Lightweight axe/hatchet?

[Ed T]

Generally I'd agree on the 2 lbs but after owning 8 or 10 GB axes including the Hunters and Small Forest the Outdoors Ax is my most used by far.

 

[Robbie]

I have the GB Forest axe, small forest axe, outdoor axe, and mini axe. I use the outdoor axe for prepping wood with a large kifaru stove 8 man tipi. The mini is lighter and is what I used before the outdoor. If you are not using the stove Small fforest or non winter forest axe or bigger for winter. you didn't ask about saws.

 

[GKPrice]

Without question Gransfors Bruks "anything" is the better way to go BUT think about being by yourself far from any help ... the last thing "I" need is a wound from a hatchet or small axe - I traded my hunter hatchet in on a small splitting maul and have never been happier

 

[Robbie]

Without question Gransfors Bruks "anything" is the better way to go BUT think about being by yourself far from any help ... the last thing "I" need is a wound from a hatchet or small axe - I traded my hunter hatchet in on a small splitting maul and have never been happier

I read somewhere during British SAS survival training they stopped using axes at 1500 each day because that is the latest a helicopter evacuation could be done.

 

[realunlucky]

I read somewhere during British SAS survival training they stopped using axes at 1500 each day because that is the latest a helicopter evacuation could be done.

While that maybe true find it hard to believe that's the reason. Insertions and extractions happen at all hours special operations happen mostly at night FYI

 

[bhylton]

Its a consideration... but i guess i dont NOT carry an axe because i might cut myself... I would be more concerned rolling an ankle or falling on the trail and putting a stick through palm.

 

[Robbie]

FWIW I messed up the exact wording from memory"In the Regiment we took axework and cutting so seriously that we had a rule: no cutting in the 2 hours before last light. This was in case anyone cut themselves and had to be airlifted out-leaving an hour for the chopper to arrive and an hour to get back." the book is Chris Ryan's Ultimate Survival Guide published in 2003. Based on his bio I would "assume" the time period would be late 80's before GPS etc. I suspect the most dangerous part of any trip is the automobile ride to and from the trailhead.

 

[TheHardWay]

Agreed. Being alone in the backcountry carries a huge risk itself. Worrying about cutting yourself with an axe, although potentially serious, ranks low on the list of risks to me. Slipping off a cliff, a bone break or sprain, or even cutting yourself on a broad head seem much more likely to me.
I wonder is SAS stopped using knives 2 hours before last light as well?

 

[sab]

Based on his bio I would "assume" the time period would be late 80's before GPS etc.

Not that it really matters in this thread, but I'm pretty sure the military had GPS in the 80s. It was developed by the military long before it was available to civilians... My buddy had a third generation Garmin consumer unit back in the mid 90s.

Regards,
SAB

 

[Robbie]

Not that it really matters in this thread, but I'm pretty sure the military had GPS in the 80s. It was developed by the military long before it was available to civilians... My buddy had a third generation Garmin consumer unit back in the mid 90s.

Regards,
SAB

one of the big advantages we had in the Gulf War 1991 was GPS. it didn't become fully operational until 1995. I was on submarines in the 80s and 90s we only had rudimentary gps in the 90s and nothing in the 80s. The Tomahawks shot during the Gulf War were all non GPS weapons.

 

[Take-a-knee]

Not that it really matters in this thread, but I'm pretty sure the military had GPS in the 80s. It was developed by the military long before it was available to civilians..

Uhh, no. Trimble had units for surveyors in the mid 80's that cost 25K. The hand-held PLUGGER was fielded in the mid 90's to most units and it didn't work most of the time.

 

[bhylton]

How about those axes this thread is about.....

 

[Take-a-knee]

How about those axes this thread is about.....

GB Outdoor Axe is about as good as it gets, probably. Though for feeding a sheet-metal stove, a Silky folding saw and a knife sturdy enough to baton is probably about the same weight and more efficient, with less "MEDEVAC" risk

 

[sab]

one of the big advantages we had in the Gulf War 1991 was GPS. it didn't become fully operational until 1995. I was on submarines in the 80s and 90s we only had rudimentary gps in the 90s and nothing in the 80s. The Tomahawks shot during the Gulf War were all non GPS weapons.

I stand corrected. I assumed that if my buddy had a Garmin III+ in '95ish, the military must have had GPS receivers about a decade before that since the GPS was their deal. My bad. Apologies to the OP for sidetracking...

To get this thread back on topic, I have five Gransfors Bruk products - mini hatchet, wildlife hatchet, hunter's axe, splitting maul, and draw knife - and like them all. Only three of these would be used on a backpacking trip. I've found the mini hatchet to be useful only when small-diameter wood is available. It's light and easy to carry, but not all that useful. The wildlife hatchet, on the other hand, is a lot more useful, but too heavy for most of my trips. The hunter's axe is very effective, but too heavy except for winter trips with a pulk. I've never used the rounded poll on the hunter's axe to skin an animal, and having the rounded poll makes the axe less useful in camp, as it can't be used as a hammer. That axe is the one GB product that I wouldn't buy again. I'd buy the small forest axe instead. I suppose if I regularly hunted brown bear or moose, I might like the rounded poll, but I don't hunt those species, yet (someday!). Oddly enough, I'm leaving for a SE AK black bear hunt this evening, and the hunter's axe didn't make the cut, even though I would have loved giving it a try for skinning. It was quite a challenge getting my bag down to the 50lb airline weight limit, and the axe was too heavy to bring along.

For backpack hunting trips, I'm with some of the others - a sturdy knife for splitting makes the most sense.

Regards,
Scott

 

[Beendare]

Are those skeletonized axes so light that it makes them less useful?

Seems to me without the weight behind the head they would be practically worthless

 

[bhylton]

Are you talking about the KLAX? iwould think they are not as good as the real deal, but probably better than a knife and rock

 

[larryschwartz]

Are those skeletonized axes so light that it makes them less useful?

Seems to me without the weight behind the head they would be practically worthless

Beendare,

Yes, mass is very important in any tool that you chop with. I am old enough to remember and have used the old entrenching tool with the wooden handle and the steel shovel head. They worked very well when preparing a fighting position. Then they switched to the new design with the shorter folding tubular steel handle and lighter shovel head. It took more effort and muscle power to accomplish the same work with the lighter tool and the weight difference wasn't worth it.

There obviously is a balance between too heavy and just heavy enough, but reducing mass in the axe head just to make the whole thing lighter is counter-productive.

We now return you to your original thread and topic...

Larry

 

[COlineman78]

I had a Gerber hatchet that I brought a couple times last year and was frustrated by it's terrible performance and got to thinking that there had to be a better option. GB seems to have some good options, but they are very expensive. I came up with 3 options that I bought and plan on trying out this year that I am hopeful for. First is the UST Sabrecut, which is light and long, but has a thin handle that may result in blisters (I saw something where someone wrapped the handle in paracord for better comfort). Second is the Schrade Old Timer hatchet that comes in a combo with a knife, the overall weight of the hatchet itself is roughly the same as the UST, but it feels heavier due to it's shorter size. Last is a little different and I'm going to try the Gerber Gator JR machete where I plan to use it as both my saw and hatchet by batoning saving some additional weight by not needing a saw.

Also, not to derail the thread again, but by 1983 there were 6 GPS satellites launched which is enough for 100% global coverage, however the system probably went online for military use in 1980 with the launch of the 5th satellite, which coincides with the epoch of GPS time (Jan 6 1980).

 

[Take-a-knee]

Also, not to derail the thread again, but by 1983 there were 6 GPS satellites launched which is enough for 100% global coverage, however the system probably went online for military use in 1980 with the launch of the 5th satellite, which coincides with the epoch of GPS time (Jan 6 1980).

True, but only the fat wallet crowd could access them till the 90's.

As for hatchets, all else pales compared to the Gransfors Outdoor Axe. Buy once, cry once.

 

[rodney482]

The good idea fairy comes to mind.