Are tomahawks any good for camping

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dd61999

Joined
Sep 12, 2007
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692
I can not do a search because it is down

but I would love to get a tomahawk for a camp axe because they seem like they would be fun to throw around.

However can they handle camp chores such as splitting wood for a campfire or would batoning a kabar knife work better

thanks
 
Yes. Makes a good hammer too.
 
I certainly think so. I also recommend a Cold Steel Trailhawk, just be ready to work on it, they're not so good out of the box.
 
If you decide to invest more in a higher quality you can check Hays tomahawks.
 
I suggest looking for a tomahawk that is fashioned to the head in a traditional way in that it is fairly tapered where the handle slides in and that taper is all that secures it. Two advantages to this; (1) it is easy to replace the handle in the field (2) you can remove the handle if you need to maximize space when packing.

You can see in the link below that that handle extends beyond the top of the head...

http://www.hbforge.com/products/tomahawks.php
 
I think they are ok but not fantastic.

Most have a much narrower cutting edge than an axe or hatchet so you have to aim more precisely and it takes longer to cut something.

Also a lot of them are made more for throwing so the edge is not ideal for efficient cutting. You can fix that though:thumbup:
 
I agree with Hollowdweller, I have a couple of hawks that I really like, but I find my Junglee skinning axe more useful around the fire.
 
This one works quite well. I have had it for 15-20 years and its gone on a lot of camping trips. These tools were getting the job done long before Kabar and Busse came along.:D That Aztec Clever from Condor will work well in pllace of a hatchet and knife. Heck of a chopper and slicer.


knifeandgun010hj8.jpg
 
Tomahawks were designed for fighting with the other uses being secondary to the design. I'd say they are better than a tiny hatchet, but I'd rather have a medium sized axe (with flat head) and a bow saw for camping. That said, I have been getting the tomahawk bug along with all the other bugs I deal with. That Kabar above looks interesting. I need to look at one of those in person. I have the Kabar cutlass machete.
 
I bought a Trail Hawk the other day for fun. I like the way it looks and it's fun to play with but my (admittedly twice as heavy) axes of the same size kick the tar out of it for utility. Still...kind of cool to play with I think!
 
The Norse hawk and Frontier hawk form cold steel cut better than the trail hawk.I think it's due to the larger cutting surface.The Rifle mans hawk is the heaviest one of the bunch and it has a full hammer poll.It chops really well.Myself I carry all of them(not at once) and like using them at camp but my favorites are the Frontier and Norse with the trail hawk in a close third.
 
The typical hawk can be good for cutting but is poor for splitting. Look at the blade from the top. The abrupt transition from the blade to the cheek creates lots of resistance if the blade sinks that far into the wood. You want an acute wedge without that shoulder at the blade/cheek junction.

Ragnar's "Ft. Meigs" is an exception 'cause it does not have that shoulder - more like an axe. Unfortunately, the option of buying it in a steel more suitable to chopping (vs. throwing) seems to be gone.
 
Here's the "Idaho Jones" pic from the old thread...this was in first week of June. Snow!
 

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I bought a load of his DVDs last summer, I reckon this is another one I will have to sell something else for. hahaha!
 
Hope you're enjoying Ron's vids: I think they're the next best thing to having a teacher in person.

That adventure was seriously fun. It was an honor to have Ron ask me to go with him and Karen to do the video.

~B.
 
They're worth every penny. I don't live in or near a desert so I will probably be passing on some of them unless I move to an area like that in the future. I want Karen's videos after I get this one mentioned and Vol. 6, I think it is.

She is a gem and a very nice person to talk to as well.
 
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