Large Survival Knife vs. Axe/Hatchet

S

Schubie

Joined
Jan 4, 2009
Messages
10
hey there, i will be doing a lot of camping/backpacking this summer and had planned on getting a medium sized hatchet, but after doing more and more looking was considering getting a large survival knife instead.
as most of my cutting would be with a saw and the primary use for the hatchet would be for splitting wood and taking small limbs off of the trees.

i already made a thread about hatchet recomendations
http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=627053

but am now second guessing what to get, i have been looking at something like an Ontario RTAK 2, Ontario Rat-7 or a full size KA-BAR.

what are your guys thoughts on the subject?
 
This has been discussed in many threads in the Wilderness & Survival Skills forum. I think you can use Google to search it if you don't have access to the BF search function.

I have a smaller Becker and agree that the BK-9 would be one good option.

DancesWithKnives
 
dawsonbob said:
Becker BK-9 would be my choice.
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thanks, thats another one i have been looking at, but would you point me in that direction over a axe/hatchet?

DWK2 said:
This has been discussed in many threads in the Wilderness & Survival Skills forum. I think you can use Google to search it if you don't have access to the BF search function.

I have a smaller Becker and agree that the BK-9 would be one good option.

DancesWithKnives
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thanks :)
ill take a look over there and see what they have to say.

Shabada said:
Nutnfancy did a video discussing this issue: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G-M78KIy19E&feature=related. It's a good watch and should help you with your decision :thumbup:
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i have seen that and it is one of the reasons i have re-considered.
 
I think nut'n fancy really missed the mark with that video.

No once suggesting you carry a fullsize axe, or that you leave the saw behind. what he was doing with the axe is'nt a realistic survival situation. a smaller hawk sized axe or hatchet will split wood, clear limbs, hammer and be useful for tons of other bushcraft projects. if complimented with a smaller 4 inch knife for more detailed work you will have a more capable, albeit heavier setup.

that being said big knives are a fine choice too. Don't spend too much time trying to decide, you'll end up with both soon enough if you stick around here. run while you can.
 
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I would look for a vintage Buck Knives #106 Ax. The things are tough as nails. We used one to cut up a deer, cutting the pelvic bone, etc. We used a gerber axe and the blade was mangled just trying to cut the pelvic bone, so if it got mangled on that, I am sure it would not hold up too well in camp ( my large gerber ax edge did not hold up just chopping wood either, what are the odds I got 2 lemons ??? The edges were flat on both afterwards !). I got my buck ax out and it never had a scratch on it after completing it. You can get one for $100-$150. Like anything, you only get what you pay for. I have used it for cutting kindling wood, clearing blinds, etc. They definately have :thumbup::thumbup: here !!!
 
Munky88 said:
I think nut'n fancy really missed the mark with that video.
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That video is flat out horrible, and completely in error for the most part. An ax does not use more energy than a knife/pack saw combo. He uses the wrong ax for the job (a splitting ax is not well suited for the job). His technique is horrible (which he admits to). Also, for almost any scenario except going off the grid, there is no need to be processing trees that size. Are you going to build a fire or a log cabin?
 
An Estwing hatchet is pretty cheap. Buy both and let us know what works best for you.
 
Good advice. You really need to try both approaches to determine which works best for you. I've carried a Busse Basic 9 and Vic SAK Rucksack on some outdoor trips, while on others I've used a GB mini hatchet and the SAK. There were differences but I got both to do what needed to be done. For backpacking I don't usually carry a big blade or hatchet. Usually a Silky saw and light knife. Sometimes only the saw on the SAK.

DancesWithKnives
 
It's just going to come down to personal preference and environment. My advice is to take a good SAK with you to the woods always, and then alternate between taking a big blade or axe/hatchet. Each time try to use just the big blade or axe, and gauge to see if you feel like you're 'missing' something. This is the quickest way to learn your tastes.

What sorts of activities do you do in the woods? Are they actual woods or in your location are their more 'plains' or marsh? What types of woods are near you? Are you comfortable 'batoning' your big blade? What types of woodworking/bushcraft do you do? How experienced are you with hatchets/axes?
 
Schubie,

If I'm hiking or hunting away from my vehicle and may well be bush-whacking off trail in milder weather, I prefer a chopper, rather than an axe. The difference is that the chopper can clear bush, like a machete, and still perform the wood chopping required for camp or firewood, albeit, not as well in processing wood, but does work adequately. It's a weight/function compromise.

I use the chopper for clearing trails and shooting lanes, which often is just light brush that the hatchet does not clear as easily. However, if camp is more stationary with more folks and vehicle access, a large hatchet or axe is more efficient for firewood processing.

That being said, I would go for a large chopper, rather than a mid-sized blade, with a good sized 9 inch or more blade to facilitate that work - i.e. Browning Comp, Becker BK9, Busse Mistress, Dogfather, Kuk, Outcast, Kabar Bowie, etc. Again, I like to have one that can both clear brush and split wood.

Hope this helps,

B
 
I'll take a hatchet over a large fixed blade every time. Then again, if I lived down south, I might feel different.
 
I'd also take a hatchet over a large fixed blade any day. My gransfors hatchet functions beautifully at being a hatchet and a knife. Plus I feel like I have more versatility, power, and control with it. Also, it doesn't give my hand a beating like when I try to use fixed blades as choppers.
 
Schubie said:
hey there, i will be doing a lot of camping/backpacking this summer and had planned on getting a medium sized hatchet, but after doing more and more looking was considering getting a large survival knife instead.
as most of my cutting would be with a saw and the primary use for the hatchet would be for splitting wood and taking small limbs off of the trees.

i already made a thread about hatchet recomendations
http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=627053

but am now second guessing what to get, i have been looking at something like an Ontario RTAK 2, Ontario Rat-7 or a full size KA-BAR.

what are your guys thoughts on the subject?
Click to expand...


Depends on what you plan on doing on the trail. If you need a great deal of chopping power... I'd take a fullsized axe and smaller utility fixed blade in the 5 to 6 inch range. If you're going to be doing only light chopping but lots of utility work then a large fixed blade plus something like a leatherman would be the choice. Most large fixed blades that I like (Like a Busse FBM) can do the same amount of chopping that a hatchet can but I find are funtional at many more tasks than a hatchet.. but nothing beats and Axe for raw chopping power.
 
By definition, if you knew a true survival situation was imminent, you would avoid it. That means that when a survival situation comes about, you will have to cope with it using the tools immediately at hand, and quite possibly the ones you were wearing on your person at the time.

Therefore, whether big knife or axe, it should be of a size that you can get in the habit of wearing. For me personally, that tops out at an 8" blade of less than a pound or so. Given a chance to select my tool, I would opt for a medium size poled axe, but then that chance isn't likey to happen in a true survival situation.
 
You can always make a compromise and get a kukri. It's half big knife half axe. Cold steel make a couple of cheap and nearly indestructible kukris, you're not gonna be out too much money if you don't like it.
 
Schubie said:
hey there, i will be doing a lot of camping/backpacking this summer and had planned on getting a medium sized hatchet, but after doing more and more looking was considering getting a large survival knife instead.
as most of my cutting would be with a saw and the primary use for the hatchet would be for splitting wood and taking small limbs off of the trees.

i already made a thread about hatchet recomendations
http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=627053

but am now second guessing what to get, i have been looking at something like an Ontario RTAK 2, Ontario Rat-7 or a full size KA-BAR.

what are your guys thoughts on the subject?
Click to expand...

first off, before i can make a good suggestion you'll have to say what kind of terrain or where you'll be hiking. that will allow for a better suggestion.

however if i was backpacking in my neck of the woods, i'd probably be taking a hatchet with me. i usually pack a hatchet, folding saw, and a fixed blade on long trips. in summer i like to pack my golok instead of the hatchet because i dont have to deal with frozen wood (that being said the golok will still chomp on frozen wood).

a full size ka-bar imo is not really a chopping knife. the blade is far too light. the rat 7 might give you a bit more of an edge however, its not quite the length for chopping. the rat 7 imo would be more of an all round survival knife, and when comboed with a folding saw would serve fine splitting up kindling by batonning.

i have an ontario rtak 2 and to be honest, its a really heavy bulky blade and i'd rather me carrying my hatchet. again just my personal experience.

if i was doing a short trek and establishing a long term base camp i would pack my gransfor bruks small forest axe.

car camping i'd pack the gransfor bruks scandanavian forest axe.

and for long distance hiking/trekking i'd pack either my fiskars hatchet or my golok depending on time of year.

as for your other post, i dont think i'd really trust myself with such a dinky little axe from mec. its too small to take swings with and it'll be your forearm doing the work not the weight of the axe through the swing.

same goes for the timberline mini axe. that one looks like its meant more for skinning and processing game then it is for chompin into hard wood. again because of the nature of the short axe it'll be your arms doing most of the work not the axe.


my suggestion to you as a kind of a "jack of all trades" solution is the get the becker bk-9. you'll have a 9 inch blade that can do chopping and limbing and it also comes with a smaller knife for finer work. combo that with a decent folding saw and you're in business :)


cheers.

JC
 
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