Walking stick finish

[Bugle]

My grandsons who live in Oregon want me to make them walking sticks. I found a nice eastern red cedar that has been dead for a year or so and I like it because of the color and weight. My question is about a finish. I want to make them as waterproof as possible since I know they will be using them in snow, mud and rivers. I have built a couple of trout landing nets and used Epifanes as a finish for them. They still look great after a couple years dragging them through rivers and streams, but it is a pretty expensive product and I won't need much.

What is a good alternative for waterproofing? I've read that tung oil, BLO, polyurathane will suffice. True or not?

 

[Graywolf]

Those treatments will make them water resistant only and will have to be reapplied on a regular basis. There really isn’t much that can be applied that will not be a maintenance routine in the future. There is not bulletproof finish out there yet.

 

[Sealeveler]

I used Minwax helmsman spar urethane on my sticks and it's held up well.