An axe can be a handy tool when you’re slumming it outdoors, allowing you to split wood, slice rope, and perform similar cutting tasks with big swinging motions. Problem is, axes tend to be big, making them far from the most convenient thing when you’re trying to pack light. The Aclim8 Combar FoldAxe offers a compact way to bring the classic hand tool along to your outdoor adventures.
A smaller and lighter version of the outfit’s original camping multi-tool, it takes the already reasonably portable axe and makes it even easier to pack. Not only do you get an axe, you also get a knife, a saw, and a bunch of other functions, all in a bar-shaped package that measures just 15.75 inches, making it small enough to hang on a belt loop, strap down on your pack, or even squeeze inside your bag.
The Aclim8 Combar Foldaxe has a folding hatchet head that you can easily deploy by simply flipping the blade out when you need to split, chop, and shape some pieces of wood. Measuring 5 x 2.5 inches, the hardened stainless steel axe head is designed to make quick work of splitting logs and chopping thick wooden sticks, while also being strong enough to cut small branches and fall small trees when needed. Opposite the business end of the axe head is a textured hammer surface that’s designed specifically for striking tent pegs and wooden stakes, among other fieldwork tasks.
A long glass-reinforced polymer handle with a textured grip gives the axe a good amount of striking leverage, with enough length to allow a two-handed grip when needed. Even better, the axe handle has an integrated store compartment that’s accessible from the base, where it houses a variety of tools to give the tool its multiple functions.
The Aclim8 Combar Foldaxe’s storage chamber can be emptied out if you want to use it to house small gear like fire starters and multi-tools, although you may want to stick with the included tools if you find them genuinely useful for the kind of activities you get into in the wild. Those tools include a full-tang survival knife with a drop-point fixed blade and a folding saw, either of which you can choose to keep if you find them useful or take out if you have better tools in your arsenal.
The knife, by the way, has a 4.5-inch blade cut in hardened stainless steel, with a glass-reinforced nylon handle that has a skeletal slot in the middle, which fits a sheath with a belt clip, so you can carry the knife on your waist. Just from looking it, there’s a good chance you already have a survival knife you’d prefer to bring instead, although it looks decent enough that you can probably rely on it if needed. The folding utility saw, on the other hand, has a 9.45-inch high-carbon steel blade that, the outfit claims, is designed for pruning applications, as well as a glass-reinforced nylon handle and a textured grip.
The Aclim8 Combar Foldaxe is available now, priced at $349 for the kit with the knife and the saw.