forestwalker
Bushcrafter (boy, I've got a lot to say!)
I can relate to nights like that
But I've found that I was much more efficient gathering large amounts of firewood with a decent folding bucksaw than I ever was with an axe. And the weight is about the same.
Have you tried a bucksaw?
I've tried the folding ones, and they are not bad. But I still think the axe is a better choice (even if the saw is also enormously safer: it is much, much harder to damage yourself seriously with a saw). I often carry one of them, but often these days prefer a fixed frame since there is less fiddling before you can start sawing.
But I still prefer the axe, both for atavistic reasons and because I love having a tool that is so amazingly versatile.