Hacking Away: The Best Camp Hatchets To Keep Handy On Site

This week’s editor’s pick is the Council Tool WC20PA19C Wood-Craft Pack Axe. About 5 inches longer than the Gerber, Rusty says that the Pack Axe is extremely well balanced and the sheath works well for preventing rust when sitting in the back of his truck (in his neck of the woods things are very snowy and cold nearly all year round). The Pack Axe is made right here in the USA using Hickory for the handle, and 5160 Steel for the head and finished off with a flat 25° grind. The axe comes with a high quality welted leather mask to protect the axe and the steel lends itself very well to being sharpened – truly one worth picking up if you use a hatchet frequently.

The Gränsfors Outdoor Axe was developed with the help of survival expert Lars Fält, and is ideal for those who want to use an axe in different ways when out and about in the countryside. Although it is light, it can be used to fell a tree, thanks to its relatively long handle and heavy, elongated head. The axe is also excellent for limbing a tree. The handle has a protective steel collar near the head so that the axe can be used for light wood splitting tasks. It can also be used as a large knife. Lars Fält, who worked with Gränsfors Bruk to design the Gränsfors Outdoor Axe, established the Swedish Armed Forces Survival School and has trained the Swedish Army Ranger Battalion for 35 years at the Ranger School and Parachute Ranger School. He has also written 10 books on survival and outdoor pursuits.

An all-purpose companion in the wilderness or for managing tasks closer to home. Ergonomic US-hickory handles with unique anti-slip paint for better grip. The head shape is the German “Rheinland” pattern which offers a larger, curved cutting surface. Each hatchet comes with a heavy-duty leather sheath with a 2-button release system and a cotton storage bag. Although the Adler is very basic, I appreciate the small improvements they’ve made to the handle and the inclusion of a nice leather sheath. If you’re looking for something simple that isn’t made from polymer, this is the ticket.

A great little camp axe. Bear in mind that it’s not intended for splitting large logs, this is not a “winter axe” (everyone who is getting the chips are trying to split logs that are too large). It’s meant for dead wood about the size of your forearm and even then you should split your wood with the wood lying flat not standing erect. It’s also a great little carving axe. Pair this with a small fixed blade knife and a saw and you’re set. If used properly there’s no reason you should have any problems with this little axe. A Morakniv is always made in Mora, in their factory in the village of Östnor, where it’s been located for centuries. Morakniv has control over the entire production, as it’s they who carry out each step of the process.