Hand carved hiking sticks for men make great gifts! I was actually inspired to create my own and gift it to my brother-in-law one Christmas after the hubs and I were driving down the quaint side of Hampton GA (home of the Atlanta Motor Speedway) and we spotted a man on the side of the road with a whole passel of these sticks spread out on the gate let down in his pickup.
I thought, wow, those look cool! I wondered where he sourced the wood for all of those beauties. As it turned out, no I didn’t actually buy one of his, but one day I did end up spotting a big fat tree limb on the side of the road one afternoon when I was out walking, I took it as a sign and grabbed it, and the rest is history. Yes, I am one of those weirdos that picks up sticks while out walking. This here is testament to that….
Pin For Later?
Now I threw my all into it, but I do want to say that I have NOT worked with wood near as long as I have clay or paper. It’s truly a different niche. I bet my b.i.l. probably knew what it was before unwrapping it? (there’s very few things something long and skinny and covered in pretty paper could be…)
But now you can pick up your very own handcrafted wooden stick, and skip all that legwork I did. These I found here were made by a true artisan and hand carved so no two are alike! Let’s jump in and take a look at what I found. I do wonder if painting mine gold was a good idea? ??
Whether it’s a nature hike, camping trip or just a peaceful stroll through nature, these sticks will have you looking sharp.
Natural Hand Carved Wood Walking Stick
This beauty above is 55″ in length and comes in several different carved embellishment designs including Spiral, Wolf, a V-shape and a mini compass and thermometer (that one would come in really handy when going out and roughing it on the campground and all!)
Brazos Trekking Pole Hiking Stick for Men and Women Handcrafted
Brazos is one of the most popular brands and always gets high ratings.
Hiking Stick – Hand Carved Wood Spirit – Walking Stick – Up to 60
I love the intricate design on this stick above! It reminds me of one of those magic staffs carried by wizards in fantasy literature. I think this one would be a real winner with one of the men in your life, whether father, husband, boyfriend, brother…and definitely one who gets into the genre of fantasy and magic.
Natural Wood Walking Stick – 48 Inch Handcrafted Wooden Hiking Stick
This stick above has a wrist strap, a rubber bottom to prevent skidding, and a unique pattern design near the top. It is available in 48″ or 55″.
Hickory Walking Stick, Custom Height
Whoa – this carved grizzly bear handle is simply amazing! I have not done many attempts to carve into wood before, I always imagine it very different from dealing with clay. I saw this bear carved stick and immediately thought of a wood sculpture of a bear that my brother-in-law had done with a scroll saw – I was impressed, which is why I decided that he would be the “lucky recipient” of the walking stick I made that I described earlier.
Anyway, this stick has a customizable height option that you can request, up to 60″.
One Last Thought – How to Choose the Right Stick Length
I took a moment to read up on stick lengths. The artisans whose handiworks I have featured above all recommend that you choose a particular length based on the person’s height – depending on how much hiking/walking/camping outdoors will be involved, this is important when it comes to overall comfort.
❓WHAT SIZE STICK DO I NEED❓
Young boys under 5’4″, a 48″ stick is recommended.
If your height is 5’5″ – 5’9″ a stick 55″
5’10” and above, a stick 60″.
For example, I am 5’6″ and my husband is 5’8″ so we would need the 55″ one. Hope that little part helps!
If You’ve Ever Thought About Making One of These…
Oh – and one more thing I wanted to share. I guess lightening does strike twice, because I ended up locating another big tree limb just like the other one, which ended up becoming, you guessed it…another walking stick! this time I gave it a more natural look with wood stain instead of brown paint.
I also used some cord to wrap around the top where it would be handled the most and a few beads for adornment.
As far as do I think it looks as good as the one I gifted….For an amateur when it comes to wood, maybe a little bit better than my gold one? Sorry I wish I had taken a picture of that one too!
Not all wood is created equal. Some limbs snap easily. If it does it will not qualify for this project. You’ll probably want to make use of carving tools, some more sophisticated than others depending on the level of detail you want to create.
One word if advice…Don’t soak your branches in wood. It takes a long time to dry and for awhile you won’t be able to stain it a good color. Plus the natural imperfections like bark will be stripped off .It is a much better idea if you do something like I did – My husband has a Dewalt drill with multiple brush attachments, the smaller one works great for massaging off debris on the outside.
Happy browsing! (And of course, hiking.)
