Thanks. I went with the small forest axe. Seemed to be the best compromise between size and power

That's probably my favorite size.  Best packability vs size.  I have some big axes but aside from splitting they get little use.  I don't cut firewood with and axe, I use a chainsaw.  I use an axe for "camping tasks."  

+1 for the Gransfors Bruk Small Forest Axe
Love that thing

Love my Gransfors Bruks

+1.. Not too big, not too small.. Just right..

I keep an Estwing double bit in my jeep

Council Tool.

Our only source of heat for the last 5+ years has been wood.



Chainsaw for firewood duty.



Fiskars for splitting the rounds. (I have the super-long one, and the shorter I prefer shorter, and the head is actually fatter too, older model)



I got some 'smaller' fiskars splitters but never use them, not enough mass... I use the full-size one handed for kindling duty too.



I also have a couple fiskars felling axes that work great too for when you want to use some muscle and not a chainsaw... not that lugging around a 75cc saw all day isn't work



I have Gränsfors Bruk hatchet I keep by my wood stove, but it's rarely used.  It came sharp enough to slice paper, and cut hairs... made great, and really sharp.  Some day I'll get a full-size as well as some of their specialty ones.  

The metal in them is shit. You also can't use them for longer periods of time, your hand will hurt. Plastic is not so fantastic in the axe world.

Buy a handmade Swedish axe instead, it's worth the money. I'm thinking of getting a Swedish Hunting axe soon.

Check out Council Tools new Pack / Bushcraft axe

I have this and a small forest axe, the outdoor axe it fits my bill for doing walking/riding (dirt bike) but not for taking down large trees maybe 6" or less. I also have a Winkler hunting axe for skining game it worked well for a deer but I didn't notice any reason it would beat my knife then again it also lets you make kindling out of small green wood if needed.

I would recommend most the GB small fires axe, I keep it in a box with my chainsaw

I probably use this one the most, it's light enough to carry all day, just heavy enough to chop with, has a hammer poll, just enough of a wedge shape to split with. Works great for making tender and tent stakes as well as driving them. Also handy for splitting deer sternums and ribs. If I had to pick one this would be it, the RMJ loggerhead


Secondly the Gränsfors Bruk hunters axe. It does all the logger head will do but excels in wood processing but you pay for it in weight so I only use it when car or canoe camping.

I want a Tomahawk. I have absolutely NO need for one, but I've wanted one for some time.

I recently picked up a 19"  Husqvarna Carpenters Axe. I have used it very little, but seems worth every penny of the $60 I paid for it. It's blade is much straighter and has less of the crescent  shape than a typical axe or hatchet, but it seemed cool so I bought it.

I probably should just have my current axe rehandled and professionally sharpened.

Husqvarna Carpenters Axe.


At camp along the Salmon River.








Here, it is strapped to the side of my KLR, on a ride, earlier this month, in the mountains of central Idaho.

Gransfors Buks Wildlife hatchet or Esee Junglas

Awesome pics.

Lost river those are great pictures

They are excellent.

Cold Steel Trail Boss $24 at Amazon



Amazon review:
Very Good Axe
By JNieporte on October 29, 2012
The Trail Boss is Cold Steel's attempt to bring a good axe at a low price to the everyday person. It's made in China, but carries the quality of most Cold Steel products. After testing two of them, I really like this axe. The listed price is $33 plus shipping; this is average. The weights on the two Trail Bosses that I have are 2 pounds, 14 ounces and 2 pounds, 15 ounces.

The Trail Boss' handle is straight-grained American hickory. I strongly prefer to look at the grain before I buy an axe handle, and pick out the best, but this isn't possible with on-line purchases. I'll say that I'm pretty happy with the two I ended up with. The handle is 21-1/2" long, making a 23" long axe. The grain in mine are nice. There's a light coat of varnish to protect the wood from the elements, but this can be easily removed if you want to paint or stain the handle. A lanyard hole isn't provided, but a few seconds with a drill bit will fix that, if you wish. The handle is long enough to get a two-handed grip, but short enough that even an amateur can swing it one-handed. After using mine pretty seriously, the heads haven't loosened a bit. The head is pressed deep into the wooden handle, then driven through with a wooden wedge. That wedge is then driven through with an O-shaped piece of steel. This is all then trimmed down and painted black, to match the bulk of the head.

The head is drop forged 1055 carbon steel. It weighs 2-1/2 pounds. It's differentially heat treated, meaning the cutting edge (and butt) are heat treated harder (46-52 Rockwell) than the rest of the head. This allows for a sharp, sturdy edge while letting the rest of the head absorb some of the impact from strikes. The edge is 4-1/2" long. Mine both came dull, and had to be sharpened. Use a file or belt sander and do a nice convex edge, but go slow. Once you get the edge to where it will cleanly slice paper, stop. This isn't the axe to put a hair-shaving edge on; it will dull quickly. It does hold that paper-slicing edge pretty long though, but anything finer will dull fast. The entire head, both the painted portion and the exposed steel, has a clear coat on it to protect from rust. This is easily removed with some paint stripper like Strypeeze. A steel wool (or wire wool) brush can then make it look really nice.

There is no sheath. There's a rubber cover that slips over the edge, but that's it. DO NOT think of this as a sheath.

I'm pretty happy with the Trail Boss. Playing with it in the store and feeling the weight, I was ready to hate it. I was expecting a broken handle within a few minutes of use, or the head flying off. Not the case. This thing has remained solid. Way to go Cold Steel.

Good choices, on both the axe and bike.  I ride an '03 KLR...

Ideally, in my opinion.

My base camp setup would be my Boreal21 and GB Scandi Axe.  I recently picked up one of the axe/saw sling bags made of waxed canvas from a TV personalities self reliance website.  That really makes it a handy package setup.  It's well made and should hold up for years; long enough to pass it down along with the GB axe.

For generic short term use I prefer a smaller folding saw and a knife.