Tomahawk or Hatchet for camp use?

T

Tony Nguyen

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So I've been haunting the exchange for a while looking at all the wonderful tomahawks that the makers here make and I've been wondering if you think they would be good for camp use?

Either way I need a solid axe of some type for camp use. I have the perfect camp knife right now (a BIC made by Josiah of Gravelle knives) so I want something to be paired with it.

I was thinking of something like this:

http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php/844818-Spike-Tomahawk-*SOLD*

I don't want the spike on it but otherwise I think it would be great. What do you think? Any other suggestions would also be appreciated.

Thanks guys
 
for camp use, I'd get a hatchet or small axe over a tomahawk any day. splitting wood, using the poll for driving stakes and such, and a few other chores would likely be better performed with a hatchet.

I'm interested to hear if anyone would prefer the 'hawk in this situation. I honestly can't think of why one would, so I'm all ears (eyes?).


-ben
 
TBH I don't think you need a weapon (tomahawk) unless it's just for fun or throwing. Maybe a small axe, and there are numerous excellent reviews here for that. Having said that, I don't personally use an axe when camping... no real need IMO unless youre purposefully re-creating 19th century styles of camping.
 
Tomahawks are generally lighter weight, and you can very easily re-haft them in the woods. Other than that I don't see why a tomahawk would be better than a hatchet for camping.
 
If you stick to wood that is the size of your wrist or smaller, a tomahawk or hatchet work well, pick the one you like best.

When it comes down to it, you can use pretty much what tools you want, so pick the tool that you like best and develop the skill set to use it most effectively.
 
I have a tomahawk almost identical to the one in the link. I bought it simply because I wanted it.
Could it be used for camping? Sure, but it is much lighter than you think and for the price you could pick up several very good hatchets that would work much harder with less effort.
 
A poll type tomahawk makes an excellent camp tool for light camp work. If you are going to be chopping larger wood or building heavier shelters then a heavier axe is a better choice.

Steve at Coal Creek Forge made me a hammer poll Hawk from a jackhamer bit for a very good price a good while back.

On top of the practicality hawks are just a load of fun.
 
Seems like I should go with a hatchet. I used to only carry a very large knife (FFBM or TTKZ) or machete, but recently a park ranger in NY had some words about its size. What hatchet type do you guys recommend? I'd be looking in the 40-75 dollar range. I'd also prefer it to be roughly 14-16 inches in length. I'm pretty burly so weight isn't truly a consideration for me at this point.
 
I'd get one of the Husqvarna-branded Wetterlings hatchets with that price range in mind. I love mine-- I love all my Husky-marked Wetterlings tools.

There is a guy around here who got a Hultafors-made Husky that was not so good. If you order online, you might ask them if what they have looks like the picture on their website (that's what you want). If you have a local dealer, well, then, go shopping!

-ben
 
For me that's an easy one,hatchet all the way.I'd even spend a little extra for a Gransfors Bruks.Their quality is superb.
 
I would go with the Wetterlings Small Hunting Axe at 15 inches. The finish is not as polished as a Granfors but the quality is outstanding. The Wetterlings is also less expensive.
 
Like everyone else has pretty much said, I would go with a hatchet. For that price range Husqvarna is a good call. I know that some of them are now being made by Hultafors, and that the heads might be a different design, but they are in no way worse, they are just a different pattern. Fiskars also makes hatchets int hat price range. Some people complain about the edge getting damaged too easily, but that is mostly because it is very thin. If you give it a slight convex, most of those problems will be solved and you will have a good axe.

http://woodtrekker.blogspot.com/
 
Depends on what you need it for. For backpacking/hiking I much prefer a hawk. The lighter head is much nicer to carry which is what you'll be doing with it 90 percent of the time. If you have the need for a lot of wood processing or are car camping, get an axe. IMO if you need more chopping power then a hawk, you should skip hatchets and go straight to 3/4 axes.
 
You don't need a hawk in order to reduce weight. There are good hatchets out there with head weights of anywhere from 1/2 lb to 1 1/2 lb.
 
rg598 said:
You don't need a hawk in order to reduce weight. There are good hatchets out there with head weights of anywhere from 1/2 lb to 1 1/2 lb.
Click to expand...

True but I've never seen one with a full size haft. A light head and full size haft is much better than a hatchet with a tiny haft.
 
Shotgun said:
True but I've never seen one with a full size haft. A light head and full size haft is much better than a hatchet with a tiny haft.
Click to expand...

That depends. A 1/2lb head with a long handle gives you more power than a 1/2lb head with a short handle, but a Gransfors Bruks Wildlife Hatchet with an overall weight (head and handle) of 1.5lb performs much better than a Trailhawk with a 1.5lb overall weight. That is because the Wildlife Hatchet invests that weight in the head, while the Trailhawk invests it in the handle.

While a longer handle increases the power of a swing, additional weight in the head gives a larger increase in performance than an increase in handle length. Of course there are considerations other than performance. If one feels more comfortable using one tool over another, there is nothing wrong with that.

http://woodtrekker.blogspot.com/
 
A lot of times, the difference between a 'hawk and a hatchet is nothing more than the spelling. To make fair comparisons, one has to account for things like overall length, size of the bit, weight, etc. There are plenty of 'hawks on the market that will function as well as a comparable hatchet.
 
Instead of shelling out the cash, flea market/garage sale old Plumb for $5 should do basic camp work. It won't be as pretty or have a shine like a Wetterlings or whatever else new creation, but it will work, trust me.
 
rg598 said:
That depends. A 1/2lb head with a long handle gives you more power than a 1/2lb head with a short handle, but a Gransfors Bruks Wildlife Hatchet with an overall weight (head and handle) of 1.5lb performs much better than a Trailhawk with a 1.5lb overall weight. That is because the Wildlife Hatchet invests that weight in the head, while the Trailhawk invests it in the handle.

While a longer handle increases the power of a swing, additional weight in the head gives a larger increase in performance than an increase in handle length. Of course there are considerations other than performance. If one feels more comfortable using one tool over another, there is nothing wrong with that.

http://woodtrekker.blogspot.com/
Click to expand...
I think we're both in agreement over the tools however I think we differ in how they're used. For backpacking/hiking I think the longer haft of a hawk is more of an asset then a short hatchet with a heavy head.
 
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