The importance of the axe

Gaurdian_A1

Gaurdian_A1

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I really believe that when in the wilderness it is very important to carry an axe or hatchet with you depending on how much weight you like to carry when out and about...as it is important to carry a good knife..

When i go out on day trips i carry a small hatchet with me as well as whatever FB i carry with me that day..on Youtube, a few of the well known gear reviewers dont think an axe is needed when going into the wild at all..They say that carrying a good sized survival knife such as a fallkniven A2 or ontario RTAK 2 etc is the way to go..saying that you spend less energy chopping/processing wood with a survival knife than an axe or hatchet. I dont agree.

If you had to go out into the wilderness with one or the other i an see how somone would prefer the knife over the axe....depending. If you chose the axe and had a good folding knife with you i think that the axe is a better choice all around...especially in a survival situation.

What is/are everyones personal preferences? Where i'm from, a good axe is a must have in wilderness living/outdoor activities...But so is having a good quality knife.

I just think it will be interesting to see what everyone has to say about this seeing as how we are al knife nuts...but you cant deny the importance of a good axe...
 
A saw and a knife where I live, and sometimes a bolo machete. If I lived in the North Woods, I might lean more towards the axe.

Where you live, the weather and terrain have a lot to do with your choices.
 
The knife and axe have a lot of cross over. Depending on your skill with one or the other would indicate which one may be better used.

For me I think the belt axe can be wielded safer in the job of a knife than visa versa, using the knife for a job better suited to a belt axe would, in my case, cause a bit of bleeding.

I often carry the GB mini Belt Axe, a folding saw, Silky F 180, and various fixed blades.
 
I personally prefer a hatchet where I live but a "survival" knife would be fine too. Something like a kukri or Busse type. In the summer time though, a pocket knife is all I need. I've never needed a fixed blade. I just carry one because I like them.
 
I think a quality folding saw is a more appropriate choice for my bio-region.

Sure, it isn't as "cool" or maybe even as fun. But it's a lot easier and smaller to carry. Sure it couldn't hold a candle to a large axe, but it isn't practical to carry a large axe into the woods for a day-hike like I can a medium sized folder saw.

I could probably build myself and emergency shelter just as fast wit either, so other variables then come into play - such as portability & weight.

One "edge" I will give to a small hatchet over a folding saw is versatility though, which is paramount if you pack lightly.

But again, I feel I have my bases covered(within reason) by carrying a Mora and a folding saw combo.

Machetes? In North America? Meh - you can keep em. I'd take a hatchet/axe over those any day, and twice on sunday.
 
midnite-penguin said:
Machetes and Bolos? In North America? Meh - you can keep em. I'd take a hatchet/axe over those any day, and twice on sunday.
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That's because you don't live in Southern California. My Bolo is lighter than an axe or a hatchet, cuts wood efficiently, acts as a draw knife when needed, clears brush and batons like a champ. It replaces a large knife for me.

A medium fixed blade, a Silky saw and a bolo are all I need out here. YMMV.
 
i always carry a short machete in my pack,though i have a baby hatchet and ususally a 6" blade,i tend to do most everything with my machete.
 
I wouldn't deny the importance of a decent ax for the sole reason that it may go some way toward stopping vandalism. One just doesn't often see the insecurity driven wasteful thrashing at perfectly good live trees with an ax that one does with knives. In the main it seems people at least on some level know axes work.

Other than that it is just down to where you're at, when you're at there, your level of incompetence with a given tool and your goals. For my goals for most of the year here a billhook would do better than any knife or ax. I usually opt for a golok because of versatility but I'm well aware of what the billhook can beat it, the knife, and the ax at. I calculate and make a sacrifice accordingly. It would take an ignoramus to argue with me that I should have picked the other one. In other instances I choose the ax over everything else.

This is one of those instances at which facts and good solid observation statements are usually dwarfed my the other factors: Blinkered people that believe everyone lives in the same kinda terrain they do. Speculations about terrain they've never even seen. Artificially neatened and tidied little packets of information distorted so they are easy to pass on by some guru or would be instructor / self-publicist. People that believe others are as incompetent with a tool as they are And so on.

One thing is for sure, we all vary a lot in what we consider acceptable. I watched a video the other day of some pleb beating on a log with a big popular overpriced hype knife. He whacked and he whacked and he wailed. He changed hands twice. At the end he panted something about it being a great knife into the microphone. I just laughed at him. Others pick up an ax and you can smell the fear, like it was going to drag them home to mommy and give her the 40 whacks. Those people should probably avoid using an ax unsupervised.

Last, I think modern materials and saws have the potential to confound all what people believe to be best. On that, anyone that thinks of any of these tools in isolation and not part of a tool kit should probably be ignored.
 
Howdy,

Out here in the North West, the axe is king for outdoor use in the Cascade Mountains.

I like a good axe or hatchet, depending on weight requirements, and a good fixed blade knife with blade 4 1/2" or less.
 
baldtaco-II said:
Last, I think modern materials and saws have the potential to confound all what people believe to be best. On that, anyone that thinks of any of these tools in isolation and not part of a tool kit should probably be ignored.
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:thumbup:

If I were building a log cabin, I would probably want an axe — and a chainsaw — but I'm not. I've experimented and gotten my kit the way it works for me, and has for many years.

I have absolutely nothing against axes. I have several, and they're fun to play with, but I have no need for one around here, so why add the extra weight?
 
i live in bc and grew up with the notion that one should always have an axe/hatchet when out. the idea was kinda drilled into my brain by my dad ever since i was a kid.

i usually carry a folding saw, hatchet and fixed blade when im in the woods. if i want to move quick and light i'll drop the hatchet and carry just the folding saw and fixed blade. however, i will bump the size of the fixed blade from 4-5" to 7-8".


if i'm out for anything longer than a day i'll have an axe or a hatchet.
 
I completely agree that there are different tools for different kinds of climates..I also agree that wilderness tool selection depends on your level of skill and competence...
 
Bushman5 said:
here in BC the ax is king.
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And I can see why it would be, given the kind of woods you have, and what your winters are like. If I lived there, I'd be carrying an axe, too. Around here, we just don't have the same set of circumstances.
 
baldtaco-II said:
This is one of those instances at which facts and good solid observation statements are usually dwarfed my the other factors: Blinkered people that believe everyone lives in the same kinda terrain they do. Speculations about terrain they've never even seen. Artificially neatened and tidied little packets of information distorted so they are easy to pass on by some guru or would be instructor / self-publicist. People that believe others are as incompetent with a tool as they are And so on.
Click to expand...

Great statement!

There are many ways to approach a problem in the outdoors and no blanket statements or truncated equipment list will cover all bases with the most efficiency.

Often time where one piece of equipment may excel for technical reasons or another, the users familiarity,training and skill may tip interfere with this and make another piece of equipment optimum.

Simple statements like - whenever you go out into the wild you should carry x....are always going to be rubbish. X may be good here, it may not be good there and it may be good here with John W but not for John Q. Finally, lets not forget that people go out into the wilds with different equipment sets and these will re-parameterize what is needed.

Consider the typical backpacker who hauls on their back a shelter and stove. Do they even need a chopper of any type? They've circumvented the need for a chopper because they already provided a solution for sleeping, cooking and warmth. Even just bring shelter materials radically reduces your need for wood if heating requirements are minimal and fire is only required for cooking. All depends on circumstances.

In the end, I think that axes + a good buck saw are preferred tools for processing large quantities of wood. However, I rarely ever find myself needing a large quantity of wood. Its a pretty rare bird who goes out and really behaves like Nesmuk now days, making their shelter, provisioning heat, purifying water all with the aid of fire and foraged wood on site.

Also consider that in a survival situation, the thinking is not what is the best piece of gear to have in case xx happens. The thinking is what is the least pain in the ass piece of gear to carry around with me just in case xx happens. Optimum performance is routinely compromised for simplicity when the odds of something happening are low.
 
kgd said:
Great statement!

There are many ways to approach a problem in the outdoors and no blanket statements or truncated equipment list will cover all bases with the most efficiency.

Often time where one piece of equipment may excel for technical reasons or another, the users familiarity,training and skill may tip interfere with this and make another piece of equipment optimum.

Simple statements like - whenever you go out into the wild you should carry x....are always going to be rubbish. X may be good here, it may not be good there and it may be good here with John W but not for John Q. Finally, lets not forget that people go out into the wilds with different equipment sets and these will re-parameterize what is needed.

Consider the typical backpacker who hauls on their back a shelter and stove. Do they even need a chopper of any type? They've circumvented the need for a chopper because they already provided a solution for sleeping, cooking and warmth. Even just bring shelter materials radically reduces your need for wood if heating requirements are minimal and fire is only required for cooking. All depends on circumstances.

In the end, I think that axes + a good buck saw are preferred tools for processing large quantities of wood. However, I rarely ever find myself needing a large quantity of wood. Its a pretty rare bird who goes out and really behaves like Nesmuk now days, making their shelter, provisioning heat, purifying water all with the aid of fire and foraged wood on site.

Also consider that in a survival situation, the thinking is not what is the best piece of gear to have in case xx happens. The thinking is what is the least pain in the ass piece of gear to carry around with me just in case xx happens. Optimum performance is routinely compromised for simplicity when the odds of something happening are low.
Click to expand...

+1, great thoughts in there kgd.
 
can´t wait to show you pics of these peruvian axes when I get back! Wow! talk about used!
 
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