The Best Camping Axes for 2024

The manage is both lightweight and simple to hold. Likewise, the blade is coated with a proprietary low-friction covering, so it will not get stuck in the wood as you slice. It’s great for its size and weight. Plus, behind the sharpened edge is a hammerhead.

Husqvarna said it created the axe with the “ideal balance and weight distribution” with the lightweight handle and large head. Although it’s pretty good, the main criticism is that the axe head does get stuck in bigger logs, however to that we say, it’s an outdoor camping axe.

Characteristic & Specifications

• Deal with: Composite
• Blade: Stainless-steel
• Length: 27.5 inches
• Weight: 6.17 pounds

Best for Tree Felling: Hults Bruk Kisa Axe

While many users like the performance, they often note 2 criticisms. The very first is that out of the box, the handle may feel rough and splintered, so you may need to sand it down. Second, it’s priced north of $200, however with the standard look, it’ll age very well.

Features & Specifications

• Handle: American hickory
• Blade: Alloy steel
• Length: 29 inches
• Weight: 3.17 pounds

Best for Backpacking Adventures: Gerber Freescape

What makes the Gerber Freescape such an excellent backpacking tool is that you can utilize it for whatever from splitting kindling to shaving bark off logs to hammering in camping tent stakes to opening cans of beans.

While the Gerber Bushcraft Hatchet might be a more popular and discussed choice, the majority of customers found that the Gerber Freescape uses much better total efficiency.

Features & Specs

• Deal with: Glass-filled nylon
• Blade: Created steel
• Length: 14 inches
• Weight: 1.4 pounds

What to Try to find in an Outdoor camping Axe

There are an insane quantity of axes that exist in this world. You got a grub axe, a felling axe, a splitting whip, a broad axe, a carpenter’s axe– we could keep going, however it will not make much of a difference if you’re new to axes. Rather, there’s a much simpler method of describing most axes.

Experts like Dan from Coalcracker Bushcraft categorize axes into 3 groups: specific, fire production, and utility.

In the “specific” group, he describes axes developed for a particular function like dropping trees or skinning a deer. The “fire production” axe is meant for splitting fire wood. And a “utility” axe is a multi-purpose tool, which you can simply as quickly use to nail tent stakes as you could split wood.

While each group may have some overlapping qualities– a fire production axe might quickly suit a specific group– the point is that you need to comprehend that not all axes are the exact same. Nevertheless, he added that if you’re looking for an outdoor camping axe, you’ll typically desire either a fire production or an energy axe.

Features of a Camping Axe

Furthermore, there are 3 features to remember of when you’re buying a camping axe. These include head weight, bit shape, and manage length.

• Head Weight– When you think about weight, the main point to understand is that an axe with a heavier head is indicated for slicing down trees or splitting wood while an axe with a lighter head is suggested for sculpting. An axe with a head weight of more than 3 pounds is normally considered “heavy.”
• Bit Shape– When we speak about the shape of the “bit,” or the axe head design, we’re describing the density of its cutting edge. An axe with a large bit is created for splitting while a narrow bit is designed for carving.
• Handle Length– A longer manage will assist you create greater slicing power when you swing your axe while a much shorter handle will help you be more exact. A full-size axe is considered longer than 19 inches while a brief one is thought about, you guessed it, less than 19 inches.

The takeaway here is if you desire an axe just for splitting wood or slicing down trees, you’ll want a heavier, thicker head with a long manage. A middle-of-the-road option will feature a 2.5-pound axe head and step 18 or 19 inches in length.

Secret Includes

Standard outdoor camping axes utilize steel axe heads and wooden deals with. Today, you can find camping axes constructed out of a range of materials. For instance, the axe head might be made from carbon steel or hand-forged steel head and it might have a hickory handle or plastic with a rubber grip.

FAQs about Camping Axes

What’s the difference in between axes and hatchets?

While it appears like size is the apparent response here, axes and hatchets are various tools. An axe is generally implied for physically requiring jobs like splitting logs or felling trees while a hatchet is more of a precision tool for light jobs like carving wood or splitting kindling.

What is the very best size axe for camping?

When anyone asks what the best anything is– not to mention the very best outdoor camping axe– the answer is the one that is the simplest for you to utilize correctly. Nevertheless, experts giving estimate suggest a camp axe measuring 18 or 19 inches in length with a 2.5-pound axe head.

How sharp should a camp axe be?

When it pertains to camping axes, the U.S. Forest Service says in its axe manual that “a sharp axe is a safe axe.” What the firm implies by that is a sharp blade is more effective at splitting wood.

Conversely, a dull blade will need that you swing harder, and if you swing harder, you’ll have less control. Less control will result in increased danger. So keep a sharpened edge on your camp axe and when you’re not utilizing it, cover it with a leather or plastic sheath.

The Very Best Camping Axes

If you’re looking for an outdoor camping axe that delivers high-end performance and pleasing looks, the Gransfors Bruks Small Forest Axe will serve you well.

Obviously, if you can’t bring yourself to invest $200 on an axe, you could get the Estwing Camper’s Axe for a fantastic multi-purpose tool, or the Fiskars Chopping Axe if all you want to do is split wood and chop down trees.