Estwing Sportsman's Axe (14-Inch)

Estwing forges this hatchet from a single piece of American steel, head and handle together, so there are no castings or welds to give out. The grip is genuine leather, hand sanded and lacquered, and the company has been making tools this way in Rockford, Illinois, since 1923.

At 14 inches long, it’s sized for camp chores: splitting kindling, limbing branches and chopping small firewood down to fit the fire ring. Estwing also points out that it makes a good tent stake puller when it’s time to pack up. The 4-inch cutting edge comes hand-sharpened, and a ballistic nylon sheath with a belt loop covers it between jobs.

Give it to the person who always ends up in charge of the fire, or to a new camper who’s ready for a real tool. With its one-piece build, it’s also the kind of hatchet that gets handed down rather than replaced.

The catch: it’s a hatchet, so it’s made for kindling, limbs and small wood. Big rounds of firewood still call for a full-size axe or a maul, and the edge needs its sheath on whenever it’s not in use.