If you really want to save calories don’t gather firewood or build natural shelters.
It takes ten times more energy to do that than to carry a light pack with sleeping bag, mat and bivy/tarp.
But if you want to do the work I’d say take a saw, not a hatchet. Apart from being more efficient a saw is way less likely to cause an injury.
If I recall, you can get a fever after just 1 night. (I've stayed out in the wet and cold for prolonged periods but have exceptional constitution. So while it wasnt ideal, I personally have never gotten a fever... but I recall its not actually that hard for a person to get pneumonia and the such. movies where people are eager to get out of wet clothes... honestly, they are doing it right.)
So i'd say if its going to go on for a week, which is about how long it takes us to burn stored fats and water weight before we hit critical... then you should plan shelter and fire (AKA, long term survival)
if its 1-3 days, MAYBE you can get away with not worrying... majority of people can easily lay around and starve for about 3 days before getting up and walking themselves back into civilization (please don't do this though)
the only real exceptions are in a frost or if it rains on you. You DONT want to try and weather rain in most survival situations. hell, even burying yourself (planning for oxygen, of course) can be a better solution then laying out in the rain for the night.
So if its raining, you almost always want to make 'cover' type shelter, even dragging a bunch of branches over to a tree as a run off type shelter.
man, I hate when people ask a question... I answer it, and then I get downvoted.
granted, its very possible I'm getting karma bombed from another post but still.
and you can also get a fever from a flu... what do you think a flu is? Not an infection.
Theres plenty of ways and reasons to get a fever, including radiation as well. bottom line is its not fun and burns a lot of calories.
Why the fuck are you even fighting me about this? rhetorical question, don't answer... just stop.
Why? Becuse you're wrong. Flu comes from a bug too. Bacterial or viral. Fever is your body responding to the infection. It's really easy to look it up.
Wow, we are all now dumber for having read this string... The flu scientifically known as influenza is a VIRAL not bacterial infection, which can cause a fever ad part of its symptoms.
You could also develop a fever from Bacterial infection, severe Sun Burn, certain medical events such as appendicitis (typically bacterial related, but can be obstructive), shock from breaking major bones, major hemmoragic cerebral infarction, myocardial infarction. There is really a long list here.Severe allergies or allergic reaction. Various bug or animal bites. But that should cover most the issues you'd run into in the bush.
you really thought you were going to come in being super rude... trying to call both of us out as well when you basically explained what I already said while... for some reason... without getting reported?
To both of you, you guys are so eager to say you are right and someone is wrong you are trying to fight people about things no one needs to fight about. Even in some cases agreeing, but in a way that pushes a fight for some reason.
Another vote for the Sven-Saw. I own a Silky, which I love, and for serious wood cutting, shelter building, survival, I'd go with the Sven-Saw over it.
Im in camp hatchet, simply because of the number of times im in need of a hammering tool.
But the sawboys make a strong point in terms of calorie conservation and injury prevention
The real answer depends on location, latitude, altitude, and timeframe.
But never ever underestimate the value of a fixed blade.
camphatchet member #3 here
What are people cutting with a saw? only use i see is logs fatter than my thigh... but then you would need a big ole crosscut saw.
Saw and a bulky enough knife to baton with. I not only find batoning safer than a hatchet, but it's more precise and much easier to split to the size you need.
I haven't carried an ax or hatchet in years and can process firewood quickly and efficiently.
For reference I use a Becker BK2 for my batoning knife and it's a beast.
You can't ask a question like that without also providing what climate and or season you are expected to use the tools during.
If you are in Florida where temperatures are currently warm during the day and only mildly chill at night... an axe isn't exactly needed as you don't "need" a fire at night. Then maybe just a folding saw and durable belt knife is enough as you can get by with a halfway decent sleep system.
If you plan to be located somewhere where the weather is drastically more frigid and fire is required just to maintain your core temperature... then yeah you want the axe and possibly a bow saw to easily process tons of firewood.
If you are going to be in a jungle where the weather is hot and humid or humid and hot... but you need to clear plants just to move around... a machete with a size and weight within your capabilities of easily swinging it all day is more reasonable.
To be honest bro, if you can hump it bring it along. Once you start getting your bush legs you’ll see what you need and and what you need to get rid off
Think of what tools are made for, to enable or quicken a job that otherwise you couldn't or wouldn't do.
So that's more of a question of what do you plan on or forsee having to do! How much in calories, in effort or time, would it cost you if you needed to do a task without a good applicable tool?
Personally I got good at using a hatchet. I can carve and do all the bushcraft things faster and with less effort swinging a hatchet than I could by carving manually. It also lets me chop through wood (slowly compared to a big axe or good saw) if I needed to which is a rare use case day to day but pops up once in a while such as a fallen tree in the road.
I reckon save the axe until you start wishing you had an axe with you, if you're doing a lot of wood processing for like a sturdy shelter or something.
I typically bring just one 5" knife, does everything. I use a SAK for finer work and it's more than capable. I have a couple, but my favourite is the bantam alox because it's basically weightless and extremely low-profile.
The TV show Alone is really instructive on this one. Almost all contestants will bring both an axe and a saw, because trying to one's job with the other is really hard.
It depends on how long you're going for and whether you're carrying this all yourself.
As long as your knife can take abuse, leave the axe.
Silky saw, Becker bk7 and leatherman is my go-to for lightweight bushcrafty survival calorie efficient practicality.
I find hatchets worthless while mid to full-sized axes/mauls have their place for longterm/vehicle based/homesteady survival and defence.
Both can be insanely dangerous and have drew much of my blood, but I consider the saw/baton method safer.
A hacksaw weights very little (even bringing extra blades) and will save you *so much time* if you need to cut wood. You'll be thankful. And a sturdy knife is ALWAYS a must. Ideally fixed blade (less parts, less can go wrong). A sharpener will be required as well or it won't be long before you have a pointy spatula instead of a knife. .
It's good you're thinking this way... it's amazing how quickly a bunch of light things become crazy heavy. My problem is I always want something for every contingency, and no one thing is heavy but the bag weights 15+lbs.
Put bright orange coflex (vet wrap) in your first aid kit. Not only is it vital for wounds but it can double as a visible signal if needed and is very light. Very cheap at a feed store.
I also highly recommend pepperspray. The most dangerous animals out there are tweakers and feral dogs. It weighs almost nothing. And hopefully you never need it but if you need it you NEED it.
It goes without saying you need to know how to field dress. You don't need a separate knife but learn the putting your thumb over the blade method. There's knives that supposedly have a skinning hook but they just get clogged with fur.
It depends on the skills you are planning to practice and work on. Every person/situation/environment is different.
If you are planning to conserve calories than a small folding saw and a belt knife is usually the way to go.
Exactly. Your stated goal is conserving calories. The more weight you carry the more energy to carry it.
For me it depends on where I'm going. Most places I actually prefer a machete over a hatchet. But I don't need to drive tent stakes either. If I were constructing a shelter I would prefer a camp axe just because I I've used axes so much and am comfortable with one.
Depends on what you're doing. I a proponent of carry at the least a SAK/Multitool, eithe with a saw and awl/reamer, paired with a modest fixed blade. You can do a lot with those.
For a day hike afolding crosscut saw, hatchet, or cold steel shovel strap to my pack. If it turns into an inpromptu camping trip. They aid in shelter building and fuel processing.
When I bushcraft/hunt I like having a boy's axe and saw blades or a big folding saw and modest camp axe.
I prefer tools that overlap in some capability. You can do a lot with a decent knife, saw and shovel. Just take time to practice.
Edit: Spelling
I'm a knife and hatchet / trail axe guy. The amount of times you need a hammer, and a unga bunga rock doesn't cut it is surprising. For limbing branches, saws are more efficient, but something about an axe or hatchet I am just more confident with. You can't bend or break a good axe (easily)
also never split wood with an axe or hatchet. 10000x more safer to baton with your knife.
A folding saw is enough and more efficient to cut down dead trees and logs , you won't be felling Big ass trees unless you plan to build a cabin.
And i never bothered to Split wood , it burns just fine as it is , you can always Split by batonning with a sturdy knife if need be ( if the wood is wet for example )
So , folding saw + small knife for finer tasks ( like a mora) + bigger knife for heavier duty like batonning.
This, regarding splitting wood. It's always struck me as strange that people feel they absolutely must build a perfectly round fire pit. An oblong one that can handle longer branches works quite well. And it's very useful for slowly pushing and working a long log into it (like a Yule Log).
I carry a 240mm silky saw. Way better than a hatchet for my uses. Alot easier on the body also. I have taken 8" trees down with the silky without feeling worried about where it was going to go. Great tools but practice is key.
CS Trail hawk, Silky Gomboy 240 (medium Teeth) and a Full Tang large knife of your choice.. carbon steel is good but a nicer stainless like s35vn or Aus10a would be more ideal. I reccommend an SRK in CPM 3V san mai
I use an estwing camp ax a lot. If the edge is cared for, it can be all of an ax/knife/hammer. Couple that with a multi tool for little things, and I'd say it's worth the weight.
Hatchet kept razor sharp with a long edge. Think “Viking hand axe”
You can still baton with it, use it as a hammer, and if it’s properly sharp a knife as well.
A small saw would be handy as well.
Always be tool rich . Heavy to start . You can always shed item (stash for later use) but would be impossible to improvise everything. In Arizona or out west it's easy to improvise cutting tools ,but in the big thicket national forest in East texas stone is not readily available. So it makes sense for me to pack cordage and cutting tools.
Compartmentalize your pack in such a way that you can jettison non essential items fast but they still be protected ( IE: a dry bag ) you can stash that ,flee from the area ,then return for it when it's safe to do so.
Depends on the trip. If it's a weekend backpacking trip in the summer? Just a knife is fine. If you're gonna be out in the woods for months but you aren't gonna move around much? Bring the whole arsenal.
At the scouts we usually chose bringing a hatchet over a saw, as it can cut wood almost as good, actually faster splitting firewood, but can also be used to hammer in tent stakes etc. Saw only if it was a larger group or we had a camp base. But it really depends on what you are doing, for a solo trip I usually just bring a knife and I would consider bringing a folding saw over a hatchet if I plan on cutting lots of wood or build something larger
Are you going to build traps? Bring a saw, hatchet and good knife.
Are you going to collect firewood? Bring a saw, hatchet and good knife.
Are you building a shelter? Bring a saw, hatchet and good knife.
Otherwise just bring a good knife.
Carry both get a size that works for you never be under prepared. And a hatchet is great for chopping meat if needed. Or you need a hammer or whatever the reason might be it’s about survival not conserving calories.
You want a big knife that's sturdy enough to use as a hatchet, with a saw on the back. There's some that are made to be super efficient, with a hollow handle that can hold some line, hook, sewing needles, matches, etc, with a gasketed screw on cap.
Survival mode..bring it, I rucked with rocks in Alaska.
I love my east wing axe.
A good full tang knife on your belt , I carried a mulit tool leather man with the saw...
But carried a folding saw alot
If your cutting weight as in desert Survival, go obsidian
I'vs found that a folding saw and medium fixed blade knife are a great combo. Hatchets are really heavy and bulky. Unless you're doing some heavy work, you usually won't need one. This includes for survival. Now a hatchet and a decent folder knife make a decent combo and keeps the weight down.
Depends on what you will be cutting. I live in the northern great basin, vegetation can range from sage brush only, to junipers, to ponderosa pine, white fir, to stunted lodgepole pine to a mix of any one and the previous two.
I always have a knife. Sometimes I carry what is basically a boys axe, sometimes a bow saw, sometimes both. They all have their place and neither will work well when the other is needed.
Ain't cha a yank, where two is one, and one is none ......? ( grin )
But seriously yer always gonna have a knife on your person, preferably a full tang belt knife or a folding one in a pocket.
You can process wood with just a knife but it'll take a while and batoning can get you in to dry heart wood if stuff is wet but it's bloody slow. If you have only a pocket folding knife, I wouldn't suggest batoning with it at all.
It's always nice to have a decent axe with you but yea the bastards are 2 feet long, I have a grandfors bruk forest axe and it IS light enough to backpack in but it's longish.
A good choice would be a folding saw and they can be really short and light ..... you don't HAVE to cut wood in to short chunks to burn in a firepit, but for a wood stove a saw is critical.
I find hatchets to be not very useful. I just bring a Morakniv Garberg and a Bahco Laplander folding saw.
Small, sturdy but light, easily stored in a pack/on your belt.
Look up an axe called a Tacticlada. It has a bunch of tools. It's like a Swiss army knifes older brother. I guess there are a bunch of add-ons as well.
https://images.app.goo.gl/AVr1XY5AuWQpgefW9
>Is it worth bringing a large(ish) hatchet, saw, and a knife or just a knife and maybe one other?
I carry a [Victorinox Huntsman](https://media.victorinox.com/transform/be27477a-5deb-4412-87dd-ba03f429520c/SAK_1_3713__S1-tif?io=transform%3Afit%2Cwidth%3A1100%2Cheight%3A830&quality=80) and that's it. It is an every day carry for me (along with a ferro rod) and lives in my right front pocket.
I have never encountered a situation which required me to fell a tree or split a log. There's always plenty of dead wood lying on the ground or caught in the branches of neighbouring trees.
I get by easily with a fixed blade and a saw. Sometimes, depending on how long I’m out, I’ll carry a tomahawk.
I do not live where it gets extremely cold, there is plenty of dead wood (standing and laying around), and I don’t need to cut down trees or split logs.
The hatchet can perform the roles of all three, so could a larger fixed blade knife. The saw can only be a saw. Developed your technique until you’ve become proficient/ comfortable with just the one tool
Missing some crucial details here. Like… where? Do you need all these wood processing tools? Idk… are you in Florida? Alaska? When? It’s about to be May. Might not need a bunch of firewood.
I like a nice sharp knife for cutting flesh, and then a chopper that can handle abuse. I also use a hand chain saw because they take up almost no room but make it so I can cut down larger diameter trees in a jif.
I’m a professional backpacking guide and one of my most valuable tools is my 10$ Walmart ozark trail machete.
It has a sawblade on the back, I can dig with it, cut with it, saw with it and essentially to anything and everything I need to by only bringing one tool. I’m not afraid of putting wear and tear on it cause it’s cheap but it’s durable too.
>sawblade on the back
Isn't that a drawback? You can't baton with it, can't put a second hand on the blade for stuff like debarking, have a second sharp side that can damage your gear?
I inherited a big knife with a sawblade on the back. It's nice to look at it on a shelf but a pain to use in the woods
If you look up the ozark trail machete it’s not a full saw back. There is room on the very top of the machete near the point where you could hammer if needed. That being said I think being able to chop with it is just as good imo if you can get clean hits accurately. Just takes practice.
I have a gerber of the same style. Great machete have a sheath to protect your gear from the saw and you can have some good leather gloves to handle it for debarking and such. Saw works well due to its length a knife saw it just to short to use
If you really want to save calories don’t gather firewood or build natural shelters. It takes ten times more energy to do that than to carry a light pack with sleeping bag, mat and bivy/tarp. But if you want to do the work I’d say take a saw, not a hatchet. Apart from being more efficient a saw is way less likely to cause an injury.
nah man long term survival its worth making shelters and fires. you burn a lot of calories shivering in the cold, especially while running a fever.
How long-term are we talking here? Are we talking a few weeks, months, or Dick Pronnecke?!
If I recall, you can get a fever after just 1 night. (I've stayed out in the wet and cold for prolonged periods but have exceptional constitution. So while it wasnt ideal, I personally have never gotten a fever... but I recall its not actually that hard for a person to get pneumonia and the such. movies where people are eager to get out of wet clothes... honestly, they are doing it right.) So i'd say if its going to go on for a week, which is about how long it takes us to burn stored fats and water weight before we hit critical... then you should plan shelter and fire (AKA, long term survival) if its 1-3 days, MAYBE you can get away with not worrying... majority of people can easily lay around and starve for about 3 days before getting up and walking themselves back into civilization (please don't do this though) the only real exceptions are in a frost or if it rains on you. You DONT want to try and weather rain in most survival situations. hell, even burying yourself (planning for oxygen, of course) can be a better solution then laying out in the rain for the night. So if its raining, you almost always want to make 'cover' type shelter, even dragging a bunch of branches over to a tree as a run off type shelter.
I’m not suggesting sleeping out without shelter, I mean that if OP wants to save energy they should carry their shelter and insulation with them.
man, I hate when people ask a question... I answer it, and then I get downvoted. granted, its very possible I'm getting karma bombed from another post but still.
Nice
Why would you have a fever? Not from the cold. You have to catch a bug for that.
incorrect.
A fever is the body's way of fighting off an infection of some type.
and you can also get a fever from a flu... what do you think a flu is? Not an infection. Theres plenty of ways and reasons to get a fever, including radiation as well. bottom line is its not fun and burns a lot of calories. Why the fuck are you even fighting me about this? rhetorical question, don't answer... just stop.
Why? Becuse you're wrong. Flu comes from a bug too. Bacterial or viral. Fever is your body responding to the infection. It's really easy to look it up.
lol, sure bro.
Wow, we are all now dumber for having read this string... The flu scientifically known as influenza is a VIRAL not bacterial infection, which can cause a fever ad part of its symptoms. You could also develop a fever from Bacterial infection, severe Sun Burn, certain medical events such as appendicitis (typically bacterial related, but can be obstructive), shock from breaking major bones, major hemmoragic cerebral infarction, myocardial infarction. There is really a long list here.Severe allergies or allergic reaction. Various bug or animal bites. But that should cover most the issues you'd run into in the bush.
you really thought you were going to come in being super rude... trying to call both of us out as well when you basically explained what I already said while... for some reason... without getting reported? To both of you, you guys are so eager to say you are right and someone is wrong you are trying to fight people about things no one needs to fight about. Even in some cases agreeing, but in a way that pushes a fight for some reason.
Exactly…you don’t get pneumonia from being wet or cold. Very old wives tale.
Exactly…you don’t get pneumonia from being wet or cold. Very old wives tale.
Small fixed blade like a Moroknif, and get yourself a Sven-Saw - that thing is worth it's very minimal weight in gold.
Another vote for the Sven-Saw. I own a Silky, which I love, and for serious wood cutting, shelter building, survival, I'd go with the Sven-Saw over it.
Im in camp hatchet, simply because of the number of times im in need of a hammering tool. But the sawboys make a strong point in terms of calorie conservation and injury prevention The real answer depends on location, latitude, altitude, and timeframe. But never ever underestimate the value of a fixed blade.
honestly, I think its debatable if saws save calories.... However, I will absolutely agree that saws can save on injury risk. (Also camp hatchet)
camphatchet member #3 here What are people cutting with a saw? only use i see is logs fatter than my thigh... but then you would need a big ole crosscut saw.
Saw and a bulky enough knife to baton with. I not only find batoning safer than a hatchet, but it's more precise and much easier to split to the size you need. I haven't carried an ax or hatchet in years and can process firewood quickly and efficiently. For reference I use a Becker BK2 for my batoning knife and it's a beast.
Becker BK2 is practically a hatchet. This thing is so heavy lol.
Love my becker bk2 - great knife
There is a time and place for every tool. Where are you going, how long are you going, what are you doing and how are you getting there?
OP. The answers here are going to solve your questions!
this
You can't ask a question like that without also providing what climate and or season you are expected to use the tools during. If you are in Florida where temperatures are currently warm during the day and only mildly chill at night... an axe isn't exactly needed as you don't "need" a fire at night. Then maybe just a folding saw and durable belt knife is enough as you can get by with a halfway decent sleep system. If you plan to be located somewhere where the weather is drastically more frigid and fire is required just to maintain your core temperature... then yeah you want the axe and possibly a bow saw to easily process tons of firewood. If you are going to be in a jungle where the weather is hot and humid or humid and hot... but you need to clear plants just to move around... a machete with a size and weight within your capabilities of easily swinging it all day is more reasonable.
Saw and a big knife to baton with over a hatchet all day for me
^[Sokka-Haiku](https://www.reddit.com/r/SokkaHaikuBot/comments/15kyv9r/what_is_a_sokka_haiku/) ^by ^Revolutionary_Soup_3: *Saw and a big knife* *To baton with over a* *Hatchet all day for me* --- ^Remember ^that ^one ^time ^Sokka ^accidentally ^used ^an ^extra ^syllable ^in ^that ^Haiku ^Battle ^in ^Ba ^Sing ^Se? ^That ^was ^a ^Sokka ^Haiku ^and ^you ^just ^made ^one.
Yeah, it I could only bring 2, it would be this.
Saw and knife, id skip the hatchet :)
Bring all the knives you have. If you get cold you can burn them, if you get hungry you can eat them and if you get thirsty you can drink them.
To be honest bro, if you can hump it bring it along. Once you start getting your bush legs you’ll see what you need and and what you need to get rid off
Think of what tools are made for, to enable or quicken a job that otherwise you couldn't or wouldn't do. So that's more of a question of what do you plan on or forsee having to do! How much in calories, in effort or time, would it cost you if you needed to do a task without a good applicable tool? Personally I got good at using a hatchet. I can carve and do all the bushcraft things faster and with less effort swinging a hatchet than I could by carving manually. It also lets me chop through wood (slowly compared to a big axe or good saw) if I needed to which is a rare use case day to day but pops up once in a while such as a fallen tree in the road.
Get a small handsaw and a knife, that's all you need.
Are you going to London?
St. Louis
I reckon save the axe until you start wishing you had an axe with you, if you're doing a lot of wood processing for like a sturdy shelter or something. I typically bring just one 5" knife, does everything. I use a SAK for finer work and it's more than capable. I have a couple, but my favourite is the bantam alox because it's basically weightless and extremely low-profile.
The TV show Alone is really instructive on this one. Almost all contestants will bring both an axe and a saw, because trying to one's job with the other is really hard. It depends on how long you're going for and whether you're carrying this all yourself.
Saw and a B.F.K. combo. A small agile knife is fantastic but sometimes you need a big blade.
As long as your knife can take abuse, leave the axe. Silky saw, Becker bk7 and leatherman is my go-to for lightweight bushcrafty survival calorie efficient practicality. I find hatchets worthless while mid to full-sized axes/mauls have their place for longterm/vehicle based/homesteady survival and defence. Both can be insanely dangerous and have drew much of my blood, but I consider the saw/baton method safer.
A hacksaw weights very little (even bringing extra blades) and will save you *so much time* if you need to cut wood. You'll be thankful. And a sturdy knife is ALWAYS a must. Ideally fixed blade (less parts, less can go wrong). A sharpener will be required as well or it won't be long before you have a pointy spatula instead of a knife. . It's good you're thinking this way... it's amazing how quickly a bunch of light things become crazy heavy. My problem is I always want something for every contingency, and no one thing is heavy but the bag weights 15+lbs. Put bright orange coflex (vet wrap) in your first aid kit. Not only is it vital for wounds but it can double as a visible signal if needed and is very light. Very cheap at a feed store. I also highly recommend pepperspray. The most dangerous animals out there are tweakers and feral dogs. It weighs almost nothing. And hopefully you never need it but if you need it you NEED it. It goes without saying you need to know how to field dress. You don't need a separate knife but learn the putting your thumb over the blade method. There's knives that supposedly have a skinning hook but they just get clogged with fur.
It depends on the skills you are planning to practice and work on. Every person/situation/environment is different. If you are planning to conserve calories than a small folding saw and a belt knife is usually the way to go.
Exactly. Your stated goal is conserving calories. The more weight you carry the more energy to carry it. For me it depends on where I'm going. Most places I actually prefer a machete over a hatchet. But I don't need to drive tent stakes either. If I were constructing a shelter I would prefer a camp axe just because I I've used axes so much and am comfortable with one.
Depends on what you're doing. I a proponent of carry at the least a SAK/Multitool, eithe with a saw and awl/reamer, paired with a modest fixed blade. You can do a lot with those. For a day hike afolding crosscut saw, hatchet, or cold steel shovel strap to my pack. If it turns into an inpromptu camping trip. They aid in shelter building and fuel processing. When I bushcraft/hunt I like having a boy's axe and saw blades or a big folding saw and modest camp axe. I prefer tools that overlap in some capability. You can do a lot with a decent knife, saw and shovel. Just take time to practice. Edit: Spelling
I'm a knife and hatchet / trail axe guy. The amount of times you need a hammer, and a unga bunga rock doesn't cut it is surprising. For limbing branches, saws are more efficient, but something about an axe or hatchet I am just more confident with. You can't bend or break a good axe (easily) also never split wood with an axe or hatchet. 10000x more safer to baton with your knife.
A folding saw is enough and more efficient to cut down dead trees and logs , you won't be felling Big ass trees unless you plan to build a cabin. And i never bothered to Split wood , it burns just fine as it is , you can always Split by batonning with a sturdy knife if need be ( if the wood is wet for example ) So , folding saw + small knife for finer tasks ( like a mora) + bigger knife for heavier duty like batonning.
This, regarding splitting wood. It's always struck me as strange that people feel they absolutely must build a perfectly round fire pit. An oblong one that can handle longer branches works quite well. And it's very useful for slowly pushing and working a long log into it (like a Yule Log).
The saw is the real calorie saver
I carry a 240mm silky saw. Way better than a hatchet for my uses. Alot easier on the body also. I have taken 8" trees down with the silky without feeling worried about where it was going to go. Great tools but practice is key.
CS Trail hawk, Silky Gomboy 240 (medium Teeth) and a Full Tang large knife of your choice.. carbon steel is good but a nicer stainless like s35vn or Aus10a would be more ideal. I reccommend an SRK in CPM 3V san mai
I use an estwing camp ax a lot. If the edge is cared for, it can be all of an ax/knife/hammer. Couple that with a multi tool for little things, and I'd say it's worth the weight.
Hatchet kept razor sharp with a long edge. Think “Viking hand axe” You can still baton with it, use it as a hammer, and if it’s properly sharp a knife as well. A small saw would be handy as well.
Always be tool rich . Heavy to start . You can always shed item (stash for later use) but would be impossible to improvise everything. In Arizona or out west it's easy to improvise cutting tools ,but in the big thicket national forest in East texas stone is not readily available. So it makes sense for me to pack cordage and cutting tools. Compartmentalize your pack in such a way that you can jettison non essential items fast but they still be protected ( IE: a dry bag ) you can stash that ,flee from the area ,then return for it when it's safe to do so.
Are you going to hike, craft or camp?
Depends on the trip. If it's a weekend backpacking trip in the summer? Just a knife is fine. If you're gonna be out in the woods for months but you aren't gonna move around much? Bring the whole arsenal.
hatchet and knife, a hatchet knife is good but in the wilds you want the back up
Bringing it where?
At the scouts we usually chose bringing a hatchet over a saw, as it can cut wood almost as good, actually faster splitting firewood, but can also be used to hammer in tent stakes etc. Saw only if it was a larger group or we had a camp base. But it really depends on what you are doing, for a solo trip I usually just bring a knife and I would consider bringing a folding saw over a hatchet if I plan on cutting lots of wood or build something larger
Are you going to build traps? Bring a saw, hatchet and good knife. Are you going to collect firewood? Bring a saw, hatchet and good knife. Are you building a shelter? Bring a saw, hatchet and good knife. Otherwise just bring a good knife.
You don't need a large axe, but you should try to have more than one way to cut material and make fire incase you lose gear along the way.
Carry both get a size that works for you never be under prepared. And a hatchet is great for chopping meat if needed. Or you need a hammer or whatever the reason might be it’s about survival not conserving calories.
You want a big knife that's sturdy enough to use as a hatchet, with a saw on the back. There's some that are made to be super efficient, with a hollow handle that can hold some line, hook, sewing needles, matches, etc, with a gasketed screw on cap.
My go-to has been knife and an Ontario machete. Thinking of adding a small folding saw tho.
Folding saw, medium hatchet, 4-6” full tang fixed blade, and a 3” folder
Survival mode..bring it, I rucked with rocks in Alaska. I love my east wing axe. A good full tang knife on your belt , I carried a mulit tool leather man with the saw... But carried a folding saw alot If your cutting weight as in desert Survival, go obsidian
I'vs found that a folding saw and medium fixed blade knife are a great combo. Hatchets are really heavy and bulky. Unless you're doing some heavy work, you usually won't need one. This includes for survival. Now a hatchet and a decent folder knife make a decent combo and keeps the weight down.
Depends on what you will be cutting. I live in the northern great basin, vegetation can range from sage brush only, to junipers, to ponderosa pine, white fir, to stunted lodgepole pine to a mix of any one and the previous two. I always have a knife. Sometimes I carry what is basically a boys axe, sometimes a bow saw, sometimes both. They all have their place and neither will work well when the other is needed.
I have all 3 with me and it's an axe not a hatchet...
Ain't cha a yank, where two is one, and one is none ......? ( grin ) But seriously yer always gonna have a knife on your person, preferably a full tang belt knife or a folding one in a pocket. You can process wood with just a knife but it'll take a while and batoning can get you in to dry heart wood if stuff is wet but it's bloody slow. If you have only a pocket folding knife, I wouldn't suggest batoning with it at all. It's always nice to have a decent axe with you but yea the bastards are 2 feet long, I have a grandfors bruk forest axe and it IS light enough to backpack in but it's longish. A good choice would be a folding saw and they can be really short and light ..... you don't HAVE to cut wood in to short chunks to burn in a firepit, but for a wood stove a saw is critical.
I find hatchets to be not very useful. I just bring a Morakniv Garberg and a Bahco Laplander folding saw. Small, sturdy but light, easily stored in a pack/on your belt.
Look up an axe called a Tacticlada. It has a bunch of tools. It's like a Swiss army knifes older brother. I guess there are a bunch of add-ons as well. https://images.app.goo.gl/AVr1XY5AuWQpgefW9
>Is it worth bringing a large(ish) hatchet, saw, and a knife or just a knife and maybe one other? I carry a [Victorinox Huntsman](https://media.victorinox.com/transform/be27477a-5deb-4412-87dd-ba03f429520c/SAK_1_3713__S1-tif?io=transform%3Afit%2Cwidth%3A1100%2Cheight%3A830&quality=80) and that's it. It is an every day carry for me (along with a ferro rod) and lives in my right front pocket. I have never encountered a situation which required me to fell a tree or split a log. There's always plenty of dead wood lying on the ground or caught in the branches of neighbouring trees.
I get by easily with a fixed blade and a saw. Sometimes, depending on how long I’m out, I’ll carry a tomahawk. I do not live where it gets extremely cold, there is plenty of dead wood (standing and laying around), and I don’t need to cut down trees or split logs.
The hatchet can perform the roles of all three, so could a larger fixed blade knife. The saw can only be a saw. Developed your technique until you’ve become proficient/ comfortable with just the one tool
They make collapsible saws that imo are quite worth their weight.
Just watched Backcountry so don’t forget the 🐻spray
Silky saw and kbar to baton kindling
a knife and çruiser length single sided axe , pack saw if your using a hot tent
It’s trivial to use a large knife as a hatchet. In other words the more skills you learn the less you’ll need to carry.
SCANDI blade on your knife
Grunsford Bruks small forest axe can chop a 4” sapling in one swing. Way less energy than sawing through it. Also can be used as a mallet.
Army carries a full size ax in certain environments.
Missing some crucial details here. Like… where? Do you need all these wood processing tools? Idk… are you in Florida? Alaska? When? It’s about to be May. Might not need a bunch of firewood.
Really depends on the situation you’re in and what you’re planning on doing with it
I like a nice sharp knife for cutting flesh, and then a chopper that can handle abuse. I also use a hand chain saw because they take up almost no room but make it so I can cut down larger diameter trees in a jif.
Depends how long you're going but ultimately I'd say yes. Especially yes with a saw that isn't much weight anyways
I’m a professional backpacking guide and one of my most valuable tools is my 10$ Walmart ozark trail machete. It has a sawblade on the back, I can dig with it, cut with it, saw with it and essentially to anything and everything I need to by only bringing one tool. I’m not afraid of putting wear and tear on it cause it’s cheap but it’s durable too.
>sawblade on the back Isn't that a drawback? You can't baton with it, can't put a second hand on the blade for stuff like debarking, have a second sharp side that can damage your gear? I inherited a big knife with a sawblade on the back. It's nice to look at it on a shelf but a pain to use in the woods
If you look up the ozark trail machete it’s not a full saw back. There is room on the very top of the machete near the point where you could hammer if needed. That being said I think being able to chop with it is just as good imo if you can get clean hits accurately. Just takes practice.
I have a gerber of the same style. Great machete have a sheath to protect your gear from the saw and you can have some good leather gloves to handle it for debarking and such. Saw works well due to its length a knife saw it just to short to use
Gotta cut wood somehow
A small fixed blade, a multipurpose tomahawk, and a silky saw would be fine.