Better camp tool...Hatchet or Chopper?

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pinkfloyd101

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I was wondering what you think is a better camp tool. A hatchet or a large fixed blade knife. They would be used for chopping/batoning/minor cutting. What do you think makes a better survival tool?
 
I'd take a well regarded survival/bushcraft knife over a hatchet for survival anyday just because of the versatility of use. If I'm car camping I'd take both but if weight and versatility count, then it's a good bushcraft knife as my choice.
 
Well, personally, I think its just a matter of personal prefference. I've seen axes than can do a lot that a good chopper would, and vice-versa. For myself, I'd take a good, heavy, chopper. Something thick and heavy enough to hammer tent stakes into the ground. Maybe 3/16 inch thick.
 
Personally I like a big knife vers an AXE or Hatchet, but if given a chance I would have both nearby if possible.
 
It really depends on the terrain and the time of year and the "camping experience."

For hiking (overnighters and longer):
There are places where a hatchet is great to pack around. A thick hatchet is great for splitting wood as well as chopping. Hatchets can be batoned if safety is a concern.
There are also places/ times where a wide, thick, and/ or long knife is great to have.
In many places a machete is the perfect tool, but it will never split wood like a hatchet or a thick knife. Machetes are great choppers.
Then there are the in between tools, like the knatchet or maybe a kukri.
In all instances I will carry at least one more smaller knife with me -most likely two. Because of that combo, I tend to stick with machetes and hatchets instead of large knives (6" and up).

For car camping:
Always a large axe and a machete and a few small knives -since in this case weight is not a concern.
 
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depends. if youre trying to save every ounce you can a survival knife is king. if youre camping out of the back of your truck, bring a maul
 
I think that a high-quality machete is MUCH more useful than a hatchet. If you're talking axes then that's a whole different story, but between machetes and hatchets there's no contest.

FWIW this is what has replaced a hatchet in my outdoors setup, though I carry a larger chopper as well.

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I'm a big knife guy...

Able to split logs like a maul, without a baton.
Able to chop like an axe, after some primary grind reprofiling I can sink the knife down to the spine.
Able to handle "knife chores" a lot easier than an axe.
Able to cut anything I put in front of it.

Busse killa zilla

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I prefer hatches and small axes by far for the areas I camp in (Pacific Northwest-BIG timber).

The 20" small forest axe size is about perfect for my uses (I have a Wetterlings).

I grew up in a logging family, so axes and hatchets were the norm.

If you know what your doing, it's amazing what you can do with just a small hatchet.

I like to use tools that are designed for the task - ie they excel at it. Knifes for cutting, axes for chopping.

I see the large chopping knifes as a comprise tool, they can be used for several different tasks, but they aren't the best tool for any of them. Just my opinion based on my experience - Your mileage may vary.
 
My main problem is this....I would like a knife for batoning because i am going to be hiking and camping(not car camping) but I don't know how large a knife needs to be to baton good. (I am going to have a bow saw for main cutting tool, but would like something to go with it.) Can a knife be 4" or should it be more like 8". A 8" knife is hard to handle for fine cutting so it would require a smaller 3-4" blade too. Can a hatchet baton good without damaging the hatchet? Or is the larger FB much better. I still will need a knife for sure if i go the hatchet route. Basically, I'd like a FB knife that can do it all, but I dont think/know if there is one out there.
 
I grew up in NW Oregon as well, so naturally I am never letting go of my axes and hatchets:thumbup:. Environment is everything. After living on a tropical island I learned how great a machete can be -so I love those too. Machetes are functional in almost any wooded environment which makes them very appealing.

If anyone is lucky enough to split wood with a Roselli 18" axe -they will understand the splitting power of a well designed hatchet. It literally "pops" logs in two with one blow. I have split very large logs with mine -around 10" in diameter (straight grained Oregon Spruce with no knots, sawed to a length just over one foot). The Roselli does not get stuck in wood. 9 times out of 10 it will go straight through with a wonderful "POP" noise. Another bonus of a hatchet that is around 18" is that it can be used two handed -aiding in control and lessening the fatigue of muscles. Of course, you will probably be pressed to find useable wood in the forest that has straight grains and no knots -no matter what tool you have that will make splitting harder. Only split wood when it is necessary.
 
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I use both, knife 7-8", and a hatchet, usually a Estwing. I've never noticed the extra weight of carrying both.
 
Are you mostly going to be cutting wood for fire? When I used to backpack quite a bit I was very pack weight conscious and I only carried a knife and a small light weight folding saw. The saw was enough to cut deadfall for a small campfires. Later on I stopped having fires to limit my impact on the environment. I'd love to try a large fixed blade for car camping but right now I use a small axe.
 
I find that if I bring a machete along I'll use it more than anything else. I have an Ontario 12" beavertail that's good for trimming, chopping, splitting kindling, making feather sticks and tent stakes and digging cat holes in soft earth.
 
Col. Cornelius said:
I prefer hatches and small axes by far for the areas I camp in (Pacific Northwest-BIG timber).

The 20" small forest axe size is about perfect for my uses (I have a Wetterlings).

I grew up in a logging family, so axes and hatchets were the norm.

If you know what your doing, it's amazing what you can do with just a small hatchet.

I like to use tools that are designed for the task - ie they excel at it. Knifes for cutting, axes for chopping.

I see the large chopping knifes as a comprise tool, they can be used for several different tasks, but they aren't the best tool for any of them. Just my opinion based on my experience - Your mileage may vary.
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The Government said:
I grew up in NW Oregon as well, so naturally I am never letting go of my axes and hatchets:thumbup:. Environment is everything. After living on a tropical island I learned how great a machete can be -so I love those too. Machetes are functional in almost any wooded environment which makes them very appealing.

If anyone is lucky enough to split wood with a Roselli 18" axe -they will understand the splitting power of a well designed hatchet. It literally "pops" logs in two with one blow. I have split very large logs with mine -around 10" in diameter (straight grained Oregon Spruce with no knots, sawed to a length just over one foot). The Roselli does not get stuck in wood. 9 times out of 10 it will go straight through with a wonderful "POP" noise. Another bonus of a hatchet that is around 18" is that it can be used two handed -aiding in control and lessening the fatigue of muscles. Of course, you will probably be pressed to find useable wood in the forest that has straight grains and no knots -no matter what tool you have that will make splitting harder. Only split wood when it is necessary.
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I must agree with Col. Cornelius and the Gov. Having grown up in the coastal rain-forests of the Pacific North-West, you are far better off with a small axe and a 4-5" knife. Just the thought of building a good shelter and a decent fire without a small axe or hatchet, is enough to make my right arm ache. For me, it still comes down to using the right tool for the right job. Now, if I was killing Zombies...;)
 
A.P.F. said:
I must agree with Col. Cornelius and the Gov. Having grown up in the coastal rain-forests of the Pacific North-West, you are far better off with a small axe and a 4-5" knife. Just the thought of building a good shelter and a decent fire without a small axe or hatchet, is enough to make my right arm ache. For me, it still comes down to using the right tool for the right job. Now, if I was killing Zombies...;)
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I live in the middle of Maine, so trust me--I know what big dense woods are like! If I'm going to be doing a lot of dedicated felling and splitting I'll certainly grab an axe. However, I have NO--I repeat--NO problem getting everything I typically need done in the woods with a machete of the proper pattern. I will take a 22" machete ANY day over a hatchet (which is a different animal than a full-blown axe)--it'll hit just as hard and be more versatile.

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That being said, use what you like. This is all just my opinion based on personal experience.
 
I would submit that most hatchets (with flat polls, at least) also make really effective hammers, which is something that most big knives can't really match.

Other than that, it seems to be a matter of preference... I use hatchets and axes, myself, but lots of people are fans of big knives/machetes, so that must work, too :thumbup:
 
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