Here I will talk about an ax, which will be conveniently used in the forest, and not for harvesting firewood at home for the winter. Such an ax is also not intended for felling large trees. And the preparation of firewood to maintain a fire during your stay in the forest.
The main objectives of the ax in the campaign:
1) Help in arranging the camp. It is necessary to chop the poles and sharpen them. You may have to cut a lot of branches for the roof of your shelter or a floor raiser. The same poles can be hammered with an ax butt into the ground.
2) Roll dead wood, but not very large. Harvesting the required amount of firewood. It should be convenient with an ax to chop not thick logs into firewood.
3) Help in organizing a bonfire. Chop small branches, chop wood and make chips.
4) Maybe someone needs to build a raft. An ax will also help in this matter.
The tasks of the ax for the forest should not include the construction of high-quality long-term shelter from logs. Well and accordingly this ax is not intended for felling and logging.
For these purposes, it is better to purchase a completely different ax that will cope with the tasks.
What should be an ax for the forest
Since your backpack is already so heavy, the weight of the ax should not be very large. But at the same time, an ax too light can not cope with all the tasks.
For a multi-day trip, the best choice would be an ax weighing about 800-1000 grams. Moreover, the mass is considered without an ax (handle). If you go camping for 1-2 days and are not going to bring down dead wood, then you can do with an ax weighing 500-800 grams.
Heavier than one kilogram axes should not be purchased. In order not to greatly increase the weight of your backpack. Especially if the route is difficult, every extra gram will be felt by you.
Yes, and do not replace the ax with any machete. Since it is not intended for our forests at all. Although you can chop small branches.
In addition to the weight of the ax, you must pay attention to the material of the handle. It can be both wooden and plastic.
The wooden handle has advantages in that if it breaks, then in the forest you can make a new one yourself. But if the plastic ax breaks, then you will be left without an ax.
In general, plastic handles, although they try to make them so that they can be used in the cold. But still, at very low temperatures, plastic may burst during operation.
If we talk about quality, then many tourists now choose the axes of Finnish manufacturers.
True, such axes are not cheap, but their workmanship and material are quite high.
In addition to Finnish, Soviet axes made in accordance with GOST are also appreciated . But many modern Russian axes that are made according to TU are not popular due to the low quality of the metal of which the ax is made. Also, in the quality of the material of the ax, the Chinese are also losing.
Ax shape
The shape of an ax became very popular when it seemed to be cut at ninety degrees to the ax. This form has become popular thanks to the proliferation of Finnish axes.
By the way, this form reduces vibration during cutting. Which will positively affect your hands during long work. Another plus of this form is that with those characteristics, the weight of the ax is slightly less.
The blade of some axes is flat and some are rounded. There is no big difference for the forest. Although if you look at the popular Finnish axes, then their blade has a rounded shape.
An ax is a rather dangerous thing both for those around and for the person in whose hands he is. To avoid injuries during a camping trip, you must follow the rules for safe handling of an ax.
Do not stick an ax into the ground or into a tree. Since in the earth they can stumble and get hurt. And an ax sticking out of a tree can fall on someone and also cause injury.
If you took children with you on a camping trip, do not keep the ax in sight, always put on a cover after work and remove it so that children cannot get it. And it’s better that they don’t even see where you hid him.
Keep the ax clean; after work, wipe and put on the blade cover. And before work, be sure to check how the ax is mounted on the ax. There is a risk that the ax may fly off the ax. And during the work with the ax, choose a place so that the branches of trees and shrubs do not bother you.
And what is the result
As a result, it turns out that it is best to choose an ax weighing 0.8 or 1 kilogram for the forest. And this is the weight without the handle. A handle made of wood or plastic is your choice. Everyone prefers what is closer and more convenient to him.
The shape of the ax is better to have beveled like Finnish Fiskars with a rounded blade. But the shape of the handle is chosen individually. The main thing here is that it is convenient for you to hold in your hand.
And if you go camping for 1-2 days, then you can buy a small hatchet weights of about 500 grams. Such axes can be found in the store, they usually have a solid metal structure with a rubberized handle.
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