Or both or neither?

On our CO archery hunt, I took a Gerber axe and my partner had a folding saw. To my surprise, we seemed to use the saw more to clear a tent site and to cut firewood. It was also quieter. What do you guys carry?

Neither myself--I don't need it for backpacking and animals get dismantled via knife. Might be different if I used a wood stove a whole lot.

Saw is *always* first choice. I use one of the fiskars/gerber 3oz slide out saws with something like an 8" blade. No reason not to have it. Carry in my Kit Bag in fact.

hatchet or hawk sometimes, but batoning works really well for splitting duties.

I have been taking a small fold up saw, gerber, I think it is. Works well for small chores and is light. Always threaten to carry a Gb small forest axe, but I haven't done it yet.

No to both if I'm not packing a wood stove. Yes to at least the saw (same as Evan's) if I do have a wood stove. Had a mini-ax for a while but still figuring out what, if any, chopper I really NEED to have with me. Batoning has been sufficient for most trips.

A small Gerber folding saw... I like a fire.

Ditto on the Gerber folding saw. Sometime a hatchet or axe, but mostly a good knife that I can baton.

Both at times. I carry a little hatchet more than most folks.

Axe; The smaller 1lb Estwing always goes elk hunting with me. I skin and split the backbone with it if I decide to quarter the elk. Getting wood to burn at the coast usually means splitting it. The convex edge holds up well to being batoned through most anything.

Saw; They are way faster to cut firewood for a little stove than an axe.
I have carried a Gerber folder for a long time but the frame is a litle weak. We have broken a few. The cheap easily changed blades are a plus. I really like the "bone" blade for cutting dry wood.

Lately I have taken to carrying a Bahco Laplander. Replacement blades are spendy and hard to find but I have as yet to need to change one. Amazing saw.

This is one topic I have new information on - Always a saw as mentioned by everone But you owe it to your self to check out the trail blazer Survisaw-you can get bone and wood blade and it's the best-frozen bone no problem and it weights nothing!
As a backcountry horseman here in Montana we live by the crosscut saw and this is next best thing to a crosscut and it's a folder too.

I have a Gerber I take as well.

I did see a STIHL folding saw at a hardware store just recently that caught my eye. It was being marketed to Christmas tree hunters, but it looks a little more compact and lighter than the Gerber. Might have to pick one up.

As much as I like my Gerber hatchet for taking apart an elk I dont like to haul one around these days.

Can someone tell me if the blade on the sliding Gerber Saw and the Folding Gerber Saw are the same??

Curious as the saw blade material on the slide saw is weak.. The Gerber Slide Saw is a total piece of [bleep] and cannot be considered a reliable tool..

I'd really like a axe/hatchet. But they all seam to weight to much for my old azz to carry.

Can you supply a link?

Thanks

I pack both when elk hunting. I strap my small SOG axe on the outside of my pack and my small saw inside a pouch on my pack. If I had to choose between the two, I'd pick the saw.

Shag;
I did a quick search and came up with this, which admittedly may not be what was being spoken about?

http://sawvivor.com/

We've had pretty good success with the Coughlan's folding saw over the years, but admittedly have used it more for bone than for wood.

I eventually replaced the blade on mine as it blew a few teeth removing mulie skull caps, but otherwise it's been a great saw considering they go for under $20 CDN up here.

Hopefully that was useful to someone. All the best to you in 2012 Shag.

Regards,
Dwayne

Link?

He's talking about the sawvivor. Very similar to the wyoming saw, but much lighter weight and folds up smaller. I like mine.

On my last trip I carried a small Gerber hatchet and another member of our group had a Wyoming Saw. We used the saw 95% of the time.

However, I almost always carry a Gerber folding saw with me - whether it be for whitetail, turkey, etc. Great for a small fire, clearing a shooting lane, etc. As others have mentioned, it's just part of my kit. It's lite, small, and easy to carry.

We carry the smaller Wyoming saw but have also carried the folding Gerber saw.

Thanks brother! You too!
And thanks for the link..

Just checked out the link.. I generally don't give anything a second chance.. You fail me and thats it! The Wyo saw has never failed me. But, I'm not gonna pack it into the mountains when counting ounces..

I like the looks of the Sawvivor saw and your description is enough for me to give it a try this coming spring..

Thanks for all the responses. I guess the axe is staying home (although I still think it's cool to have along).

I agree about the Gerber sliding blade being a POS. I picked up a 2-blade folder from Braindead recently. That's what I would plan to carry.

For antlered only hunts in Idaho, the antlers have to come out with the meat. I'm not about to pack a whole head out so a saw is a must.

Link to the company in Canada that makes the saw
http://www.trailblazerproducts.com
You can check around they go for 29. with wood blade they are about 9oz. and 15 inches long- Great little saw
For those in Montana Bob Wards has them sometime.

Just trying to return the favor to all that helped me over the years.

Silky Saw- some fast cutting SOB's for such a small saw, out cuts my Sven saw and doesn't have the top support bar to get in the way. I take the folding BigBoy for moose camp for cutting wood not bone. A super fine might work on bone but I have not tried one. It has no problem zipping through 5-7" stuff.

The Silky Pocket Boy is very nice for a pack saw.

Ben's Backwoods sells the Bahco Laplander/Kershaw for a fair price-around $28.00.

It is much sturdier than the Gerber and cuts amazingly well

Blades are a little spendy [$18-22] but available.


http://www.bensbackwoods.com/servlet/Detail?no=420

This is the best deal I have found on the 1# Estwing hatchet that I pack.

http://www.dynamitetoolco.com/Estwing-E14A-12-inch-Sportsmans-Axe-with-Sheath-p/est-e14a.htm

The 1 lb Kershaw hatchet is also rather nice. They both have steel handles which cuts down on breakage.

I have the "Buck Saw"... honestly I can't recommend it. Not near as useful as a folding saw IMO.

As I mentioned, I have an older Gerber "Exchange-A-Blade" saw. The newer ones are pretty much junk from what I've heard.

IMO, and what I carried for years and will go back to when the Gerber gives up the ghost, is the inexpensive Colghan's Sierra Saw.

About as good as it gets...

http://www.coghlans.com/products/sierra-saw-8400

If I were going with the more expensive Bahco, I'd get the bigger tooth model:

http://www.bahcostore.com/item/396-jt?referer=folding-saws

I always carry my Sven saw. It's bow saw that breaks down to one piece when not in use. I replaced the blade easily once after a few years of heavy use. Sometimes I carry my Fiskars axe, but always the saw.

I carried a Sven Saw in the 70's. A bit heavy by today's standards, and a little less easy to use than a folder, but a good little saw!

My partner carries one of these folding saws by Stanley. The best part is that it uses standard reciprocating saw blades so you have a big choice of blades readily available. Standard length blades will fully retract but you can easily remove the longer ones if you don't want the point sticking out.

This?
http://www.stihlusa.com/handtools/PS10-STIHL-Folding-Saw.html

That one's the Sierra saw with a different name and a slight change in handle shape.

+ another one on the Sawvivor. I ALWAYS pack mine, with a wood blade, and bone blade. With both blades its around 11 Oz. Lately, I also pack a Gransfors Bruks small forest axe. Which isn't really an axe, and its too big to be a hatchet. It goes 9 Oz more than the little Gerber/Fiskars axe, but its a real axe

Jordan can tell you about all the dead standing lodgepole up the North Fork, I'm sure. a 4" round can be close to 100 years old, and can make a hydraulic log splitter grunt. Its against my mountain man standards to not utilize that fuel. I'm not burning a stove in a tent yet... and I like to drink 100 dollar a 5th whiskey around a fire in the middle of nowhere.

Any other NW Montana guys looking for a Sawvivor, hit up either one of the Army Navy stores in the Flathead. They stock them, and blades...

I like having an axe and saw around camp... I know that carrying 4 Lbs of axe and saw doesn't jive with the whole "backpacking light" theory. But I'm a hillbilly and refuse to be a statistic. I especially don't see a problem if there's two or more heading into a camp. I can ALWAYS make fire, ANY TIME with my saw/axe and Fireworks bag.


That was a pic taken on the way into "The Bob" We poled out whats in the truck to burn at the trailhead that night in about 10 minutes.

If I had to run solo all the time, I'd just settle for twig fires and pack a GB sportsmans hatchet.



There was a few of these at Ed T's back country skills camp. Patrick said it was 11 oz. and they hit a helluva lot harder than you'd think.

I always take a Sven saw too. After you try one you'll throw all your folding saws out...

Not me...

Years ago I had a folder that was sold in nurseries. Had a quality steel(maybe swedish) saw blade that cut amazingly fast and easy. Have not seen one like it since. Sven saws are really nice if you want a BIG fire.

I used to have a Sven saw but it was pretty much useless for cutting off antlers. The angle between the back and the blade is so tight that you can't cut anything as large as a skull. Because of the tight angle, you only have a few inches of draw length on the blade. On larger wood, be prepared to bust your knuckles. The 21" version would be infinitely better than the 15" size but it still has the sharp angle that limits its use.

I have used a pile of saws over the last several years for cutting off antlers and wood for fire.

Have found the gerber pack saw the best compromise between size/weight/ and function for both sawing off antlers and bucking up firewood. Both wood and bone saws on the same saw. No building the saw or anything, just pull it out and get to sawing.

Probably will never haul along a hatchet on a backpacking trip, just doesn't serve my needs ever.

That's the one.

It's hard to find a good saw for the weight. I carry my dads old Buck saw. Leather sheath with course and fine teeth. I like the cut it gives you on bone, not as dangerous as a hatchet. It has built many a blind and just comes in handy all of the time. I carry the weight. I have even cleared trails and roads with it, it might take awhile but it gets it done.

Outdoor Edge saws break real easy

Can't figure why anyone would carry a folder other than a BAHCO. XT7 is the blade for hard/dry wood, and the saw has proven nearly indestructible. Try cutting on the push stroke and you'll ruin it, just like any other pull style.


BAHCO

Edited to add first one I saw said "Sandvik", but never found them under that name.

You gotta weight on that BACHO?

same style, but slightly smaller.

http://www.stihlusa.com/handtools/PS30-STIHL-Folding-Saw.html

Only weight spec I can find says 4.8oz...

I haven't used a Wyoming saw, but the design looks like a good one...if you don't mind 18 oz. It should be much better than a Sven saw for bigger logs or removing antlers because it doesn't have the sharp angle to limit depth of cut. It's also not as susceptible to folding up if you try to push it through a cut. But it does weight 18 oz.

I carry a saw, have too many scars on my knuckles from packing moose with sharp bone chips that were made when the moose was cut up with a hatchet.

I still pack my cheapo Stanley folding saw that uses reciprocating saw blades. Used to be $9 or so. Haven't priced one out in a long time. But those are very lightweight and much less expensive than a lot of those outdoor models.

I most always have the Gerber slider with me. I'll bring along a small hatchet or even a small axe should conditions call for one, but mostly I just use the saw.

That wyoming saw is a truck hunting tool.... picked up exactly ONE and set it down and never looked back.

That wyoming saw is a truck hunting tool.... picked up exactly ONE and set it down and never looked back.

The BAHCO is swedish, just like 6.5mms, and is magic, if that means schitt to you.

I have been useing Corona folding saws for years.. I love them.

Corona Folding Saws

I get them from Lowes.

I back pack a light custom saw only if I hope to cut off antlers. Otherwise neither. In my vehicle are a full sized axe, a large bow saw and a folding Swede type saw.

Hatchets are a recipe for injury, with a cut radius designed to hit about the knee. Have seen two serious injuries with them over the years, one a helicopter medi-vac.

For calling stuff, predators to moose, I have garden pruners and a small folding saw in my daypack to improve the environment around my calling stand, open vistas, etc.

On a remote hunt; not a bad idea to have a saws and axe, the saw per person as parts are easily lost or broken, one axe to drive tent or if all the saws break;) I agree with Okanagan a hatchets can be a deflection danger. But an axe is a campers, hunters best friend. Meat pole, fire wood, antler removal, log jam, shelter...

when hunting I carry a folding saw, either a Corona or a cheap Coghlan's Sierra saw. I only use them for cutting wood, never had a need to cut bone.
When just on a backpack ramble, I often carry a Sven folding saw. Great saw and not much more weight than the folders, but longer.

I just bought one of those pocket chainsaws to try out, the thing is terrible I can cut twice the wood in half the time with my Gerber Exchange a Blade. I always have that with me and I like to keep a pair of pruning sheers with me. I own to sven folding saws and they cut great but I hate the design.

Usually, the axe gets left behind because of the weight.

If you're really counting ounces but trying to maximize utility, I would combine multiple functions into one tool. A saw alone would never do for me because I like the ability of the axe to be used as a hammer and a carving tool for making camp implements. The axe can even be used in place of a medium sized knife and can do a lion's portion of the butchering process.

I addressed the "weight thing" by using a smaller axe head (GB Mini Hatchet) helved long... 24" long. This thing punches waaaay above it's weight class for chopping and shaping but can still be used for food prep at a touch over a pound. Ditch the big knife and saw and carry a small axe instead. For firewood, I drag the uncut logs right into the fire. Another way to go about it is to pack in a tomohawk head and just fashion a handle in camp.

Mine is long enough to use as a monopod when seated and as a "smacker stick" to push away branches and help balance on ascending inclines yet it only seems to weigh as much as most loaded, lightweight snubby revolvers.





Can a saw make this?


Can a saw skin this?

Excellent! I have been considering having Gr�nsfors Bruks put one of their long axe handles on one of their smallest hatchet heads -- and now I can show them your picture to clarify!

I like a small light hatchet, but I have seen a couple of nasty injuries -- as Okanagan noted above, a normal hatchet handle is "optimized" to hurt you about the knee!.

That small head on a long handle does not look as funny as I expected, and if you say it cuts "above its weight class" that is good enough for me.

Besides, it has been a few years since I visited the friendly guys at Gr�nsfors Bruks (and only about 200km), so time to fix that!

John

If I were to do it again though, I'd actually use a thicker profile head - maybe the GB Wildlife hatchet head?. The GB Mini Hatchet head is actually a touch too thin and the eye too small for helving long, IMO.

The long helve can really give a lot more speed and bite with the little head. So much so that I think it actually may not be strong enough. When I do split wood, I split it lengthwise. It seems I bust the handles less that way. In my smacking the small GB around, I am finding that I am beating up the upper part of the edge really quickly. Also, I am figuring that there is a lot of torque in the small eye of such a small head. Something with a larger eye and slightly thicker profile would be my bet.

To help alleviate the strength issue of the small eye, I "wedged" the helve using a Makita impact driver and two 2" stainless steel deck screws

I don't generally carry an axe or saw for backpacking or backpack hunting anymore. I haven't run into anything I needed to do, that was legal to do, that I couldn't handle fine with a medium-ish (4-5 inch blade) knife.

I don't carry a wood stove and often we can't have open fire, so firewood gathering is not an issue. For game, I do fine taking them apart with a knife.

There's some really cool stuff out there. I collect stuff. But I find that I don't need it, so it stays home. I have a decent pile of stuff I thought was a cool idea that I really have no use for.

Thanks for the additional info, alukban.

The GB Wildlife Hatchet (or the next largest, the Hunter's Axe), with their rounded polls, are also of interest for me (skinning moose!), so one of those smallish heads with a 2 foot handle might be the best all-rounder for me.

Thanks again for the advice.

John

I absolutely LOVE my Small Forest axe. Same weight head as the hunters axe on a lighter handle, without the flay poll for skinning. Yes, I pack mine all the time. If I'm planning on spending the night, its in the pack. I've whittled Lazy Boys in the back country with mine. I don't care what it weighs... Its only ounces more than the cheesy Gerber Fiskars hatchets.



How it saves weight



Maybe ElCope will come along and post pics of what not to do with your GB small forest axe, unless you want a 1000 dollar axe in the end

Good show Alukban. I've been intrigued by the same idea, but haven't had the heart to cut the beautiful handle off of my wildlife hatchet to put a proper length handle on it. Of course, that means it mostly sits unused in preference to other tools. The closest I've come in my testing is the cold steel trail hawk which has the same light head / long handle combination. As you say, punches *way* above it's weight class.

Just depends on the trip. You can cut more wood for a campfire faster using a saw. I like the Keshaw folding sawhttp://www.kershawknives.com/productdetails.php?id=169 , cuts fast and is lightweight 6.4 oz.

The axe of I like is the gransfors burks mini hatchet http://www.gransfors.com/htm_eng/produkter/new_prod/p_lillayxa.html
It is small size, light weight and holds a great edge for a lot of tasks.

While I like my little norse hatchet, when it comes to jobs that a saw is less than ideal for, such as clearing brush, you can't touch the gerber brush thinner for a sub 1# tool that makes fast work of brush and cuts stuff much bigger than you think it would be capable of.

Cool picture. What is other axe head?

Also, I don't recall any ElCope... Can you fill me in? Dan, don't leave me hangin' about that modified 1000 buck axe!

With all the interest in Gr�nsfors Bruks here on the 'Fire, I had better take a camera when I visit them this time!

Anyway, a great thread with a lot of great info!

John

For landscaping (pruning trees) I've always preferred Silky saws. The coarse curved saws cut quick. The straight blades come in coarse, medium and fine. For camping or hunting, I carry a little Fiskars but if I was serious, the Silkys would cut all the limb wood you'd like. I use straight saws, but their folding saws weigh a pound or less. Could be good!

http://www.silkysaws.com/Silky_Saws/Folding-Curved_2

That hatchet they have on their website looks pretty badass

jpb, That was a pic I found in cyberspace. Not sure what the other axe head is? It looks like you're garden variety hardware store hatchet though. Clearly it is not as refined and sophisticated as a GB.

Food for thought. The GB Wildlife Hatchet is 1 and a half pounds, add a longer handle and it goes a pound and 3/4??? Guess what a GB small forest axe weighs? 2 Lbs and half an ounce.

The story on my 1000 dollar axe... Right after I got it, Ed (Elcope, not EdT) and I went fly fishing for Grayling at a lake up high in the hills. We were hungry and decided to do some catch and eat fishing. So, Ed was bucking logs into firewood size pieces with the saw, and I was busting the limbs off the rounds. The axe skipped, and barely grazed my left index finger. I knew I got cut.... BUT.... That razor sharp little bastidcut me to the bone, and cut half way through an extensor tendon. 6 stitches and me leaving the tendon to nature (against medical advice)was about a grand...

Now I've camped in the early fall right in the middle of berry infested slides, with black bears all around my camp. I've always told my buddies that its all about attitude... If you go walking around inthe ghetto looking like a victim, you probably will be. I've never had a serious problem with a bear...

So that proves my theory....
Axes really ARE more dangerous in the back country than bears.

Now I've camped in the early fall right in the middle of berry infested slides, with black bears all around my camp. I've always told my buddies that its all about attitude... If you go walking around inthe ghetto looking like a victim, you probably will be. I've never had a serious problem with a bear...

So that proves my theory....
Axes really ARE more dangerous in the back country than bears.

Dan,

I'm thinking your theory is the no schitt truth! I'm pretty convinced one is way more apt to [bleep] themselves up, than be [bleep] up by a critter. Mother Nature's big threat is weather, not furry things with teeth and claws.

As to the OP, I mostly pack a saw.

Jeff

Gotta 24" Wetterlings that is a real sweetie too...I think there is something about that size axe that really works for BP'ing...If it's not hunting season and I'm in the mood for campfires, the 24 is the weapon of choice. She really bites when you swing.

Winter camping or times I am going to be using my wood stove a lot I cary a Sven-Saw. It has been great and is easy to pack. When hunting I have mostly carried a gerber fold up saw for skull caping critters to save weight but i had two break on me. In my opinion the are not made as well as they used to be. I started looking into a better version and came across dry wall hand saws. These things are 1/3 the price and take replaceable sawzall blades which come in all sorts of types and lengths.

I do have a pic of the Wetterlings version of the GB Small Forest Axe, a GB Hunter's Axe and a GB Mini Hatchet all together.

The GB Wildlife Hatchet goes pretty much right in between the Hunter's Axe and the Mini Hatchet. The Hunter's Axe looks much bigger than the Mini and the difference in cutting efficiency is huge but I tend to think that the "carried weight" difference between the two is not that huge. There is a larger difference in their felt weight in the hand because one holds them at a lever arm - the Mini w/ a very short lever arm at that. Strapped onto a pack as close to your body as possible (near your core), that Hunter's axe actually weighs less than a loaded 1911.



The other suggestion I have, if one were to do it all over again, is to use the Wildlife Axe helved long but perhaps opening up the eye so that one can shove more wood in there. You could also put a metal sleeve on the helve right under the eye to increase strength even more (to compensate for the smaller eye) and help protect the helve. Gransfors Bruks already makes something like that BTW It's their somewhat new "Outdoor Axe". Its specs are just like the Wildlife hatchet but it has the collar and a slightly differently shaped head. I actually prefer the Wildlife with (what looks to be) the more pronounced beard so you can get your palm right behind the blade more easily for knife work. Also, the Wildlife is like HALF THE PRICE of the Outdoors axe Maybe one could special order a Wildlife head that has a rounded poll and has a collar + at least a 20" helve direct from GB? The could call it "the GB Backpack Hunter". For hammer use, just use the side of the axe if the rounded poll bugs you.

alukban and others:

Man, some great ideas and photos here!

Since the Gr�nsfors Bruks axes & hatches are handmade, they might make me a Wildlife axe with a larger eye without making me sell a kidney to pay for it. I had not thought of that, so thanks for the idea alukban!

I like the idea of a custom axe/hatchet "chopper" and since I only live about 200 or 250 km from the factory, I will see about visiting them in the spring or summer.

Anyway, a great thread with lots of neat ideas!

John

Here's this review with comparison pics BTW...

http://woodtrekker.blogspot.com/2011/04/grasfors-bruks-outdoor-axe-review.html

Good luck with that jpb. I envy your being able to visit them and get toys directly!!

Yet more thanks, alukban!

A neat review with good pictures!

Unfortunately, you guys are infecting me with the "axe bug" so my visit to Gr�nsfors Bruks is going to cost me some kronor!

Ah well, many guys drop serious money on stoves, knives, etc. -- why not on a custom handmade axe that will outlast me? As my father (now in his eighties) says, "it is only money"!

You guys are a B-A-D influence!

John

We have had two of the Gerbers break on us as well. A litle twist on the handle and they are gone.


I would make another vote for the Kershaw/Bahco Laplander as a pack saw.. I have used them a lot and never broken one. Now that you can buy the blades that is where I have gone.

That's what I carry. Mine sports a black nylon sheath, bone and wood blades. Use bone blade most, be it wood or bone.

I find the aluminum handle wide, grippy and comfortable but conducts the cold quickly when laid on something other than in or on your fresh, warm kill.

Rips elk bone quite well. Some clearance issues with removing antlers and sawing longer verts between shoulders but works.

Wyoming also offers same style of saw but 16"?? not sure, but longer than this pictured one.

Been meaning to ask, what kind of back pack do you carry the Dutch oven in? Those cook such fabulous meals that if you carry it, you can come along on my backpack hunts any time!

Perfect way to spend the 4th of July holiday, in the emergency room.

[img:left]http://www.ar15.com/media/viewFile.html?i=30551[/img]

ETA: Don't know why the pics won't load, click the link and it should work. I'll save the most embarrasing ones for blackmail material.

I've got a few more in Pukebucket from that one.

Proof that axes are more dangerous than bears in the backcountry


I know the pic you're talking about... The "billing department"

This one?


It was a busy day, what can I say... Apparently nobody was having babies

I find I need a small hatchet or axe, a knife I can baton with, and a saw, when I am out in the woods for any length of time. I try to keep the $$ for these tools in the made-in-USA (or Canada). Am currently trying the North River Forge trail axe, similar to what you see here, although mine has an ash handle:
http://www.north-river-custom-knives.com/tomahawks-tier3-7.html

Went with a Bark River Aurora with red liners and osage orange scales for the camp knife...

Still haven't found the lightweight saw that is USA or Canada made... so I use a Fiskars hand pruning saw for the time being.

I don't think any of my choices would work well for you guys who hunt big critters like elk and moose, but they work fine for me in Virginia.

To be honest, the knife that works best for me for camp chores is a Buck Pathfinder #105...

saw for me, when I'm bping, i'm counting ounces, I can find lighter weight saws than I can hatchets.

yep, i hear you. but i find if i am out for any length of time there are some things i just have to have. these items include a good knife, the trail axe, a saw, a good pair of binos, a good inflatable air mattress, coffee, chocolate, and a small flask of scotch. So I just pay the weight penalty and count grams everywhere else.

It's a Northern Tool 24oz Camp Axe ($10) that was modified. See the full blog here:

http://woodtrekker.blogspot.com/2010/11/cheap-alternative-for-gransfors-bruks.html

Regards,
Scott

I spent 8 years in the Scouts. We had saws in our quartermasters boxes with a red and silver case. You open it up, put it together, and you've got a bow saw. I looked and looked and found what it was! It's made by Swen saws and is called a Sven Saw. $30 on Amazon. We cleared forests with that saw. I'm going to order a couple. A big one and a little one. One for the pack and one for the truck.

I have a few axes and hatchets. I've never taken one camping. I've had the cut myself and bleed to death in the woods scenario play out in my mind too many times. I landscape and I wear chainsaw chaps whenever I fire one up. I have a trauma pack with Quick Clot and a tourniquet in the pocket. My Uncle who raised me never let me touch a chainsaw or a Skil saw growing up and said they were just too dangerous. Another Uncle cut himself with a chop saw trying to cut a brick in half. He nicked his leg and almost bled to death on the porch. His son was there and did the compression and called 911 and they got to him quick and he still almost died. He was a stone mason all his life and almost bought it splitting a brick!

Depends on what I'm hunting and where. Generally, the only time I happen to carry an axe, is if I'm hunting/guiding for moose. Otherwise, I have a large Wyoming saw.

Maverick,

Is the axe for the ribs? Had a decent bull come in on me this last year when I was popping ribs off another bull with my gransfors brux ax. Seems like a really good call! Unfortunately the ribs were tougher than my axe, and left my edge all dinged up.

I've used a Wyoming saw on bull moose skulls and moose sternums, but wouldn't advise it. An Estwing axe is much more practical than the saw, when it comes to Alaska/Yukon moose skulls and sternums.