on the other hand, you'd like a heavier staff with a more robust thickness, choose 1" diameter.
The original 15/16" diameter is intended to be light and fast - it has a more slender feel. The 1" diameter option is thicker and has a medium girth for those preferring a slightly thicker feel.
Approximate Hiking Stick Weights*:
| Grade L5 15/16" diameter | .35oz per inch length |
| Grade L5 1" diameter | .38oz per inch length |
| Grade L7 and hc 15/16" diameter | .39oz per inch length |
| Grade L7 and hc 1" diameter | .43oz per inch length |
| Enhanced 15/16" diameter | .42oz per inch length |
| Enhanced 1" diameter | .48 oz per inch length |
And - add .5oz for the carbide tip
Example, if you choose a 56" hiking stick in wood grade L5 at 15/16" diameter, use the first row: 56 x .35 = 19.6oz. Add .5 for the carbide tip, total = about 20 oz for that custom size!
Ordering information: