Backpacking, Camping and Hiking Beyond the Common Tread
I like to reassess gear choice on a regular basis, making sure the reasons I chose a particular piece of camping gear are still relevant. Obviously I can only draw on my own needs and wants, so I’m going to list the top features and benefits I was looking for in a flashlight, followed by a brief explanation as to why they were, and still are, important to me.
Why an axe? As an outdoor icon, the axe seems ingrained in many people’s mind as the go to tool. It chops, splits and pounds. An axe is simple, rugged and easy to maintain. It’s also slow, heavy, and inefficient — at least when it comes to collecting wood for a campfire. And it is with this purpose in mind that we’ll look at why modern saw design far surpasses the cutting ability of a small axe, or for those who prefer, “hatchet”, when cutting firewood in the back-country.