Q for ESEE fans; Hatchet, machete, or big blade?

DH1

DH1

Joined
Nov 8, 2006
Messages
1,481
I know there is no wrong answer to this, but I'd like to hear some opinions on this. It would be for use in woods north of the Mason Dixon, and only ONE can come along on a backpacking/camping trip. Which one would you take?

-Hatchet, no longer than 18" long (like a Wetterlings Hunters Axe)

-Machete, a medium sized one..no longer than say 20" overall

-Large Fixed Blade, think Junglas big...9"-10" blade

Of course you'll also have a small/medium fixed blade and maybe a folder in your pack, but one of the above would be used to process wood and build shelter.
 
i always have a machete handy, and usually my trailmaster... but i'm never north of the mason-dixon...
 
I've used all three pretty extensively and while all three excell at something or another the axe or hatchet is the only one that has ever left me feeling limited.

A chopper is a good middleground between the thin, slashing effectiveness of a machete and the thick, chopping ability of the axe.

Jack of all trades, master of none type of thing.

The machete can also perform all the tasks but not quite as effectively as the chopper.

YMMV.
 
I generally carry at least two of the above with me. I'd recommend a good, sharp machete. I've really been impressed with my new condors over this past winter. previous to that it was all what I now know to be brick-dull Ontarios. They chop well, and can be used to baton logs.

This assume you'll be chopping wood 4-6 inches thick. Anything more, and you really should pack that axe along. Problem with a short camp sized axe is it's not as effective at splitting wood down to small bits, at least not as easily as batoning. This is coming from someone who sways HEAVY to the axe side of the debate.

I'm a fan of big blade choppers, but they seem middle of the road to me... they baton great, but chopping logs isnt as effective as an axe or machete.

The big deciding factors for you will be how much wood you plan to cut up, how fast you need it, and what size it is. Don't overlook the utility of a good $8 bowsaw. they tie to the side of a pack VERY easy. They are worth their weight in gold AND platinum.

Ultra-lite is for girls and old men. :) (there's a 30 pack of beer somewhere in there) 30" bowsaw and a full size axe on my pack-
3796322082_1ba0011b53.jpg
 
I have come to appreciate a machete because they pretty versatile and don't cost as much as a large knife (and a lot of peer pressure).

I used to carry a hatchet but it often ended up being one of the least used items in my pack.
 
I myself would take a large fixed blade like the junglas. The 10" blade can do the work of a machete and is still hefty enough hack through a thick branch with a little work. Best of the 3 for slicing and no wories of breaking a wooden handle.

IMO it's also going to work best on any animal you encounter.. Esecially the kind with 2 legs :eek:
 
i have used my machete for various tasks, and it has done everything i needed it to. even going through small trees. i think the hatchet might be too heavy, but will get the job done quicker. the big blade would probably work very well. so YMMV. but right now i am likin my machete.
 
For overnight/backpacking trips, I take an RC5, an ontario machete and an HB Forge throwing hawk. I don't use the hawk for chopping much, but it's there if the machete comes across something it doesn't want to handle. I use it for throwing... I love dead trees! I believe once budget allows I'll be picking up an RTAK 1 and ditching the RC5/machete combo for lighter trips.
 
It has really come down to this for me... Are you going to be processing lots of firewood? If so, then you will love having a Wetterlings large hunter axe along. You can really process wood well with that, I was out on Wednesday night and cut up a whole pile of 2-inch rounds and about 10 sections of wood 3-5 inches in diameter in a pretty short amount of time.

If, however, you'll only need to chop some, and you are going to be more worried about light chopping work or brush clearing, I'd probably suggest a machete or chopper. Go with your own preference here, these two categories are not at all my expertise. I would take a machete and something along the lines of the ESEE-3 in this situation though. For what it's worth I'd carry a fixed blade of that size no matter what.
 
Hatchet. There are some things an axe just does better than a knife...
 
ESEE and many RAT packers love their machetes. I'm one of them.

But, I'm not going to discount a hatchet either, they have their place. Big chopping knives don't do it for me though, can't put my finger on why I feel this way.
 
Depends on the area IMO. If there's lots of brush I woild take machete. If not, a hatchet. I personally prefer the hatchet but either of the three are just fine if the operator knows what they're doing.
 
I've given the choppers a good trial, original RD-9 and SOD, they just aren't for me. I love to baton, but a large chopper's weight adds nothing to that. I do like a large leuku because it is long, chops okay, batons great. I haven't tried a machete yet, but my ESEE one is on its way. Like Rocketbomb says, an axe only comes when I know I'm going to need wood. E.g. winter camping, an axe will come along as the insurance policy.
 
Vic303 said:
Hatchet. There are some things an axe just does better than a knife...
Click to expand...

While this is very true, there are alot of things that a axe or hatchet can't do at all like brush clearing.

Alot of this has to do with your location. Here in the deep, deep, deep south I almost never encounter hardwoods. A machete or a chopper can blaze through most of the firewood we use here.

Up north where there's less brush and more hardwood, an axe makes alot of sense.
 
I've found wood collection tools to be like fire starters. Best to carry more than one or two methods. If you're collecting a good amount of wood, using diffrent muscle groups goes a long way for sustained collection. Of course, I may just be out of shape :)
 
I have given this question some thought for a long time. I have to say an axe beats down all other options and here's why:

Beside the fact that you can actually build a House with it
It has the best weight transfer for chopping.
You can still baton it through stubborn wood.
A "good" axe should be as sharp as a blade (my Iltis is).
It can be used as a "step" to climb a tree.
and unlike any other, it can be used to Hammer stakes, pegs, or nails with ease.

I'm sure I'm missing other things too, but I sure do like me an axe.:D

My two centavos

Mike
 
My thoughts about carrying a hatchet are being reiterated here for the most part...The weaknesses outweigh the few strengths. I own some old hatchets and for use around the property, it's nice to grab one out of the garage and do whatever with it.

To pack one and hike up a mountain must be a very different thing. Unless it was a prolonged outing, I don't think the extra weight is worth it.

I really like the portability/weight and overall feel of a machete, and more than likely I'll get a Condor Golok soon and if I get along with it, I'll take that camping.
 
It all comes down to personal preference and region.

I live in a huge boreal forest, so the obvious choice for me is an axe. I don't need to do much bush wacking out there, but I do need to do a lot of chopping. An axe is the right tool for that job.

And when I backpack and camp, I like to have big, roaring fires, fueled by real wood. Not little 4" thick logs hacked up and split by an oversized fixed blade - that sort of fire is too much hassle to keep burning big. With a decent sized axe in my pack, I can take down thicker trees, split the wood easier, and do it faster than I ever would be able to with a machete or large knife. Yeah, I'm packing more weight, but in the long run it's worth it. Especially when the entire group is telling you how awesome the fire is, when only a few hours earlier they were saying that carrying an axe on a 20+ hour hike is madness.

I also find an axe very useful when my group decides we want to do some ice fishing. How else are we going to break through 2 feet of ice? I'll admit, I haven't tried it with a machete yet... but I can't imagine one working as well as my axe does to smash through that ice. But that's definately a regional thing! :D

Anyway, if it were up to me, I'd get a Gransfors Bruks Small Forest Axe coupled with a small bushcraft knife. It's the perfect size to throw into your backpack, and will certainly get the job done.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top