View Full Version : Hatchets
Anyone ever carry a small hand hatchet on short backcountry trips?
Just Bill
09-11-2014, 10:03
Yes, but I prefer a good knife these days.
My dad was kind/foolish enough to purchase some of these- http://www.randallknives.com/knives/model-19-bushmaster/
On canoe trip, a decent short handle axe is nice, remote portage trails are often neglected and it's hard to hop a tree with a canoe on your back.
A lightweight saw is generally most effective really for many hikers, likely a better choice regarding weight.
Backpacking light did a few hatchet friendly articles awhile back, but generally the conceded the choice was more of a romantic one than practical. Also the choice was driven a bit by the author's frequent role as a guide, so the option to skip a fire wasn't there and a hatchet/knife/saw is needed in these cases.
With practice- you can learn to baton wood with UL knives.
I've found something like this to be a decent compromise, but a folding knife can work too-
http://www.amazon.com/Light-Fire-FireKnife-Stainless-FireSteel/dp/B007BO9G1W
flemdawg1
09-11-2014, 10:11
No, it's heavy and the time required to build, watch and extinguish fires made with larger wood pieces is more than I typically want. If i build a fire in the backcountry I use small pieces of down dead stuff that can be broken by hand.
Just Bill
09-11-2014, 10:12
You can use something like this too-
http://www.amazon.com/Buck-283BK-Bantam-Folding-Knife/dp/B000EI0VVQ/ref=pd_sim_sg_1?ie=UTF8&refRID=0ZTETRDY7DANNN4RW88W
The trick is to drive the point of the knife into a log or sturdy base material. Then tap your sticks into the blade to baton. By doing this you don't damage the fragile tip or knife body by pounding on the knife. Drive the wood into the blade, not the blade into the knife. Tap lightly to set the wood, then once set, hold the blade upright with one hand while you use your tapping stick to drive the wood.
This trick works well with any small folding UL knife such as a leatherman, swiss army classic, etc. With practice you can split 1.5" wood into kindling easily. With the knife mounted like this you can also pull wood across it to simulate a draw knife and create long fine shavings (ribbons)- which is hard to do with these little knives via traditional whittling. Fuzz sticks can be made easier as well.
As the carpenters say; It ain't the size of the hammer, but skill of the one who swings it that drives the nail.
Slo-go'en
09-11-2014, 10:13
If can't break a branch by hand it is either too big or too green to burn anyway. There really shouldn't be a need to use a hatchet and they can be down right dangerous to use. If you have a hatchet, chances are you have booze too and that's a bad combination.
That said, a friend of mine stashed a small hatchet under a shelter which he used to frequent in the winter and it was handy to have. I understand it is still there if you know exactly where to look for it. (and I'm not telling...)
Just Bill
09-11-2014, 10:14
No, it's heavy and the time required to build, watch and extinguish fires made with larger wood pieces is more than I typically want. If i build a fire in the backcountry I use small pieces of down dead stuff that can be broken by hand.
Yar, my vote too. If I'm having a real barnburner, I may start with two wrist sized pieces and a few 1 1/2" pieces. After that, it's rare to use anything much bigger than a thumb or finger.
Yes, but I prefer a good knife these days.
My dad was kind/foolish enough to purchase some of these- http://www.randallknives.com/knives/model-19-bushmaster/
On canoe trip, a decent short handle axe is nice, remote portage trails are often neglected and it's hard to hop a tree with a canoe on your back.
A lightweight saw is generally most effective really for many hikers, likely a better choice regarding weight.
Backpacking light did a few hatchet friendly articles awhile back, but generally the conceded the choice was more of a romantic one than practical. Also the choice was driven a bit by the author's frequent role as a guide, so the option to skip a fire wasn't there and a hatchet/knife/saw is needed in these cases.
With practice- you can learn to baton wood with UL knives.
I've found something like this to be a decent compromise, but a folding knife can work too-
http://www.amazon.com/Light-Fire-FireKnife-Stainless-FireSteel/dp/B007BO9G1W
Usually just carry a small Spyderco, to chop onion and garlic for the evening meal. Sometimes a larger Mora. I agree, IF I have fire usually no bigger that finger sized pieces. Of course this is a different story in Winter time. Occasionally a small sharp hatchet comes in handy also, having grown up using fireplaces, woodstoves, etc, chopped a lot of wood over the years. Still like to split a little downed kindling at camp, just for the practice. On hikes over 5 or so days, just the spyderco for sure.
Batoning techniques with a bushknife or quality lockblade probably a safer option than a hatchet for a lot people.
Just Bill
09-11-2014, 11:15
Winter time- bit different.
I typically carry the randall knife or something similar. The mora style lightweights are too light for that type of trip. Even on a car camping trip, I'm more likely to reach for the knife than the hatchet to chop down the bundle of campground firewood. Takes a bit of getting used to, but I prefer it. I'm a bit spoiled though in that my dad is a bit of a collector and he has passed over several high quality knives I would not have bought.
Hatchet vs. bushknife? Guess it depends on your skill level with each- but for about the same weight- I'd take the bushknife. If say my UL shelter fails, I can build a shelter and bail myself out easier and more reliably with the knife. Safety- about the same really IMO assuming training. Although the dum-dum factor with a hatchet is higher for sure. Although learning the chopping technique with a bushknife is hard without someone showing you and it's easy enough to lose control of the knife(undergripping) or hurt your wrist (overgripping).
Two plusses for the Hatchet-
You can find UL hatchets that are less weight than a comparable bushknife if wood gathering is the only use.
The other big ding with a bushknife- often ten times the cost of a hatchet. A $30 eastwing or hickory handle from Home Depot is a serviceable hatchet, not so with even some $100 bushknives.
swisscross
09-11-2014, 11:26
A tomahawk would be a better option than a hatchet. Replacement handle can be made in minutes if required and with the added bonus of a peace pipe.
Old Hiker
09-11-2014, 14:57
http://www.amazon.com/Fiskars-X7-Inch-Hatchet-78506935/dp/B0002YTO7E/ref=sr_1_1?s=hi&ie=UTF8&qid=1410461690&sr=1-1&keywords=fiskars+hand+axe
Same as a Gerber pretty much (one reviewer said the Gerber was stamped "Fiskars"). This blade GLIDES through wood. Much easier to cut small wood.
That being said: never on a LONG hike. Overnights (Scouts) to several days.
If I bring a hatchet, I have to look for excuses to use it. If I do not bring a hatchet, I have never missed it.
I use to carry a hatchet years ago but found them to dangerous. An axe or a hatchet requires great skill so you don't get struck by it, by accident. After many close calls I switched to a bow saw. I have had friends that were cut badly while splitting wood and chopping trees by both hatchets and axes.
If can't break a branch by hand it is either too big or too green to burn anyway
that's not true.....
i bring a saw on many of my trips and i always saw up logs that are way bigger than what i can break by hand...
and yes, they will burn...........i make sure that i dont leave any remants behind......