If you were going into the woods for a week of bushwhacking, or choosing survival gear for the same purpose, which would you think would be the most useful? A big knife like a Kershaw Outcast, Marine Raider Bowie, or similar, or a hatchet of about the same weight, like an Estwing, Buck, or you name it. Let's assume that you also have a 3" blade knife for lighter tasks. I would like to hear opinions and reasons from those with more experience than me.
knife or hatchet?
- Thread starter ldhulk
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rcmodel
Member in memoriam
I think a plain old 18" GI machette or a LC-14-B Woodman's Pal would be far more useful then a big huge bowie type sheath knife, or hatchet.
And at far less weight to pack as well.
http://www.topbrassmilitary.com/vmc...-Tools/Machetes/060-001-Ontario-18-GI-Machete
http://www.woodmanspal.com/categories/woodmans-pal-military-premium-model-284
If you really need a hatchet, you really need a real camp ax.
I have an orginial 9 1/4" V-44 Kenfolks Bowie from WWII, and a 9 1/4" Western Bowie from Viet Nam.
Both are pretty much worthless for anything except looking at.
When I go to clear brush in the yard, the Machette, or Woodman's Pal, or both, is what goes out with me to do it.
If I was going to live in the woods for a week, one or the other would be what I would have to take with me too.
rc
And at far less weight to pack as well.
http://www.topbrassmilitary.com/vmc...-Tools/Machetes/060-001-Ontario-18-GI-Machete
http://www.woodmanspal.com/categories/woodmans-pal-military-premium-model-284
If you really need a hatchet, you really need a real camp ax.
I have an orginial 9 1/4" V-44 Kenfolks Bowie from WWII, and a 9 1/4" Western Bowie from Viet Nam.
Both are pretty much worthless for anything except looking at.
When I go to clear brush in the yard, the Machette, or Woodman's Pal, or both, is what goes out with me to do it.
If I was going to live in the woods for a week, one or the other would be what I would have to take with me too.
rc
Last edited:
22-rimfire
Member
I would probably take a trustworthy machete along with two other knives, 4-6" fixed blade and a pocket knife such as a SAK.
If I knew I had to build a log cabin, I'd probably take something a bit bigger than a hatchet.
I personally think you can do just about anything a hatchet can do with a large reliable knife of your choice. An axe is a different ballgame in terms of effective cutting ability not that you asked about an axe.
If I knew I had to build a log cabin, I'd probably take something a bit bigger than a hatchet.
I personally think you can do just about anything a hatchet can do with a large reliable knife of your choice. An axe is a different ballgame in terms of effective cutting ability not that you asked about an axe.
DoubleTapDrew
Member
Possibly a Kukri, seems more useful than a hatchet and cuts about the same.
Piraticalbob
Member
I think I'd take a machete, also. A tomahawk would be a good choice, but the hammering ability of the 'hawk can be matched by a found rock, whereas the slicing/cutting ability of the machete can't be matched in the wild.
Carl Levitian
member
A 12 inch Ontario machete and a folding saw.
EastKY_DO
Member
+1 on the Kukri
and, always, a good general purpose field knife.
and, always, a good general purpose field knife.
My HB Forge Tomahawk http://www.hbforge.com/products/tomahawks.php is about the best light axe I ever carried into the woods.
For its weight you get one heck of a lot of cutting power.
I have had this one since 1974
For its weight you get one heck of a lot of cutting power.
I have had this one since 1974
ArfinGreebly
Moderator Emeritus
Woods & Stuff
Usual disclaimer: "woods" means different things to different people. The woods in Alaska, Idaho, the northern Sierra Nevadas, and the woods found in the Rockies are all gonna be different, and also different from, say, the Appalachian woods.
So, with that out of the way, let me try to put down something reasonably coherent.
In most situations, I'm a knife-and-hatchet guy, but there are any number of exceptions.
The woods around here in North Idaho? I would normally take a decent fixed blade, a good folder, and a hatchet. The hatchet would be a light one, either something worn on the belt or affixed to the pack. A Gerber/Fiskars hatchet, or maybe the ultra-light Trail Blazer hatchet (made in Canada). The larger Trail Blazer with the bent handle offers a good combination of cutting edge, lightness, and application ergos. The blade is flat ground, the way a knife would be, which offers some flexibility and ease of sharpening.
Also up in this area there are places with thicker brush, and I might switch over to a short-bladed survival machete, like the Ontario SP8. It will do hatchet duty, and it's better suited to brush clearing than a hatchet.
If I were farther north, and game was involved, I might prefer something like the Timberline/Kommer Bush Pilot hatchet. It's designed to allow you to dress and skin game, quite in addition to mundane camp duties.
If I were in California/Nevada up in the Sierras, I would go for a Woodman's Pal, a light machete, or a Khukri. The Sierras have Manzanita, and that stuff requires a blade with a good cutting edge and a bit of a hook. Hatchets need not apply.
Back East, I would probably select something similar, but I haven't been in those woods in several decades.
High country in Arizona/New Mexico? Probably a machete or Khukri. My dad used to bring his Filipino bolo knife. Lightweight, medium length, awesome cutting edge. It would cut through even the springy stuff, cactus, the thorny trees whose name I've just now forgotten, and stuff like that. I would imagine a well balanced Khukri would perform equally well.
What I would *not* bring to the woods -- any woods of my acquaintance -- is a random full-length machete made for working in long grass or cane. Steel is too soft for hacking around in the woods, and the extra length would just get in the way.
Now that I think a little more about it, I would be completely comfortable substituting my dad's Filipino bolo for a hatchet in most circumstances. That thing even worked on Manzanita.
Okay, now I actually need to do some research and see if I can find one of those. How did I forget that?
So, yeah, a well balanced Khukri, Filipino style bolo, . . . something like that . . . would do okay in the woods.
That said, you should remember that if you're going to do any serious amount of chopping, that a hatchet or camp axe is actually balanced and weighted for chopping. I mean, think, there's a reason lumberjacks use axes for choppage. The tool is optimized for that.
The more your requirement involves versatility, the more it favors a light, robust, bolo/Khukri/short machete.
Usual disclaimer: "woods" means different things to different people. The woods in Alaska, Idaho, the northern Sierra Nevadas, and the woods found in the Rockies are all gonna be different, and also different from, say, the Appalachian woods.
So, with that out of the way, let me try to put down something reasonably coherent.
In most situations, I'm a knife-and-hatchet guy, but there are any number of exceptions.
The woods around here in North Idaho? I would normally take a decent fixed blade, a good folder, and a hatchet. The hatchet would be a light one, either something worn on the belt or affixed to the pack. A Gerber/Fiskars hatchet, or maybe the ultra-light Trail Blazer hatchet (made in Canada). The larger Trail Blazer with the bent handle offers a good combination of cutting edge, lightness, and application ergos. The blade is flat ground, the way a knife would be, which offers some flexibility and ease of sharpening.
Also up in this area there are places with thicker brush, and I might switch over to a short-bladed survival machete, like the Ontario SP8. It will do hatchet duty, and it's better suited to brush clearing than a hatchet.
If I were farther north, and game was involved, I might prefer something like the Timberline/Kommer Bush Pilot hatchet. It's designed to allow you to dress and skin game, quite in addition to mundane camp duties.
If I were in California/Nevada up in the Sierras, I would go for a Woodman's Pal, a light machete, or a Khukri. The Sierras have Manzanita, and that stuff requires a blade with a good cutting edge and a bit of a hook. Hatchets need not apply.
Back East, I would probably select something similar, but I haven't been in those woods in several decades.
High country in Arizona/New Mexico? Probably a machete or Khukri. My dad used to bring his Filipino bolo knife. Lightweight, medium length, awesome cutting edge. It would cut through even the springy stuff, cactus, the thorny trees whose name I've just now forgotten, and stuff like that. I would imagine a well balanced Khukri would perform equally well.
What I would *not* bring to the woods -- any woods of my acquaintance -- is a random full-length machete made for working in long grass or cane. Steel is too soft for hacking around in the woods, and the extra length would just get in the way.
Now that I think a little more about it, I would be completely comfortable substituting my dad's Filipino bolo for a hatchet in most circumstances. That thing even worked on Manzanita.
Okay, now I actually need to do some research and see if I can find one of those. How did I forget that?
So, yeah, a well balanced Khukri, Filipino style bolo, . . . something like that . . . would do okay in the woods.
That said, you should remember that if you're going to do any serious amount of chopping, that a hatchet or camp axe is actually balanced and weighted for chopping. I mean, think, there's a reason lumberjacks use axes for choppage. The tool is optimized for that.
The more your requirement involves versatility, the more it favors a light, robust, bolo/Khukri/short machete.
bikerdoc
Moderator In Memoriam
Though my excursions into the woods have become less frequent, my standard gear has been a Bridgeport hatchet, small folding saw and a kukri.
Kendal Black
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Wood or weeds?
For scything through relatively soft or thin plant matter, the machete is optimized for the task; it is not so good at chopping through tree branches or splitting them for kindling. The hatchet is better for light woodcutting but not so hot on weeds--indeed, not much good at all.
So while the machete is a poor substitute for a hatchet, it will work after a fashion, but the hatchet is no substitute at all, for the machete. The machete is thus a little more versatile, but which I'd prefer depends upon where I am going.
For scything through relatively soft or thin plant matter, the machete is optimized for the task; it is not so good at chopping through tree branches or splitting them for kindling. The hatchet is better for light woodcutting but not so hot on weeds--indeed, not much good at all.
So while the machete is a poor substitute for a hatchet, it will work after a fashion, but the hatchet is no substitute at all, for the machete. The machete is thus a little more versatile, but which I'd prefer depends upon where I am going.
Steel Talon
Member
This is what I carry when roughing it
Corpsman Bolo better than an axe or machete, combine it with a folding saw. You're good to go.
Corpsman Bolo better than an axe or machete, combine it with a folding saw. You're good to go.
Different tools for different environments, so what "woods" are you going into and what else are you taking?
ArfinGreebly
Moderator Emeritus
USMC Bolo
That was my first bolo. Paid something like $5.00 for it at the Army Surplus store in Placerville.
Dad taught me large knife sharpening on that thing.
I could never get it as sharp as his Filipino bolo: the blade was too thick, the grind too steep.
That's also a fairly heavy blade, too. It's a good tool, but nowadays I'd want something a bit lighter.
This is what I carry when roughing it
Corpsman Bolo better than an axe or machete, combine it with a folding saw. You're good to go.
That was my first bolo. Paid something like $5.00 for it at the Army Surplus store in Placerville.
Dad taught me large knife sharpening on that thing.
I could never get it as sharp as his Filipino bolo: the blade was too thick, the grind too steep.
That's also a fairly heavy blade, too. It's a good tool, but nowadays I'd want something a bit lighter.
Sniper X
Member
heres what I carry!
Buck Hoodlum. Never fails to work. If you need more, you need an AXE.
Buck Hoodlum. Never fails to work. If you need more, you need an AXE.
Sniper X
Member
Here's what is all in the sheath,
Steel Talon
Member
Yes sir a solid piece of steel she is..I collect military bolo's since I got bit as a kid myself. I've never had issues with getting and maintain a good cutting edge. However learning to sharpen large big knives takes patience and practice
For field craft, chopping etc. it out performs hachets, and machette's. And always is a topic of conversation in camp about it's history.
For field craft, chopping etc. it out performs hachets, and machette's. And always is a topic of conversation in camp about it's history.
Kingcreek
Member
I would carry my Gransfor Bruks hatchet. it is sharp enough to field dress game.
moxie
Member
Hatchet or light axe by Husqvarna or Gransfors Bruks, plus a good folding saw like a Sven.
As others have noted the exact terrain anticipated, and your weight restrictions will dictate the hatchet or axe.
As others have noted the exact terrain anticipated, and your weight restrictions will dictate the hatchet or axe.
I am a New Englander and have been using belt axes/hatchets, axes, mauls, and wedges since I was a little kid.
So my choice is simple, a belt axe.
Something that is often overlooked. A small belt axe/hatchet can do what a knife can do with practice. I still don't have the control down with my Wetterlings for ultra fine work. But I am working on it.
So my choice is simple, a belt axe.
.
Something that is often overlooked. A small belt axe/hatchet can do what a knife can do with practice. I still don't have the control down with my Wetterlings for ultra fine work. But I am working on it.
I've used a machete camping in WV before, and was really glad I had it. I can imagine one being very useful in a place like Florida.. but Colorado? Not so much.
I usually keep a hammer backed tomohawk handy.
I usually keep a hammer backed tomohawk handy.
KevininPa
Member
What worked for me for years is.........
......a Cold Steel riflemans Hawk or a Guhrka Kukri for chopping and a smaller knife for general purpose ( usually an Opinel ). Actually use two knives for GP, one smaller for fine work and a larger for bigger tasks.
......a Cold Steel riflemans Hawk or a Guhrka Kukri for chopping and a smaller knife for general purpose ( usually an Opinel ). Actually use two knives for GP, one smaller for fine work and a larger for bigger tasks.
Deltaboy1984
Member
I carry a 3 blade stockman, a fixed field knife and a camp ax into the woods. I also have a Machete strapped to my pack. Depending on the woods and time of year I might trade out the AX for a BSA hatchet.
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