A good light winter "survival" hatchet?

A

ASharpCanadian

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Sep 12, 2011
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im in canada- where its cold and soon will be quite, quite cold. There is snow as well. I think I'm gonna be heading out to do some bushcrafty type stuff this winter- leanto and firebuilding etc. nothing crazy
but try and develop some skills. That being said I think I'm gonna want a nice little hatchet for a good hiking trip to accompany a 4.5 inch blade I'll be carrying. For a guy who knows little about knives, and even
less about hatchets try and fill me in on whats good, recommendations welcome. preferrably something lighter
 
It's hard to beat the Gransfors Bruks tools. Their Wildlife Hatchet would probably be perfect for your needs. But they make slightly larger and even a smaller model. You're bound to find one that is the right size and specs. They make darn good bits that stay sharp and cut all day long. Nice handles too.

If money is a concern... I have gotten a lot of bang for my buck out of the Estwing Axes and Hatchets. The shorter camper's axe is a great value and close to impossible to tear up. It's a little bigger than their hatchet but it's quite a chopper.

I also recommend looking into a silky saw... they make short work of wood in the field.
 
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Depends what call light:
* compared to a full blown lumber axe a 60cm (24"), about 800g head (1 3/4lbs) axe (Provencher calls that a forest surveyor axe) is small
* compared to an average knife a 30cm (12"), 600g head (1 1/3 lbs) hatchet is big
I'd tend to prefer the first, medium axe because it packs more punch than hatchets while staying reasonably cumbersome.

There are many makers around. GB tends to be cited a lot it's kind of a pity but to be honest many others tend not care enough to even put a decent edge on their axes. That said I would rule out getting an inexpensive axe from a hardware store so you can play with it a bit. Not the horrors that will loosen in minutes or get nickel sized dents but some average decent tool.

Would of course recommend to aknowledge common safety procedures and experiment around house before heading into the wild.
You can have a look at this for starter:
http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/ENVIRONMENT/fspubs/99232823/index.htm
 
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My favourite is a Snow & Neally 3/4 Hudson's Bay single bit: light, short enough to stow in a pack, but long enough (leverage) to be an effective tool.
 
I would consider moving up to a 2 1/4 pound in a 26" handle for winter use. You can do some serious work with one of those.
 
It's hard to go wrong with a Gransfors Bruks product. Choose the size you like best. If you buy a short handled one, don't bean your shin.
 
I think the Gerber Gator Axe II is ideal. It's a great 16" hatchet with a small saw magnetically attached in the handle. Can't beat its durability, included saw and price.
 
I strongly recommend the Wetterlings 10". It's a wonderful little hatchet and cuts much much bigger than its size suggests. It is easy to carry I carry mine easily in a Kifaru Claymore G2 Malice (with plenty of room to spare for other essentials.)


God bless,
Adam
 
+1 on the Granfors Bruks; either wildlife hatchet or the slightly larger Small Forest Axe.
It's a tool that works extremely well, and one I'm proud to own.
I used mine to make feather sticks last couple of times out.
I can' believe how razor sharp that thing is, and its a good little chopper too.

pete
 
I really like the Wetterlings 13 inch. The Sawvivor will cut a lot of wood in you carry a saw. It is extremely light and folds to a very small package.

Howard
 
go for a 19 wetterlings and a folding saw

For me the 2 or 3 oz weight savings of a 10 or 13 hatchet is not worth it.

Having twice the leverage to use the weight of the head is more useful. 19in is still handy and fits in or on a pack.
 
man those silky saws look awesome! im digging the hatchet for its ability to split wood but well see once I get out there. +1 brad i feel you on that. id rather have a small ace then a hatchet. i think theyre unsafe for chopping feet, legs etc. and an axe handle is not where the weight comes from, its the head. knives-smaller is defter but axes IMO its the opposite. Ill prolly get the 19 inch gransfors bruks.
 
ASharpCanadian said:
man those silky saws look awesome! im digging the hatchet for its ability to split wood but well see once I get out there. +1 brad i feel you on that. id rather have a small ace then a hatchet. i think theyre unsafe for chopping feet, legs etc. and an axe handle is not where the weight comes from, its the head. knives-smaller is defter but axes IMO its the opposite. Ill prolly get the 19 inch gransfors bruks.
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19" may be the worst offender for chopping feet. It gives you the feel of a full axe and you might end up trying to swing it like one. Not big enough to be a truly good chopper either. I'd move up to around 25", just me though.
 
G-pig said:
19" may be the worst offender for chopping feet. It gives you the feel of a full axe and you might end up trying to swing it like one. Not big enough to be a truly good chopper either. I'd move up to around 25", just me though.
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Anything short enough that it won't ground before it gets back to you is substantially more dangerous than the other option. But, nothing beats being smart. Think before you swing, know how to safely position yourself and aim your blows. Do that and you should be just fine with a 19."


God bless and be safe,
Adam
 
G-pig said:
19" may be the worst offender for chopping feet. It gives you the feel of a full axe and you might end up trying to swing it like one. Not big enough to be a truly good chopper either. I'd move up to around 25", just me though.
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That's an interesting observation. I'd like to try something about 1.5lbs. on a long handle, like 25"ish. Never tried one, but I bet it would chop pretty well and only weigh a few ounces more than the 19" version of the same.
 
I just rehandled a GB sfa with a longer handle. It is light and fast. Swing is beautiful. Light head on a longer handle is where its at for me.
 
After growing up in the woods in Wisconsin, I can tell you based on my experiences that anything less than a 20 inch axe is going to be very inefficient and ineffective. Take a look at the Gransfors/wetterlings/husqvarna/hultafors collections in the 20-32 inch range. The Scandinavian Forest Axe at 26 inches is a happy medium, and occassionally you can find a nice Norlund or Snow and Nealley at a flea market. The long handle/light head might be your best choice-a 32 inch haft on a SFA head sounds really happy.
 
GBs and Snow and Neally's are lovely it is a fact, and the preferred ones amongst the bushcrafty people in the uK

But the Roselli axe is unbelieveable in use. Un - be - lievable.

Get one of them. There's one with a longer handle which is useful - but the shorter one fits a small pack a bit better. Head is the same on both

Really broad convex means it doesn't ever stick, and cuts things through really quickly - shaped so as you can choke up on the blade effectively too
 
yeah its a tough call between those two- Small forest axe and scandinivian. Hard to validate getting the smaller one but it would be easier to pack....Then again if i were to head out this winter itll prolly be just relatively close to the car. Only experience I really have with these is rocking a hatchet for a good while when I was younger and an axe much
later. I think I might go for the little guy, and if it doesnt work out expect to look for it on the exchange.
 
I like my wetterlings large hunters axe. I believe it is about 19-20" over all and around a pound and a half with a 3" cutting edge. It works well for me and sharpens up real nice with a file. The leather cover is good too. The axe is too big for belt carry but strapping it to a pack is easy.

I will also recommend a folding saw. Silky makes a good one. The one I use is a gerber/fiskars. Really light weight and much safer easier and faster to cut limbs with.
 
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