Its main purpose was as a walking stick or Trekking pole, but it had a number of other uses in emergency situations and can be used for Scout pioneering.

[1] It was said to have been based on a staff used by a Royal Engineers officer during the Fourth Anglo-Ashanti War.

[2] In August 1917, Baden-Powell wrote a critical article in the Headquarters Gazette about "the matter of Scouts being allowed to parade without their staffs, which for several reasons is regrettable".

The final blow came with the 1966 Advance Party Report, which recommended that "With the exception of a knife, no present optional items of uniform (e.g. staff, thumbstick, haversack.... ) may in future be worn".

[7] Modern commercially produced Scout staves are still available in the United Kingdom, generally made from coppice grown ash.