Need help with what I should buy!

W_cole

W_cole

Joined
Feb 1, 2016
Messages
451
So my fiance and I are starting to get pretty deep into the Backcountry backpacking game. You know, buying 4 to 5 hundred dollar light weight tents and 2 to 3 hundred dollar sleeping bags... all that jazz.

Well a few days ago we went to Glacier National Park (our backyard) and hiked around. Well we ended up staying a few nights. All was good tell I needed to chop some wood to make a fire and the only knife I had was my CRK Sebenza 21 large Damascus CF.

To be clear I did use my sebenza to baton wood and it worked amazingly. However, it got me thinking that I need a Axe that's small enough to throw in a pack and light enough so I can walk with it for days. Mostly just for chopping wood, maybe a few tent stakes here and there. I'm thinking something that comes with a cover of some sort for the blade of the Axe also.

I'm not an expert by any means on Axes so I figured I would ask you guys and gals what YOU recommend I buy. My buddy uses a Buck Hoodlum for his chopping needs but he's went through 2 of them due to the notch in the blade that they come with on the spine of the blade.

As far as price goes I'm pretty open to any amount. I was thinking anywhere from 200 to 800. Thanks for the help guys.
 
Last edited:
A Skrama and Silky Saw Gomboy 270 will do all the camp stuff and more for the same weight as a hatchet. Them and your EDC will have it all covered.
Here is another convert:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NicYWWI9P2M

Don't be fooled by the price, they are professional tools. I have "sexier" blades but these are what I actually use because they are efficient and quality.
 
Last edited:
Most national parks don't allow you to build fires. I've done a lot of backpacking and always carried a backpacking stove, and a small and very light knife. But I do read a lot here and you can do some reasonable chopping with something easier to carry than an axe.
 
Thanks for the suggestions so far guys. Im definitely open to any type of blade. In GNP you can have fires as long as you're not hacking down trees for firewood. It states on the website that you can have fires in the Backcountry as long as it's dead wood on the ground. They also have designated areas for gathering firewood and they also sell firewood at the local stores.

I'm having trouble deciding if it's easier to pack matches and an Axe or to pack a stove with a couple of bottles.
 
AG Russell has a very small hatchet. I view it as something to do mostly very light chopping (because you have to) and splitting wood.
 
My favorite combo has always been my best grylls survival hatchet and an estwing hammer though I'm replacing the best grylls with a carpenters hatchet due to similar head profile


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
Nobody said tomahawk yet? Cold Steel has the Trail Hawk, which is quite light and handy for basic wood processing and hammering--my 6 year old son uses one. The Rifleman hits harder, but has more weight. I don't know about spending a huge budget on an axe that is gonna get pounded a lot, carried in the wild and possibly lost. I think the Chogan from CRKT would be about the limit of what I would be willing to lose to some sort of oops, but that's just me.
 
Hard to beat the weight and price of the Fiskars X7 hatchet for backpacking. It's so much more useful than a big knife.

That Silky Gomboy 270 that Greenjacket suggested is a real winner, too. A slightly cheaper alternative that's almost as good is the Tajima 240 folding saw.

Also, check out the 13" modified Corona saw that this fellow made, 5th image.

https://backpackinglight.com/forums/topic/85117/
 
If the ambience of an open fire is important to you then a saw and a fixed blade (for splitting the wood) will work well. An ax comes into play when you are going to be doing a lot of chopping and splitting, otherwise it looses its cost/benefit. Your park will probably ban open fires during part of the year, so, a stove might be better if you want to pack 3 seasons.
 
22-rimfire said:
AG Russell has a very small hatchet. I view it as something to do mostly very light chopping (because you have to) and splitting wood.
Click to expand...

The AG Russel hatchet is just a restamped Chinese marbles hatchet.

Get the Vaughan sub zero.
Search here for the " the mini hatchet " thread and it'll tell you all you need to know about the Vaughan.
 
marcinek said:
Any evidence to back that claim up? Because AG Russell's site says it is made in Taiwan.
Click to expand...

I thought the marbles hatchet was made in China, anyways my only proof is that I've seen both and they're identical.
It even has the little riged eye, and folding guard.
If you google the at Russell pocket safety axe your eventually see a pic of it and the marbles underneath that pic.
 
The lightest currently produced hatchets are the Vaughan Sportsman's Axe, Gransfors Bruks Small Hatchet or better known as the Mini hatchet, Moore Maker double bit axe, Knives of Alaska Hunters Hatchet, Karesuando Kniven Unna Aksu Hunting Axe, and Condor Scout Hatchet.

23636243963_af6cb1ac46_h.jpg


If you want something ready to go out of the box the Gransfors Bruks is probably the way to go. I would argue that the Vaughan with a little work and a new sheath would outperform it though at the cost of a weaker handle.

24280166615_d649fffbe9_h.jpg


As for stoves I've switched to and alcohol setup since I can bring only what fuel I need, don't have to deal with canisters, and it's not a bother to bring even when I plan to cook on a fire. I've settled on a variation of the SuperCat since its the lightest stove, it works very well, and I have two cats. It's nice to have the option for times when you just want to cook quickly, or have a coffee without getting a fire going and waiting for coals or building a pot hook.



Personally I don't like processing wood with a saw so if I am going to carry a tool to process wood it's and axe of some sort. Otherwise I tend to break wood down in the crotch of a tree or on the edge of a large rock. If you stick with manageable sized wood then splitting isn't required.
 
Hacked said:
The lightest currently produced hatchets are the Vaughan Sportsman's Axe, Gransfors Bruks Small Hatchet or better known as the Mini hatchet, Moore Maker double bit axe, Knives of Alaska Hunters Hatchet, Karesuando Kniven Unna Aksu Hunting Axe, and Condor Scout Hatchet.

23636243963_af6cb1ac46_h.jpg


If you want something ready to go out of the box the Gransfors Bruks is probably the way to go. I would argue that the Vaughan with a little work and a new sheath would outperform it though at the cost of a weaker handle.

24280166615_d649fffbe9_h.jpg


As for stoves I've switched to and alcohol setup since I can bring only what fuel I need, don't have to deal with canisters, and it's not a bother to bring even when I plan to cook on a fire. I've settled on a variation of the SuperCat since its the lightest stove, it works very well, and I have two cats. It's nice to have the option for times when you just want to cook quickly, or have a coffee without getting a fire going and waiting for coals or building a pot hook.



Personally I don't like processing wood with a saw so if I am going to carry a tool to process wood it's and axe of some sort. Otherwise I tend to break wood down in the crotch of a tree or on the edge of a large rock. If you stick with manageable sized wood then splitting isn't required.
Click to expand...

Don't overthink the small eye of the Vaughan sub zero, just look at a 14oz ball peen hammer and think of how much abuse that can take👍
 
Good that you are realistic about this and mention a stove. These are reliable when the wind is high or the surroundings are soaked during/after a storm. Boiling of drinking water (and for tea/coffee/soup) along the way is a heck of a lot easier and faster to do via a butane or white gas stove then gathering up wood and building a hot enough fire to do the same thing 2, 3 times a day . A Japanese tooth pattern arborist saw (folding version) will quickly allow you to gather enough firewood to enjoy evening fires when it's cold or the day is over.
 
Hickory n steel said:
I thought the marbles hatchet was made in China, anyways my only proof is that I've seen both and they're identical.
It even has the little riged eye, and folding guard.
If you google the at Russell pocket safety axe your eventually see a pic of it and the marbles underneath that pic.
Click to expand...

And if you go to AG Russell's site it says Taiwan. Just because it looks like the Marbles axe doesn't mean it is one.

Unless you feel AG Russell is lying.
 
I love my "Nathan the Machinist Light Chopper" and would put it up against most tasks that a hatchet would be used. I imagine it's light weight would be less than any hatchet + a field knife and with the light chopper, you would have practically two tools in one. The only down side is they are difficult to get right now, though I believe supply will improve in time. Read about it on the forum. It is an impressive knife.
 
marcinek said:
And if you go to AG Russell's site it says Taiwan. Just because it looks like the Marbles axe doesn't mean it is one.

Unless you feel AG Russell is lying.
Click to expand...

I thought the marbles was made in China, but I guess not.
The marbles and AG Russell hatchet are absolutely the same thing as they're 100% identical.
( Google it, and they even call it the pocket safety axe just like marbles because that's what it is )

Sorry for the misunderstanding, I wasn't saying that AG Russel was lying ( obviously I was wrong about country of origin ) , but trust me they're the exact same tool.

After googling it again I saw a 100th anniversary marbles safety axe and it was actually made by AG Russell, so the marbles hatchet is actually an at Russel copy of the marbles and not the other way around.
 
Last edited:
I'm in the same situation. Ultralight backpacker looking for belt axe/ Tennesee belt axe/ or bag axe as they pretty much all mean the same thing. In your price range, I would just do a hand forging search on internweb and you'll find a few axe makers that scratch forge to your specs. Or, buy a $35 marbles single bit that is the old version replica with metal blade guard. Remove the axe head and build your own handle. Anything smaller than this axe head is not going to chop and ends up being used as an overweight knife. Google Mini Axe and Gransfors and Wetterlings have what you need but a little too heavy for ultralight backpacking.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top