[header] How to make a staff [title] Collect dead wood of the appropriate height. [step] For a good walking stick, you want dead wood that's got some heft to it, but is still lightweight enough to carry comfortably. The ideal piece should come up to your chin, though you may want a longer or shorter walking stick depending on your preference. 
It should be relatively straight, and relatively uniform in thickness, at least an inch or two in diameter. [substeps] Green wood is too bendable to be effective as a walking or survival stick, so only collect dead wood to make for possible staffs.