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Camping axe: small enough to carry, big enough for camp wood

By the Plain Prepper editors. Updated 2026-10-15.

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Quick answer

A camping axe is a short axe or hatchet for kindling, small logs and limbing, light enough to carry in a pack. Gränsfors lists its Wildlife Hatchet at 35 cm and 0.6 kg, and its Small Forest Axe at 50 cm and 1 kg with more chopping power. Estwing's one-piece steel Sportsman's Axe comes in 12.5 and 13.5 inch lengths. Pick the shortest axe that does your jobs, keep it sheathed, and never use its back as a hammer on a wedge.

Three camping axes compared

Spec	Estwing Sportsman's E24A	Gränsfors Wildlife Hatchet	Gränsfors Small Forest Axe
Overall length	13.5 in (343 mm)	35 cm (about 13.8 in)	50 cm (about 19.7 in)
Weight	Not listed by Estwing	0.6 kg (about 1.3 lb)	1 kg (about 2.2 lb)
Cutting edge	3-1/4 in (83 mm)	Not listed	Not listed
Head and handle	Forged in one piece, leather grip	High-carbon steel head, hickory handle	High-carbon steel head, hickory handle
Sheath	Heavy-duty nylon	Vegetable-tanned leather	Vegetable-tanned leather
Made in	U.S.A.	Sweden	Sweden

Figures are from Estwing's and Gränsfors Bruk's product pages, checked October 2026; inch and pound conversions are plain arithmetic.

Hatchet or small forest axe?

• Hatchet: Gränsfors describes its Wildlife Hatchet as a traditional scouting and camping axe that can lop quite large branches or split small logs for the campfire.
• Small forest axe: Gränsfors says its Small Forest Axe has a larger head and longer handle than the Wildlife Hatchet, so it gives more chopping power, but still fits in a rucksack.
• The trade-off: Gränsfors's own buying guide says a smaller, lighter axe offers precision and easy handling, while a larger, heavier axe gives more power and reach.
• Weight difference: 1 kg minus 0.6 kg is 0.4 kg, about 0.9 lb more to carry for the Small Forest Axe.
• Not a splitting axe: for a winter's worth of firewood, see our best axe for splitting wood guide; for felling, see our felling axe guide.

What to look for

• Length you can control: Gränsfors says the longer handle of its Wildlife Hatchet, compared with its Hand Hatchet on the same head, lends the axe more power; shorter is easier to handle.
• Head and handle joint: Estwing forges its Sportsman's Axe in one piece, so there is no wooden handle to loosen; Gränsfors says to check regularly that a wooden handle is secure in the head.
• Sheath design: Gränsfors says its Wildlife Hatchet sheath covers the edge and the top of the poll so the head does not cut into your rucksack.
• Steel and warranty: Gränsfors lists high-carbon steel and a 20 year warranty on its axes.
• Where to buy: Gränsfors says its axes are sold in the US only through its distributor, so check the seller on any listing.

Building a campfire with an axe

1. Check fire rules first: Gränsfors says to respect bans on lighting fires, which are common in dry springs and summers.
2. Pick a safe spot: sand, gravel or bare soil, not on peat or near bushes and trees, and not on flat rocks, which can crack.
3. Use dead wood: Gränsfors says dry sticks can be found even in rain at the base of spruce trunks, and never to strip bark from a living birch; cut only what local rules allow.
4. Split kindling: Gränsfors suggests sawing dry, resinous pine into lengths of about 10 cm and splitting them into thick kindling.
5. Build up gradually: start with small sticks and add larger ones as the fire takes; a teepee lay burns fast, a crisscross lay burns longer.
6. Put it out: extinguish carefully, preferably with water, before you leave.

Care and safe habits

• Sheath when not cutting: keep the edge covered in camp and in your pack.
• Dry before sheathing: Gränsfors says the bit and sheath should not be wet when the sheath goes on.
• Oil before storage: an un-oiled axe head may rust; Gränsfors suggests oiling the head before putting it away and treating a wooden handle once a year.
• No hammering: Gränsfors says only a splitting maul's poll is strong enough for driving a wedge; using other axes as a sledgehammer can deform or break the eye.
• Keep it sharp: a sharp edge cuts more safely with better control, Gränsfors says; see our axe sharpener guide.
• Clear swing path: cut on a stable block and keep people well back.

A camping axe in an emergency kit

• Heat and cooking: in a long outage, a hatchet turns fallen branches into kindling for an outdoor fire or a wood stove; see our wood stove guides for indoor burning rules.
• Storm cleanup: a small axe handles limbs; leave large or hung-up trees to a professional.
• Ash handling: Gränsfors says ashes should sit a couple of days in a fireproof container so embers can cool.
• Pair it with: a fire starter and gloves; see our fire starter tools guide.

What to look for when you buy

Questions people ask

What size axe is best for camping?

Gränsfors's own camp examples are a 35 cm hatchet for kindling and small logs and a 50 cm small forest axe for limbing and bigger wood.

How heavy is a camping hatchet?

Gränsfors lists its Wildlife Hatchet at 0.6 kg, about 1.3 lb.

Can I hammer tent stakes with a camping axe?

Gränsfors warns against using axes other than a splitting maul as a hammer on wedges, since the eye can deform.

How do I keep an axe from rusting?

Dry it before sheathing and oil the head before storage, Gränsfors says.

Sources

• Sportsman's Axe (Leather), Estwing
• Gränsfors Wildlife Hatchet, Gränsfors Bruk
• Gränsfors Small Forest Axe, Gränsfors Bruk
• Fire Making, Gränsfors Bruk
• Axe and Leather Care, Gränsfors Bruk
• How to Choose the Right Axe, Gränsfors Bruk

Sources checked 2026-10-15.