Hatchet and Saw for camping trip.

[John Sheridan]

I just got this freaking weird IDEA to take a Hatchet and saw on my next trip, am I MAD, do I really need a hatchet and saw. I would like to experiment and make a shelter and make some DIY furniture and maybe cut some wood if allowed for a fire, and maybe some other stuff.

http://www.bushcraftoz.com/forums/conte ... e-store%29

Nice saw, but would probably buy a pre made one

http://www.macwood.com.au/index.php?mai ... ucts_id=16

It's only 400 grams, so that's Ok even for an Utra lite back packer.

Just wondering if you guys or gals take them camping and what you use them for and howmuch you use them or even if you use them if you take them


Cheers.

[photohiker]

400g is a lot for an ultralight backpacker.

I've made good use of hatchets while car camping for firewood, they are very useful. Would not consider one for backpacking though, too limited functionality and too heavy. If I really wanted something for cutting wood, I'd go with a lightweight folding saw or one of those flexi wire saws.

If you don't have a clear use for it, don't take it.

[etrangere]

http://www.rei.com/product/404040/sven-folding-saw-15

http://www.rei.com/product/730548/gerbe ... mbo-axe-ii

[Mark F]

Try http://www.suluk46.com/RandD.html for a 125g hatchet and a 78g bow saw - that's light weight!

[photohiker]

And one version of the wire saw I mentioned:

Commando Wire Saw

That's 91grams and packs to almost nothing...

[Beacon Hill Ben]

I carry a folding saw from BAHCO, very suitable to Australia, as its saw teeth are specially designed for hardwood and dead wood, perfect for what you will find out in the bush. I have found that a small axe (I actually own that Granfors Bruks axe) or a machete are too heavy and use to much of your energy to cut wood. This saw is much more effective. Anything thicker then what you can cut with this you cant carry anyway. This saw weighs 180gm on the dot.

Bahco 7-1/2-inch folding pruning saw with XT7 hard-point (396-HP)

[Beacon Hill Ben]

BTW: these BAHCO folding saws are about $55 here in AUS, but available from eBay for about $25, delivered...

[north-north-west]

I would like to experiment and make a shelter and make some DIY furniture and maybe cut some wood if allowed for a fire, and maybe some other stuff.

'Leave No Trace' is a foreign concept on the mainland, isn't it?

[ninjapuppet]

for wood up to the thickness of your thigh, I concluded that a saw such as Beacon Hill Ben's was more effective than a hatchet.
However I had a go at one of those Gransfors Big Mother axes and it was such an awesome feeling. Totally adds to your camping experience and now I want one too. Nothing like pulling out a massive Axe from your car boot and start hacking away wood like our pioneers used to

[ILUVSWTAS]

I would like to experiment and make a shelter and make some DIY furniture and maybe cut some wood if allowed for a fire, and maybe some other stuff.

'Leave No Trace' is a foreign concept on the mainland, isn't it?

Yeh coming from Tassie, this is a rather strange idea indeed!! We've carried a small saw similar one one trip as we feared we may have to clear a tent site, but it ended up getting no use.

[markeaust]

A saw like the one pictured above is great for taking snow camping.... for cutting snow blocks.

For lightweight camping, I leave mine at home...

Cheers,

Mark

[Liamy77]

my saw is 178g.... BTW in my experience those "commando" wire saws are useless!
i will edit this and add a photo.... but my saw is similar to the folding pruning saw (also orange) above.... cheaper tho and really good from Bunnings - and if anyone knows about chopping down trees it's Bunnings lol

My hand axe is a fiskars alao from Bunnings- but i did not pay a lot for it as it had a small chip on its adge and i gave em a hard time hagelling and got it for about $7 from memory.... it weighs in at g - but the weight is in the head where you need it (too light and it is useless as an axe - but you can make do with a sturdy knife blade and a hammer branch as a mallet ( just slower working)....

[Moondog55]

For Bushcrafting ( i:e, making your own shelters ) a full sized axe is he best tool as is a full sized saw; but for camping above the snowline here on the mainland and gathering small wood for cooking fires the folding saw is a really good tool.
I should by another one.
healthy snow gum forest produce tonnes of twigs every year and the small saw is simply a more efficient way of gathering.
I like wood fires but I advocate this for use in hobo stoves or other environmentally sensitive manners

[Liamy77]

You don't need a full size saw.... I have cut pines with a 30cm diameter with this saw easily before (bigger than that is a pain to work with anyway... sometimes an extra hatchet/axe head can be used as a wedge for log splitting too...

And if you are carrying the gear for a distance the full size heavy axe loses its appeal rather quickly too! depends how permanent the shelter planned is (i wouldnt wanna make a whole cabin with a small hatchet...)

I have done a fair bit of this kinda camping in forestry logged areas/regrowth/farms (NOT PARKS ETC!!!)

[DB24]

This is the same as the orange one posted above except for the colours. I have the orange one (~$30 from bunnings) and it is very easy to cut through large sticks and small logs. Very handy and locally available for once!

[Peter C]

If your looking for a better quality alternative try a 'Silky' folding saw, superb little saws albeit a little more pricey, they are works of art. http://www.forestrytools.com.au/index.php?id=23

Although I cannot see myself ever needing one, having done alot of mixed styles of camping, a hefty knife or a well placed rock/break/fork will do the job usually.

[Liamy77]

It is still much easier and environmentally sound to just carry a tent though

[Moondog55]

It is still much easier and environmentally sound to just carry a tent though

Not as much fun tho.
Building your own shelter out of bush timber is no more environmentally unfriendly than the pollution caused by the manufacture of the tent in many instances, so long as you only ever use dead trees, how-ever a tent is very much quicker and more reliable and usually more weatherproof as well.
I just bought a new saw at Bunnies, a cheap copy of the Bahco $7-, only problem is that it is a pull-saw and the action takes a little getting used to.
That one goes in my "Bushcraft" pack.

[stepbystep]

Building your own shelter out of bush timber is no more environmentally unfriendly than the pollution caused by the manufacture of the tent in many instances, so long as you only ever use dead trees....

... There are 4200 members on this site, imagine if we all did this Not to mention the many 10's of thousands that go camping not on this site....

minor mods

[Rico]

I just love this one notice the tent pegs used to block the saw in place, genial! This must be the lightest emergency backup full length saw available, an it will cost you $3

[Rico]

Building your own shelter out of bush timber is no more environmentally unfriendly than the pollution caused by the manufacture of the tent in many instances, so long as you only ever use dead trees

I understand your point but you have to consider that the same tent can be used for many years. And even if you are planning to build your own shelter, you would still carry a tent with you in case there is not enough dead wood around.

[Moondog55]

OK i think we can agree to disagree on this matter.
BUT making bush structures and shelters has no effect on the bush, all such structures rot down and become part of the soil in time, it would only be cutting green and standing timber that would have any negative effects. just for the record I do not condone cutting down trees in public areas although doing so in some areas at some times would do very little harm

[stepbystep]

OK i think we can agree to disagree on this matter.
BUT making bush structures and shelters has no effect on the bush, all such structures rot down and become part of the soil in time, it would only be cutting green and standing timber that would have any negative effects. just for the record I do not condone cutting down trees in public areas although doing so in some areas at some times would do very little harm

Guess we will, not sure why you'd want to disturb the environment to make a shelter when you've already damaged the planet by buying a tent???

By disturbing already dead limbs you are disturbing the decomposition process, and I ask you the question again, what if we all practiced this hobby?

Leave no trace is an important principle, impossible to keep to, but at least we can avoid making more of a mess than we have to...

[Moondog55]

I think I see what the problem is, lack of communication.
It isn't a "hobby" it's a skill learned in case of emergency ( in my- case in the Army Reserve many many years ago ) and practised on occasion.
There are many places where in doing this you will be doing no extra harm at all, have you been to a firewood collection area lately??, the damage that current forestry practices do ( not condoning them BTW ) is so much greater than stacking a few branches together.
And "Leave No Trace " is a bushcraft ethic too.
I have already stated that using a tent is easier, faster and more reliable, but I do stand by my statement that making a shelter is both fun and educational, kids of all ages love it.
I probably compound my sin in your eyes by cooking and heating with wood fires both at home and when in the bush.

[stepbystep]

No, just a different perspective. I learned how to make a shelter as a boy, doesn't mean I still do it, but you haven't answered my question...
minor mods

[Moondog55]

Sorry mate I thought I already had answered,
Nothing would happen, no more impact than any other form of camping, so long as the "Leave No Trace ethic" was adhered to.
Wood rots down when in contact with moisture, just pull them down and scatter the stuff around and no-one should notice any disturbance at all.
There are responsible and irresponsible people in all groups, and I have seen some very messy and careless tent campers and bushwalkers over the years.
That said I would rather see a disused timber shelter that had been left in place than a pile of human faeces and toilet paper in the middle of a bush track, and unfortunately I see far too much of that recently.

[PeterJ]

.....Building your own shelter out of bush timber is no more environmentally unfriendly than the pollution caused by the manufacture of the tent in many instances.....

I would have the thought the manufacturing of your saw caused plenty of pollution, perhaps even more then for a tent

[corvus]

.....Building your own shelter out of bush timber is no more environmentally unfriendly than the pollution caused by the manufacture of the tent in many instances.....

I would have the thought the manufacturing of your saw caused plenty of pollution, perhaps even more then for a tent

With respect PeterJ ( and I have no real opinion on this topic) other than that we really need saws and such ,tents are for those of us on this forum only for fun.
corvus

[walkinTas]

mod: guys, we need to be careful to express opinions, but not attack individuals. Everyone has opinions. We don't have to agree. We don't even need to agree to disagree. You can disagree with the opinion (politely) without attacking the person.

I just got this freaking weird IDEA to take a Hatchet and saw on my next trip, am I MAD, do I really need a hatchet and saw.

No you don't "need" a saw.

I would like to experiment and make a shelter and make some DIY furniture and maybe cut some wood if allowed for a fire, and maybe some other stuff.

'Leave No Trace' is a foreign concept on the mainland, isn't it?

If you are carrying the saw for survival reason - emergency fire - then carrying a lightweight rope saw is probably best. Just don't burn the bush down with your beacon fire! -- it has happened!

Edit: The following are general comments - not moderation and not directed at anyone person.
My opinion: Camp fires are old school. Passée! Very undesirable in reserves and National Parks. Criminal negligence in Alpine regions. Trees, logs, shrubs and wood are homes and food for bush animals. Look, but don't touch, and definitely don't destroy.

Clearing bush, lighting fires, or any other behaviour in the bush - I think one should use the same measure for sustainability. Ask yourself "what if everyone who comes this way does what I am doing?". If 100 people went that way, and they all cut a tent clearing in the bush, that would be a 200 square meter clearing. Is that sustainable. So why should I be the exception - the one person allowed to do this. If I can do it, why can't the other 99. Multiply your impact, what ever that impact is, by the number of people that walk in the bush, and then decide if your impact is sustainable.

[stepbystep]

Sorry, can't resist...

Moondog55, the question I wanted you to address was; What if we ALL(those of us that camp in the bush) chose to play around with the scattered timber and build/chop/saw/burn it???

THINK about the numbers. WHY would you encourage that behavior in a public forum, and pretend you subscribe to the 'leave no trace' theology???