Hatchet

B

big70tom

Joined
Aug 5, 2010
Messages
124
OK i am going to start camping more often with the family, and it would be a good idea to have a hatchet.......any recommendations? Would a ESEE Junglas be better? I mean its mostly for splitting some small logs, minor stuff. I have 5 daughters under the age of 11 so this isn't any type HARDCORE thing. We pull in at the campground, Sequoia Park, or Pismo Beach, and set up our tent, build a fire, and explore a lot. Thats it. Thanks for any help!
 
I will probably be burned at the stake for heresy for this, but I just traded off a Wetterlings hatchet (13"), which I wanted so much to like because it was a neat looking and nostalgic tool, but I found it to be useless for chopping (especially dead wood) and ineffectual at best for splitting. Too light for the obtuse grind, too short to get any speed to compensate for the lack of mass.... Laying down a stick to split was better, but I am as well off to use a big knife at that point.

Maybe I was using it wrong, but I have swung an axe (32" - 36") for forty years or so now and have not had the same issue with a decent axe. I have a Wetterlings 26" axe that is a gem for chopping. I have a Cold Steel Rifleman's 'hawk equally as useless to me as the 13" Wetterlings was.

If all I have to do is split kindling, I baton a Kabar-Becker BK9 and it's a great tool. I have a Ture Temper hatchet (40 years old) that splits better than my Wet' did and definitely chops better. I still prefer my BK9 for smaller splitting chores.

For the life of me, I don't understand how ol' Nessmuk got any use out of his ultra-light axe. I still have much to learn, I am cetain, so maybe some day I will learn for myself the purported benefit of a short, light axe.

Small axes still give me the willies but I am comfortable with a long handled axe. Still, I check SMKW daily to see if they have gotten the 19" Wetterlings back in stock because I WANT to think that it is a practical tool for me, I just still need to be convinced.

My vote would be for a lightweight folding saw for the occasional cross-grain cutting that may be required and a stout larger knife (even "large" may not be necessary) for splitting chores. If what you have to split is too large for that, a hatchet is not going to be any less taxing and tiresome to use.
 
Plumb and Vaughan are good brands of hatchet that you can find in many hardware or home stores.
for true heresy - I really like the "el cheapo" gold colored German made hatchet at harbor Freight.
Another good brand for the frugal minded is the venerable Estwing hatchet and/or camp axe -- again, found at hardware and home stores. (all steel construction with bright blue molded rubber handle so it doesn't get misplaced in the leaf litter)
for true versatility on a budget, pair up an estwing with a corona folding saw.
 
Fiskars are nice for a small light hatchet. I also have 19" GB and Wetterlings that I love. The fiskars has a thin profile and really holds its edge- hard steel. I use it for a hatchet, wedge, plane, knife, chisel.... pretty handy. But for real chopping or splitting I grab one of the 19" to see a real advantage.
2Door
 
1066vik said:
......the venerable Estwing hatchet and/or camp axe..........
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lmalterna said:
Fiskars are nice for a small light hatchet......
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Two more I have wanted to try. My younger brother got the Estwing as his first hatchet a couple years after I got the True Temper and I have always thought it was a good tool. The Fiskars is only $20 at a nearby home improvement center - not a lot to risk to try one out.
 
You cannot go wrong with any of the gerber/fiskars axes. They are razor sharp and stay that way for a long time. All of them except for the bigger axe and splitting wedge include a really nice sheath.
 
small hatchets and axes can be found at yard/estate sales and fleamarkets quite readily for under $5. if yr handy at the belt grinder you can profile em into really useful tools fairly easily and quickly. have yet to find an axe or hatchet off the shelf that was to my liking. have always found the need to take em to the grinder.
 
It seems like a light weight hatchet would not be a necessity, as you are proably going to be using your car to transport your gear. The small ones are amazing for backpacking where you need something for kindling. But for you, I would get something around 19 " for splitting and what not. Big enough for big jobs, but not too big.

Oh and 5 girls under the age of 11. Yikes. Do you have any hair left?
 
big70tom said:
OK i am going to start camping more often with the family, and it would be a good idea to have a hatchet.......any recommendations? Would a ESEE Junglas be better? I mean its mostly for splitting some small logs, minor stuff. I have 5 daughters under the age of 11 so this isn't any type HARDCORE thing. We pull in at the campground, Sequoia Park, or Pismo Beach, and set up our tent, build a fire, and explore a lot. Thats it. Thanks for any help!
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If you are pulling into a campsite why use a hatchet? Why not buy something full sized??

A large axe will cut and split way better than any hatchet you can buy.

By the way this is coming from somebody who loves and owns a LOT of small light hatchets.

But I'm a backpacker, so my needs are different.

If I'm car camping, or doing some activity where weight is not a consideration I go for one of my khukuris, or a larger hatchet, or even a one man crosscut saw!

While head design, edge and balance are important factors in evaluting hatchets axes of the same size, it's pretty amazing how much difference even say 4 oz of extra weight makes in cutting ability, so if you are car camping get something stout.
 
Since you are car camping, a full sized axe would be better -- do much more work in less time and with less effort.

IMO a backpacking axe is best in the 18-19" range like the GB Small Forest, or the comparable Wetterlings. Small enough to work one handed, and you can get two hands on for a little more work.

However, the real compromise solution is the "trapper's axe", which is an axe in the 24-26" range. It's longer than a hatchet, can be easily use two-handed, but can be used with practice one handed. The head is lighter than a full sized axe, making it easier to carry around all day.

The GB Scandinavian Forest axe is the top of this game, and Wetterlings makes a similar model for less money.

Council also makes good axes in these size ranges.
 
For family car camping, I pack one of the Gerber (Fiskars) axes: http://www.motocampers.com/forums/showthread.php?t=112

Sport or Camp models, are a good size for light work. The Camp model, nicely splits the difference between an axe and a hatchet. Avoid the BackPax model...you will smash your knuckles with that short handle. Don't get anything expensive, especially at Pismo where rust will be an issue. File down the points, with little ones around!
 
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I have a Wetterlings hatchet and NEVER use it. I should just get rid of it. Buy a bigger axe or get a big camp knife.My 2cents.
 
Cpl Punishment said:
IMO a backpacking axe is best in the 18-19" range like the GB Small Forest, or the comparable Wetterlings.
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My 19" GB Hunters Axe weighs 2 lbs. I would never take it backpacking.

A sort of rule I have is other than my tent, sleeping bag, and clothing depending on weather, and food depending on # days nothing should weigh more than a pound plus or minus some ounces.

My favorite hatchets for backpacking:

GB Mini 10 oz
Lee Reeves Nessmuk 20 oz
Marbles #5 Safety 15oz
Ft Meigs Nessmuk 15 oz.

Depending on the weather and fuel availability there's been times I've not even used my hatchet so anything that might not even get used gets special scrutiny regarding weight.

Of course I'm old and weak backed. Maybe some of y'all younger physically fit can shoulder the load;)
 
I'm not sure what your price range is, but this GB Small Splitting Axe is perfect for splitting up seasoned wood while car camping.

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Jeff
 
Jeff H said:
I will probably be burned at the stake for heresy for this, but I just traded off a Wetterlings hatchet (13"), which I wanted so much to like because it was a neat looking and nostalgic tool, but I found it to be useless for chopping (especially dead wood) and ineffectual at best for splitting. Too light for the obtuse grind, too short to get any speed to compensate for the lack of mass.... Laying down a stick to split was better, but I am as well off to use a big knife at that point.

Maybe I was using it wrong, but I have swung an axe (32" - 36") for forty years or so now and have not had the same issue with a decent axe. I have a Wetterlings 26" axe that is a gem for chopping. I have a Cold Steel Rifleman's 'hawk equally as useless to me as the 13" Wetterlings was.

If all I have to do is split kindling, I baton a Kabar-Becker BK9 and it's a great tool. I have a Ture Temper hatchet (40 years old) that splits better than my Wet' did and definitely chops better. I still prefer my BK9 for smaller splitting chores.

For the life of me, I don't understand how ol' Nessmuk got any use out of his ultra-light axe. I still have much to learn, I am cetain, so maybe some day I will learn for myself the purported benefit of a short, light axe.

Small axes still give me the willies but I am comfortable with a long handled axe. Still, I check SMKW daily to see if they have gotten the 19" Wetterlings back in stock because I WANT to think that it is a practical tool for me, I just still need to be convinced.

My vote would be for a lightweight folding saw for the occasional cross-grain cutting that may be required and a stout larger knife (even "large" may not be necessary) for splitting chores. If what you have to split is too large for that, a hatchet is not going to be any less taxing and tiresome to use.
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I have a GB mini which I believe has similar geometry to your wetterlings and I can't believe that you had problems chopping with it. It's not going to perform like the full size axe that you're used to sure but it's going to out chop any knife of similar weight. Splitting, the grind is a little less then great which is the same problem hawks have(similar geometry) but then again it's all in WHAT you're splitting. If you're splitting full sized rounds I wouldn't chose either as well but if you're splitting small rounds like you would backpacking, then it works fine.

To the OP, I agree with what some have said. If you're just splitting the rounds you buy at the camp site for kindling, just buy a cheap full size axe at your local hardware store and call it good. Much more efficient for that type of work than a hatchet or a knife.
 
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hollowdweller said:
Depending on the weather and fuel availability there's been times I've not even used my hatchet so anything that might not even get used gets special scrutiny regarding weight.
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I agree with this. In the summer I don't even pack a hatchet. I never use it. In fact I'm comfy as all can be with just my SAK farmer.:D
 
If you have logs to chop and/or split then a full sized axe probably would work best.

For hatchet work try a chopper like the Junglas instead, I think you'll like the difference.

And of course pack a bowsaw as well, as it will do what an axe, hatchet, and chopper cannot.
 
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