# Best hatchet for camping / trail clearing / fun



## Blackies Pasture (Mar 3, 2015)

Every time we go MTB / camping, I make a list of "crap we should bring next time".

The last time around, we added "flyswatters" and "hatchet" to the list.

I need a campsite hatchet for .....well I don't know why, I just want one.

I already bring a Silky saw and a machete. But I think a hatchet would be useful sometimes.

Of course I L-O-V-E the Estwing leather, but is there something new that is so much better, that it is worth buying?


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## OwenM (Oct 17, 2012)

Knock yourself out
https://www.gransforsbruk.com/en/product-cat/forrest-axes/


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## MOJO K (Jan 26, 2007)

Get an Estwing, but go for the 26" camp axe.


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## aero901 (Apr 11, 2012)

Check out the Fiskars axe lineup: https://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss_1?url=search-alias=lawngarden&field-keywords=fiskars+axe They're pretty much indestructible and work well.

If other people will be using it, get something you won't mind taking some abuse.


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## ki5ka (Dec 17, 2006)

Right on! That's an hatchet worth owning!


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## Torgy (Mar 8, 2016)

One of the problems with hatchets,
safety wise is that they can easily miss it's mark and hit your leg. When I was a musher, chopping wood for a campfire miles away from any help, I'd take a knee when chopping wood. This made it impossible for an errant swing to hit me. This was using a 24 inch boy scout axe. A shorter handle will only increase the danger. My situation may be different than yours but please be careful when using them.


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## 127.0.0.1 (Nov 19, 2013)

estwing hatchet ftw


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## bsieb (Aug 23, 2003)

Estwings are crap. Get a Council Tool, Husqvarna, Fiskars, Hults Bruk, Ochsenkoff, Gransfors Bruk, Barco-Kelly. Vintage axes are better than new ones. Something under 2 lbs with a ~20" handle, like the superb Council Tool Woodcraft Pack Axe, for instance. I carry a Council Tool 28" Boys Axe for trail work, but I'm an axeman.


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## MOJO K (Jan 26, 2007)

bsieb's answer brings up a good point. The Estwing is in no way a beautiful, well crafted tool and it doesn't hold an edge terribly well. Because it's not really nice, I don't have to treat it nice. It is cheap, durable , very easy to carry, and requires little maintenance. Throw it in with the camping gear or trail tools and forget it. For that purpose, it's perfect.


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## 786737 (Mar 13, 2015)

"Fun?"


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## MOJO K (Jan 26, 2007)

the one ring said:


> "Fun?"


Don't judge. This isn't the OC.


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## ki5ka (Dec 17, 2006)

Trailbuilding


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