- Joined
- Mar 3, 2006
- Messages
- 7,132
Swinging a hatchet is not safer than using a baton even when done "right". This is obvious so I won't even argue the point further. Also, it doesn't take more energy. The only way that splitting with a hatchet is easier is if you have nicely sawn ends where you can stand the log on end and chop through in one go. That means lugging around yet another tool to saw those ends. If you don't have those nicely sawn ends then your either splitting from the side which reguires more energy or you baton the hatchet. Then it's the same.
I think when people think of batoning there's a problem with scale. I'm not batoning my knife through a cord of wood to heat my house for the winter. I'm batoning A log to get a few handfulls of kindling. Why bring a 20 ounce hatchet to do what a 4 ounce knife can do? Even car camping where I can bring whatever I want as I'm not concerned with weight, I bring a Scrapyard 711. It's proven to be WAY more efficient and faster then a hatchet. On an order of magnitude of at least twice as fast. Frankly it amazed me how fast the first time I did it. You guys can poopoo this all you want but to me it's an obvious winner for the type of wood work I do. For car camping at least.
And to all the guys who say "the right tool for the job." I just laugh at that now. If a 4 ounce, stick tang, <3/32" thick mora can do the job efficiently and without breakage then how is a 20 ounce hatchet the "right tool?" Maybe it's the right tool if you go to the woods to get a workout. I go to the woods to relax so lugging around the extra weight isn't my bag.![]()
This is a well thought out post by Shotgun. Up here, a number of people die each year because they couldn't be bothered by the weight of a knife, never mind an axe or hatchet. Truth be told, you can fell a 3" sapling with a Mora and a bit of skill. Don't get me wrong, hatchets and axes have their place, just not on a day hike, when most cases of lost hikers occur.