The Axe of War and More

Submitted by Doug Brunell

In all my years of Army weather support, replacing my issued survival knife with the Gerber Camp Axe was one of the best equipment decisions I ever made. The camp axe was excellent for constructing fighting positions, clearing brush for fields of fire, opening banded ammo crates, and pounding tent stakes. The composite handle made it light, but still tough enough for every chore.

Shop for the Gerber Camp Axe

Comments

[Camper]

This is a great axe. I carry one camping and backpacking. The Gerber name adds a lot to the price though. Gerber is actually a rebadge of the Fiskars axe. Save some serious cash and get the Fiskars instead.

[Gaio Tiberio]

How do you efficiently clear a field of high grass and brush with an axe?

[Mike]

Quote
"How do you efficiently clear a field of high grass and brush with an axe?"

He said "clearing brush for fields of fire"

"Fields of fire" is not a field. "field" in this usage refers to the soldiers sight path to the area that he will be covering with his weapon.
Before making a stupid comment ant least do a little research.

[kevin]

it wasnt a comment, it was a question

[Raymond J Payne]

I guess if your a non-combatant this is a good tool to have. If you have to fight its just not usefull enough to carry. pretty hard to clear a fire lane or for that matter its only use would be chopping. unless you find your self hand ta hand

[Rich]

Why buy from Gerber, because Fiskars doesn't have a lifetime warranty and Gerber does. But only if you still have your receipt.

[buck]

If someone was coming at me with that axe in his hand and all I had was a fighting knife or a survival knife, I would certainly be worried.
This axe is a fearsome weapon - it can be a cutting weapon or a club and the handle looks about 18 inches long to give a real advantage over a knife.
The 18 inch handle with the heavy metal head out on the end of it will give you a real mechanical advantage and develop a LOT of force to split skulls or break arms.
They fought with quite similar weapons in the middle ages VERY EFFECTIVELY - they were called BATTLE AXES!!

If you do have one of these in the military out in the field - you better SLEEP WITH IT or it would be sure to dissapear because everyone would see that it was VERY USEFUL!

[David Minger]

I'd like to offer another consideration in favor of either the Camp Axe, or the slightly smaller Gerber Backpackers Axe. Awhile back I broke my shoulder while deep in the mountains of West Virginia. My Backpackers Axe allowed me to use my good arm to keep a reliable supply of firewood on hand and stay safely warmed on a snow-covered mountainside, until I could be evacuated. I couldn't have accomplished this one-handed with a knife. I recommend taking either axe into the backcountry, even if it's only for a trip like mine -- a daytrip that turned into a snowy, three day bivvy.

[Michael]

I love it ... though I do not have this particular axe I always carry one in the trunk of my car for emergencies ! has come in handy more than once ...
However short of duty with HQ platoon it wouldnt be a practical field tool ... aside from added weight & lack of any real benefit that cannot be easily gained with other smaller/lighter equipment its a waste of money ... even if you do get a generic brand.
As a weapon ... yep I agree it looks fierce ! But I wouldnt trade my rifle or sidearm for it ! Out of bullets ? K Bar doesnt have the 18" reach you desire ? An E tool does ... But I would likely go for the muzzle in hand rifle becomes club as a second choice? First I would work hard to remember my E&E (escape & evade) training! Because you failed to budget your ammo it doesnt always mean your enemy did as well.

[Michael]

Oh ... & clearing fields of fire ... No piece of equipment you are issued will work well for this job ... Nor will anything you can buy here ! In response to all of the intellectual giants at the top of these comments ... You do not clear a field of brush with an axe (unless I suppose you have alot of time & energy to spare). You also do not clear a field of fire with an axe (unless of course you desire to disturb the area enough to allow your position to stand out from mother nature).
An enormous field of fire may be gained by removing very little foliage ... think castle arrow slits & the area they could cover with minimal exposure of the archer ... less is always better providing you can see your field of fire!
Second ... if you do not clear the field of brush & high grass you are a moron as well ! its always best to have a naturally cleared area to again not give away your own position. Grazing animals are always your best friends as even domestic animals react instictively when something is trying to sneak up on or past them giving you early warning as well as the benefit of a large area clear of the "soft" cover your enemy would want to hide in.
Of course not everyone has a herd of cattle in thier cargo pocket so in a worst case situation I have found the 60mm mortar with a mix of HE & WP works wonders!
Lastly for the record ... my K bar, E tool, & a 8" folding saw were all I ever carried for the job of clearing fields of fire! But it was forethought, observation, & common sense that did all the real work & kept me alive.

[Scott]

As far as clearing brush the blade should come down the handle the ax about 6 inchesfrom the head with a nubby at the end so you dont dice your fingers. Maybe hollow the handle and be able to fire a smoke, flare or grenade round?

[Scott]

O one more thing mount the head on a hinge so you can turn it into descent shovel and give your self a spot to sit while you sh!t.

[Joe]

I guess it all depends on what or where you are. I would never chop a field of fire. You might as well hang a red flag while you are at it. Shape, shine, shadow and silhouette remember them all. A shove a machete a steel helmet are a waste. Remember the three most important things you need ammunition, ammunition, ammunition and water. In the Real World a ax is a nice thing to have but there is no place for it in war.

[Ian]

I bought a similar model from REI a few weeks ago. I took it on one backpacking trip, and it cracked in half at the handle within 4 chops on some rotted wood. However my version had a hallow handle, to hold a mini saw. Whatever you do, don't buy that model!

[vikingmedic]

An axe is a very useful tool and has been used for variety of purposes including combat for a very very long time. However unless you buy a war axe with that handy little spike on the end it's a lousy thrusting weapon. For all around utility around the camp site an axe and swiss army knife combo are pretty hard to beat. You can utlize an axe, or tomahawk in my case, for clearing scrub brush, removing/harvesting some of the larger diameter standing deadwood, and in general hack a good many things to much smaller pieces with such a tool. It's not particularly useful for filleting fish but then a kbar isn't particularly useful in that regard either.As for hand to hand fighting, an axe requires adjustment to your technique. All of these things are tools. Some tools are better suited to some applications then others. An axe, if one knows how to use it, is a very useful tool and an effective weapon. So is a knife. So is a shovel/etool. So is a bar of soap and a sock if thats all you have to fight with. The inclination of some folks posting here to deride a tool or tools in favor of another tells me more about the posters lack of imagination and inability to adapt than anything else.

[Big W of the Shire]

All in all,

I offer this piece of info. I like all Tools, Knives, Weapons, and Soaps. They all indeed can be useful /protective if used properly. Just letting you all know though, Bass Pro Shops/ Outdoor World will put a razor edge on any Knife you own for free. I just took my SOG Navy Seal Edition in for a sharpening, and they did it for nothing at all.

[Dan Nelson]

Axe,knife,Adz,flare gun.....hmmmmm sounds like the beginning of a new "Swiss Army" tool. Why not incorporate some of this multi tasking tooling in the mostly empty space of a buttstock? Weapon and tooling always at hand. Never a trade off during a task at hand. Why even gun cleaning and toilet paper combo too. Knife, fork, spoon, why not. The weapon/tool never to leave the side of the user again. Always armed, always ready to eat and clean up, but always armed. Just remember to use the correct item for the correct application. It would be quite unfortunate to shoot dinner off the table and wipe your backside with the k-bar to say nothing of hand to hand with knife,fork,spoon and toilet paper. In years to come this item would be offered as a collector item signed by someone in gold leaf in the pages of the NRA's perodical.

[Scott]

I have one of the Fiskars axes, very nice tool. With a lifetime guarantee. I have not tested it in combat, I didnt run into much to chop with an axe in the deserts, and most of the shrubs and such were not of much concern or not worth messing with. You definately pay more for the Gerber name, but Fiskars pretty much makes Gerbers' blades and such. So there pretty much the same. definately a very handy tool, I have never used a better axe in my life.

[Brian Herr]

I own one of these axes. I bought the Gerber because of the "unbreakable" handle and lifetime guarantee. One time it broke and I sent it in. You don't need a receipt. They sent me a new one without question. As for the usefullness, when I hike I store supplies in the hollow handle to save room. It is possibly the best $40 (at the time) that I've spent on a piece of equipment.
I even got to use it one time to cut open a rolled SUV's windshield when the driver was stuck inside prior to the medics arriving. GREAT tool. I plan on taking it with me overseas.

[montanaman]

I've never seen a field that an axe wouldn't be more useful in than a knife! But Gerber also makes a brush hook that will work well for chopping smaller branches or larger vines or small trees. It's about the same size as the axe and carries easily. And it could make a formidable weapon, believe it!

[doug]

i carried a kukru,think thats whats its called. its an india fighting knife.spec ops makes it.best all around deal.

[Chris]

The best thing about the gerber ax; NSN. We ordered two per squad and used them a lot in Ramadi. We never had any of the problems listed above. 90% of equipment failure is operator head space and timing. It was a reliable sharp ax that made it easy to breach padlocks, open weapon crates, cut power lines and dig. Combat tested, Sapper approved.

[SGTKinsella]

I have one and love it. I've had mine for nearly twelve years, and it's still as tough as the day I bought it.

Some of the guys in my unit carried them in Afghanistan, and used them so often they actually hung it from their web gear.

As use as a weapon, here are my thoughts: If you come down to having to use an axe, you've got bigger problems than just intimidation factor.

[E.R. Whitewolf]

Gerber is a great brand name and I have owned a few different models over the years and have a smaller hand axe(Gerber)that has a small knife in the handle. Not the greatest hatchet or knife,but I take it camping and works very well. I also agree on the comments for (not) clearing a field of fire. What good is camoflage if you take away your cover?

[Vekay Graves]

I have the Fiskars model and really like it. Find it very useful. The handle is hollow and has a lifetime warranty against even being run over. I have had it for several years and it holds up very well.
Vekay Graves
CPT US Army Armor.

[Matt]

I personally wouldn't take it into combat, but camping without one is a bit like a road march for a paraplegic....get it? "para" plegic? Oh come on it was a little funny...