outdoor hatchet/axe

M

ml100

Joined
Jul 19, 2005
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I'm looking for a hatchet/axe to be carried on outdoor trips. So, not to heavy , not to big, but still effective for working with wood. I do have a Fiskars X5 (handle too short), a Cold Steel trail hawk.
What would you recommed? Eastwing, Gransfors, Mora,anything else?
 
My favorite hiking hatchet is a claw hatchet on an rigger's axe handle. Good size and weight and very versatile with the hammer face and claw. If I'm going light for a longer hike I'll go with a Fiskars X7. Not as good but their function:weight ratio is hard to beat.

If you're going in a group and can divide up the heavy items then a boys axe is wonderful. It does a lot more work than any hatchet.

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Square_peg said:
My favorite hiking hatchet is a claw hatchet on an rigger's axe handle. Good size and weight and very versatile with the hammer face and claw. If I'm going light for a longer hike I'll go with a Fiskars X7. Not as good but their function:weight ratio is hard to beat.

If you're going in a group and can divide up the heavy items then a boys axe is wonderful. It does a lot more work than any hatchet.

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That is actually the setup I've had in my head for a while, but been too busy to find claw hatchet head. I can guarantee that setup would be beyond fine for camping chores!
 
If you're thinking Swedish steel, I'd be looking at Husqvarna's multipurpose forest axe, which is made for them by Hults Bruks. Hults own stuff is very nice as well, of course, but a little pricier. I'd stay away from Gransfors, unless you're prepared to seriously overpay... The soft-handed hipsters have decided they are cool, and when you can find them in stock, they are sometimes as much as twice the already exorbitant MSRPs. An alternative would be a Wetterlings, a company which is actually now owned by Gransfors... Many say the quality is identical, save for some finishing details... Although a Hults or even a Hults-made Husqvarna can be just as nice or nicer than a Gransfors, it all comes down to who was building the axes that day.
 
ml100 said:
I'm looking for a hatchet/axe to be carried on outdoor trips. So, not to heavy , not to big, but still effective for working with wood. I do have a Fiskars X5 (handle too short), a Cold Steel trail hawk.
What would you recommed? Eastwing, Gransfors, Mora,anything else?
Click to expand...

Have you looked at the X15? At 23.5" it's still pretty short, but should out-chop the heck out of the X7. I have an X7 and love it, but plan to get an X15 very soon.
 
Thanks for the help. The X15 is simply to heavy. I will decide between a Fiskars X7 and a Hultafors Hunting axe.
 
Remember that the calories used up in carrying a bigger axe will be regained after the first few minutes of use. As well, the weight of an axe is not the same when hiking as it is when you pick it up in a store, it feels much lighter as your adrenaline kicks in.

The difference in weight between a large hatchet (half-axe) and a 3/4 axe (boy's axe) is quite minimal, but the 3/4 axe will do double the work. Not really significant if you're only using it to get finger-sized limbs and split the small rounds you cut with a saw. But if you want to get a lot of wood for fires, are going on longer trips, and want to make shelters/beds then you want the larger axe.

Generally there's no reason to go with a hatchet unless you absolutely have to save that half pound of weight, are in areas where wood collection is a low priority, or are focusing on carving. The shortcomings of the small axe far outweigh any benefits.
 
If you're going to spend 8 hours a day hiking then it might make sense to carry the lighter axe. Of course you can make do without any axe or hatchet when you're backpacking - most hikers do. But if you want something for bushcraft and kindling around camp in the evening a light weight hatchet is good choice.

I cut a nail notch in my X7. I like to carry a few duplex nails with me for hanging things up in camp. Gotta be able to pull them.


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Fiskars%201.jpg
 
Square_peg said:
If you're going to spend 8 hours a day hiking then it might make sense to carry the lighter axe. Of course you can make do without any axe or hatchet when you're backpacking - most hikers do. But if you want something for bushcraft and kindling around camp in the evening a light weight hatchet is good choice.

I cut a nail notch in my X7. I like to carry a few duplex nails with me for hanging things up in camp. Gotta be able to pull them.


562g
Fiskars%201.jpg
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Nice mod. How did you do this?
 
Square_peg said:
I cut a nail notch in my X7. I like to carry a few duplex nails with me for hanging things up in camp. Gotta be able to pull them.
Click to expand...

Nice to see I'm not the only one who likes the duplex nail trick. Right handy to have when it comes to banging together a quick structure or other camping contraption.
 
Square_peg said:
I cut a nail notch in my X7. I like to carry a few duplex nails with me for hanging things up in camp. Gotta be able to pull them.
Click to expand...

ml100 said:
Nice mod. How did you do this?
Click to expand...

First I drew it with a Sharpie. Then I did the rough work with a cutoff wheel on a 4-1/2" angle grinder. I cleaned it up with a knife file. For those unfamiliar with a knife file it's not a file made for knives but rather a file with a knife-edge shape to it - a slender triangle. You could do this work with a cant file or possibly even a half round file. And you could do it all with a file - you wouldn't need a grinder.
 
FortyTwoBlades said:
Nice to see I'm not the only one who likes the duplex nail trick. Right handy to have when it comes to banging together a quick structure or other camping contraption.
Click to expand...

Funny to have you chime in. I learned that trick from your website when reading the description of the Rinadli Carpenter's Hawk.
Ever since then I've kept a few duplex nails in my hiking bag.
 
Square_peg said:
First I drew it with a Sharpie. Then I did the rough work with a cutoff wheel on a 4-1/2" angle grinder. I cleaned it up with a knife file. For those unfamiliar with a knife file it's not a file made for knives but rather a file with a knife-edge shape to it - a slender triangle. You could do this work with a cant file or possibly even a half round file. And you could do it all with a file - you wouldn't need a grinder.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the info
 
The nail slot is handy, but I like a claw to pull tent stakes. Of course, I can live without it on a trail, but most of my camping these days is either simple car camping or full blown primitive, which despite the name, involves more and heavier stakes than anything short of putting up a circus big top :).
 
This is often repeated, and I fear beating a dead horse, but if you have the least bit of the "doer" in you, you should consider the rehab of an old tool. Even if you don't, others can do it for you. I am not offering this personally, but only as an example- I recently refinished and rehung an awesome Collins Dynamicut large hatchet. I got it for $8, it had a beauty of a high centerline 34oz Dayton head on a shapely slim 17" handle. After refinishing it sold for $30 and is the equal of any high priced hatchet sold today. (except for purpose specific stuff like carving hatchets)

You can do it with hand tools, Youtube is your friend, and what prideful ownership when you are done.
 
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