Machete for the wilderness?

I myself am a machete man mainly because of the machetes usefullness progressing through brush and undergrowth and whatnot however it's chopping abillity is just an added bonus imo and also they weigh a lot less than a axe or large knife.
 
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Machete here too mainly due to weight. If I was going for a week or so camping. Then maybe a 19" hatchet would come along. But when I'm on the move I prefer a 14" bolo or 14" tram for light weight. You just have to make some tools like wedges and mallet before you start chopping anything to big for machete to handle. I usually cut logs in the 5" range by taking small bites going around the whole thing like a Beaver. Then you just snap it off. As for the fire I just build it up enough to take on the bigger logs if I can't split them.
 
To me, if you are in a cold environment and want a good amount of firewood that will burn for a good time, I'd take a saw with an axe over the machete any day of the week. I processed a nights worth of firewood with a machete in New Hampshire in October, and let me tell you it was a real pain in the butt. It took a lot of time and energy.

On the flipside, the machete is fantastic for gathering kindling and processing thin-to-medium girth wood to make say a chair or bench to sit by the fire. It's also has a huge "fun factor."

I also agree with the fellow who prefers an axe over a hatchet despite the added weight. If you're gonna be a bear, be a grizzly.
 
For cold weather I recommend a heavy pattern of machete, but would say that for multiple days out or extended living there's no substitute for an axe and a buck saw regardless of temperature. Where the machete really shines is forays from camp or general site clearing duties. Axes are made for dedicated felling and splitting and are going to pull ahead in that department, but fall short of the mark compared to the machete when it comes to general chopping or vegetation clearing. Also in winter weather a broad and heavy machete makes a fine snow shovel for building a snow shelter.
 
Just to chime in, and I know very little about any of this... It also varies a lot if you are using a paper thin Tramotina 18 inch machete or a 18 inch Ontario. To me I find that the 18 Inch Ontario is a very good compromise. It is thick enough to handle more abuse but thin enough to not be a heavy at all. I like it more then my Tram. I mainly use my Tram for the sugar cane in the back yard. I just bought a 12 inch Ontario and want to play around modding it. We shall see where this goes.
 
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