Bushcraft & Wilderness Tools

How to Choose a Pack Axe — and Why Most People Overcomplicate It

The right pack axe isn't the heaviest or the most expensive. It's the one that balances weight, handle length, and packability for the work you'll actually do in the field.

By Joshua Enyart · Founder & Head Instructor, Gray Bearded Green Beret

Former Army Ranger, Green Beret, and full-time survival instructor · three decades of professional instructor experience

An Axe Is Nothing More Than a Sharp Edge With a Handle

Choosing an axe can feel like a daunting task. The variety of styles, weights, and handle lengths is at least as variable as the knives you have to sort through to find the right blade for your kit. While many larger axes belong on the homestead, pack axes and hatchets are sized for the backpack and the backcountry. That's where we'll focus.

Many of you have heard me say that a knife is nothing more than a sharp edge with a handle. I like to keep it simple that way. You need a sharp edge for slicing and a handle to keep from cutting yourself on the blade. With proper knife safety and handling, any sharp edge with a handle will do. Knife skills are more important than the knife you choose. A fancy blade with a particular profile and steel doesn't make the user any better or safer than anyone else.

The same holds for axes.

"An axe is nothing more than a sharp edge with a handle on it — except that this sharp edge has a considerable amount of weight behind it."

— Joshua Enyart

The handle is fashioned so it's meant to swing into material, adding momentum to the cutting edge to achieve the desired result. An axe is a chopper, not a slicer. That distinction matters when you're deciding what goes in your pack — and it matters even more when you're standing in the field deciding whether to reach for the axe or the knife. If you need to slice, reach for the knife. If you need to chop, the axe earns its weight in the pack.

Proper safety, handling, technique, and basic axe skills are what separate one user from another. Don't let anyone sell you on the idea that the right axe replaces the need for the right skills. It doesn't. Pick up the right tool for the job, invest in training time behind it, and the axe becomes one of the most versatile things you carry.

What to Look for in a Pack Axe

Head Weight

Weight is a direct factor in the efficiency of an axe: more weight means more momentum behind the cut. But the weight you choose needs to be one you can manage for the duration of the work — and with a pack axe, you're carrying it far more than you're swinging it. A good pack axe is heavy enough to work efficiently while light enough to carry all day without noticing it. My personal preference is a 2 lb to 2.25 lb head. In that range, you have real chopping authority without the pack burden of a full-sized felling axe. You can actually process material with it, not just scratch the surface.

Handle Length

Handle length is the other critical variable. The more the handle protrudes from your pack, the more often you'll catch it on brush and tight terrain in the forest. But a longer handle gives you a more efficient swing — particularly when you can get two hands on it. It is a deliberate tradeoff between packability and power. I've found that an 18" to 24" handle hits the right balance. At 18", you get one-handed authority and minimal pack snag. Push toward 24", and you gain real two-handed leverage — which matters when you're processing larger material over a sustained work session.

Hammer Poll

A hardened hammer poll on the back of the axe head expands what the tool can do. Driving steel stakes, setting camp anchors, and general camp work become options without damaging the poll over time. Not every pack axe includes a hardened poll, and the ones without it are still capable tools. But if you want one tool covering more tasks, the hardened poll is worth looking for specifically.

Handle Material and Finish

Hickory remains the standard for good reason — it absorbs shock, it's strong, and it's repairable in the field. What matters beyond the wood itself is how the handle is finished. A basic wax coat is functional. A proper Boiled Linseed Oil treatment followed by a light waxing is significantly better. The oil penetrates the wood at the fiber level rather than sitting on the surface, protecting against moisture and extending the life of the handle over years of hard use.

Mask and Edge Guard

A quality leather mask protects the bit when the axe is in your pack and protects your hands when you're pulling it out. This is not optional. Axes without a proper sheath or mask have no business riding in a pack next to your other gear. A good mask covers the full edge, stays put under movement, and holds up to field conditions. If an axe doesn't come with one, source one before the axe goes in the pack.

My Top Pack Axe Recommendations

All of my personal choices are from Council Tools, made in the USA. They build tools that are meant to work, not to hang on a wall. Council Tools produces two lines relevant to pack axe selection — the Sport Utility series and the Wood Craft series. Here's how I break them down.

Sport Utility 2 lb / 18" Handle

The Sport Utility finish means exactly what it sounds like: this axe is built to be a utility workhorse. The 2 lb head with an 18" handle is a solid balance between efficient use and packability. It's short enough to carry without constantly snagging on brush, and long enough to swing one-handed with real authority — or to get a second hand on when the work calls for it.

This model has a hardened hammer poll, which is notable at this price point. You can drive steel stakes and handle camp chores on the poll without worrying about mushrooming the steel over time. For what it does and what it costs, this is one of the most capable pack axes available. It's also the most affordable of the three I recommend. This is where I'd tell most people to start.

Council Tools Boys' Axe

The boys' axe designation was originally about size — smaller head, shorter handle, originally intended for youth. Those same characteristics make it a legitimate pack axe choice. If packability is your primary constraint and the work you're planning doesn't require sustained heavy processing, the boys' axe covers the mission. Lighter in the pack, less handle to catch on things in tight terrain, and still a capable tool in the right hands. It's the lightest of my three recommendations.

Wood Craft 2 lb / 19" Handle — My Personal Choice

This is my personal favorite pack axe. The Wood Craft series is Council Tools' premium line — better fit and finish than the Sport Utility, but still built to work hard. You'd be doing this axe a disservice to put it in a safe. It's a workhorse with a better look, and that's it.

The handles are more carefully selected hickory, treated with Boiled Linseed Oil before a light waxing. That treatment protects the wood at the fiber level rather than just coating the surface. Every Wood Craft axe also includes a premium leather mask and a hardened hammer poll standard.

What sets it apart technically is the Phantom Bevel geometry. These bevels prevent the head from sticking in the cut, which means faster, cleaner work on each swing — especially important when splitting, carving, or hewing. The higher-priced Scandinavian axes are optimized for evergreen forests. The Wood Craft is built for the deciduous and mixed woodlands most of us actually operate in across the United States, and it outperforms those more expensive options in that environment.

The 2 lb head with the 19" handle is the right balance. I can run it effectively one-handed or two-handed, and I can carry it all day without registering the weight. It costs more than the Sport Utility. It earns every dollar.

The Bottom Line

You don't need the most expensive pack axe on the market. You need the right weight, the right handle length for how you carry and work, and a tool built by people who take the craft seriously. Any of the three Council Tools options above will serve you well in the field. The variable isn't the axe — it's what you know how to do with it.

Train with the tool. Get time behind it before you need it. An axe is only as useful as the skill of the person swinging it, and there's no shortcut around that — regardless of what the price tag says.

The 8 Essential Kits™

The tools and gear that form the foundation of a capable wilderness kit — built around the 8 Survival Priorities.

Free PDF

Wilderness Survival Gear & Kits — Free Download

Joshua's free PDF breaks down the gear and kit priorities that form the foundation of a capable wilderness kit — including the tools that actually earn their weight in the field.

No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.

Watch Joshua Work an Axe — Winter Series on the GB2 Network™

See the full process in a winter field setting: felling dead standing timber, limbing, topping, bucking, and splitting. Gear selection is one thing — technique is what makes the difference.

Watch the Axe Work Module →

Explore the Full GB2 Network™

Wilderness survival, bushcraft, winter skills, navigation, preparedness — Joshua's complete instructional video library, on demand.

Explore the GB2 Network →

Put the Axe to Work — Train With Joshua in the Field

Axe skills are on the curriculum in two of Joshua's live training events. Both are hands-on, field-based, and fill early.