Cane Accessories

There are a few accessories for canes that will make the user's life a little easier or the cane more functional. Some of the cane accessories listed here are standard on some canes but all can be purchased as aftermarket products.

Ice tips

For those who live in areas where snow and ice are regular conditions an ice tip for a cane pretty much a necessity. The pictures below show three different styles where one is a single point that flips up out of the way when not in use, an other consists five points that flips up out of the way when not in use, and the last has a retractable single point. When walking on ice, the points dig into the ice and prevent the cane from slipping.

It is really important to flip these tips up when indoors because they will make ceramic tile and terrazzo floors even more slippery or hardwood and tile floors will be destroyed in short order when the ice tips are left down in place.

Cane wrist straps

Wrist straps for canes are standard on several models of canes but if your cane does not come with one, they can be purchased separately and put onto your cane inexpensively. The kind shown simply wraps around the shaft of the cane.

The advantage of having a wrist strap on a cane is the user does not have to worry about dropping their cane and having to bend over to pick it up or accidentally leaving it behind somewhere by forgetting to pick it up.

Cane holder clip

A cane holder is simply a small clip that clips onto the shaft of the cane and assists the user in standing the cane against a horizontal surface.

The clip can be hooked on top of a table, counter or display case so the cane will hang on the edge. An alternative way to use it is to place the cane down on the floor beside a table and slide the holder up the shaft until it presses against the bottom of the table effectively wedging the cane in place.

Cane Tips

Cane tips are the rubber tips at the bottom of the cane regardless if it is a single point cane or a quad cane. They are soft to grip the ground without slipping but this softness also leads to wear and tear and thus must be replace periodically.

Cane tips come in a variety of sizes from about ½" to 1" in 1/8" increments. They can also be purchased in three different colors, white, gray and black.

Tripod cane tip

The tripod cane tip gives a little added traction and stability to a single point cane for those who don't really want to go to a quad cane but need more than a conventional single point cane.

The tripod cane tip should be placed on the cane so the widest part of the tip is away from the user's foot. So basically this means that two of the points should be pointed towards the user's toe and heel while the third point is pointed away from their foot at a 90° angle.