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mc2mens
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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.
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Moss Tent
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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 :)
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unshavenman
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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......
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Atb
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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.
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Dammfast
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we cook over fire about half the time and bring a small parang, it is like a small machete. We baton all of out wood, it is lighter than an ax and much more versitile.
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housty9
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No, my twig stove doesn't require one, rarely have big fires on a solo.
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cowdoc
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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.
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Fried Fish
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Chuckle to myself moss tent, my first reaction to your reply was positivity and class toward someone you don't know. Fair enough!
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shock
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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
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Moss Tent
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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!
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PiperMike
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I was wondering how many take an axe when you go canoeing into the BWCA?
I have not yet, but am thinking about taking one in October.
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egknuti
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If I had a choice I'd bring a hatchet. A hatchet is more versatile than a saw.
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CanoeSue
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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.
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Minnesotian
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Summer camping: no.
Winter camping: yes
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mc2mens
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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.
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SaganagaJoe
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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.
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Frenchy19
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I take a Gransfors Bruk small hatchet. IMO, anything larger would be overkill.
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DeanL
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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.
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WhiteWolf
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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
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mc2mens
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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.
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Savage Voyageur
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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.
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Cedarboy
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Yes, Snow and Nealley Hudson Bay model.
CB
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OldFingers57
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I take a small Wetterlings hatchet for splitting wood. I also take either a Fast Bucksaw or Sven saw along to process wood with.
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ParkerMag
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GB Small Forest Axe. More than necessary, but I like having it along.
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redoleary
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It's a tomahawk for me, plenty to split the wood I tend to gather and I like being able to take the head off.
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HappyHuskies
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Always take a small axe and saw when hot tenting in the winter. Never take one in warmer weather.
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Sierra1
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I never take an axe but always take a Sven Saw.
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Jackfish
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quote Sierra1: "I never take an axe but always take a Sven Saw. "
What Sierra said.
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brux
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If mostly cooking over a fire and base camping, yes. Otherwise, no.
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kanawa
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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.
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BobDobbs
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quote Jackfish: "quote Sierra1: "I never take an axe but always take a Sven Saw. "
What Sierra said."
+1 sven saw and bushcraft style knife - safer IMO
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yogi59weedr
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I don't take an axe In the BW.
I can usually get enough wood with my battery operated sawzall. ;)
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bwcasolo
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NO, I NEVER COOK WITH WOOD, OR HAVE BIG FIRES, SO MY SAW DOES JUST FINE WITH THE SCRAP WOOD I FIND.
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Jwpaddle
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bob destrube bow saw and a GB small forest axe out on every trip, combo works great with processing wood and driving tent stakes.
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krick
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I use a pocket chain saw. They're light, don't take up much room and work great.
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smokedwhitefish
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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.
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butthead
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butthead
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Captn Tony
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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.
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OBX2Kayak
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No. I burn the excess chips and twigs that axe and hatchet people leave behind.
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unshavenman
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I'm certainly glad that I brought my Gransfors Bruks Small Forest Axe with when we went into the numbers chain the day after the storm on Wednesday night.   
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mr.barley
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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.
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awbrown
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Spent a lot of my time clearing last week after the storm as well. Glad I had my axe.
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Pinetree
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no
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LuvMyBell
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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.
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CanoeKev
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Always take a 30" bowsaw and a 3/4 Fiskers axe. Axe is only for splitting. NEVER take a hatchet, which is dangerous due to the way that uninformed people use them.
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DRB
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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.
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TomT
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On group trips I take a Wetterlings axe and Sven saw. On solos I'm more weight conscious so leave it home.
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mc2mens
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I practiced batoning wood last night with my new OKC SP-1 . It ripped right through several maple and oak logs. I think I got through the wood pile quicker than I would have with my small hunting axe.
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unshavenman
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With all due respect, no you didn't. I love to baton wood, but there's no comparison to an axe or hatchet.
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NotSoFast
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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.
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4keys
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Yes, a small eastwing hatchet and small saw. No swinging, just a small tap to get it into the wood, then raise them both and hit against the ground.
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Mad_Angler
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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.
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shock
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 yes
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CanoeKev
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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.
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Stimpy
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After struggling to get firewood on a very wet, cool trip, I now consider these essential pieces of gear. Definitely worth the weight.
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Moss Tent
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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.
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BigCurrent
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Irwin Saw + Hatchet or small axe.
We spend a lot of time around the fire and management is much more efficient with these tools.
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PiperMike
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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.
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thebotanyguy
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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.
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Corsair
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I used to, found sven saw more useful.
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Frenchy
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I also take an axe and Sven saw. We love to cook over a fire and share stories at night around a nice fire.
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Arkansas Man
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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
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timatkn
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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
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unshavenman
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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.
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Corsair
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I used to, found sven saw more useful.
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