Hatchet VS Folding saw/ Knife.

B

Bushleague270

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Dec 25, 2023
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Just wondering what people would prefer, and what one should consider when making such a decision?

If I've got room I generally just bring an axe, but for backpacking/ snowshoeing/ day trip type stuff I've always brought a good sized fixed blade knife and a folding saw. I've recently been trying to determine if replacing those two items with a good hatchet would make sense. In my area both birch bark and spruce are pretty common, so I usually dont need to do much splitting just to get a cookfire going. If I do need to do a little splitting I pick my battles sensibly, not really into beating the hell out of a knife just for fun. I also wonder, if I was to use big enough timber to make splitting actually necessary, if the hatchet would really be able to handle the job efficiently?

Anyhow, I defer to those with more hatchet experience, let me know what you think.
 
The question entirely depends on your anticipated range of tasks, and their weighted priority. What are you doing, where, and what is the relative frequency, intensity, and duration of those tasks? To phrase it another way, what are you doing MOST of the time, what are you doing SOME of the time, and what tasks are you doing RARELY but still need your tool kit to be capable of (if not the best at)?
 
Gonna get a lot of opinions on this one as it's asked frequently.

For me, saw and knife/knives, but it almost entirely depends on what I want to carry and where I'm going. Not uncommon, i I have all 3 in my haversack, just because I want to.

If it's a saw and a single knife, it's going to be at least a medium sized knife, like a 5"-6" bladed Kephart or camp knife.

I guess when discussing this, it's very, very rare I would only have a fixed blade or axe and not a folder too. Folders are almost always on my person, often more than one so one is always on the outermost layer of clothing regardless of how many layers I have on.
 
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If I'm hiking well into the backcountry and carrying the load on my back, and not at a car camp or a short ways from a road, I think carefully about whether I truly need to carry/use an axe or not. I know how to handle an axe, but accidents can still happen, and when it comes to axes, those accidents tend to be bad. I don't want to be miles from the nearest road if that happens. One also needs to be more careful with shorter axes/hatchets of the type that people would typically hike with.

I also just honestly don't have much need for an axe on backpacking trips. Many public lands in the West have fire bans for a significant portion of the season, and laws against hacking down the forest in general without a permit. If I am making a fire in the backcountry, it's going to be small and focused, and for that, a decent knife and small folding saw will easily accomplish what I need.

A folding saw is also much lighter than an axe, if that matters. Personally, I try to keep my pack pretty light - it's just a lot more enjoyable (I've carried plenty of heavy packs in the past).

I own numerous axes, and they are useful, but for me, they are mainly for use around the house and at vehicle camps.
 
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Smithhammer said:
So will a rock.

Come to think of it, many other things can be used as anchors besides tent pegs. ;)
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I can barely make tent pegs work. I am not messing around with trying to hold a tent down with dirt or something.

(In my defence I have only just discovered high end tent pegs that have points on them and don't bend like cheese in the ground)
 
Smithhammer said:
So will a rock.

Come to think of it, many other things can be used as anchors besides tent pegs. ;)
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When I was talking with the guys at slingfin, because I was in the phase of nerding out on tent pegs to complete the package, the gentleman described how his friend just carried the 4 "essential" pegs with him for the Pacific Crest Trail and used rocks, sticks, trees, or bushes if he needed to use the guylines for inclement weather. It seems so obvious once someone says it out loud.

Similar with the deadman anchors in winter, use some sticks, ice chunks, rocks, etc if you need more stakes to bury.
 
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Drop bear said:
I can barely make tent pegs work. I am not messing around with trying to hold a tent down with dirt or something.

(In my defence I have only just discovered high end tent pegs that have points on them and don't bend like cheese in the ground)
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Was it the plastic ones you use before? If so, the metal ones, like Y-stakes, go into the ground much better and hold well. Sheepshook are bendy little boogers, but they's also not something I would ever hit with a hatchet. Probably my least favorite except plastic.
 
bikerector said:
Was it the plastic ones you use before? If so, the metal ones, like Y-stakes, go into the ground much better and hold well. Sheepshook are bendy little boogers, but they's also not something I would ever hit with a hatchet. Probably my least favorite except plastic.
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These are the ones I use now.

I tended to use what could best be described as a bent bit of wire.
 
Drop bear said:
I have never had much luck finding them at campsites.
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Couldn't seem to edit this quote into the last post.

If sticks can't be found, is there no firewood either? Otherwise, it seems like a hatchet isn't a good choice either and maybe just a mallet would be better.

I often just use my foot or another tent stake to press a stake in, in my area of operation (usually softer soil or ckay, but can be hard in dry summers). We have sticks aplenty though too.

Another near trick with the stakes yiu have is using a stake to pull another stake if ones a little stuck. Those types can be a little rough on the fingers aince the metal is thin and they can still hold pretty well.
 
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bikerector said:
Couldn't seem to edit this quote into the last post.

If sticks can't be found, is there no firewood either? Othwise, it seems like a hatchet isn't a good choice either and maybe just a mallet would be better.
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Yeah. I have a unique set up that makes no sense unless you know the circumstances.

I tend to motorcycle camp mostly. And generally go to paid campsites. Even remote ones are are council controlled and cos about $8.

And at these campsites there are generally fire pits but no wood. Because they have been scoured clean by everyone else.

But I can generally buy wood at farms or something on the way.

But that is the off cuts of Australian hardwood. That is possibly the worst knottiest horrendous stuff that exists.

So I tend to either pack the battioniest knife I can or a little axe. And a folder.

And work from there.
 
bikerector said:
Was it the plastic ones you use before? If so, the metal ones, like Y-stakes, go into the ground much better and hold well. Sheepshook are bendy little boogers, but they's also not something I would ever hit with a hatchet. Probably my least favorite except plastic.
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I just use big cement nails, as reccomended by the great Bill Mason. None too light, but you can drive them into just about anything.

At this point my cutting tools system is nicely modular. I always cary a SAK on me and I'm comfortable going deep with just that, if I'm carrying a pack of some sort I add a folding saw and a stout fixed blade. If theres a canoe, toboggan, or other vehicle involved I include a smallish felling axe. So on a canoe or snowshoe trip where I could easily end up in a situation where fire becomes absolutely vital, I have some degree of redundency for safety, without taking it to an impractical level. Not sure that a hatchet really fits into that system at all, but I feel like I should at least try using one, if only for the sake of learning some new skills while day tripping.
 
This is what I think is a good compact compromise as far as cutting tools go.
I think that the axe is somewhat superior to a saw , a piece of recalcitrant wood can usually be beaten into submission with an axe or hatchet , not always so with a saw , but I have the need for a small saw covered in the Leatherman.
The small axe is also a useful tool to have in an urban environment so this setup will be good for Urban as well as Wilderness use.
The items shown will fit into a large "Bum-Bag" or "Fanny-Pack" , or , can easily be carried on the person.
If going into the "Wilderness" (if such places still exist today) , don't forget to take along your Knowledge , Water Bottle and Billycan 😁 .

https://imgur.com/7b9bW1n
 
One matter I often point out for consideration when deciding on a tool kit is that the saw is fastest and safest for severing anchored wood, but is a specialty tool that is more susceptible to damage, and only good for a narrow range of functions (useful though they may be) while the hatchet or hand axe are less efficient for severing anchored wood but can better render smaller stuff against an anvil surface and can be used for a much wider range of tasks while being able to be repaired easier if damaged in use. Whether or not the narrow-band efficiency is worth giving up for that durability and versatility is a matter only the individual can answer for their specific contextual use cases.
 
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