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What Dennis said, an axe to process serious fire wood would be my main issue.
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DennisStrickland
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well axe or knife the most important thing to come from this discussion was the lack of hostility between replyers. in some discussions concerning alloys & blade types the mods had to shut them down since members got off subject & began attacking each other. its pleasant to be in this section w/o a lot of belligerent members going at each other. thanks guys for the fun.
dennis
dennis
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Or this..... for balance Dennis 
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If I could only take one knife I would take a large one even though a small one would be handier for most jobs you could get by useing a big one. If you needed to make shelters in a hurry or emergence a big knife would serve ya well and I think an axe could get ya in trouble on small tasks and if there is no help you could be in trouble.
something like this Hybred Khukuri from Burt Foster would work well
something like this Hybred Khukuri from Burt Foster would work well
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My chopper by Tad Lynch is very similar to that knife by Burt Foster. Mine has a hidden tang in Black Canvas Micarta, with a 10" blade of 52100.
It doesn't really chop as well as my M-43 Kukri, but it would be better in the cold due to the hidden tang. This will work well anyway since i find it more energy efficient to baton the blade through the work rather than chopping at it anyway.
In such a scenario I would most likely be using a modified pole wickiup design for shelter with an internal fire which allows for a lot lower wood requirement for heat.
Yet the knife is still fairly easily used for finer tasks, though nowhere near as deft as a 4-5"er.
It doesn't really chop as well as my M-43 Kukri, but it would be better in the cold due to the hidden tang. This will work well anyway since i find it more energy efficient to baton the blade through the work rather than chopping at it anyway.
In such a scenario I would most likely be using a modified pole wickiup design for shelter with an internal fire which allows for a lot lower wood requirement for heat.
Yet the knife is still fairly easily used for finer tasks, though nowhere near as deft as a 4-5"er.
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There would be no small knife in the PSK allowed in this situation along with the Axe.
Just one edged tool--you choose an Axe,Knife or Saw
Could you do all you needed with an Axe???
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Winter = Axe! IMO anyway. Yeap on the GB Scandinavian Forest. Lots of heat and a good shelter. I'd try to make a bone or flint knife but GB's arevery sharp and can do knife duties. Should beable to make a survival bow with it and bowl.
Much prefer a mid sized knife, a saw, an axe, a pot, fire steel, tarp, water bottle, a tarp, rope and hudson's bay blanket but the list goes on and on....
Much prefer a mid sized knife, a saw, an axe, a pot, fire steel, tarp, water bottle, a tarp, rope and hudson's bay blanket but the list goes on and on....
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Thought a great deal about this as I read the various responses. Could the answers be biased by the fact that this is a blade forum?
In any case, I would definitely take a hatchet. I can build a fire and cover more quickly with this. (I can dig a snow cave if necessary.)
I can make a trap with a hatchet, and clean game. Not well I'll admittedly, but I can get it edible.
Positive Mental Attitude comes with me, ask my friends, I'm quietly sure of myself.
Signaling, I guess if the hatchet or knife was polished, either would work equally well for this.
So my vote goes for the hatchet. But I wouldn't be afraid to go out with a large knife or a kukri.
In any case, I would definitely take a hatchet. I can build a fire and cover more quickly with this. (I can dig a snow cave if necessary.)
I can make a trap with a hatchet, and clean game. Not well I'll admittedly, but I can get it edible.
Positive Mental Attitude comes with me, ask my friends, I'm quietly sure of myself.
Signaling, I guess if the hatchet or knife was polished, either would work equally well for this.
So my vote goes for the hatchet. But I wouldn't be afraid to go out with a large knife or a kukri.
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Mistwalker
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Honestly I don't know...I'm not an axe guy...maybe. I like having a usable point and something that is easily wielded defensively. Can I design my own Tomahawk and have Ryan make it
? If not I'd probably take an RMJ Talon.
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no doubt a hunter's axe. It will process game and fish and allows efficient manufacture of needed shelter, fire and various tools.
If I absolutely had to take a knife, a 9 inch Hukari chopper has been proven succesful in such conditions.
If I absolutely had to take a knife, a 9 inch Hukari chopper has been proven succesful in such conditions.
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This is really a simple question of of considering your priorities. In Alaska during winter, making as comfortable/efficient a shelter as possible and keeping a fire going with the least amount of effort is going to be what keeps you alive. I own a number of HI kukris and a few other large knives - I love them to death, but I'd still take my Gransfors Bruks Scandinavian Forest Axe over them without hesitation. As versatile as a long blade is, it can never physically match the chopping capabilities of an axe - you simply can't get the leverage, concentrated force, and proper two handed swing (more muscle groups = more power and less fatigue) that an axe provides. This means getting a shelter set up more quickly and collecting and processing wood for your fire FAR more efficiently - and that's what will keep you alive in such a scenario.
Also In this proposed situation, it didn't sound like a rifle was part of our kit, so wandering away from warmth and shelter to hunt would just be foolhardy and a total waste of calories. At best, you could maybe venture out to set a few traps, but anything those traps procure is going to be small and could be skinned simply by making a small incision and ripping the fur right off (i.e the knife's superiority in skinning doesn't come into play). As for a knife's other advantages over an axe (like trail clearing, digging and fine carving tasks [I of course mean finer than can be done with a properly sharpened axe]), I'm not really seeing how those would come into play either...
Realistically, you'll be hunkering down in your shelter waiting for rescue, making use of your fat reserves, melting snow/ice for water, and collecting firewood when you can... Doesn't sound like much of a show, but I guess I don't have a Bear Grylls mindset of entertainment over practicality
As far as the chopper vs. axe debate goes in this scenario: IMO, the versatility of a large blade is going to be FAR outweighed by the axe's superior wood processing capabilities. Any other climate and the debate could go either way (I'd generally favor a large knife anywhere else in fact), but here I think the axe has the clear advantage.
Also In this proposed situation, it didn't sound like a rifle was part of our kit, so wandering away from warmth and shelter to hunt would just be foolhardy and a total waste of calories. At best, you could maybe venture out to set a few traps, but anything those traps procure is going to be small and could be skinned simply by making a small incision and ripping the fur right off (i.e the knife's superiority in skinning doesn't come into play). As for a knife's other advantages over an axe (like trail clearing, digging and fine carving tasks [I of course mean finer than can be done with a properly sharpened axe]), I'm not really seeing how those would come into play either...
Realistically, you'll be hunkering down in your shelter waiting for rescue, making use of your fat reserves, melting snow/ice for water, and collecting firewood when you can... Doesn't sound like much of a show, but I guess I don't have a Bear Grylls mindset of entertainment over practicality
As far as the chopper vs. axe debate goes in this scenario: IMO, the versatility of a large blade is going to be FAR outweighed by the axe's superior wood processing capabilities. Any other climate and the debate could go either way (I'd generally favor a large knife anywhere else in fact), but here I think the axe has the clear advantage.
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Hatchula II.
No doubt in my mind, that one would be the way to go. At first I thought, now way I'm choosing anything but an axe. I'm sure I'll spend the majority of my time gathering firewood. However, when you throw in having to build a shelter, using it for food prep, and all around camp chores too, I hate trying to use an axe for fine work. It's just too hefty and goofy. I want something that's easier to control with nowhere near the effort. True, using a chopper knife instead of an axe would make gather firewood more difficult and take longer, but in my eyes, it wouldn't be as dangerous around camp in terms of having an accident.
When I decided it needed to be a big knife, the choice was between the Hatchula and the Hatchula II. The Hatchula, for me, is a better camp knife for just about everything but firewood gathering. The Hatchula II just has that little extra blade, 1.5" that would make a big difference in being able to take down slightly larger timber quicker. The Hatchula is one hell of a chopper, but the Hatchula II just barely out-performs it by being able to chop down larger diameter pieces without having to change swing or position.
No doubt in my mind, that one would be the way to go. At first I thought, now way I'm choosing anything but an axe. I'm sure I'll spend the majority of my time gathering firewood. However, when you throw in having to build a shelter, using it for food prep, and all around camp chores too, I hate trying to use an axe for fine work. It's just too hefty and goofy. I want something that's easier to control with nowhere near the effort. True, using a chopper knife instead of an axe would make gather firewood more difficult and take longer, but in my eyes, it wouldn't be as dangerous around camp in terms of having an accident.
When I decided it needed to be a big knife, the choice was between the Hatchula and the Hatchula II. The Hatchula, for me, is a better camp knife for just about everything but firewood gathering. The Hatchula II just has that little extra blade, 1.5" that would make a big difference in being able to take down slightly larger timber quicker. The Hatchula is one hell of a chopper, but the Hatchula II just barely out-performs it by being able to chop down larger diameter pieces without having to change swing or position.
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My question would be what food prep and what camp chores? Assuming you're in alaskan wilderness in the middle of winter, with little kit and no rifle to hunt with, you have little else you can do but create a shelter (equally doable with an axe or large blade), conserve energy, keep yourself warm with a fire (easier to gather firewood with an axe), and wait for rescue. Sucky sounding yeah, but I'm just being realistic given the scenario...
Also, I don't get all these comments about accidents and tool breakage - it's just as likely to happen with an axe OR a large blade. Regardless what tool you go with, you obviously need to be well versed in safe handling... I guess that sort of goes hand in hand with taking what you're comfortable with though.
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I would go with a 35 inch haft double headed GFB throwing axe .... you can sink one head into a tree or stump and use the other head as a fixed cutting edge .... and for camp chores and small game .... you can work the game around the blade ..... much better than trying to hold a single edged head ..... and the 35 inch haft chops really well.... very able to built a cabin and supply firewood for a month ....
To the people that chose an axe...
Are you able to skin game and do smaller tasks? I've never tried so I don't know. I just ordered a 19'' wetterlings, can't wait to get it.
Based on my experience so far, I'd choose a large fixed blade (around 8-10 inch blade). I'd want something that wouldn't be hard to resharpen. If you have one blade for a month, it's gunna get pretty dull.
Are you able to skin game and do smaller tasks? I've never tried so I don't know. I just ordered a 19'' wetterlings, can't wait to get it.
Based on my experience so far, I'd choose a large fixed blade (around 8-10 inch blade). I'd want something that wouldn't be hard to resharpen. If you have one blade for a month, it's gunna get pretty dull.
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Fda
That's not my experience at all. I've owned a gb mini,a gerber/fiskars, and a cold steel trail hawk. They've all cut as well as a knife and held up well to chopping.
That's not my experience at all. I've owned a gb mini,a gerber/fiskars, and a cold steel trail hawk. They've all cut as well as a knife and held up well to chopping.
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This kind of boggles my mind actually. The scenario is ALASKA in the middle of WINTER. Are the people who are choosing knives, especially small knives, really getting what that means? I can see why someone would choose a saw. I can even see a long thin knife or machete if on the ice to use to dig or cut an igloo. The guys who are choosing choppers knives are IMO not understanding that just to keep warm your going to have to cut several tees down on an ongoing basis just to keep warm. Yeah a busse can take down a tree or two but several trees? You tell an inuit he should be carrying a busse instead of his axe and he's going to laugh at you.