New hikers often look at the experienced ones who are carrying hiking poles and wonder why they are doing so. However, they are soon able to garner the importance of hiking sticks. There is a myriad variety of hiking sticks with varying price ranges- from those made of aluminium and a knobbly pine branch to resin hiking sticks, the prices of which start from $125 for a high quality hiking stick.

Most hikers, at first buy only very normal hiking sticks, not realizing their true importance. It is only with time and experience that they realize that it is these hiking sticks that make the difference between your staying upright and your slipping and falling all the way downhill. It is then that they progress to the good quality, reliable and top-of-the-line hiking poles.

Aluminium sticks are one-up on the wooden one. However, they usually cannot survive long on a hiking trail. They function till around nine hundred miles or for an average time period of two months. These are fine for a beginner as he or she is still undecided about whether they want to take up hiking as a regular activity or not. If they do proceed to like hiking and turn into hiking enthusiasts, they would naturally graduate to better quality hiking poles which not only last much longer than the aluminium ones, but also provide much more support, thus, proving to be value for money.

A part of your learnings as a hiker is the fact that hiking sticks cannot be treated merely as sticks. They not only save you from some serious injuries, but also save you the money you would otherwise have to spend on first-aid and hospital bills in case of your getting injured. Thus, you should do thorough research on the different types of hiking sticks and buy the best you can, in your budget. Also, before a long and difficult hike, you must try out your gear, be it your hiking boots or your hiking stick, to make sure they are comfortable for you.

Hiking sticks especially come in hand when you are climbing up a steep incline or when you are traversing a shale-type foot bed or even an area where there are a lot of fallen leaves. These harmless looking dry leaves sometimes hide under themselves the wet and decaying leaves that can make you slip and stumble downhill. On jabbing the hiking stick into the ground, this motion anchors the hiker into the ground and thus provides support to the hiker to leverage him and take yet another safe step.