Aragorn, Gollums equal?

[Gothbogg the Ripper]

In The Lord of The Rings Gollum is a sneak, sneak in name(Sam called him it) and sneak in nature, he had about 500 years experience in sneaking up on Orcs and Goblins, but Aragorn was the greatest of the Dunadain chieftains so surely he was Gollums match in cunning yet had nobility and honour in abundance, so what do you think, was Aragorn Gollums' equal in stealth and cunning?

[Eomer of the Rohirrim]

Gollum was always muttering to himself, a real giveaway. However, 'Gorn was a big clumsy Man, so it's hard to tell.

Plus, you could probably smell them both a mile off. Meh, they were both useless.

1: Gollum could easily fit into many places where Aragorn could never dream of fitting into.
2: Aragorn's mind was not corrupted by the ring and I believe he would have much more ability to be ever-mindful of his surroundings.
3: Gollum was pretty hell bent on obtaining the ring; a pretty drug-junky oriented situation. Quite an impetus for success, in my opinion.
4: Aragorn was trained to live off of the land. Stealth and sneakery was his job description.
5: Gollum had quite a bit of time to perfect his stealth skills. However, it can't be known if all of that time was used to perfect it. Also, he hardly had any 'formal' tutelage on the subject, unlike Aragorn.

So, to be brief, I don't really think it matters much, because Aragorn carried a sword.

[Zebedee]

Gollum also used the ring for stealth, so losing the ring was a big disadvantage to his sneaking. Aragorn never had that luxory so he had to develop his skill the old way.

[lathspell]

Gollum shook of both the Men of Faramir in Ithilien and the Elves of Lorien. I can't imagine Aragorn doing anything of the sort.

[radagastly]

Don't forget that it was Aragorn that captured Gollum and brought him to the elves of Mirkwood. He managed to out-sneak Gollum on that occasion!

[lathspell]

he captured him indeed, but that was at unawares. Gollum was starving at the time and lurking in a pool for fish and what not.
When Frodo is keeping watch on Anduin's banks and sees Gollum Aragorn wakes suddenly and asks what is the matter for he sees Frodo with drawn sword. Frodo says: 'Gollum!'
Aragorn's answer is something like this: 'Ah! So you now about him. Yes, he is following us since moria, I hoped that on the river we would lose him, but he is too cunning a swimmer. I tried to capture him once or twice but he gave me the slip every time.

greetings

[Zebedee]

He lived on an island on an underground lake fore centuries, he most likely could give Aragorn the slip on the water.

[lathspell]

Do you really believe that Gollum would stay in the water if the Fellowship of the Ring was on the shore? Gollum needed his rest as well as all, and I believe Gollum could give most people the slip if he wanted too, in water or on land, including Aragorn.

[Gurthang]

Just because he could give someone the slip does not mean that he was better at stealth. Stealth would mean he could remain undetected. Gollum is good at tailing someone and keeping himself from getting caught, but he is not that great at keeping out of sight. Aragorn had known that Gollum had been following them since Moria, so he wasn't that great at stealth.

Besides, Aragorn's journeys into the East were pretty low profile. He would have had to have some good sneaking skills.

[Zebedee]

I did not think that Gollum would always be in the water, just near enough so that he can always escape.

Let's not forget that wonderfully acrid olefactory quality Gollum is described as having. Not exactly condusive to keeping a low profile, if you ask me.

[lathspell]

As for the stealth, I think that you are overlooking a few things. Gollum disappeared out of Lothlorien when he was already sighted by the Elves. They didn't find him again. The same he did to the Men of Ithilien, until he was caught. Again while he was fishing and thus at unawares and betrayed by Frodo. And most of all, he got around thousands of orcs in moria, after they were awakened by Pippin's stone. And the Elves of Mirkwood... they hunted him all round the forest, but didn't get him.
Aragorn's journeys towards Harad? I don't know much about them. Who tells me he needed stealth there? He was only a man, no one there knew he was the heir of Elendil. But really, what stealth does Aragorn show in the books... he was a hunter, but he only shows it with Gollum, while Gollum himself shows it all the time.