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Boundary Waters Quetico Forum Gear Forum Do you take an axe into the BWCA? |
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07/22/2016 01:38PM
quote Sierra1: "I never take an axe but always take a Sven Saw. "
What Sierra said.
"Keep close to Nature's heart, yourself; and break clear away, once in a while, and climb a mountain or spend a week in the woods. Wash your spirit clean." ~ John Muir
07/22/2016 02:50PM
I have 3 that I alternate with......and to give to each one of my kids. A Wetterlings that I bought from Kanoes, a Snow & Neally Hudson Bay axe and a GB Small Forest axe. Do I really need to? Probably not, but it does come in handy for cooking with the reflector oven and other campfires. Also, it has made life easier more than once after a storm to get through some blocked portages. This summer, I think I would have really appreciated it up there. The good feeling I get hauling it around in the north woods trumps the extra weight.
"What could happen?"
07/22/2016 05:02PM
quote DeanL: "
I take my Gerber camp axe and Irwin coarse cut saw on every trip. I love being able to have fires to cook over and gather around, especially when it's cool and / or damp. "
+1
The two loudest sounds known to man: a gun that goes bang when it is supposed to go click and a gun that goes click when it is supposed to go bang.
07/22/2016 07:10PM
I just returned from a trip to the BWCA and didn't bring an axe but brought a big old junk kitchen chopping knife. With the week of wet weather and all meals cooked over a fire, splitting wood was essential. The knife only weighted 7 oz and I cut wood with a 15" Sven saw so my firewood making kit was light. I used a sawn piece of wood for a mallet to split the wood (3"-5" diameter ) with the knife. I has plenty of usable wood for cooking but would have really struggled with round logs as the inside is usually dry and will burn. That being said, I will never do another trip without an axe since the knife was not as efficient as an axe. I researched small axes since my return and there are quite a few that are 1.5 lbs or less.
My 2 cents.
My 2 cents.
The harder I work, the luckier I get.
07/22/2016 08:23PM
I have brought a Wetterlings small axe in the past, but this year I'm going to go without the axe and instead bring a OKC SP1 with the thought that I'll baton firewood with this knife. It's lighter and more compact than the axe and looks like a pretty good batoning knife.
07/23/2016 09:00PM
quote Savage Voyageur: "We cook and have fires most days. This takes a lot of wood. We bring a Eastwing axe and a few hand saws to process wood. "
+1 East wing campers axe for splitting larger logs. Two course-cut Irwin saws for cutting downed trees. A nice fire is a must for our group and it takes a lot of wood. Used to bring the Sven and some other backpacking saw but they just don't do the job for us.
Free people are not equal. Equal people are not free.
07/24/2016 09:07AM
No, one slip could ruin a trip or worse. We do take a hatchet to split wood but no swinging the hatchet is allowed. You hit the top of the hatchet with another hatchet or a a piece of wood.
You're going to HELL and you're going to drag me with ya!! -Gunsmoke
07/24/2016 01:59PM
I haven't bought an axe or a hatchet in a few years now. I bring my Irwin saw and my Becker bk2 for battoning. I use the Becker for lots of others things that I couldn't use a hatchet for since it's the only knife I bring...besides a filet knife of coarse.
serenity now
07/25/2016 09:36AM
The original post did inquire about a possible October trip, so I will restrict my comments to that. Yes, I have always taken an axe in October. The days are short, the nights are long and often cold, a campfire is required for light and warmth.
If it has been wet, and I have even experienced wet snow in October, it is necessary to access the dry wood on the inside of the firewood. Splitting is the only option, and it is most easily achieved with an axe.
If it has been wet, and I have even experienced wet snow in October, it is necessary to access the dry wood on the inside of the firewood. Splitting is the only option, and it is most easily achieved with an axe.
"Said one of these men, long past seventy years of age: 'I could carry, paddle, walk and sing with any man I ever saw. I have been twenty-four years a canoe man, and forty-one years in service; no portage was ever too long for me. Fifty songs could I sing. I have saved the lives of ten voyageurs. Have had twelve wives and six running dogs. I spent all my money in pleasure. Were I young again, I should spend my life the same way over. There is no life so happy as a voyageur's life!'"
07/25/2016 10:12AM
I bring a Gransfors Bruks hatchet and Sven Saw. If anything, as others have pointed out, I could use them to clear my campsite and blocked portages after a storm.
I've seen two different ways to cut wood safely with a hatchet. One is Cliff Jacobson's method: use your hatchet as a wedge and hit it with a heavier piece of wood as a mallet. If the wood is dry this method works really well. The other I learned from BWCA.com'er Marten on one of his videos: Use another piece of wood to hold the piece to be split at a safe distance from your appendages, then split with the hatchet.
I've seen two different ways to cut wood safely with a hatchet. One is Cliff Jacobson's method: use your hatchet as a wedge and hit it with a heavier piece of wood as a mallet. If the wood is dry this method works really well. The other I learned from BWCA.com'er Marten on one of his videos: Use another piece of wood to hold the piece to be split at a safe distance from your appendages, then split with the hatchet.
aka HermitThrush "Such sights as this are reserved for those who will suffer to behold them." -Eric Sevareid
07/26/2016 04:17AM
I usually bring a Gerber folding saw, and a small Fiskars hatchet. The saw for cutting up dead wood, the hatchet for splitting. Hatchet is used by hitting the top with another piece of wood not swung. Saw is good for wood up to about 4 inches in diameter.
Bruce
Bruce
Good Paddling, Great Fishing, and God Bless All...
07/26/2016 04:37AM
I stopped taking one after my first trip. Just don't see it as a necessity but then I went on a trip with a friend in colder weather and he insisted on bringing An axe. Although still not a necessity I could really see the value of bringing an axe after that trip especially in colder weather when you are more likely to be sitting around the fire more. I now bring an axe most of the time :)
T
T
07/26/2016 06:58AM
Went late last year and it rained 3 of 4 days. And according to my wife, it was cold.
Would have been a drag had it not been for the real firewood I processed with the axe. It made things not only tolerable, but actually enjoyable.
Rarely have I relied on fire as on that trip. I guess my advice would be to wait, and to find a good weather report the day before you leave.
If rain is forecast, I would take an axe, unless the whole point was to travel far, fast, and light.
Would have been a drag had it not been for the real firewood I processed with the axe. It made things not only tolerable, but actually enjoyable.
Rarely have I relied on fire as on that trip. I guess my advice would be to wait, and to find a good weather report the day before you leave.
If rain is forecast, I would take an axe, unless the whole point was to travel far, fast, and light.
07/26/2016 08:09AM
quote awbrown: "
Spent a lot of my time clearing last week after the storm as well. Glad I had my axe.
"
I was thinking the same sort of thing. Had a guy not had an axe or saw what Could they do other then wait for someone that did have one.
"Love many, trust a few, and always paddle your own canoe"
07/26/2016 04:07PM
quote PiperMike: "quote awbrown: "
Spent a lot of my time clearing last week after the storm as well. Glad I had my axe.
"
I was thinking the same sort of thing. Had a guy not had an axe or saw what Could they do other then wait for someone that did have one. "
Yep. There were two groups at the first portage out of Lake One looking at that tree and not knowing how to proceed until we showed up with the Sven saw and Small Forest Axe.
Endeavor to persevere.
07/27/2016 01:05PM
quote unshavenman: "quote PiperMike: "quote awbrown: "
Spent a lot of my time clearing last week after the storm as well. Glad I had my axe.
"
I was thinking the same sort of thing. Had a guy not had an axe or saw what Could they do other then wait for someone that did have one. "
Yep. There were two groups at the first portage out of Lake One looking at that tree and not knowing how to proceed until we showed up with the Sven saw and Small Forest Axe. "
Deadfall that big is where my 30" bow saw comes in handy. Wouldn't want to tackle that with my Sven! More power to you.
07/28/2016 03:15PM
Yes.
I always take my small Gerber Ax. (It is actually a Fiskars. It is the exact same ax. You can get them cheaper at Home Depot and Menards).
I also take a Sven Saw.
It is WAY easier to have a decent fire with and ax/saw.
An ax and saw are required (IMHO) for cooking over a fire.
But like others mentioned, we never swing the ax. We always pound it with a small log. We also process firewood while sitting kneeling. Then, ax slips will go into the dirt rather than our legs.
I always take my small Gerber Ax. (It is actually a Fiskars. It is the exact same ax. You can get them cheaper at Home Depot and Menards).
I also take a Sven Saw.
It is WAY easier to have a decent fire with and ax/saw.
An ax and saw are required (IMHO) for cooking over a fire.
But like others mentioned, we never swing the ax. We always pound it with a small log. We also process firewood while sitting kneeling. Then, ax slips will go into the dirt rather than our legs.
Fish where the fish are...
07/29/2016 06:44AM
Well, it has been 25 years since I have taken an axe, but reading the above thread has about convinced me to bring a hatched this October. Using it as a wedge tool so I can more easily have fires on those long nights sounds pretty good.
07/30/2016 10:00AM
quote unshavenman: "With all due respect, no you didn't. I love to baton wood, but there's no comparison to an axe or hatchet."
Actually, I did. The wood was very dry and approx. 3" diameter, which may have had something to do with it, but that knife sliced through the wood like butter.
08/05/2016 06:50AM
To me, a saw like the Sven saw is essential. Splitting wood can be critical in colder months. An axe is high on my nice to have list, but minimally a strong full tanged straight knife such as the Morakniv which can be driven through a piece of wood to be split with another piece of wood.
08/05/2016 01:26PM
quote unshavenman: "With all due respect, no you didn't. I love to baton wood, but there's no comparison to an axe or hatchet."
lol unshavenman, that was my first reaction as well. He/she must not know how to properly split wood with an axe. Fair enough!
08/06/2016 12:57AM
quote Stimpy: "After struggling to get firewood on a very wet, cool trip, I now consider these essential pieces of gear. Definitely worth the weight.absolutely , everyone makes there dates and mother nature dictate the conditions, at any time you can get rain for days(keep rain gear top of your pack) and much cooler temps. for solo guys i recommend this, just a hair over 1 pound. gerber #16.9 oz
"
keep your line wet, good things will happen
08/06/2016 08:10AM
quote Atb: "To me, a saw like the Sven saw is essential. Splitting wood can be critical in colder months. An axe is high on my nice to have list, but minimally a strong full tanged straight knife such as the Morakniv which can be driven through a piece of wood to be split with another piece of wood."
Atb, I had no idea that Morakniv made a full tang knife until I read your post and found this article. Interesting......
Endeavor to persevere.
08/07/2016 12:38PM
quote Fried Fish: "Chuckle to myself moss tent, my first reaction to your reply was positivity and class toward someone you don't know. Fair enough!"
We are all differently talented. While I can split wood with an axe like nobody's business, you wouldn't want me making dinner. I almost burned the house down once just trying to make grilled cheese :)
08/07/2016 02:28PM
quote Moss Tent: "quote unshavenman: "With all due respect, no you didn't. I love to baton wood, but there's no comparison to an axe or hatchet."
lol unshavenman, that was my first reaction as well. He/she must not know how to properly split wood with an axe. Fair enough!"
I've cut up my share of wood piles with my axe. My comment was intended to make the point that there are more ways to split wood, and with a good batoning knife you can split wood and shed weight.
08/29/2016 04:21AM
quote DeanL: "
I take my Gerber camp axe and Irwin coarse cut saw on every trip. I love being able to have fires to cook over and gather around, especially when it's cool and / or damp. "
+1
Really bugs me to see half burned logs at a campsite. Split it into the wrist size, and it burns up completely. In wet weather, it is nice to get to the dry, inner wood. Plus we can leave all the branches and smaller pieces for those who don't bring an axe.
08/30/2016 01:51PM
No axe here. A guy brought one of these hatchet/saw combos on my last trip. The small saw worked surprisingly well for 4-5 inch logs. We always have a Sven saw along as well.
"The world we've made scares the hell out of me. But there's still a little bit of heaven in there, and I want to show it due respect." ~Greg Brown: Eugene
09/06/2016 08:57PM
Great question. I love the variety of responses (and tools).
At the canoe base I used to manage we would highlight to our guides that our injuries on trail from axes and saws dropped dramatically when we stopped sending them out. Of course, that is being responsible for other people's children. And I have evac'ed a man four hours out with the top of his thumb in his hand. He was an experienced axe man of whom I have a picture with a four foot diameter Ponderosa pine he had felled on a fireline with a crosscut and a felling axe. It reminded me that no matter our experience and skill we're all just a little slip away from losing something important. Hopefully we have buddies around to help us out.
All that said, I bring a small axe (lately, a Roselli) but rarely use it. You just never know. The 99' blowdown taught me that.
At the canoe base I used to manage we would highlight to our guides that our injuries on trail from axes and saws dropped dramatically when we stopped sending them out. Of course, that is being responsible for other people's children. And I have evac'ed a man four hours out with the top of his thumb in his hand. He was an experienced axe man of whom I have a picture with a four foot diameter Ponderosa pine he had felled on a fireline with a crosscut and a felling axe. It reminded me that no matter our experience and skill we're all just a little slip away from losing something important. Hopefully we have buddies around to help us out.
All that said, I bring a small axe (lately, a Roselli) but rarely use it. You just never know. The 99' blowdown taught me that.
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