A hatchet is not a tool normally considered to be essential if you are an ultralight backpacker. Rather, it's more a tool used for "woodcraft" or "bushcraft", i.e., the practice of using naturally-occurring resources to supplement a fairly minimal kit of equipment. Bushcraft enthusiasts may therefore practice the arts of hunting, fishing, and trapping for food and skins, and the use of saws, knives, axes, and hatchets for making shelters and other functional structures, and of course, for firebuilding.
Ultralight backpacking, on the other hand, seems to come from the opposite direction, based on being firmly rooted in the principles of minimum-impact camping. At the extreme end of the spectrum, the "leave-no-trace" zealot will reject the use of virtually all natural resources in lieu of equipment, supplies, and food carried entirely in her backpack.
Ultralight backpacking meets bushcraft from opposite ends of the spectrum. Bushcrafters are always looking to lighten up, so they may enjoy the fruits of high tech materials, simple designs, and other elements of ultralight philosophy to minimize the amount of weight they do carry into the backcountry. At the same time, some ultralight backpackers are realizing some entertainment value in learning and practicing bushcraft skills such as shelter and firebuilding.
My own journey practicing woodcraft was incubated during my youth tenure as a Boy Scout. I was fascinated by ropemaking, knots and lashings, pioneering projects, sharp tools, and of course, fire.
Of course, my camping skills gravitated away from woodcraft as my backcountry skills evolved. Manila rope was replaced with paracord, pine boughs were replaced with Evazote, and wood fire was replaced with a gas stove. However, after moving away from the hardcore LNT culture of the Pacific Northwest to the "leave-less-trace-but-be-practical-and-enjoy-yourself" culture of Montana, I relearned some bushcraft arts such as hunting and eating game on the trail, taking advantage of natural forest structures for camp location and shelter, and firebuilding for warmth and cooking.
ARTICLE OUTLINE
- Introduction
- Role of the Hatchet
- Mini-Hatchet Comparison
- The Gränsfors-Bruks Mini Hatchet
# WORDS: 1060
# PHOTOS: 4
Member Exclusive
A Premium or Unlimited Membership* is required to view the rest of this article.
* A Basic Membership is required to view Member Q&A events
Discussion
Become a member to post in the forums.
Good warning, a lot of people abuse their hatchets till they are basically a blunt instrument. This breeds carelessness.
I used a sharp axe once and was very surprised by what it could do. It was more fatiguing then a saw but just about as fast (if not faster in some cases).
Like I said, small axes have been used by hunters for field butchering game for millennia. They might be a little less handy at the table.
I have a scary sharp cleaver for such things in the kitchen.
From my ancestral home.
Vikings were famous for axes.
Better price -$31
http://www.amazon.com/Husqvarna-Hatchet-1-2-lbs-Handle/dp/B004VLKLJE/ref=pd_sim_sbs_sg_6?ie=UTF8&refRID=0TYTZWB0M4RE39541N4S
They make good sewing machines, target rifles, chain saws and motorcycles too.
I am a "bushcrafter" that is leaning into UL. So it's cool to see this thread.
I'm a fan of knife/saw combos and have an EKA Viking for hunting and expeditions and a dual direction chain saw for regular backpacking. I use them both frequently. I recently switched from an ESEE knife to the LMF/Mora knife which works well for all types of applications, including light batoning.
I understand LNT techniques, but fires are useful and when care is taken when finding wood (nothing green) it is actually helpful to the environment in the Midwest (where I live). Local agencies support fire building to decrease the amount of large fuel available to grass fires and when clearing areas to create fire breaks in the event of one. Just last week a ranger in the Buffalo National River Preserve told me to build a fire to dry out my clothes. When I commented on LNT he said as long as it's already dead and displaced that it just saves him work and keeps the park safer when dealing with fires (they control burn regularly).
From my perspective, it's a neat backcountry toy. I wouldn't mind having one. But I certainly wouldn't put it into an essential category.
Not that there's anything wrong with toys or non-essentials.
I lump my larger, fixed blade knives into the same category.
I can always find plenty of fun and useful things to do with them when I have them. Feathersticks, batoning wood, bushcrafty stuff…
But when I don't have them, I don't miss them. Something as small as a Spyderco Ladybug can handle any realistic chores I need done.
I think part of it is simply regional; being in the southwest there simply isn't much to do with a hatchet if I'm not looking for things to do with a hatchet.
Knives and saws can do most of what you'd use a hatchet for, except for splitting wood efficiently (yes you can baton wood with a good quality knife but a good ax or hatchet is much easier). A slightly longer, heavier and properly sharpened hatchet will do that much better than the Mini. But no matter which tools you use, practice is essential so that you can use them well before you really need to.
+ 1 Tony – I'd love to see an article on bushcraft basics, with light weight in mind.
In the Cub Scouts and Boy Scouts we spent a lot of time learning how to use axes and hatchets and processing downed trees and branches. Miracle none of use injured ourselves or others. Ax use and fire-building practice really helped the scoutmasters keep us busy. Yes it was fun.
"I think part of it is simply regional; being in the southwest there simply isn't much to do with a hatchet if I'm not looking for things to do with a hatchet."
Growing up in a logging town in Canada I was given a hatchet at 8 years old. Bushcraft was a given. Lots of conifers, long winters, firemaking and shelter building were highly emphasized in our scout troop. LNT not so much. I agree with other posts that it was great fun and a hatchet in skilled hands is a highly efficient shelter and firemaking tool.
I bought a GB Mini Hatchet a couple years ago. After using it a while I found I liked it so much that I soon bought a GB Wildlife Hatchet, and later a GB Small Forest Axe. They’re classic tools, very well made and a joy to use. I think my favorite is the Small Forest Axe, which is really too big for backpacking but is perfect for car-camping. Here’s a fun video featuring the Small Forest Axe from a guy who knows a bit on the topic:
Choosing a Proper Hatchet
.
I have several of the Gransfors-Bruks product line. Based on 2+ decades of practical experience, these are amongst the finest in existence. Cost aside, comparison of an AB to say a Gerber product (which is good too), is like comparing an original Van Gogh to a poster. With a modicum of care, the AB axe will still be serving you great-great grand children rather well indeed. For those looking for a lightweight axe with a longer handle, the GB wildlife hatchet should serve nicely.
egouvier
PS: for more information, beg, borrow or buy the Gransfors "Axe Book" which tells the story about how these are made.
Beautiful hatchet! Would love to hear about the shelter / pack that is pictured in this article. Is it oilcloth? What is the rope technique? Gear list, method, et cetera…
Super late post but had to comment. I read this article a couple years ago and since then have always wanted to get the GF Mini-Hatchet but never really had the need or want to justify the cost. This last weekend I went backpacking in the Oregon Cascades, about 4500′, Memorial Day weekend. The snow had just melted and the established campsite was fairly clean of firewood. The small saw I brought worked great for managing a few nearby fallen (dead) small trees but the wood was still so wet that I think this little hatchet would have helped quite a bit. Normally I wouldn’t care if a fire wasn’t going to happen but we had our kids with us and it was chilly so fires a game changer for moral. Fortunately my buddy and I had enough esbits to make it work but it was a process. I think being able to split wet, 2-3 inch diameter logs would have saved us a lot of work. Of course I ordered one as soon as I got home and can’t wait to try. The main reason for the post is to shed light on the many that say a small saw and knife will do just fine. In my last weekend’s experience that was not the case.
Become a member to post in the forums.