Small camping axes, are worth it?

Saw this gerber axe at menards today and thought it would fit into my recovery gear box. Not sure why I would need a small axe during a recovery operation but that’s where my mind went. Does anyone carry a small one in there camping gear? Does it get used? There was also a mini machete next to it. Was trying to justify buying it too. It was cool looking and I don’t have one. Didn’t get either.

https://www.rei.com/product/143385/...VEAiICR3p8AqdEAQYAyABEgKAffD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds

 

It's just a hatchet. Better than nothing but if you are thinking of doing anything significant think again. Oh, you can probably do it, but it's gonna take a very long time.

 

I keep a similar one in my truck. Typically have used it for branch clearing around my hunting stands. Too small to chop much wood with it. It might be scary to the road-rage guy who runs to my truck at a stop light.

 

do you do any camping at all? The hatchet may come in handy if you need to clear any small brush or branches like @Brownie_Man said but if you camp at all and have camp fires, a more substantial axe would come in very handy. Many people like the Fiskars line of axes. They are lightweight and are decent quality.

 

For me hatchets are for making kindling. Axes are for forcible entry and stump removal and saws are for cutting. If you’re prepping a logging trail with hand tools in the spring I’d have long handled anvil pruners and a few saws, along with rope for the trees you want to preserve for Mother Nature.

I use my machete for hiking trail maintenance.

 

I have the Fiskers hatchet and ax, both are excellent and used in different circumstances.

 

For the amount of space they take, you can't go wrong with having both.

 

I prefer a large chopper to a hatchet. But i also carry a full size splitting axe.

 

Re: road rager. That’s what guns are for.

 

Pretty useful for camping, but only for squaring away your smaller branches and kindling. The backside is ok for some types of tent stakes but on the other hand having a blade facing you when hammering, or near a tent fly, is perhaps not the best.

Purely for off-roading, a portable saw is more useful for downed branches or a very small tree that might be in your path.

 

I'm the weirdo that never had need for a hatchet. Mainly because I'm of the philosophy that campfires should only be fed with gathered wood, not cut.

Occasionally a good log splitting axe comes in handy, though.

 

Battoning wood with my kabar honestly works better for making kindling than my hatchet but I still keep a hatchet in the truck.
It’s such an iconic tool and can double as a hammer. I usually only end up using my hatchet to hammer in tent pegs.

a folding saw would be best if your trying to clear a fallen tree from the road

 

Been carrying and using a hatchet since I was a kid and that’s a long time ago. They are great for taking off small branches and getting smaller fire wood down to campfire size. They are dangerous if not used safely and properly. Over the years I’ve known of several people who did major damage to their leg and some who lopped off a couple fingers with hatchets. I like them but they are not for every one.
For recovery I’d go with an ax over a hatchet. What’s the difference - a hatchet is small and is used with one hand. An ax has a longer handle and requires you to use both hands. Actually a Swede or bow saw would be my choice for recovery. If you need to cut a log or some heavy branches a Swede saw will do it quickly with less effort than an ax.

 

I carry a "pack axe" by council tool both on my dual sport and in the truck. It has absolutely saved me out on the trails when a downed tree HAD to be cut. It was 18" thick, so too heavy for the three of us to move out of the way, and it wasn't possible to go around it - we we chopped it in half over the course of 25 minutes, the three of use taking turns chopping the green wood. The tree was ended up being about 5 minutes from our next turn, and not cutting the tree would have required we backtrack more than 35 miles off road.

After that experience, that pack axe goes on every single trip.

Edited to add: the pack axe is essentially a hatchet - but it has enough mass and a broad enough blade to do some serious chopping, given it's over all size... And it's considerably more packable.

 

I prefer a Woodsman’s Pal to a hatchet. For limbing and brush clearing it can’t be beat.