Hatchet vs Saw

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Nov 26, 2018
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Ohio
I keep a Bahco Laplander saw in my pack. It is the only one I have used for the past 5 years and has worked fantastic for me. Not sure how it compares to the Silky Gomboy.

This is what I use as well, along with a solid tang fixed blade knife. The knife is just as efficient for splitting wood as a small hatchet and weighs less. It also has double duty with game processing.
 
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Corona saw from lowes,i have had multiple saws and for the money its hard to best,i also have a gb hatchet that never gets used.
 
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I always have a arborist folder and snips. Both are used to prep fuel, clear shooting lanes, clear camp sites.....etc. I hunt in the brushiest place in North America so they are worth their weight to me.
Out of curiosity where do you hunt cause I was pretty sure I was in the brushiest place in North America
 

Nate_Beres

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Mar 27, 2016
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I know this isn't what you want to hear but leave your saw, hatchet, stove, etc at home! A fire will coat your clothes with smoke anyways! I hunt from before daylight to after dark and the last thing I want to do at the end of a super long day is find and cut firewood!
Classic "neither" answer to a basic A or B question.
Anyways, I love my silky gomboy to the point of it occasionally replacing the chainsaw on camping trips. Some others here have seen the light.
After temporarily losing that I got a f180. 7" blade, 180grams and almost half the cost of the 170mm pocketboy.
Piggybacking on the full tang knife suggestion is that allows you to split wood which could be a major plus.
Another option but I've never liked them is the chain-saw. Basically a chain saw chain with handles on either end. It's light and can get the job done, just not very well.
But save yourself any more trouble and buy a silky saw, worth it's weight in gold.

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Classic "neither" answer to a basic A or B question.
Anyways, I love my silky gomboy to the point of it occasionally replacing the chainsaw on camping trips. Some others here have seen the light.
After temporarily losing that I got a f180. 7" blade, 180grams and almost half the cost of the 170mm pocketboy.
Piggybacking on the full tang knife suggestion is that allows you to split wood which could be a major plus.
Another option but I've never liked them is the chain-saw. Basically a chain saw chain with handles on either end. It's light and can get the job done, just not very well.
But save yourself any more trouble and buy a silky saw, worth it's weight in gold.

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That’s what I ended up with! Super excited to try it!


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A good saw is useful in other ways to. I guess so is a hatchet. But the saw is compact, lighter and more back packy for hunting. I carry the saw.

With that said, I don't use it for cutting wood hardly ever. I just break branches and tore in tipi. I don't even carry it anymore TBH.
 

AKHUNTER

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Are you backpacking with the stove and tent? I find it much easier to cut the size of wood that you will need for a small tent stove with a folding saw. When we haul camp in via 4 wheeler, side by side, or snowmachine, we generally bring a few sacks of pre-cut firewood with us and don't generally need to cut anymore wood for a week long hunt. Sand bags work great for hauling small firewood for the stove.
 
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Are you backpacking with the stove and tent? I find it much easier to cut the size of wood that you will need for a small tent stove with a folding saw. When we haul camp in via 4 wheeler, side by side, or snowmachine, we generally bring a few sacks of pre-cut firewood with us and don't generally need to cut anymore wood for a week long hunt. Sand bags work great for hauling small firewood for the stove.

All of the above. This is for my backpacking setup though.


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dutch_henry

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Vermont
Recently switched from a Bacho folding saw to a Silky Bigboy. Both are great, would be ok carrying either, but the silky is in a class by itself.

As others have said, a folding saw + knife for batoning is a good lightweight combo. In the winter though, I always carry an axe. I go through more wood, the days are shorter, and it processes more wood with less work.
 

Lawnboi

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I have a Sven saw in my river boat but had never used it on bone. Are you guys using them on bone?

I searched for a bone blade but sven does not offer one, could probably fabricate your own but I wouldn’t even try cutting bone with the stock blade. It’s a very course wood blade.
 

mcseal2

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I searched for a bone blade but sven does not offer one, could probably fabricate your own but I wouldn’t even try cutting bone with the stock blade. It’s a very course wood blade.

That's what I was thinking. The blade on mine is really coarse. Great for clearing casting lanes or camp use from the boat, but not a bone designed blade. Thanks!
 

mcseal2

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We used an 18" Wyoming saw on our moose hunt. It's not the lightest saw in the world, but it worked great on that trip. It was the right tool for the job there. We had the bone blades for ribs and the wood blade for camp use. When my moose hit the ground he had went a few yards back into some thick brush. The wood blades cleared us an area to work on him in, and a path to pack him back out without tripping. The bone blade was used to take the rib slabs out whole as the law in that unit required. They are definitely a nice and well made option. Mine stays in my Alaska tote unless it's needed elsewhere.
 

Lawnboi

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I looked all over for a wyoming was this fall, I guess scheels and cabelas no longer carry them. I’ll have to order one as I really want something I can use for capping skulls and making fire wood when close to the vehicle
 
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I used to over-think this matter and debate ounces. If I'm going in deep and staying long I'm bringing in tools to get my work done.

Silky saws are my choice. Gomtaro Pro Sentei is my absolute favorite for cutting firewood, poles, branches, etc.

I've been bringing a Gransfors-Bruks Small Forest Axe to camp for a good many years. Not cheap, but really no more than a darned good knife. I use it to do many different tasks. Pounding tipi stakes, de-limbing felled trees, splitting rounds, caving in grizzly skulls....all in a day's work.

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I commonly use my little axe like a splitting wedge. On tough rounds, I use the axe handle to keep the blade centered on the wood....then I strike the top of the axe head with another round...maybe 4" diameter x 12-16" long. It's safer for me and for my blade edge doing it this way. Requires less energy too. At the end of the day....my reward is waiting.

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