Saw or axe? Axe or Machete? Machete or big knife?

[ra2bach]

Saw or axe? Axe or Machete? Machete or big knife?

assume you are also taking a smaller knife, fixed or folding. what would you take and why?..

[Rockhopper]

Saw or axe? Axe or Machete? Machete or big knife?

assume you are also taking a smaller knife, fixed or folding. what would you take and why?..

esee 3 and junglas.

/end thread.

[CRAMBONE]

Axe/hatchet, because I would get more use out of it where I live(deep south). Machetes are cool but previous experience has taught me that they are not very good for substained heavy (wood) cutting. And a heavy knife would just be the big brother to what I'm already carrying, while cool and good in a knife fight or sticking pigs bayed by dogs not useful for me.

[Tzed250]

Terrain and flora will dictate.

[SeriousStudent]

Terrain and flora will dictate.

This.

What's the environment? And are you driving in a Winnebago, or carrying this across the Tetons?

I grew up in the desert where there were no trees. If you carried an ax, people would assume you were a looney.

[NeoNeanderthal]

Exactly, In the north its an axe and a small knife. In the desert a folding saw goes a long way. In jungle/dense areas a machete is amazing. It also depends on your experience level. If your a mainer who has been using a Gransfors Bruks hatchett his entire life and you feel naked without it, than it might be the best thing for you even in the desert.

[SeriousStudent]

....... If your a mainer who has been using a Gransfors Bruks hatchett his entire life and you feel naked without it, than it might be the best thing for you even in the desert.

Um, okay.....

I'd still probably prefer to carry an extra quart of water, over an axe for cutting down a non-existent tree.

And I'm speaking as someone that has a pair of GB axes, an SA Wetterlings hatchet, and a Hult Bruks hatchet. I'm a fan of Swedish steel. I probably have a half-dozen Mora's, too.

A comforting favorite blankie is one thing, but gear that does not assist you does not make a great deal of sense to me.

I'm not trying to urinate in your breakfast cereal of choice, I just don't understand why you would do that. Psychological comfort?

[NeoNeanderthal]

An axe is far from useless in the desert. I'm not talking subsharan here. Every single desert survival trip i've been on, I could have used an axe. Would it be the best tool for the job? No probably not.

My point was that if someone is amazing with an axe/hatchett they might choose one over a knife or machete even when for most people the knife or machete would be the best tool for the job. I know dudes that can carve with an axe, better than i can with a mora.

The same goes for knifes, people with very little skill with an axe might be better served with a large knife in northern climates. If you know how to use a strudy knife correctly you can do a lot with it.

[SeriousStudent]

Cool, your desert has trees in it.

And I am a fan of axes, hence the aforementioned list of them.

To the OP's question, I seem to end up carrying a Sven saw a lot. They fold up, and are tend to be pretty safe for someone without as much training or skill. I've treated some pretty fascinating axe/hatchet wounds in the past. The ones with the saw tend to produce less hydraulic fluid and need less work to repair.

If you were dehydrated and undernourished, your judgement and motor skills tend to be reduced. Sometimes caution is a helpful thing.

[NeoNeanderthal]

To the OP's question, I seem to end up carrying a Sven saw a lot. They fold up, and are tend to be pretty safe for someone without as much training or skill.

If you were dehydrated and undernourished, your judgement and motor skills tend to be reduced. Sometimes caution is a helpful thing.

Personally i think saws are a great choice. As you pointed out- less potential to injure yourself. I also like them because they are light, and use less energy to cut wood, and are quieter. My weapon of choice is a simple Laplander folding saw though.