How many of you guys carry axes

Fjell said:
During Hiking?

Until recently? Yes

Now? No.

Why? Since I now carry a Bahco Lapplander with me. This is a very lightweight saw,(only 175 gram/6 ounce) but it works very very good. This combined with a good fulltang knife which is able to split wood makes the extra weight of an axe not worth taking it with me anymore.
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By no means am I telling you that you're wrong, but I'd never make a saw, especially a pruning saw my primary wood getter. I've seen far too many of them break or bend beyond use -- not good in the field. In reality, a good hatchet or kukri, possibly machete, depending on the wood, will cut faster than a saw, and be useful for many other tasks.

About the only complaint against choppers that really hold water is that they are louder. :rolleyes:

This question for the crowd: Even the Pen Bay is what? Maybe 2.25-2.5 pounds? It that REALLY so unbearable to carry, especially considering the utility of the thing?
 
That is still one sweet chopper Cpl. I hope we do get the chance to hang out one day, and compare choppers.

With the hudson bay, you can get a great 2 handed grip on the thing, and get some powerful swings out of the thing. It is hard to comprehend any one-handed tool outperforming it.
 
Posted by Briangandrews:

I made a jig from ________ and ground it to that, and it is easily 3x better.
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It looks like you left out a word or two here. I can't figure out what you're saying.

You "made a jig from"..................what? "And ground it to"............what ?

Any pics or additional info would be appreciated, as whatever you did sounds like it was a worthwhile improvement.

.
 
David E said:
It looks like you left out a word or two here. I can't figure out what you're saying.

You "made a jig from"..................what? "And ground it to"............what ?

Any pics or additional info would be appreciated, as whatever you did sounds like it was a worthwhile improvement.

.
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Haha.....Sorry, by brain was going faster than my fingers, especially at that time of the morning :D

What I did first was put a nice smooth convex on that axe that pretty much followed the profile that was there, just smoothing it out. It shaved hair easy, so it was plenty sharp.

It just did not have the chopping ability that I liked. So, I made a jig from a larger collins that I have and like real well. Basically, traced the edge profile on to a piece of wood, then cut it out.

I compared the "jig" to the existing profile, it looked like it was a bit fat in a couple areas. So, I made it match my jig, and it was a great improvement. It is amazing how subtle the change can be sometimes on a convex edge.

I think it is cool that the edge is that thick because it gives you the option of keeping it that way, or thinning it down. If it is too thin to begin with, there is not much you can do with it.

I don't have any pictures of that actual modification. But, I will be doing some more axes soon, and I can take some for you, if you are interested.

B
 
If I'm just day-hiking in my neck of the woods (the South), no. I'll carry a Valiant Golok.

If I'm rucking it on an overnighter, yes. Hudson Bay pattern.

If I'm going anymore than 500-yards from camp in any environment that contains, or has a decent chance of experiencing, snow, yes. Again, Hudson Bay.

If I don't have to be the one carrying it (canoe, pack animal, pack brother-in-law), yes. Snow and Neally, Hults Bruk, or Iltis double-bit feller.
 
briangandrews said:
Especially if you leave behind all the other not needed REI-style gear :D
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OK, I'll bite. What "not needed" gear are you talking about? It seems to me that ounces become pounds, and pounds become work. I try not to take anything that isn't "needed."
So while I could probably get by with an axe, lighter, and poncho, the experience would probably be less than comfortable. Once you decide to bring some form of shelter, food, and water, what more do you need? OK, extra socks; you can never have enough socks.
But after that what? If you are following a "tread lightly" or "leave no trace" philosophy, I'm not sure an axe is appropriate, let alone needed. I just got back from a week in the Sierra Madres and didn't need an axe or saw for the entire trip. Now I didn't build a log cabin or make bonfires, and I would have been SOL if I had "needed" to do so. But I was able to start a campfire using a SAK and flint (Light My Fire thingy), and keep it going during a nasty little storm. Wood is not a problem in forested terrain--you don't even need a knife.
Don't get me wrong, I love my axes: I have a half dozen lying around the place. An axe may be the ultimate survival tool. I just think they are unnecessary weight. I'd rather take my REI pillow. :D
 
a 14" fiskars is a great tool that i don't mind carring. it allows me to chop and it could easily be my one tool if it came down to that.

how often i use it when backpacking on a trail with a shelter and a sleeping system? pretty much none-mostly just to pound stakes. sometimes to cut wood to make a fire with.

if i am camping though and perhaps practicing building shelter, doing various camp projects (making things from wood the hard way), and building a fire, i use the axe much more frequently.

as to the axe vs hatchet statement: i once read that way back when the difference was that a hatchet was something that carpenters used for shaping wood stock and when putting in lathing and such (hence lathing hatchets). an axe was something used in the woods or behind the woodshed, for chopping, splitting, rough shaping, and perhaps other tasks like skinning and doing fine wood cutting. the smallest of these was called a pocket axe or hand axe.

i think that a saw is a great alternative if you are backpacking or otherwise travelling/being outdoors in such a way that the axe is almost useless but you still want some insurance (ability to cut firewood and shelter poles, etc). to split wood you would need a knife to baton with, but most of us carry a sturdy baton-able knife anyways.
 
Rotte said:
OK, I'll bite. What "not needed" gear are you talking about? It seems to me that ounces become pounds, and pounds become work. I try not to take anything that isn't "needed."
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I wasn't talking about you specifically, or anyone here specifically. It also sounds like you you have your gear knocked down to the important stuff.

What I have meant is, and I have actually seen this stuff out on the trail:

- Lexan coffee press.
- MP3 players.
- Two way radios.
- Solar Chargers for this kind of crap.
- I know I am going to get dinged on this one by a lot of you, but I don't like water filters (maybe it will be apparent why later).
- Excessive lighting toys.

I know there is more, but I think you understand what I mean.

Rotte said:
I just got back from a week in the Sierra Madres and didn't need an axe or saw for the entire trip.
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Ah hah! You just hit on my love/hate relationship with backpacking. I love backpacking because of the sights. I don't like backpacking because the sights are usually very high traffic areas, that are visited so much that they require people to follow LNT principles, or they would be ruined.

When to goal is to cover ground, follow the trail, make meals as convenient as possible, then an axe is not needed. I have spent plenty of time like that in the outdoors, and I do not enjoy it anymore. IMO, a whole lot of nature is passed by, and you don't get a chance to do a lot of fun stuff :D See stuff, yes. Do stuff, no.

I would rather backpack in to a less visited location, and have a "base" camp for a day or two before moving on. Better yet, I love doing the same thing in a canoe. It gives me more time to study plants, relax and enjoy views and work on projects and skills.

The fact that you did not need an axe the entire trip means that we have different goals regarding what we get done on our trips. Which is more than fine. I never said in my original post that "this is what I do, and therefore you must too :D" The only reason I offer my opinion on such things, is that it is often different than most, and I hope that more people will enjoy the outdoors in a way that is not wrote about in magazines.

Rotte said:
If you are following a "tread lightly" or "leave no trace" philosophy, I'm not sure an axe is appropriate, let alone needed.
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I think that LNT is a great idea, in theory. Sometimes it is correct, and sometimes it is not. The whole scheme of things always needs to be looked at. Here is an example:

LNT says no twig burners. I want to boil a cup of water to cook my homemade dehydrated dinner. A homemade stick burner can be made out of stuff was going to get thrown out anyway. The impact to the immediate environment is the loss of a few twigs.

LNT says you have to have a stove. Bought at REI, made in China, shipped across the globe, and oh yeah....you have to burn fossil fuel, extracted by machinery, shipped, packaged and sold.....The impact to the global environment is huge.

Which one has a greater impact on the environment? One has more perceived impact, but the whole picture is not visualized.

I realize the flip side is that you are preserving a pristine environment while keeping the crappy places (where the stoves are manufactured) crappy. But perhaps if people thought more of the "big picture" along time ago, maybe would have more pristine places.

Sorry, didn't mean to offend, and I didn't mean to ramble :D Just wanted to clarify my often strange opinion :(

B
 
I don't carry an axe because I don't presently have a quality one. I do have a Silky Pocket boy 170. It is a great tool and I am never in the woods without it but it is no replacement for an axe!
 
I'm closer to Brian's position than the other side of the spectrum, in that I don't do the 'travel site-to-site' kind of backpacking. I rather prefer finding deeper, less well traveled places. I do my very best to minimize my impact on the environment around me when in the woods. I apply LNT to my situation by: making sure not to make unnecessary (or unnecessarily large) fires, not chopping down live trees/vegetation, not moving large rocks or fixtures from their original location, disassembling any structures I build, and not leaving behind any trash/paracord/etc.

Walking on eggshells in the outdoors does not equal enjoying the outdoors, for me. But I am still an excellent steward of my homeland, with every effort made to ensure my grandkids can enjoy it in the same way that I do.

Besides which, cleaning out some of the 'loose stuff' (some twigs, logs, etc.) can make it easier for other plants to grow, and the ash helps them grow too.

Not that anyone here doesn't know this...
 
BGA --

No offense taken or intended. It's all good. I like the LNT philosophy, but draw the line at small wood fires. I do try to keep it small though. Nothing beats a little fire -- even my beloved stove. You are right: it's all about priorities. If weight is an issue, I'd rather take a fly rod than an axe. In a canoe, I don't have to make that choice. :D
 
I have taken an axe backpacking, but only when going for a fairly long trip in bad weather. If I am just going for a weekend in the summer, I definitely don't bother. If I am going camping for two weeks on the north coast in January I take one every time, because otherwise there is no way to dry out!

But unless you are doing something fairly extreme, no, I would say there is no need for one while backpacking.
 
Yes I carry one. I use mine all the time. They are the king of cutting tools. I am not real big on using the double bits though. I use mine as a hammer more offten than I need the other cutting side like a double bit. I can use mine one handed or with both hands. I just even made up a new sheath for it. I added a couple of extra pouches and a small knife ( Orange handle):D that I made. I just love to chop and the more you use a axe the more you want to use it. They are just awesome. Even if going for a little hike around the farm I carry it. I just sling it over my shoulder and go. Same way with shoulder kit. (that is full of survival goodies. ) I have some pics of the new sheath I made.
Here is the front of the sheath.

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Here is the back of it. In this pic the sheath for the knife that I made for it rides back there.

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In the last pic I have the match safe, the sharpener, the baby peace maker I made, and my axe.

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I normally have some para cord wrapped on the handles 12' or so but took it off and have not put it back on yet. I might do that today.
I had a different sheath for it but I went back to the drawing board and came up with this one and like it so much more.
 
I always have a Fiskars in my truck bag and keep a GB SFA in my canoe camping pack. Also, one of my favorite hiking/camping combos is my GB Mini with Vic Farmer.

Jeff
 
I have the mini to and like it also good choice Jeff.

I can hardly wait to get the 2 axes I have comming from Brian Andrews place.
they just might replace my GBs. that means making more sheaths for them :D

Bryan
 
i live in the northern u.s., summer time a axe is not really needed, handy yes. winter time is another story, i wouldn't want to be out and about without a axe.
 
sicily02 said:
I can hardly wait to get the 2 axes I have comming from Brian Andrews place.
they just might replace my GBs. that means making more sheaths for them :D

Bryan
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I hope you post a good comparison of the GBs and Brian's!!!
 
I carry a Gransfors Small Forest Axe and a 12" Ontario machete in my truck and in my car I keep an Estwing hatchet.

I've had to move fallen trees off roads in the back country. I've never had to use the hatchet that I keep in the car.
 
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