Looking for something 2lbs or less and not requiring me to cash in my 401k to purchase. Thoughts, recommendations, and advice are encouraged.  Colorful anecdotes (with pictures) are also good in a pinch. Donations to my 'buy-me-a-trail-clearing-ax fund" will be greatly appreciated. No gift cards please.

***** 401K *****  What do you mean 401K???

Several weeks ago mine just got up and left and took my hope of ever retiring with it. !!!

I've got enough left in mine to buy a Gransfor but I'm hoping for some other ideas.

 
   This is the one I have. IMHO for the money you can't buy a better one. Unbreakable handle, bright color so you won't leave it and good steel.

Comes with a plastic sheath that LOCKS to the axe.
They make a myriad of aftermarket Kydex/Leather sheaths if you want something fancier.

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Terry do you want an axe or a hatchet for splitting? 

I have the Wetterlings Outdoor axe and remember paying around $60-70 for it maybe 6-7 years ago. It's very good.

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Hey Tom,

I'm looking for an axe. I'm thinking I might need it if I can get into some place wild such as Wabakimi where I have to literally cut my way through a portage. I have a corona saw with a 13" blade which is perfect for this but sawing large diameter blowdowns can be exhausting. So, is an axe the answer as a backup?

I know there are intrepid, experienced trail clearers on this site such as yourself who've swept through trails after some of my early-in-the-season excursions and taken out such trail blocking monsters. So, I'm looking for advice on 1) whether an axe is necessary and 2) what would be a suitable axe to pick up (assuming I need one).

It's wild country out there. ;)

BTW, I already own a hunters hatchet and a gerber camp axe. Both are good for what they do, but I would be at it all day using one of them to chop through a 12" diameter blowdown  ;D ;D ;D

Now that you've articulated what you want your axe to be capable of, my recommendation is clearly NOT what you want.

   As for sawing thru large blowdowns being exhausting with your current saw, a AXE big enough to do the job is going to be even MORE demanding physically.

You have to swing the weight of the axe overhead which increases the load on your heart by about 25% not to mention the increased risk of self-injury.
    A saw doesn't need to be used with downward force like a axe does. The sharpness of the saw does the majority of the work.

  If you do go the axe route, Fiskars makes bigger ones built just like that camp axe I recommended.
You can forget staying around 2 lbs too. A axe big enough to do what you want is going to have a 2 1/2 pound axe head or bigger plus the handle.

If you want to be able to cut big blowdowns, then a BIG saw is the way to go. Problem there is you WILL need to cash in your 401k to buy one.  ;) ;D ;D

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  They make a 500mm AND a 1000mm when you want to clear the WHOLE forest.

  Here's a link to a YouTube site that features a Alaskan couple who are into Bushcraft. They both know their stuff and do alot of DIY projects. Check out his folding saw review.

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I have more than a few miles of portage clearing under my belt and rely on a small top handle chain saw but that is not for everyone. I have never had a use for an axe on these endeavors. You start swinging that sharp edge in uncontrolled conditions and I feel there is too much danger of it glancing off a cut and inflicting injury. The small hand held saws available today are amazing. I also  carry an 18 inch fiskars pruner that easily cuts over an inch thick obstacles. It is really nice for reaching overhead and trimming stubs that could puncture soft sided canoes or cutting brush growing out of the rocks. When I am not toting a chainsaw and doing a clean sweep of the portage the goal is to drop  things low  enough to be stepped over. Often times cutting branches from under a fallen tree will allow it to drop lower. Other times looking at other things not allowing the tree to fall all the way to the ground can be productive. Lastly a small hand pruner able to cut three quarter inch sized live branches should be on your belt. On any portage there is always some maintenance that can be done with this simple tool as you return for another load.

I second Marten's recommendation; a decent saw (and good pruners if you can spare the weight) are much safer and more effective than an ax.

  Depending on what type saw you choose, there is a difference in how they cut. A Japanese style saw (Silky/Corona) cuts on the pull stroke. Here's a comparison of a smaller Japanese style saw vs a western style MUCH bigger buck saw that cuts on the push and pull. Little guy just barely loses.

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  They made it more even by using a Katanaboy 500mm in this next video. 12" log too.
Which would you rather pack into the woods?
  By the way, the guy with the Katanaboy saw was right when he said there was a LEARNING curve with the Japanese saw. He was pushing DOWN on the forward stroke like you do with a western bucksaw.
That slows your cut AND tires you out too. Push forward easy, pull back, the razor sharp blades do the work. When he figured that out, he caught up fast and finished strong.

  On big logs, I'll undercut them first and then finish from the top.

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[quote author=solotripper link=1585446621/7#7 date=1585497544] Now that you've articulated what you want your axe to be capable of, my recommendation is clearly NOT what you want.

   As for sawing thru large blowdowns being exhausting with your current saw, a AXE big enough to do the job is going to be even MORE demanding physically.

You have to swing the weight of the axe overhead which increases the load on your heart by about 25% not to mention the increased risk of self-injury.
    A saw doesn't need to be used with downward force like a axe does. The sharpness of the saw does the majority of the work.

  If you do go the axe route, Fiskars makes bigger ones built just like that camp axe I recommended.
You can forget staying around 2 lbs too. A axe big enough to do what you want is going to have a 2 1/2 pound axe head or bigger plus the handle.

If you want to be able to cut big blowdowns, then a BIG saw is the way to go. Problem there is you WILL need to cash in your 401k to buy one.  ;) ;D ;D

  (You need to Login or Register

  They make a 500mm AND a 1000mm when you want to clear the WHOLE forest.

  Here's a link to a YouTube site that features a Alaskan couple who are into Bushcraft. They both know their stuff and do alot of DIY projects. Check out his folding saw review.

  (You need to Login or Register

That Katanaboy is truly legend!

Marten wrote on Mar 29^th, 2020 at 4:06pm:

I have more than a few miles of portage clearing under my belt and rely on a small top handle chain saw but that is not for everyone. I have never had a use for an axe on these endeavors. You start swinging that sharp edge in uncontrolled conditions and I feel there is too much danger of it glancing off a cut and inflicting injury. The small hand held saws available today are amazing. I also  carry an 18 inch fiskars pruner that easily cuts over an inch thick obstacles. It is really nice for reaching overhead and trimming stubs that could puncture soft sided canoes or cutting brush growing out of the rocks. When I am not toting a chainsaw and doing a clean sweep of the portage the goal is to drop  things low  enough to be stepped over. Often times cutting branches from under a fallen tree will allow it to drop lower. Other times looking at other things not allowing the tree to fall all the way to the ground can be productive. Lastly a small hand pruner able to cut three quarter inch sized live branches should be on your belt. On any portage there is always some maintenance that can be done with this simple tool as you return for another load.

Marten- - Good suggestions as well. Were you referring to   (You need to Login or Register ? When I have cleared parts of a trail, I usually do as you suggested by just making a cut to drop something lower.

I have a 12 inch Corona hand saw for smaller stuff. The pruner looks like a good addition to the pack at only a 1.5lbs. I've got a small portable chainsaw but I think I'd lose interest as soon as I pulled up to a trailhead and had to start hauling that thing around! ;D

Here's another way to go.
For the price it might be worth a look see?

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HighnDry wrote on Mar 30^th, 2020 at 2:06am:

[quote author=Martin_ Marten- - Good suggestions as well. Were you referring to   (You need to Login or Register ? When I have cleared parts of a trail, I usually do as you suggested by just making a cut to drop something lower. I have a 12 inch Corona hand saw for smaller stuff. The pruner looks like a good addition to the pack at only a 1.5lbs. I've got a small portable chainsaw but I think I'd lose interest as soon as I pulled up to a trailhead and had to start hauling that thing around! ;D

There are many different pruners and if you can find a simple one without the gears it may be lighter and will work fine. Some of the shapes of the cutter blades make it harder to get it around the branch.
FYI, the chainsaw is not as bad as the fuel and bar oil.

I have found the Silky Bigboy 2000 is an outstanding saw for what ever you may need while on a trip. Better than an ax for cutting.

I carried around an axe for two years when I first started.  Hardly ever used it.  I morphed to a Corona 21" saw and small folding saw.  On my next trip a Fisker's pruner is going along with me as well.

Stay safe......

Yeah, I think I'll look into pruning tools as well. The axe is the romantics tool for the back country but generally impractical for all the reasons cited above. Help is a long way away if you hurt yourself out there and a variety of saws will get through what you need in most cases.