What is your favorite wilderness axe or hatchet?

B

backpacker

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Oct 2, 2000
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What is your favorite backcountry wilderness axe or hatchet? Please specify the manufacturer and why.
 
Right now it's the Gransfor Bruks Hunters axe..It is a pleasure to carry in my day pack and has a wonderfully sharp edge...Iv'e used it to skin a few species of big game the polished poll really skins 'em quick. I have the Small Forest Axe by GB also it will get put thru it's paces come brake-up..They cost a little more but I think for their quality it's a bargin.
 
i also carry the gransfors bruks huters axe, it is just the right size for packing, skins and processes game very well. will do the camp chores well, and in a bad situation build shelters. it is a dandy little item.

alex
 
Eswing hatchet. I've used one for Demo for years, and I'm very comfortable with it. While not the biggest badaxe on the block, it's cheap, and easy to carry. It'll get the job done, eventually.
 
I'm a Gransfors Bruks Scandinavian Forest Axe kinda guy. Nice edge temper, and the balance is perfect for me. When that's too big, the GB Small Forest Axe goes along.
 
My old reliable Snow & Neally Hudson Bay ax. I think the long handle is safer and the Hudsons Bay head design is optimal, but the axe is not so big I won't throw it in the gearpile. If I ever lost it, I'd probably replace it with the Granfors Small Forest Axe. Worked on a road and bridge crew in my youth and cut more trees and brush with axes/slingblades/machetes than most folks...I don't really care much for hatchets for anything but splitting fatwood. I vastly prefer even a short axe. I purposely bought my main backpack big enough to easily accomodate both the Hudsons Bay axe and a Tramontina machete or my LTC Kukri.
 
If you review some of Cliff Stamp's tests, I think that you will see the value in the Gransfors Bruks. I probably use the Wildlife Hatchet the most but if I could chose only one, it would most likely be the Scandinavian Forest Axe. See www.gransfors.com

I also like the hawks made by Two Hawks and frequently praised in the axe & hawk forum. www.2hawks.net
 
New - go GB to avoid handle wood grain/alignment problems if buying mail order. If you can choose the axe from many - then any thin bladed axe will do if it suits you. You'll end up with a GB in the end because they are as good as everyone says.
The hunters, small forest, or Scandinavian Forest axe will serve one handed as a hatchet, and will be much safer for strenuous chopping than the hatchet. But once you have one - you'll want their hatchets too...
 
Jimbo, which would you choose for back country travel with a backpack, the wilderness hatchet or the small forrest axe?

Everybodies comments well be appreciated!
 
My BK&T combat/util 7.

Used it today to chop and wack at stuff...my 'hatchet' just got retired.
 
Backpacker,

I don't want to cut off Jimbo's response to your question because he's had a lot more experience with axes than I have. However, I would probably not take the Small Forest Axe backpacking unless I planned on doing a LOT of chopping. I believe it weighs almost a pound (maybe only 12 ounces) more than the Wildlife Hatchet and the longer handle is a little tougher to pack. Of course, if you plan to build shelters or chop wood for a large group of backpackers, the extra weight and bulk might be justified. (Furthermore, I'm an old, fat boy who needs to keep pack weight down. You may be young and strong enough that it doesn't matter as much.)
 
What is the forum's opinion of the uluchet? Is it a 'toy" compared to Gransfor , for example, or is it serious worthy tool in its own right?

Martin
 
Sorry to have been busy for a while..
Backpacker - it depends on the conditions that I'd be likely to meet. Late fall and winter here can be pretty desperate if you can't chop up and split larger wood. Normally though a hatchet would get you by IF you've used it a bunch. Add a 9.7oz saw like the Sawvivor and you'd be in good shape though - and have two tools.
My biggest concern with the hatchet is safety, because if you try to make it an axe by overpowering then it's no longer safe. Going slightly larger to the the small forest axe which can be used two handed with less fatigue, or adding a saw overcomes the problem.
I'm getting ready to try a light head with a longer handle to see if a long handled hatchet used two handed would be an improvement over the regular hatchet - like Neolyth over on Plainsman's forum.
Your best advice will come from yourself. If you can go out a few times after rain, and get a fire going easily -if you are safety conscious, if you choose your spot for wood rather than choosing a pretty spot with little wood, and so forth.
So under what conditions are you going out, with how many people, and will you be building shelters - as DWK pointed out?
 
The Uluchet is a much smaller axe than any of the GB line except maybe the new belt axe, which I have not used. The Uluchet also has an edge that is designed for an overall tool, including bone chopping. The GB axes are just wood working tools so that has to be kept in mind. You will see more edge durability on the Uluchet and a higher light cutting ability with the GB. It isn't a toy by any means, it is a serious product.

-Cliff
 
Thank you for your reply, Cliff. Yes, "toy " is not correct term nor did I intend insult. I have familiarity only with much bigger axes and saws from my youth, Uluchet is almost exact opposite of understanding of ax use. But it is very interestng design and concept, perhaps I should save and buy one before summer .

Thank you

Martin
 
See www.silverstar.com/turnermfg You can discuss the tool with the maker, PJ Turner (very knowledgeable and nice guy) at 800-638-9969.

I've used the Uluchet to prepare food and bust up turkeys, chickens, etc. I've also split kindling with it. It is a very handy little tool. (Unfortunately, I have not yet had it on a successful hunting trip.)

The convex grind is razor sharp and holds an edge impressively. PJ knows how to treat D2. However, as Cliff noted, the edge geometry is not ideal for chopping soft wood. The GB hatchets will do that work more efficiently. From what I've heard and read (and from my camp and kitchen experience with it), the Uluchet really excels as a hunter's tool, with the camp hatchet function being secondary. It skins more efficiently than many cleavers and knives. The handle folds out to allow you to break pelvic bones, remove legs, split the spine, etc. The optional kydex sheath is one of the nicest I've seen and very reasonable. Overall, I'm quite pleased with the Uluchet.
 
If I had to carry it, I'd go with a 3/4 size Hudson's Bay ax. If I wasn't concerned about weight I'd take my heavier Iltis single bit. In the boreal regions, you want a tool that can cut hardwood, and if you're out in inclement conditions -- like the -30 temperatures we had this week in northern Alberta -- you are going to need lots of firewood. Also, if you're in coastal rainforest like Kitimat, where Jimbo hails from, you need a tool so you can break apart wet wood to get to the (relatively) dry interior. (Also, lots of gas helps there:) )
 
Hi Ed!
We're getting a sampling of your Alberta weather here! The oolichan are in on the Skeena and we were out watching the eagles last Friay night. If this weather keeps up, then oolichan fishing is sure going to be tough for people this year.
 
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