Hiking axe/bushcrafting knife?

testlight

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Central Oregon
Do any of you backpack with a small skinning hatchet or a big knife or anything like that?

I carry my Becker bk9 but only if it's cold and wet enough to have a fire.

Otherwise I usually just have small fixed blade.

The other knife in the picture is a Benchmade saddle mountain Skinner I think. Bought it used
 

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I carry a small hatchet instead of a large knife. It is much better for making emergency shelters, firewood or driving tent pegs. It is also much better for breaking down large animals.
 
Gransfors Bruks hatchet and a Havalon Piranta and you're golden for just about anything you might need a sharp edge for. The Piranta is small enough to keep in a pocket and uses replaceable scalpel blades. The hatchet is good enough you'll only ever need to buy it once and is shaving sharp from the factory.
 
All depends on where I am hunting, what I am hunting for, and my setup. Almost always carry the Gerber set with a saw & cutter for trees & Bone saw (survival). The Kabar Axe/Knife set was my dad's from 1940 - good for butcher. The BuckBuster is great for cutting up large game. The Browning set and Damascus Axe, have those for collection, but may use on a special hunt. The other set of knives are Handmade or collectables used for special hunts in Africa, Newfoundland and hopefully NZ. The one's on the fireplace are for emergency.
 

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I carry a Bradford 4.5 for a "bush" knife. It's like a mini machete. Great steel that holds an edge and is easy to sharpen.
For game care though I carry a Tyto.
 
I bring a hatchet plus the following blades:
Buck fixed 6" Hunting knife
Kershaw Blade Trader with bone saw, gut hook and filet blade
Kabar Warthog.
I think all three knives add up to just under 3lbs, the hatchet is 2lbs.
 
I usually take an axe and a knife. I have an Esee 5 for my knife. It will pretty much take care of anything I need. But I also carry an Estwing. It'll take down trees, cut wood and build a shelter with the best of them. Can't see wasting the money on a GB only to snap a handle and waste more energy and time building a new one. I'm not kind to my tools. They aren't for looks or prestige. And I'm not worried about weight, my rifle is 13 pounds. Why would I skimp on possibly saving my life?
 
I carry a small hatchet instead of a large knife. It is much better for making emergency shelters, firewood or driving tent pegs. It is also much better for breaking down large animals.
yes carry the same small ax and a sami hunter knife from Finland works good on our moose
 
Back when I was into survival knives, that Becker bk9 and rat 4 were highly rated. I put them to the test while hunting and backpacking, my opinion of them was not very good, that 1095 carbon steel dulled quickly. The Becker did not have enough weight on top to chop and the rat, while advertised as to be able to handle the chores of an alligator, couldn't even get through 1 elk. There wall hangers now. I carry two knives, a buck 102 and a Remington my brother gave me and a Wyoming saw. They work every time
 
I carry a nice Gary Little custom knife deer, bear and elk hunting always. I bring a sharpening stone with me as well. I can see the usefulness of a hatchet or something similar but dang I am not packing that sucker with me. I do carry a nice little finger saw that zips right thru bone but weighs a tenth of my knife. I suppose in emergency it would cut wood OK but I havent tried it even tho that is what it was designed for.
 
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