As I've mentioned before in this thread, I go everywhere - everywhere - with a short stick either strapped to my day pack (18" or 20" stick) or large (440 cu in) fanny pack (16" or 18" stick). The latter sticks out of the fanny pack by 2" or 4", respectively, on the right side where I can access it quickly, and they're never really "concealed". I've walked right by police officers on the street multiple times and never raised an eyebrow. People in convenience and grocery stores (and other businesses) see them, but rarely question.
When someone does question, I tell them the truth. I carry them for three reasons, in order of priority:
1) it's a dog stick, because I've been attacked multiple times in my life by dogs, as recently as February. (When I pulled my stick then and waved it in front of me, it stopped an aggressive advance by a German shepherd.) Leash laws are poorly enforced here, not only on our local trail system but on city streets. Calling 911 is not an option. Of course, some dogs are 2-legged, but I don't have to mention that.
2) it serves as a monopod support for my cell cam; standing the stick on end on a fence post or large rock then stabilizing the cam on top of it significantly improves my shots. (I'm a photographer from way back, and with a better camera, use either a tripod or monopod for 75% of my shots.)
3) they serve as a little stabilizer stick when I'm climbing on slate along our river banks, which as a naturalist and hiker I do often. Slate is extremely sharp, so having my stick to hook behind a sheet of it when I'm climbing up the bank offers a safer hand hold. There are scars and scratches on my stick to proof that use. See
the image in post 149 as an example.
Now, admittedly, I live in a small city in Maine. Could I get away with that in Boston, NYC or SF, or even down in Portland? No, probably not. But things are different here. Stephen King lives in Maine. That should tell you something.