Should I axe my axe ?

[Stormbringer]

On all my bush craft outings this year I haven’t used my axe Once. Which has led me to think, do I really need to take one.
It weighs 2lb and is awkward to carry. My knifes, Boreal 21Saw and pruning saw have covered all the wood craft I have done.
Also they are tucked out of site in my pack.
What do you think ?

 

[Oliver G]

Wrap it up in denso tape and store it away for a year. If you haven't used it this year then there's no need to carry extra weight.

If you keep a log of your trips, record the environments you are when you think "I wish I brought my axe" that way when you plan a trip to that environment you can bring one along.

Oddly enough I'm trying the opposite, I'm leaving my MOD knife which I use as a chopper at home and taking along an axe for the first time to try it out.

 

[punkrockcaveman]

I don't like big knives so I use an axe if I need to split wood, which means I need an axe if I'm planning any carving, and if I'm going to need to make feathersticks for fires, as it so happened on my last trip.

weight wise, there a probably lighter options around, maybe a GB wildlife hatchet might be lighter.

 

[Stormbringer]

I always keep a log which includes what tools were used. All the tasks this year have been with a saw and using a knife for battoning. Will have a look at lighter axes, but I find an axe needs some weight to it for splitting.

 

[Herman30]

One reason I earlier shyed from carrying my axe was that it was difficult to carry. Not anymore after buying this.

 

[gra_farmer]

One reason I earlier shyed from carrying my axe was that it was difficult to carry. Not anymore after buying this.

Okay I like that, where did you get it?

 

[Broch]

Different tools for different jobs!

Walking, backpacking in the hills - I never take an axe or even a saw - just a SAK and a smallish fixed blade knife.
Trekking along rivers and woodland edges for a few days - small folding saw and the above.
Fixed camp in the woods with several people going out on day treks from camp - bow saw, axe (usually two sizes), and the above

 

[Herman30]

Okay I like that, where did you get it?

Bucksaw and Axe Carry Case | Journeyman Handcraft

An old design which we have simplified slightly for ease of use. The center pouch is long enough to hold a 21- 24" bucksaw (when built). Strap sold separately. Carry all of your wood collecting tools in one simple system when moving away from camp, or to protect your tools when carrying them in...

www.journeymanhandcraft.com

 

[Laurentius]

Different tools for different jobs!

Walking, backpacking in the hills - I never take an axe or even a saw - just a SAK and a smallish fixed blade knife.
Trekking along rivers and woodland edges for a few days - small folding saw and the above.
Fixed camp in the woods with several people going out on day treks from camp - bow saw, axe (usually two sizes), and the above

Well certainly I don't want to frighten the horses when using public footpaths. There are many at this season that are so overgrown with brambles and hawthorns and prickly stuff where a machete would be a useful companion, however I generally carry a pair of secateurs and have earned the gratitude of fellow walkers for doing so rather than what might happen if I were seen to be thrashing away with a machete.

 

[Broch]

Well certainly I don't want to frighten the horses when using public footpaths. There are many at this season that are so overgrown with brambles and hawthorns and prickly stuff where a machete would be a useful companion, however I generally carry a pair of secateurs and have earned the gratitude of fellow walkers for doing so rather than what might happen if I were seen to be thrashing away with a machete.

Yep, I carry a small pair of folding secateurs with me as well - a very undervalued countryside tool in my opinion.

 

[C_Claycomb]

On all my bush craft outings this year I haven’t used my axe Once. Which has led me to think, do I really need to take one.
It weighs 2lb and is awkward to carry. My knifes, Boreal 21Saw and pruning saw have covered all the wood craft I have done.
Also they are tucked out of site in my pack.
What do you think ?

I think you have answered your own question. Unless you REALLY think (and could provide multiple reasons) that your next trip is going to be different from all the others this year, you have proven you do not need to carry the axe.

 

[Allison McKenzie]

Although, do you not feel that the axe is part of your identity? It doesn't have to be functional to be carried. We all carry lots of decorative things.

 

[Nice65]

I have a Gransfors SFA. Only took it camping a couple of times, I’ve always found a Silky saw to be way more efficient. That and a reasonable fixed blade plus a pocket folder like a Paramilitary3 or Tenacious for food is all I need.

The axe hangs by my hearth and is used regularly for kindling bashing during the winter.

 

[MikeLA]

Always a folding saw for woodland trips elsewhere just a penknife. Think the popularity of axes in the uk came from RM. Personally unless you live in Sweden, Canada in the winter there not necessary. I enjoy my local woodland in its natural state not chopped/cut down all over the place.

 

[Herman30]

In Finland we have have a multitude of legal fireplaces like this one all over the country. In many of them the firewood is provided by the local city but you have to saw the wood to proper length and chop it up yourself. Many of these places have a saw and axe but many times they are in poor condition or been stolen. Therefore it is wise to bring your own t woodchopping tools.

Last week me and my girl visited one in my town, it lookes like this:

 

[Robson Valley]

I keep an axe and a bow-saw in the Suburban for the occasional wind-thrown tree across the logging roads.
They never see the light of day unless I have deliberate intentions to scavenge some carving wood
from a post-logging woody debris pile (which will be burned.)

 

[MikeLA]

Think i’ll move to Finland, beats the wet and windy Lake District just been too under a basha.

 

[C_Claycomb]

Alison,
I believe that an axe, much like a fixed blade knife, must have a legitimate, reasonably explainable purpose so that one does not fall foul of the law. As such, it doesn't do to carry one just to feel "bushcrafty". Even if that were not the case, by the time most of us could load a pack with all the gear that we like the image of, it would take a power lifter to get it off the ground!
"The more you know, the less you carry." Mors.

The only times that I have camped with the Small Forest Axe, or bigger, have been group trips, mostly canoe based so weight is less an issue, in Scotland, Sweden and Norway. The latter looked a lot like Herman's photo. Eight people, two axes max. One with the group leader, and one with an enthusiastic participant. Who that was got decided before departure. No point in having more. The only time nearly everyone had an axe was the winter course with did with Mors in Canada. I do have a tiny pocket axe, but while that has been on solo camping trips, its actual utility has been rather low.

Chris

 

[Herman30]

Cycling home from the bushcraft day described in post #15 we stopped by a pub and I had a beer. Mind you, I had my axe in my hand but in a carry pouch seen in post #5. I just handed the bartender the axe and asked him to store it on his side under the counter while we enjoyed our drinks.
I suppose it was not that legal but hey, a quiet afternoon and we looked (and probably smelled) like bushcrafters.

 

[Allison McKenzie]

Alison,
I believe that an axe, much like a fixed blade knife, must have a legitimate, reasonably explainable purpose so that one does not fall foul of the law. As such, it doesn't do to carry one just to feel "bushcrafty". Even if that were not the case, by the time most of us could load a pack with all the gear that we like the image of, it would take a power lifter to get it off the ground!
"The more you know, the less you carry." Mors.

Ok, so not loke jewellery at all then. I still think it adds a lot to a guys look. Thanks for clarification though Chris.