Survival Axe and Hatchet Better than a Knife when SHTF

While many die hard survivalists can live in the bush with nothing more than a knife, a good axe can make life so much easier. When building a fire for warmth or cooking or even cutting down small trees, I would much rather depend on a small hatchet or midsized axe. This will make it much faster to process firewood or kindling. For a large amount of firewood cutting,  using a hand saw is your best bet. This remains the topic for another post.
Warning - It is very easy to injure yourself with an axe so be extra careful and whenever possible reach around the tree to put it between yourself and the axe. Also, watch out for overhead branches when cutting off limbs, so it won't bounce off an upper limb and cut your skull open. An injury in a survival situation should be avoided at all costs due to limited medical personal and supplies.

Best Survival Axes

These are my two favorite axes made by some of the best companies with a long history of axe making.

Estwing E44A 16-Inch Steel Campers Axe is a little longer than a standard hatchet. It's all metal construction will hold up for many years. Estwing has been building axes and hatchets for many years. Their axes feature a comfortable rubber grip handle that cushions your hands and keeps it from slipping. It's strong one piece forged handle and head design, ensures it will never separate from the handle. This axe comes with it's own leather sheath to protect it and also the user from getting cut while transporting. The sheath also has a belt loop so it can be carried on your belt.


The Gransfors Hatchet made by a family owned forge Gränsfors Bruks in a small town in Sweden. These hatchets are the finest money can buy. They leave the factory razor sharp and will provide a lifetime of useful service. While the price is a little higher than a Gerber or some of the other, lower cost hatchets. The Gransfors will not break when you absolutely need it the most.