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I always used to want to cannibalize a ski pole, cut to length, and then put a Y-crook on there: it seemed a good compromise: light and rigid and easy to deploy. Anti-shock never seemed a good idea, for a few reasons, but I probably don't have enough endurance for any benefits hikingwise to come into play, anyway. Even on a cheap hiking pole, the collapsibility was never so much at issue as that mine was too springy to do much more than compensate for fatigue and heavy coat-sleeves, help me walk, and get out of the way quickly.
It also broke after valiantly saving me from a couple of falls on slippery streets. (Interestingly enough, the first time it took a little bit of a set, it became a lot more stable. Probably cause it only wanted to flex *one* way rather than in all directions. The second time it actually broke my fall, bending a lot more in the process, and didn't last long after straightening. (Turns out the aluminum is *quite* thin there) Glad it was there, though. )
They make 'hiking staffs' which seem more rigid, maybe a better compromise, but tend to run to the pricier.
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