I always carry an axe.Other than being able to make fire it's the most important tool to have in the bush,especially in winter.
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I always carry an axe.Other than being able to make fire it's the most important tool to have in the bush,especially in winter.
I got this handy little Gerber for Christmas, the small saw stows in the axe handle and is kept there by a rare earth magnet. You've probably seen the smaller one that has a small fixed blade knife in the handle, but this one with the saw is pretty new. The little saw is double ground and pretty darn effective. Total weight is about 24 ozs. with sheath. Not going to build a cabin with it but it works pretty well.
I have a Hunters Axe, a Small Forest Axe and a Scandinavian Forest Axe, all made by Gransfors. All of them are literally shaving sharp and well made
BatCat
I had a marbles safety axe for boy scouts. I broke the thing my first time using it. It was a toy in my opinion cost 80 bucks too! I have a working tomahawk that's light and has a hammer pall on the back for driving stakes etc from fortturner.com. Handle is bomber hickory. Ive beat the heck out of it and it's still going the steel leafs are begining to delaminate from using it like a wedge to split logs cuz it's smithed by hand but it was only like 35. My favorite axes are the snow and neally hudson bay camp axe it's like 50 bucks with a lifetime warantee and a 1.75 lb head perfect for camping and hunting but not so tiny you can easily spilit fire wood. I like the folding Silky brand saws best they are like the cadillac of folding saws all these products can be found on line.
i have one of the gerber pax that has the small knife in the end. its a great size for packing but the handle is tiney. the knife is also very soft metal - it doesn't take much cutting to dull it.Quote:
Originally Posted by dscrick
i just got a wetterlings 13" hatchet in the mail today. i'm anxious to try it out. apears to be a good quality hatchet and for less than $30.00 including shipping. comparable from all of the reviews i read while deciding what to buy to the gransfors burk hatchet less $100.00's.
with working with the boy scouts - they don't want the boys carying fixed bladed knifes (not that i agree). so i leave my cold steel srk at home and carry a leatherman wave, swiss army sprotsmans knife and a small hatchet as part of my survival kit when i'm with them. i also always have my kershaw scallion in my pocket regardless where i'm at.
i forgot -
as for a saw - i pack a take down "trail blazer" bow saw. you can use a wood saw blade or a fine tooth saw blade for cutting bone type material. it folds into its handle and weighs somthing like 16-24 oz.
great little packing saw - and sturdy
Well, I've gone through different phases and opinions when it comes to axes and hatchets...
When I was a scout, no tree was safe from me and my dull little Wal-Mart camping hatchet. I never went anywhere without one in my backpack. I tried to chop everything. I was lucky that I never chopped off a finger, or ended up with a hatchet buried into my shin or knee.
When I worked for Outward Bound they got me away from my chopper mentality, and I started going light weight on everything and just used a stout knife and small saw to get anything done I needed. They really made me realize how bad of an idea a hatchet or axe can be when they are in the wrong hands in the wilderness. Often times they can be more of a liability than asset- quickly turning a camping trip into a Wilderness emergency situation with one wrong swing. So, I decided to move away from them.
Until, I started working for this Old-Timey Hunting outfitter doing wilderness pack trip/big game hunts. This guy always carried a super sharp axe, and a smaller long handled hatchet on his saddle. He tought me how to swiftley field dress an elk or moose using the axe and hatchet, and how to skin them with the hatchet. It is way easier and faster than using a knife and saw. He also showed me lots of other basic campcraft things that made life and camp chores much easier and turned my opinion back to that if you have the right ones and know how to safely use them, axes and hatchets can be a huge asset.
Now, my mentality is if I am carrying everything on my back...I travel light and just get by with a knife and small saw. But, if I am traveling by dog-team, horseback/ pack string, or canoe/raft I always pack along a Gransfors Bruks Scandinavian Forest Axe, and if I am going to be harvesting large game, I also take a GB Hunters Axe. I keep them sharp with a file, whetstones, and a leather belt.
i have a gerber folding saw and a small fiskars hatchet that looks identical to the gerber pack ax but it was 1/2 the price.just got the hatchet havent used it yet but i love the gerber saw.i broke 1 this winter cutting a branch but the temp. was
Was? Was? Was what? come on......you can't leave us hanging. (see - we really do pay attention sometimes):DQuote:
Originally Posted by BIG TONE
IT WAS 0 DEGREES OUT MY HYDRATION HOSE ABOUT 5 MINUTES INTO THE HIKE.Quote:
Originally Posted by crashdive123
And Scheels Replaced It For Free
I know that you need to be careful when ever you use anything sharp, but I find that the gerber saw, as great as they are, will get you hurt quicker than anything else I have used. I was icefishing and needing some wood to build a tarp shelter on the ice, was cutting some wood, using my gerber saw, my stance was not the best on the ice as I was stretching at an angle against the shore line, slipped of course and cut my middle finger, thought it was never going to stop bleeding. It was the start of a bad day. I prefer a small axe, as I won't work at a bad angle with that.
<note to self - adopt same safety measures that I use with my ax whenever I use my saw>
I have a Snow & Nealley co. Penobscot Bay Kindling Axe that is great. I am also considering a Wetterlings 13" hatchet. But I also find myself carrying my Ontario 18 inch machete a lot more. Besides being lighter I rarely cut any thing thicker then say 2 inches across and have cut bigger stuff with the machete including hardwoods like oak. How ever i live in the Southern part of the U.S. where we have a more brambles and briar's. I keep it just short of shaving sharp.
my only complaint is that the handle was made for longevity instead of comfort
On the Scout trips I carry a Wal Mart limb saw.
I had one of those gerber hatchets with the mini saw but the saw falls out after a good while of chopping and the handle eventually broke (tree fell on it). I traded it for another one without the saw in it and I love it. I carry that and a bow saw in the woods a lot.
i was researching into getting one of those gerber hatchets, but i think im gonna get the 15" wetterling hunting axe...read a lot of good reviews about them.Quote:
Originally Posted by snakeman
For me:
hiking - aluminum folding bow saw
Conoe trips - above,
and marbles two sided cut on pull saw
( modern Japanese saw )
craftsman limbing axe
hunting - sometimes a small tomahawk
A good axe is one of man's best friends, a trusted companion through thick and thin.
In the bush I carry a hawk, as much for offensive purposes when on the defensive as for cutting wood, digging roots, etc.
RR - What kind of hawk do you carry?
I carry a hawk and a fixed blade knife with thik blade . not building cabin on trek just small shelter so do need big axe all wood for fire can be broke on tree trunk.
I use an Estwing camper's axe (26"), an Ontario Survival Machete, and a Gerber folding saw. I'm very satisfied with all of them.
I also have a Cold Steel Latin Machete that is collecting dust. Not all that useful for the heavy brush of Canada, compared to the tools listed above.
Sounds like a good selection there CC.
I got ta say, East Wing makes good stuff. You'd have a hard time breaking it!Quote:
Originally Posted by Capt.Canuck
With that marbles draw saw of mine you could build a cabin! I was turned on to that stile of saw by a guy who builds fitted wood beam and pin construction buildings. The thing is, it ways practically nothing. Ill put some pics on later.
does this look like it would do a good job on hard wood? http://davesgarden.com/products/market/view/1569/
I've never used one with the "smooth tooth technology" that it describes so I can't say how it performs. My folding saws work well - picked em up at Home Depot for about $10 each.
That one looks like the Gerber I have. I'm not a saw expert by any stretch, but I believe the suitability of the blade for a given would have to do with the design and dimensions of the saw blade teeth.Quote:
Originally Posted by warman87
That site may be down. I can't seem to access it. Warman, I use the Gerber Sportsman saw and it does a great job. It's lightweight and built pretty solid for a little guy.
http://www.summitcampinggear.com/46048.html
That's not the same model I have, but the blade appears to be pretty much the same.Quote:
Originally Posted by Rick
Very good deal on your model here:
http://www.knivesplus.com/GB-46048-Gerber.HTML
On further investigation, make sure you get one that includes the coarse cut wood blade, as some are sold with the finer bone blade only.Quote:
Originally Posted by warman87
This is the one that I carry. Didn't buy it here though. It's a bit heavier than some of the others (9 ounces). http://www.amazon.com/Corona-Clipper...9192215&sr=8-1
Does aney one know any thing about the Firestone Ax looks ok but looks can be deceving.
I'm not familiar with them. I noticed when looking them up, at least the ones I was looking at, that the head was made of 440 stainless. I don't care for stainless in my axes. That's just me.
Aney reason way just wornderingQuote:
Originally Posted by crashdive123
While stainless holds an edge better than carbon steel, it will need sharpening. It is easier (for me at least) to put an edge on a carbon steel axe or blade than a stainless one. The carbon steel is also very good at making a spark with a piece of flint.
that makes sense
Some people may prefer stainless if they are using them in very wet environments.
Would stainless be less likle to chip or nick.
There are probably some other members with more knowledge of hardness and how brittle edges are. I don't have the technical knowledge to help you with that one.
Still you gave me some good infor to thank about.
Glad to help. I'm sure others will weigh in, some may agree, some may disagree - it can all be helpful information when you're making a decision.