Hatchet vs tomahawk for long term camping?

Wild Willie said:
My small forest axe does all of the axe-y things I've ever needed done, and has been with me on many adventures. From the trap line, to camping, to just breaking up stringy rounds at the splitter.
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I looked at them, they look well made, but all I've used has been a fiskars felling ax and hatchet, and a giant splitter welded to a piece of thick pipe haha
 
jay1992 said:
I looked at them, they look well made, but all I've used has been a fiskars felling ax and hatchet, and a giant splitter welded to a piece of thick pipe haha
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I'm far from an axe aficionado, and I'm not saying that they're the end all be all, but mine has been with me since 06 or 07.
 
jay1992 said:
In your opinion, what would be better, performance-wise?
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A traditional tomahawk or hatchet would be better, the problem with that bark river is that it's basically a hatchet shaped knife and they just aren't as optimal as a traditional option.
It won't split kindling as well , won't have as much of the weight in the head needed for efficient chopping, and you're are very limited in how you can hold it.
This kind of thing functions and is very durable, but they don't perform as well.

All the other recommendations you've gotten are great.
 
Wild Willie said:
I'm far from an axe aficionado, and I'm not saying that they're the end all be all, but mine has been with me since 06 or 07.
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How often do you put it through its paces? I imagine it sees more use during splitting season if you wood heat your home, the only action our axes really saw was the month we cut our cordage for the winter. And even then it was mostly that monster of a splitter, but when i inherited the land and such I bought a PTO powered splitter and buried that maul deep. It was the bane of my childhood/teenage years haha
 
Hickory n steel said:
A traditional tomahawk or hatchet would be better, the problem with that bark river is that it's basically a hatchet shaped knife and they just aren't as optimal as a traditional option.
It won't split kindling as well , won't have as much of the weight in the head needed for efficient chopping, and you're are very limited in how you can hold it.
This kind of thing functions and is very durable, but they don't perform as well.

All the other recommendations you've gotten are great.
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https://bravehawkforge.com/shop/ols/products/camp-tomahawk
Something like this?
 
I didn't use it much this fall, we had a younger kid running the splitter with us for part of the year, and after I saw how he treated a machete for that purpose initially there was no way I was letting him use my axe. I also haven't trapped much the last couple of years because I've got young kids and don't have the spare time I once did. It gets used pretty extensively on the couple of short camping trips I take every year though.
 
Wild Willie said:
I didn't use it much this fall, we had a younger kid running the splitter with us for part of the year, and after I saw how he treated a machete for that purpose initially there was no way I was letting him use my axe. I also haven't trapped much the last couple of years because I've got young kids and don't have the spare time I once did. It gets used pretty extensively on the couple of short camping trips I take every year though.
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I mean, if he was batoning with the machete i can kinda see it, but oh my god the sores he must have grew on his hands. Although if hed have kept on with it for the season, id put money on his slaps peeling skin from the callouses lmao
 
jay1992 said:
I mean, if he was batoning with the machete i can kinda see it, but oh my god the sores he must have grew on his hands. Although if hed have kept on with it for the season, id put money on his slaps peeling skin from the callouses lmao
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It was more the impact it made repeatedly with the splitter head, I was alternating between helping with the saw mill and bucking rounds, and didn't notice what was happening.
 
Wild Willie said:
It was more the impact it made repeatedly with the splitter head, I was alternating between helping with the saw mill and bucking rounds, and didn't notice what was happening.
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Ohhh. Man, if my Paw would have seen it, he'd had that boy trying to cutting wood with a tree branch.
 
I didn't get wildly upset, it was a 10 dollar machete. Easy enough to fix with a bit of elbow grease and a flat file. He's hired help for a buddy of ours. We usually do most of our own splitting, but he was there and got put to work. Busted his chops a bit, and went on with life. He's not the first one to screw up something of mine running the splitter, the buddy he works for ruined my sheath by not taking it off the axe before a cut, just picked it up and started swinging at a piece of wood without looking... Another reason I hide my hatchet.
 
The solution. There'll be no need to rehang this with fiberglass core handle epoxied to the head (salvaged from the roadside during a bike ride). It does the job. Not a thing of rare beauty and the sheath is also a bit crude, but still also does the job.

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Vaughn2 (2).jpg
 
Ah, i understand. Cant get mad at ignorance, but you sure can make em sweat rh
Boattale said:
The solution. There'll be no need to rehang this with fiberglass core handle epoxied to the head (salvaged from the roadside during a bike ride). It does the job.

View attachment 1762457
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Boattale said:
The solution. There'll be no need to rehang this with fiberglass core handle epoxied to the head (salvaged from the roadside during a bike ride). It does the job.

View attachment 1762457


View attachment 1762456
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Thats slick. I was actually thinking hard about bringing a full sized shaft with a replaceable wedge, and maybe two axe heads. Perhaps one double bit and one for splitting, and just interchange them as needed. Im not sure. Still alot of planning to do
 
jay1992 said:
Do hawks even come with any other? Asking out of ignorance
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You can find them with more of an oval eye , but the issue isn't really the eye itself.
The issue is how it goes from the bit to the eye with little to no transition.

Look at the Cold steel Hudson bay tomahawk if you really want something with an easily replaced slip fit eye.

Theres also the traditional Basque area from Lamina, never handled one but they can't be too bad being the traditional standard axe for a region.
 
Hickory n steel said:
You can find them with more of an oval eye , but the issue isn't really the eye itself.
The issue is how it goes from the bit to the eye with little to no transition.

Look at the Cold steel Hudson bay tomahawk if you really want something with an easily replaced slip fit eye.

Theres also the traditional Basque area from Lamina, never handled one but they can't be too bad being the traditional standard axe for a region.
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The Hudson is actually on the list, lol! I'll check the basque out. I'm not sure if you saw it, but I also debated on just bringing two axe heads and a shaft, with the replaceable wedges. My list is getting long guys!! I love it.
 
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