A hatchet or half-axe is not heavier than a large fixed blade knife, and in cases where it is heavier the difference is only a few grams...
...a wooden handle with some steel at the top weighs about the same as 15+" of .25" thick steel (including both the handle and blade length, that's a heavy knife)...
I must admit, I am confused.
Is the OP working off the assumption that a heavy machete (15+" long, 0.25" thick, 1.5+ lbs) is the standard for a "survival"-style knife??
That is a REALLY big knife. My backpacking tool that replaces my need to ever carry a hatchet is my Cattaraugus 225Q or my RatManDu -
10.5", 0.6 lbs. IMHO, either of those knives is lighter, more compact, safer, more versatile, and just as efficient (if not more-so) at preparing wood for a small camp-fire compared to a 1.4lbs, 14" GB Wildlife hatchet.
I used to carry a hatchet or tomahawk backpacking - not anymore.
Backpacking,
chopping at all may be an over-expenditure of energy if you have the proper tools for
batonning, a safer and often more efficient method of splitting wood (even across the grain) to a desirable size - "weight distribution" doesn't enter into it.
If you are chopping down trees or prep-ing cordwood at home, long term use recommends an AXE - it is probably the best tool for the job, has the proper weight distribution, etc. BUT, you should NOT need to be chopping down big trees on a backpacking venture.
Now, the GB Wildlife Hatchet weighs ~1.3 lbs at 14" long, the Forest Axe weighs ~2.25lbs at 19" long. There are videos comparing chopping performance between the Forest Axe (superior in chopping to the hatchet) and a Busse Battle Mistress (~2lbs at 16" long). Viewers can draw their own conclusions regarding chopping superiority, or go out and perform their own tests. THEORIZING about superiority does not make it so.
If you think the BM can compete with a 19" 2lbs axe, is it hard to think that a 16-17"
1.4lbs Junglas or RatDaddy can compete or compare in performance to either axe for chopping?
How about an HI AK or (in my case) a 15" 1.4lbs HI Vojpuri (like an AK) -
there is a tool that is weighted for chopping but extended like the heavy-machetes just listed - I personally consider it less safe than a hatchet, but man is it ever superior in performance, imho!
But again, these are not the tools I'd take
backpacking - there are lighter, more compact tools, like a folding saw (e.g. Bahco) and your 10" knife. But if your most comfortable with a tool that size and don't mind the weight, then of course you could strap one to your pack. If your headed for the jungle or through thick brush, I'd take the machete; if the path is more open and well wooded, take the axe...
An axe can can also fashion wedges and pound them to split wood - a knife can't pound at all. Pounding wedges is so useful in splitting large logs... I can't believe I rarely see that skill posted.
A knife can fashion wedges every bit as well as an axe, and a
baton (made from the same wood as the wedges) can pound them
I've used that technique before. No superiority for the axe there, sorry.
AND, in my humble opinion, an axe is better at fine work than a large knife due to the simple fact that you can hold the axe right under the head. Bam. Now you have a ~3" knife. I've skinned game with my axe before and it wasn't too cumbersome. I can't say the same about trying to manipulate the belly of a 10" survival knife through deer hide.
I agree regarding a 10"
blade being cumbersome, but a well designed 10"
knife (like the RatManDu mentioned above) is
much easier to manipulate for finer tasks than either axe or machete. If I'm carrying either an axe or a machete, i hope I'm also carrying something smaller, an SAK even, to handle such chores.
For me at my skill level, an axe held at the neck is NOT a 3" knife - more cumbersome, less safe, more limited in employable techniques... Oh, I can manage (have done so), but prefer the actual knife.
To conclude, I prefer a 10-11" oal knife for camping/backpacking to either a hatchet or a 15+" heavy blade.
If I
had to choose between hatchet vs heavy machete, my answer would depend on the environment and familiarity with the tool - thick brush recommends machete, thick logs but open path recommends the hatchet, and I am more familiar with hatchet use. Also, if you think you need a hatchet, bring a folding saw as well. There, my $0.02.