Is the Axe the Best Survival Tool?

It's just another data point for you guys but the short answer is no. But Nutnfancy's is not really anti-axe. There are situations for which an axe is well-suited. But I am realistic about how it rarely fits well into SURVIVAL AND BACKPACKING systems. Some armchair critics and car campers, sometimes inexperienced in backpacking, will tout the axe as a much better wood chopping and splitting tool than the survival knives I review and show in use. True, an axe is a capable tool as I show in this video. When wielded with skill it can chop effectively and it pairs of limbs with ease. But you'll need a long handled version like this $30-$45 Gerber Splitting Axe, #GB-42763, to minimize your work. Even then the axe is bulkier, heavier (4 lbs!), potentially more dangerous than a large survival blade, lacks the finesse to produce fine kindling, and its an inefficient use of your limited energy in a survival situation. Also its pretty much guaranteed that you wont have a large handled axe like this with you when you get stranded and/or youre miles into the backcountry. I have backpacked many hundreds of miles into various terrains and I see few backpackers, miles into the backcountry, porting around an axe of any kind. Theyre just too heavy and bulky (of course the Hot Shots use their Pulaski axes with good effect for trail-building, brush clearance, and fire suppression techniques but thats wilderness fire fighting). However, as I proven myself many times, a medium to large knife coupled with a Sawvivor backpack saw indeed are packable commodities. And that pair will do everything an axe can, more efficiently and safely and with less energy expenditure. Also an axe will experience more damage and wear on its edge, frequently requiring the carry of a large file for re-sharpening as well so add another 10 oz to the load out. Finally even when your axe is sharp, cutting a full size dense tree, like this one, takes A LOT of effort. Youll save NO work of any kind with an axe as I prove in this video and this was just ONE cut. In a survival or even backpacking situation this is bad as youll have to replace those calories somehow. At the cabin or while car camping, who caresits probably a good thing. The full sized axe is a good camping or cabin woods tool but rarely will it make a good backcountry woods tool. As Nutnfancys proven in real world, wilderness videos, theres just better, more efficient systems to use.

Nutnfancys Likeability Scale of Gerber Splitting Axe: 5 out of 10

***Also for those armchair warriors would criticize my technique, choice of axe, stance, location and other "mistakes" like that: please get out of your easy chair and go make your own videos showing your skills and philosophies in high mountain areas after backpacking your axe in like I did and on a similar sized tree. Talk is cheap.

Note: At end of the video I show some edge damage to this Gerber Axe after just this one cross cut!

Category:

Science & Technology

Tags:

• ka-bar
• cold
• steel
• kabar
• survival
• advice
• woods
• tools
• gerber
• splitting
• axe
• chopping
• combat
• knife
• spyderco
• nutnfancy
• adventures
• clinic
• tough
• swamprat
• scrapyard
• knives
• usmc
• 1095
• full
• flat
• grind
• batoning
• survivorman
• m9
• bayonet
• buck
• ontario
• fallkniven
• wilderness
• woodscraft
• shelter
• making
• grayman
• wood
• skills
• san-mai
• sk5
• trapping
• deadfall
• twitch
• snare

[TheKodiak72]

your forefathers used axes and not big ass survival knives. Come to Australia nutn and see how you fair in the aussie bush with a knife instead of an axe. hahaha... It depends on your situation and location, you are very set in your ways. and thats ok, what works for you might not be as good for someone else.

[nutnfancy]

@TheKodiak72 I think this is a very fair comment because Nutn has a very personal philosophy about why/when he prefers knives over axes and you seem to instinctly understand that. -- Veri

[lakinl86]

stick to the saw city boy lol

[1MFoxbbfbag]

Hey Nutn just thought I would throw in my understanding of axes one for splitting wood and one for cutting wood the one for cutting is slim from the front the same size all the way back. The splitting axe goes from slim in the front and gets thicker towards the back which looks like what you got and so instead of cutting i think its more for splitting.IMHO but like the vid keep it up.

[blinky23456]

I have seen you do some crazy stuff over the years Nutn, this was the first time I was actually worried about your safety. as much huffin and puffin as you were doing I thought you were gonna keel over right there in front of the camera. Glad to see you're 5x5 brother

[IWASGIJOE]

Estwing 26" Steel Camper's Axe is far better. about 4 pounds.

[macstmanj3]

Try a cold steel trail boss. 2.5 pounds, 4.5 inch cutting edge and 23" long

[macstmanj3]

Try a cold steel trail boss. ,Z

[batman4912]

For survival would you recomand the fiskars X5 or the X7?

greedings from Italy =))

[jerksauce81]

ya dude, im on the pack saw/bk7 train, but the log bein off the ground was major disadvantage cutting your swings in half! good video tho man!

[NathanFourString]

Axes are good for staying in shape around the house or cabin :)

[Tacmarksman]

Hey nutn' I'm only 14, and I haven't had the chance to get out and enjoy nature as much as I've wanted to. But when I have gotten to go out, I've almost always used an axe to down trees and split up firewood. I just started watching your videos about three months ago, and your philosophies of survival have really changed my thinking. I recently saved up my money and bought a Becker BK-9, and a Sawvivor. I cut and batoned all my firewood with them this weekend, and they worked great, thanks!