Posts Tagged ‘camping’
Which Is Better – A Survival Knife or Hatchet?
I keep asking myself this all the time. On one hand, I really love my camping and survival knives. They’ve been with me through a lot. But I have a few camp axes and hatchets that I wouldn’t think of leaving on a camping trip without them. Honestly, I carry a knife or two and a hatchet when I’m wilderness camping. Especially in the West. You just don’t know what you’ll run into when your out there and having a hatchet along is far more important than worrying about the added weight it adds to your load. This is why I chuckle anytime I hear a newbie ask “Which is better, a survival knife or hatchet“. Here’s why you’ll find me with a knife and hatchet if you run into me out in the woods.
For starters, if you need firewood or some wood split, nothing beats a hatchet. A hatchet will split firewood quicker and safer than any survival knife. Also, if you’re building a shelter, then you’re gonna want a hatchet to chop through those trees. Sure, you can chop a tree down using a rock or piece of wood to beat the knife through, but it’s going to take you longer and you’ll use far more energy doing it.
A hatchet also does very well when used to pound stakes into the ground. Yeah, you could use the blade or a rock to do the same thing, but again, it comes down to energy used and safety. A hatchet wins this bout every time.
Which size of hatchet do I prefer? For me, I like hatchets with a 1.5 to 2 pound head. My favorite is the 1.75 lb head with a 14 to 18 inch handle. I have used smaller hatchets and there are heavier hatchets out there with longer handles, but the 10 to 18 inch range is just about right for me to carry. The longer hatchets or camp axes may cut better but they can be a pain to carry. Smaller hatchets just don’t have the weight to be as useful as their larger brothers.
So which survival knives do I carry? My primary knife that I carry around my neck when hiking or camping will usually be from 3 to 4 inches long. Sometimes I may carry this knife on my belt. This size knife has a 101 uses around the camp, such as cleaning game and fish, cutting small saplings, cordage, food prep, etc.
There are times I may carry a larger belt knife, such as my SOG Seal Pup, but for the most part, I carry a hatchet if I’m going deep in the woods.
Where to Buy Camping Tents
If you are a camping beginner you might have no idea where you should purchase a camping tent since you probably have never gotten one before. You don’t need to worry about this because there are numerous places that sell them and it’s pretty easy to find tents cheap.
The first place you might want to start your search is at outdoor stores like Cabella’s or any store that sales hunting, fishing and hiking gear. You can even include sporting goods stores in this search since they sell camping gear too. A lot of outdoor outfitters manufacture their own tents. These usually are pretty high quality and you won’t go wrong getting one.
Superstores like Walmart, Target and Kmart also sell camping supplies. They don’t have the largest selections but you can find some pretty good deals on tents here, as well as, other gear. As opposed to the outdoor stores they are geared to people who camp maybe once or twice a year. If you are looking for a good deal check your local paper. These stores will often have sales in the summer months especially during big holidays.
Another place you can search for tents is online. You can even find used tents on sites like Amazon Marketplace and Ebay. The best part about shopping online is your ability to compare what other campers have said about the particular product you interested in. They can tell you what the advantages and disadvantages of it are and they’ve usually tested it out already. While you can buy used tents you should be more cautious. You don’t want to get a tent that wasn’t taken care of by the other owner. You never know if they have holes or leaks. Also, check to see if it comes with all of the parts it was originally sold with. It’s important to have everything that came out of the box or you might not be able to use it at all or worse, spend more money replacing missing parts. Instructions are hard to replace so you should double check to see if the tent is coming with them. Tents can be impossible to put together without the manufacturer’s instructions.
As you can see you have a lot of great options on places to buy camping tents. Compare prices at lots of different stores and you will be sure to find a great tent.