Camping hatchet

K

.Keens

Joined
Sep 4, 2011
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60
I am not very familiar with axes and hatchets... I have no knowledge of the steels that are used, the blade grinds or handle materials like wood or fiberglass. I am simply looking for a high quality hatchet or small axe to take camping or hiking.

I also know nothing about sizes.. I plan on splitting wood for fires and chopping down small trees.

I know I am giving a pretty vague description of what I need, and don't expect a make, model and size right off the bat... If you can only give me a place to start, that's fine.

The only company I have come across that looks semi-promising is wetterlings. What do you guys think of them?
 
I bought the GB wildlife hatchet form a member here... It has a nice shiny axe head... (razor sharp) and a oiled wooden handle that has a nice curve. I have only done light chopping with it as the head only weighs in at a pound but for small kindling and limbs it works great... Comes with a leather sheat or whatever you call it that straps to your belt. This was my very fist axe and i love the thing though i wont buy another for a long time as i simply dont need anything bigger. IMO it is a perfect camping axe.

I had read up on the wetterlings vrs GB axes and all i gather was that the wetterlings were finished a tad rougher than the Granfors Bruks.

[video=youtube;dDZRBApaXCs]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dDZRBApaXCs[/video]

Edit : as a plus the GB axe head are crafted in machine forges and by people and not machines (they use power hammer thingies)
 
My first and current hatchet was the Coleman brand camp axe, back when they made the ones with the straight handles instead of the ones with the 45 degree angle bend. What appealed to me was the head and shaft steel construction, and the $10 price tag at the time.
 
Estwing makes a nice camp hatchet. Their carpenters hatchet and riggers axe would do pretty well, too.
 
Came we PLEASE make a sticky on this and very similar threads please for the love of all that is holy and right?

Lots of guys are looking for answers and this would simplify their search. It can only help.
 
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I just got back from a week long camping trip; I took a kukri and a GFB Small Forest Axe. While the GFB seems like it may be overkill, even it gets small when you keep a fire doing for a solid week. I had lots of fire wood that needed to be cut and split, this was good hard wood. Lots of work.

I would recommend you take the biggest tool you can handle or carry. For a day or two it isn't critically important but after that wood processing takes lots of time and effort. Be sure you get good steel and be sure to [remember] to pack sharpening equipment or the work gets needlessly harder and harder and harder. I know going smaller is all the rage but I would rather cut up some food with a big clumsy blade than try to process wood and build shelter with a small one.
 
shortwinger said:
I just got back from a week long camping trip; I took a kukri and a GFB Small Forest Axe. While the GFB seems like it may be overkill, even it gets small when you keep a fire doing for a solid week. I had lots of fire wood that needed to be cut and split, this was good hard wood. Lots of work.

I would recommend you take the biggest tool you can handle or carry. For a day or two it isn't critically important but after that wood processing takes lots of time and effort.
Click to expand...

This. Hence the difference between a day/weekend back packer and a woodsmen. Pick which side u are on first then go from there.
 
I've got to chime in with shortwinger and Op75.

If all your doing is busting up a little wood to feed a smaii cookstove, maybe some light shelter building...then the GB wildlife hatchet is hard to beat.

However if your looking to keep a good campfire going, or are going to use an open fire for cooking. You would bebetter served with a boys axe and a bowsaw.

Not to say it can't be done with just a hatchet......You'll just spend a lot more time processing wood.
 
wildmike,

Your recommendation is certainly correct, I was just trying to answer Keens' question; "I am simply looking for a high quality hatchet or small axe to take camping or hiking." I specifically took the kukri and the GFB to see how they did and see if they can work "above their weight class" on a longer term (more than 2 or 3 days) trip. I think a large kukri and the Small Forest Axe would be the biggest I would ever consider taking on a camp trip, especially if I was hiking in.

I was not on a primitive camp, I took the camper and the family but did the work with the two tools mentioned although, I did also have a bow saw in the truck just in case. We had the fire going almost continuously and cooked at least breakfast and dinner on the fire every day. There are lots of similar sized axes, hatchets, kukri and even tomahawks that will do the job but these are the two I took. And as you said, at about day four I was wanting something a bit larger than the Sm Forest Axe, but to be fair it did the job well. I found that I used it for lots of other things, to hammer all sots of things, cut rope, moving logs in the fire and dragging brish. I am very happy with it.
 
markv said:
buy a Fiskars 15 inch hatchet, wear it out and go from there.

buzz
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+1

For splitting kindling in camp save 80% and get the Fiskars. And at that size, (gawd, I know I'm gonna catch all hell for this) a well chosen $11 hardware store import actually works pretty well, too.
 
Go get yourself a Council Tool Boys Axe its 28in and has an excellent profile for general use. It can be found for under 25$ and has a 2 pound carbon steel head.
 
GB Mini Hatchet and/or Wildlife Hatchet.

Beautiful, light (to carry) and nice to use.

They're the only hatchets I own, and I bought them after reading very good reviews (I was originally going to buy a Gerber 14"). I've never regretted the decision as they're really nice, hand crafted tools which will last beyond my lifetime.
 
GBs are very good hatchets.
But you had said "high-quality" and that doesn't have to mean expensive.

There are a lot of used hatchets out there that are great for general camp work that will cost you no more than $10 at you local tag sale or flea market. It's fun to clean them up and throw a new handle on them.

I own 3 GBs and they are all excellent, but are much better at limbing and cutting, than they are for splitting chores.

My current favorite utility hatchet is a recent "Collins" 1-3/4 lb head that I threw on a 28" handle. Great edge for cutting and splits well too.

Have some fun and see what you can dig up. You can always lay down the cash on a GB if you are unsuccessful at finding a used one.
also... If you are new to using that type of tool, using a used tool to start out with is easier on the pocket book when you get that first "ding" off an unseen rock.
 
question or two .Keens, how much are you gonna be using this. might be able to get buy on a 20 or 30 dollar hardware store hatchet and just sharpen up the edge a little. lots of Axe O' holics here and we like nice tools, but if you need to just get buy and not spend a pile it would work.

But if you want a nice hatchet too I have Wetterlings wildlife and it is very nice. May not be quite up to Gransfors Bruks, but I really like my Wetterlings Wildlife hatchet, a little touch up sharpening and it will take the hair off my arm. I got mine a few years back before the prices went up. Wetterlings would work for you well. but a lot of your need is in what you can make do.

Comes down to budget and preference. how much is affordable, and what style, handle material and where it is from do you like?
 
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