Axe-noob here. Hatchet for backpacking?

HeavyHanded said:
In my experience, my Fiskars hatchet does a good job cutting down larger lumber with less effort then most saws. Once a camp saw starts to dull, it becomes sheer drudgery.
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I really have to take exception here. I suspect that you must also have some wonderful fishing stories too!
I know nothing about Fiskars except that they're small and pointy just like any other implement that goes by the name 'hatchet'. Numerous folks out there could literally bury you alive with firewood generated by an ordinary bucksaw/Swede saw during the time it took for you to discover there was no benefit in pretending to be a beaver.
My apologies for this outburst but please don't overly exaggerate too much on this forum. It really gets my goat!
Crosscut saws displaced axes for commercial felling purposes already 150 years ago. Faster, cheaper and with much less waste.
 
300Six said:
I really have to take exception here. I suspect that you must also have some wonderful fishing stories too!
I know nothing about Fiskars except that they're small and pointy just like any other implement that goes by the name 'hatchet'. Numerous folks out there could literally bury you alive with firewood generated by an ordinary bucksaw/Swede saw during the time it took for you to discover there was no benefit in pretending to be a beaver.
My apologies for this outburst but please don't overly exaggerate too much on this forum. It really gets my goat!
Crosscut saws displaced axes for commercial felling purposes already 150 years ago. Faster, cheaper and with much less waste.
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Nothing against the triple grind pruning saws, or the flat blade buck saw, but pound for pound I find my Fiskars with a fine edge and the face thinned out, takes less effort - no fishing story. Have been backpacking for a long time and have tried many a saw.The harder the wood the slower they cut (have a go at some seasoned American beech with a pruning saw), they require constant input of energy, need the wood you're cutting to be locked down tight for best results, and backpack sized ones have a short travel.

A sharp hatchet requires energy input just when lifting for the most part, gravity does most of the work coming down. I get back from a trip, or during a trip if its a longer one, I can touch up the edge and its just as sharp as ever. That triple ground saw only gets more dull till you realize you need to buy a new one - after you get back from some hard labor in the boonies. Yes, some saw grinds can be sharpened in the field, but then the set of the teeth will need to be checked, is a lot of careful filework, and still won't process wood with less energy than a chopper of comparable size and weight. You start getting into the larger saws and you have a point, but who's packing one of those.

I camp with a bunch of guys that used to think like you, I used to think like you. Then I realized we were using poorly ground, poorly sharpened tools that were only good for pounding stakes and digging roots. Used to be none of the crew would use a hatchet, now no one wants to use any of the camp saws.

Have a couple of nice pole saws, including a silky, so not like I have nothing to compare to. I have no issue with folks who believe otherwise, I prefaced my statement with "In my experience", but I have some good reasons for believing as I do.

Martin
 
HeavyHanded said:
I camp with a bunch of guys that used to think like you, I used to think like you. Then I realized we were using poorly ground, poorly sharpened tools that were only good for pounding stakes and digging roots. Used to be none of the crew would use a hatchet, now no one wants to use any of the camp saws.
Have a couple of nice pole saws, including a silky, so not like I have nothing to compare to. I have no issue with folks who believe otherwise, I prefaced my statement with "In my experience", but I have some good reasons for believing as I do.

Martin
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Thank you for being patient and not becoming angry. Still entirely disagree with you but then again if you're actually out there enjoying the great outdoors then who cares. Swede saw (Sandvik-origin?) is a wonderful invention; weigh nothing, various sizes, and new blades are cheap and easy-replaceable just like an ordinary hacksaw.
 
300Six said:
Thank you for being patient and not becoming angry. Still entirely disagree with you but then again if you're actually out there enjoying the great outdoors then who cares. Swede saw (Sandvik-origin?) is a wonderful invention; weigh nothing, various sizes, and new blades are cheap and easy-replaceable just like an ordinary hacksaw.
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No offense taken, am honestly a little surprised no one else commented on it already.

My wife carries the Sven saw and its a good unit, though I seldom give her a chance to unpack it. Maybe I've come to prefer the hatchet as its seems easier on my joints as I get older. Also a lot easier to take your time with a hatchet than it is with a saw...;)

Seriously, I am frequently impressed with the size of the chips that hatchet can throw if I do my part and swing with a plan.

Is all good, getting out there IS the important part.

Martin
 
Coming at this from a slightly different angle, would you folks prefer/suggest something different as an emergency survival tool? As a helicopter pilot, space and weight are at a premium for me. I expect the tool to remain attached to my day pack for most of its life, with some occasional use if I want to take it hiking/camping...
 
If weight is a primary consideration then the Fiskars X7 hatchet might fit the bill. Another option is a mid-size batonable knife.
 
HeliBif said:
Coming at this from a slightly different angle, would you folks prefer/suggest something different as an emergency survival tool? As a helicopter pilot, space and weight are at a premium for me. I expect the tool to remain attached to my day pack for most of its life, with some occasional use if I want to take it hiking/camping...
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Presumably the aircraft already has some sort of emergency kit and some sort of useful chopping tool in it. I'd be going with a ZipLoked roll of toilet paper, large garbage bag, warm blanket, couple of Bic lighters and a fluorescent orange vest. I would imagine authorities quickly go searching for helis that aren't flightplan-accounted for airborne!
 
While true, a lot of the axes I've seen in the backs of helis are pieces of junk. It would be good to have my own tool that I know is sharp, and be able to keep it in a separate compartment so I can reach it if the survival kit is inaccessible.

As to the quick rescue, sure they would scramble to come get you but that's assuming everything goes right, and even then if you're hundreds of miles away from civilization, you can probably still end up spending a night or two in the bush. Especially if the weather sucks.
 
I have a Fiskars hatchet, the older model that is lighter than the current X7. It's very efficient for its weight, because all the weight is at the bit. I like it a lot, and it gets the job done. However, when this one gets replaced, I'm going with a traditional wooden handled hatchet. The wood just looks/feels so much better to me.

I also use a Cold Steel Frontier hawk. It's a lot of fun to use, but not as efficient at wood processing as a hatchet. I think you can become pretty proficient with a hawk if you invest some time into learning how best to use it.

I made a twig stove from a can. All you need is dry twigs that are pinkie thickness, easily broken by hand. I guess if it was raining, you'd have some way split open larger pieces of wood to get to the dry stuff, but something tells me an experienced woodsman knows where to find dry wood even if it's wet.
 
I strap a GB small forest axe on my pack when I go camping, and I'm quite happy to have it there. I had purchased a small Husqvarna, but it needed too much work. (That reminds me - I still haven't finished reprofiling the blade on that thing)
 
HeliBif said:
Coming at this from a slightly different angle, would you folks prefer/suggest something different as an emergency survival tool? As a helicopter pilot, space and weight are at a premium for me. I expect the tool to remain attached to my day pack for most of its life, with some occasional use if I want to take it hiking/camping...
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Well, you might talk to this guy,

http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php/1157232-ST-Axes-Tomahawks-and-Hatchets

Then there's also this thing, which was supposedly purpose built for that exact use, though I'm not able to confirm at this time if it can actually cut anything.

http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php/1156508-A-Floating-Axe
 
HeavyHanded said:
A sharp hatchet requires energy input just when lifting for the most part, gravity does most of the work coming down.Martin
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This is very true. The whole reason axes work is through momentum from the weighted head. You don't have to swing hard to get the work done you just have to raise it and let it fall. IME, accuracy of the swing is more important than how hard you swing when working with hatchets. This is why I think knives aren't very good and are actually more dangerous than hatchets when chopping. A knife needs to be swung hard and fast to overcome the neutral balance. Hard and fast is an accident waiting to happen. I can see how an axe can be faster for the varied tasks when setting up camp but the reason I don't carry one while backpacking is that I just don't want to lug 22 ounces around 99% of the time so that I can have it easy for that 1% where I actually need to use it. For backpacking a 6 ounce saw makes more sense for me and I would imagine for most backpackers.

As to the OP's question. GB's are great but IMO you don't get 50 bucks more function out of them compared to a cheaper hatchet. You're mainly paying for how nice it is. If you have the money to spend then get one. If you're on a budget, you really don't need it.
 
Alocksly said:
Well, you might talk to this guy,

http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php/1157232-ST-Axes-Tomahawks-and-Hatchets

Then there's also this thing, which was supposedly purpose built for that exact use, though I'm not able to confirm at this time if it can actually cut anything.

http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php/1156508-A-Floating-Axe
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Hey thanks for the links! That 2nd hatchet certainly doesn't look like one I'd trust my survival to, but I'll read more into those Ti hatchets :)
 
I saw this thread come back to the top, had almost forgotten about it. I recently posted a video showing a pretty comprehensive reworking of a $20 TruTemper hatchet I picked up at a neighborhood hardware store. Is another alternative for folks that like to tinker a bit. Total grind time was under 1 hr - about 15 minutes or so per side with a large file, and then I pick up where the video starts. It looses the sound/video at 12 minutes and lags for the remainder - doesn't really effect the content though.

I expect it to outperform my Fiskars now and be a lot more ergonomic for finer work.

http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php/1154087-Going-to-work-on-a-TruTemper-hatchet-(vid)
 
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