Is it my imagination or do most folks on this board prefer to walk through the woods hands free? That would seem absolutely foreign to me..........I have always walked the woods with something in my hand (both hands are full when portaging).......My little garden spade was my constant companion month after month on the line and the transition to a walking staff on hiking trips was compulsory. I would feel naked without carrying something in my hands.

I loathe falls with a passion.........suffice to say it is a rare day when I bite the dust. You must not fall.....period. Always stay in control. What I have noticed is how carrying something can actually prevent falls. Feel off balanced? Stick whatever your carrying in the ground......now you are a tripod, very stable.