The support of a walking staff decreases stress on your joints. The staff is also good for moving undergrowth aside, probing for solid footing and gauging water or mud depth. If your staff is specially decorated, or if you made it yourself, carrying it might be a form of personal expression. Even though the staff is a very simple form of technology at its heart, you can still tweak your habits to get the most out of carrying it.
Handle With Care
You might not be thinking of your staff as a weapon, but it can cause damage. Carry your staff with the tip pointing down and back, instead of jutting straight back or up. This reduces the risk of accidentally poking a hiker behind you.
Check Your Tip
Examine the tip of your walking staff regularly; a damaged tip may provide reduced traction. If a rubber tip protector came with the staff, slip this on when you're walking in particularly delicate terrain where the metal tip--if your staff has one--might cause damage, or on hard surfaces where the metal might slide. If you walk on asphalt or other hard surfaces regularly, consider adapting the rubber tip for a cane to use on the bottom of your walking staff.
Emergency Supplies
Your walking staff is already a useful part of your emergency supply kit: It doubles as the start of a splint or as a support for an emergency shelter. Enhance its usefulness by spooling duct tape around the staff, just below the handle. This way repair material is readily available. You can also wrap parachute cord or other thin-diameter cord around the staff to cushion the handgrip--more emergency repair material.
Handles
Test-drive several types of staff handles before choosing one that fits your hand best. You might enjoy the feel of smooth wood in your hand on a dry trail or short hike, but a wet staff can be hard to hold onto and an uncushioned handle may tire your fingers or even cause blisters over time.
Shock Absorbers
If you have weak or damaged joints, REI recommends using trekking poles or a walking staff with a built-in shock absorber. Although this isn't an option on hand-carved or "found" wooden walking staffs, some staffs made of high-tech materials do offer shock absorbers.
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