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Daniel Bennett
02-11-2013, 13:04
Anyone bring a hatchet with them?

Fredt4
02-11-2013, 13:15
There's always a section hiker with one.

bfayer
02-11-2013, 13:23
There's always a section hiker with one.

Isn't that the truth :)

barf_jay
02-11-2013, 13:25
I would never bring one...really no use and way to heavy.

kayak karl
02-11-2013, 13:36
yes, and a shovel and machete.

Slo-go'en
02-11-2013, 13:39
Might be handy to have along. Just be sure to bring a big one so you can do some serious damage. Then you can split those big logs some people think they can get to burn.

Wise Old Owl
02-11-2013, 13:43
Leave it at home...

Rasty
02-11-2013, 13:46
Anyone bring a hatchet with them?

No, too tired 90% of the time to even bother with a fire. On the odd occasion that I light a fire, which is usually when hiking with the family then just break dead wood with your feet.

Not Sunshine
02-11-2013, 13:54
yes, and a shovel and machete.

I like bringing my toaster - because those poptarts are SOOO much better when they're warm and toasted.

I'm sorry I'm an a$s. I know you were being serious. No, I wouldn't bring a hatchet/chain saw unless I was planning on building a shelter.

And for the record - I wouldn't bring a 7" serrated deer-fileting knife either. Although last fall I found one on the trail during a day hike. It makes me a little weary that someone thinks they're going to kill and eat animals while hiking. If you need more than a folding pocket knife, you're probably compensating for something. Or you are less of a hiker and more of a homeless person. Hopefully without PTSD.

Yes, I'd leave the hatchet home.

Rasty
02-11-2013, 14:01
I like bringing my toaster - because those poptarts are SOOO much better when they're warm and toasted.

I'm sorry I'm an a$s. I know you were being serious. No, I wouldn't bring a hatchet/chain saw unless I was planning on building a shelter.

And for the record - I wouldn't bring a 7" serrated deer-fileting knife either. Although last fall I found one on the trail during a day hike. It makes me a little weary that someone thinks they're going to kill and eat animals while hiking. If you need more than a folding pocket knife, you're probably compensating for something. Or you are less of a hiker and more of a homeless person. Hopefully without PTSD.

Yes, I'd leave the hatchet home.

The only thing I wish was that my Swiss Army knife had a 4" blade, because the cheese and sausage gets caught in the hinge and is hard to clean out!

Slo-go'en
02-11-2013, 14:15
OTOH, a small saw can be really handy. Couple of years ago I bought one in Hot Springs because of the number of blow downs on the trail. I was getting tired of trying to force a path through or around them by hand. So, I got a neat little 8 oz saw at the outfitters and used it on average of once a day to clear trees from the trail pretty much all the way to Virginia. Here's a typical after and before picture, but most were more serious obsticales than this. (sorry about the thumbnails, thier from Maine which I accidently loaded and can't delete)


1961319614

Camel2012
02-11-2013, 14:31
If you need more than a folding pocket knife, you're probably compensating for something. Or you are less of a hiker and more of a homeless person. Hopefully without PTSD.

I see these statements come up all the time. Do the people who say them realize how ridiculous they sound?

I personally carry a bigger knife than needed. So obviously I have a small penis, I'm not a real hiker, and I'm trying to seem like a big man.

I'm carrying the extra few ounces, why would anyone else care? I would only make suggestions to someone about weight who is asking about it, and never talk down to them because of what they choose to carry.

Ps: i'm a disabled veteran, and I have PTSD. So what's wrong with that? People don't choose to have PTSD.

Giantsbane
02-11-2013, 14:44
SO do people just pound in the stakes with a rock or do they carry a hammer with?

Rasty
02-11-2013, 14:48
SO do people just pound in the stakes with a rock or do they carry a hammer with?

Rocks or just your hand. Most lightweight tent's have very thin pegs that can be pushed in.

Slo-go'en
02-11-2013, 14:51
SO do people just pound in the stakes with a rock or do they carry a hammer with?

On the rare occasion you can't just push them in by hand, yes you use a rock.

leaftye
02-11-2013, 14:51
Spend some time backpacking on your local trails, averaging 15 miles a day for at least a few days in a row. After a few trips you'll know if you want to bring your hatchet or not.

I met one thru hiker that had a hatchet. He said it was good for opening his canned food.

bfayer
02-11-2013, 14:56
...I met one thru hiker that had a hatchet. He said it was good for opening his canned food.

I just had a flash back to 1978 :)

tds1195
02-11-2013, 14:58
Not necessary but if you like it, bring it. I'll typically bring my hatchet or machete with me on shorter hikes if people are with me so I can get a fire going for the group. If it's just me I typically don't bother with fires. It's not a terrible idea for a section hike...but for a thru-hike I would have to say no. You'll probably just end up sending it home, anyway. PS - the toaster idea is great! http://www.trendhunter.com/trends/portable-toaster

MDSection12
02-11-2013, 15:12
Even when I did take a hatchet on short weekend hikes I found it pretty useless... My buddy with a little handsaw always cut the logs in half the time, with half the effort and half the risk of injury.

Gray Blazer
02-11-2013, 15:22
You're very likely to find one near the beginning of the trail. A hatchet or axe are some of the first things people leave behind when they figure out they are carrying too much.

Two Speed
02-11-2013, 16:22
Anyone bring a hatchet with them?Got a folding bow saw I'll carry if the trip's leisurely enough to build fires. I view a hatchet as too much work and too likely to cause injury as compared to a decent saw.

Just my $0.02.

http://sawvivor.com/

leaftye
02-11-2013, 16:27
Even the trail crews I've worked with don't carry and use an axe much, and never a hatchet. For wood less than 6" diameter, I prefer a hand saw like a Corona Clipper or Silky Big Boy. When I hike and have a camp fire, my foot is the hatchet. For cook fires, I'd only twigs small enough to easily break by hand. So as a hiker and trail maintainer, I have no desire to ever carry a hatchet. That's me though. HYOH.

TheYoungOne
02-11-2013, 17:39
Got a folding bow saw I'll carry if the trip's leisurely enough to build fires. I view a hatchet as too much work and too likely to cause injury as compared to a decent saw.

Just my $0.02.

http://sawvivor.com/

While I would not lug around a sawvivor, you can split firewood with just a saw.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lSOXU0rrqOM

I love my Bahco Laplander. Also you can baton wood but don't risk your knife batoning full sized logs. I just have the Laplander saw and a small but sturdy Mora bushcraft knife and I can cut and split wood up to 2 1/2 " thick with no problems. The laplander saw is only 7 ounces and cost $25 and you can get any Mora knife for under $30 and they weight 4.5oz or less.

hauptman
02-11-2013, 19:55
Better keep it inside your pack at hitches. No one picks up the disheveled hatchet weilding madman.

Blue Mountain Edward
02-11-2013, 20:24
Seen a hatchet left next to the trail. I really wanted to keep it but I was loaded down carrying a lot already. A hatchet is not needed,is dangerous to the user and thru hikers will laugh at you.

WILLIAM HAYES
02-11-2013, 21:48
you dont need it just extra weight

tds1195
02-11-2013, 23:07
Seen a hatchet left next to the trail. I really wanted to keep it but I was loaded down carrying a lot already. A hatchet is not needed,is dangerous to the user and thru hikers will laugh at you.

I don't think that what thru-hikers think should be a concern...there's always one who disapproves of something you have/don't have.

slow mind
02-12-2013, 01:12
Better keep it inside your pack at hitches. No one picks up the disheveled hatchet weilding madman.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Xa0NfCdLk4

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Xa0NfCdLk4

Monkeywrench
02-12-2013, 08:34
Hatchets are for pansies. You should carry a full sized ax. Also a set of wedges and a splitting maul.

Any job worth doing is worth doing right.

hikerboy57
02-12-2013, 08:37
Hatchets are for pansies. You should carry a full sized ax. Also a set of wedges and a splitting maul.

Any job worth doing is worth doing right.
why so ul? chainsaws the way to go. i think they run on e85

JAK
02-12-2013, 08:48
I carry a hatchet up here in winter. Weighs a pound. It has many practical uses as well as emergency uses and is easy to work with mitts when it is really cold. It is not easy to find a rock in winter, and it is harder to tell dry snappy wood from wet frozen wood. I would not bring one on the AT, except for a winter section hike, and by winter I mean regular temperatures colder than 10 degF. Need a larger bic lighter for those temperatures also, and it needs to be kept warm, and you need a backup firestarter as well. I carry some nails of different sizes rather than tent pegs. Spring/Fall I carry a garden saw blade, just the blade, and a nail to put through the hole. It works well without the handle and if you need to use it alot you can make a handle. Summer I just carry a small fixed blade or locking blade knife, like an Opinel.

A hatchet is still no guarantee of winter survival, but it's fun to use and fun to think about...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f7nqxIdROsI

MDSection12
02-12-2013, 08:56
I view a hatchet as too much work and too likely to cause injury as compared to a decent saw.

+1..............

JAK
02-12-2013, 09:02
Hatchet uses...
1. Sleeping with for self defense against rabid coydogs, killer bunnies, and sleep walking bears.
2. Chopping ice into ice bits or chopping through ice for water.
3. Hammering nails into trees, stumps, roots for tarplines or making stuff like shelters and stuff.
4. Limbing trees and digging up spruce roots for cordage for making shelters and stuff.
5. Limbing, trimming, and splitting fuel and ground pads and back walls for small or bigger fires.
6. Making a warmer more comfortable bed and shelter if it turns wicked cold, or you get injured or sick.

Weighs a pound, but probably saves a pound vs alternative continency gear for mid-winter.

JAK
02-12-2013, 09:03
Yeah #1 is just a joke, but it does help you get a good night sleep.

JAK
02-12-2013, 09:13
I carry jute twine for wicks and for lashing, but it is good to be able to dig up spruce roots if you need them. I carry extra shoe laces, made of 3mm or 4mm pre-stretch, for shoe laces and tarp lines and stronger lashings, but the extra jute twine is good for vegetable oil wicks and provides some extra cordage if I needed to do more lashing, for whatever reason, and its biodegradable if I want to leave whatever it is behind. Along the AT in high traffic areas none of this is LNT so this would only be practical in emergencies, and really only necessary for winter emergencies below the tree line. Still just putting it out there. Doesn't really apply to the AT, I don't think, but I don't really know. Very practical up here in winter as alot of trails are through stuff that eventually gets clear cut anyway. Crown Land or Irving Woodlots.

tds1195
02-12-2013, 09:29
Slow mind - that was a great video! Haha cracking up over here!

JAK
02-12-2013, 10:16
Went back and watched that one. WAAY better then poor old Hatchet Jack.

JAK
02-12-2013, 10:25
More Kai. Dude's a Canuck.

http://mashable.com/2013/02/10/kai-hitchhiker/

tds1195
02-12-2013, 10:57
More Kai. Dude's a Canuck.

http://mashable.com/2013/02/10/kai-hitchhiker/

Didn't see that one coming...

Hoot
02-12-2013, 11:16
i've carried a hatchet hiking before, not on the A.T. but for instance, on my last hikeit was there for a specific reason, to modify and improve the structure of a camp i was heading to and cut wood for the next group of people who'd be using it- which, based on the last few yrs the next several parties using it would all be freinds of mine.

It has its place in the outdoors lifestyle, but ive yet to bring one with me to the grand canyon, and dont see myself carrying one on the a.t. anytime soon. But i'm sure it'll be in my pack on some of my hikes this year.

QiWiz
02-12-2013, 13:22
I'll just say first that no, I never bring a hatchet backpacking. Sometimes I bring a really light bow saw (if I'm going to be making a fire in winter, for example, especially if I'm with a group) and sometimes a real knife, but usually just a tiny blade.

I did meet a guy in 2011, trail name Tomahawk, who had a tomahawk attached to the outside of his pack. Did not look light to me. I did hear that he was seen to cut up a piece of steak into cubes with the tomahawk before grilling them.

PapaGarrettP
02-12-2013, 13:23
Or move the stake a couple of inches to the right. Or to the left.

Gambit
02-12-2013, 13:27
Lets see hatchet-check, proly need a axe too! and oh a hammer...and one of those two person saws! mabe a chizzel and sledge, and a MULE TO LUG IT ALL! soemtimes I dont know if people are HIKING? or planning on blazing a new trail and plop a cabin down at the end of it!

Wise Old Owl
02-12-2013, 13:45
SO do people just pound in the stakes with a rock or do they carry a hammer with?

The better tents have thin steel pegs, a few of us swap for titanium or MSR Groundhog.
1963619637

JAK
02-12-2013, 15:07
Smash, Smash, SMASH !!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wDQTvuP1Dgs

tds1195
02-12-2013, 15:38
Hahaha Jak that is definitely going on my Ipod.

Gambit
02-12-2013, 16:12
chop..chop chop...chop.

Gambit
02-12-2013, 16:14
The better tents have thin steel pegs, a few of us swap for titanium or MSR Groundhog.
1963619637


pound town baby! love beaten those stakes up!