propensity to use a hatchet

[SouthernCross]

G'day The Government

What is your propensity to use a small axe or a hatchet when backpacking or hiking in the woods?

Personally I find a hatchet to be a very versatile tool & well worth its weight on extended backing trips into wilderness areas :thumbup:.

My hatchet of choice is the GB mini ( I really don't have a need to fell trees).

Bear in mind though that I know how to use one & don't fear them like others do



Kind regards
Mick

 

[The Government]

:thumbup: Ya, I dont get the irrational fear thing. Something sharp is something sharp. It is just an excuse for them to have more knives.

 

[Kismet]

wait for HollowDweller to chime in before you buy something.

 

[raybadge]

If you're back-packing or hiking, an ax or hatchet are probably too heavy to carry; because you're probably constantly moving, you probably won't have much time to use them; and, if you do, you may be too tired to use them safely.

When I'm camping, especially when it's cold, I like a small forest ax for limbing firewood - the handle length is probably whatever you need to make it easier on your back. I like the hatchet for carving or light spliting.

 

[FortyTwoBlades]

I'm not a huge fan of hatchets as a whole (though I've found antiques here or there that I've liked). I find them too dangerous compared to a full-blown axe or machete, given their greater likelihood to swing into you if you strike a glancing blow. If weight is that big of an issue I'd take a hatchet head and put a true axe-length haft on it. All the safety and extra reach/power, but little extra weight.

 

[OkefenokeeKnives]

Here in the south there is a lot of brush the machete is a better tool than an axe.

 

[WJC01]

Not as cool as a traditional hatchet but light, small and chops nicely. (Plus there's a small knife in the handle!)

 

[FortyTwoBlades]

Here in the south there is a lot of brush the machete is a better tool than an axe.

Between you and me--the South isn't the only backyard with a lot of brush!

Up here in the frozen North there's a ton brush that shoots up under the thick canopy of coniferous trees. In some areas you have little scrubby pines that shoot up to about 8 ft and then die, choking an entire area of woods. And given that a good machete with good technique can easily take down trees as large as 4"-5" in diameter, I rarely find a need for my axes unless I'm doing a lot of dedicated felling and splitting.

Likewise if you head to the far south (South America) you find some of the hardest woods in the world--yet the go-to tool is still a machete. It's not often you just go woodsbumming and have to take out multiple large trees.

 

[RoyalM]

I've got a couple of hatchets but the king of my axes is the Gransfors SFA. Absolutely excellent bit of kit. I use it as a benchmark for all axes I think of buying. For heavy chopping it beats all my big knives hands down.

 

[Mannlicher]

I carry both a folding saw, and a small Wetterlings ax with me when going camping. I prefer those over a 'chopper'. My knives tend to be smaller, and I usually have at leat 4 with me in one form or another.
When I am hiking, just a small knife will do. I carry a Pocket Rocket stove and fuel, and don't make fires. I rarely want to cut cross country anymore, and around the swamps of North Florida, you would exhaust yourself quickly flailing around with a big knife or machete while trying to go through the gallberry, palmetto and vines.

 

[Masteroffajitas]

People have used axes up North here for generations. I wouldn't want to mess up the momentum. There is something about an axe that is very alluring. A machete is no doubt useful, but I don't think it has any heart in it like a wetterlings axe does. Plus it'll also work as a hammer.

 

[Wabajack]

I love em'. Saves weight elsewhere, speeds up my campsite duties and 18-20" axe is also so light I wouldn't notice the difference. My pack weight is very negligible with or without one.

 

[Todd A]

I really like this little guy.. suits my chopping needs,takes up very little space in my bag,and doesn't weigh too much.

 

[cmdionne]

for just general woodsbumming (day hikes etc) I rarely bring a hatchet or axe, but if I'm going to be out several days or I know I'm gonna be making fires I often bring along my 3/4 axe as it's alot more useful than just a hatchet and the weight difference isn't all that much.

I used to throw a hatchet in my daypack, but I would rarely use it, so I don't bring it along all that much. I don't even really bring large chopping knives either, that's just my preference. I find a combination of a folding saw and something I can baton with to be the best for me for just a day hike as I'm capable of preparing firewood should I need to.

 

[Rib Salad]

For decades I used a classic Estwing Sportsman hatchet (with the leather handle) for clearing small trees and brush, but then tried my $16 Cold Steel Light Machete on the same size trees. The machete weighs less, cost less, and got those jobs done much faster and with less energy.

 

[Joezilla]

I LOVE axes and hatchets. I have about 10, and two of them I use almost every other day. The machete does not make up for the hatchet, and I know that. The machete is just more handy in my book. I love a mean hatchet though and respect them to death. There is something about being accurate with a hatchet that makes me all fuzzy inside.