Bringing an axe to your outdoor adventures is great – it gives you a handy tool for gathering firewood, removing obstacles, and battling zombies if they ever show up while you’re camping. Problem is, it takes up too much space for the utility it brings, even if you have one of those backpacks with built-in axe pouches. Maybe it will be easier to justify having around if your axe can do a bit more than chopping wood. We’re guessing that’s one of the reasons why the Forest Tool Company Max Tool Kit reinforces the humble axe with a full complement of field functions.
Need to cut down a large branch that’s blocking off a trail path? Use that full-size axe to chop it off and resume your trek. Want to clear the ground on your campsite, so you can set up a nice camp? This tool’s rake-hoe and pick axe functions should help with that, too. Need to bury a million dollars you found in a duffle bag along a hike path? That’s some luck you have there, buddy, and, yes, there’s a shovel function here to let you do just that.
The Forest Tool Company Max Tool Kit is an erstwhile standard-looking axe with a Hudson Bay axe head that you can use for chopping wood, splitting logs, and driving tent pegs at camp, as well as a 34-inch composite polyglass handle that’s molded with an ergonomic shape for two-handed wielding. The axe head, by the way, weighs 3.5 pounds on its own, so there’s some amount of heft there for carrying out for your chopping and smashing tasks, while an included leather sheath covers the axe head for those times you want to use the tool’s other functions.
To convert the axe into a different tool, simply take the head attachment you want and insert it into a hole at the top of the axe head, then use the included fasteners to secure it in place. Make sure the sheath covers the axe blade the whole time, by the way, so you can avoid any untoward accidents.
The Forest Tool Company Max Tool Kit comes with five individual attachment heads, any of which you can put to instantly transform its function. There’s a shovel head, for instance, for digging holes and moving granular materials around camp, as well as a mattock head if you need a wider, sharper edge for digging. There’s a rake-hoe combo head, in case you feel like turning the camp into your own personal garden, so you can easily clean up loose leaves and grass to make your campsite feel just a little less scruff. It also comes with two sets of picks, a narrow one and a broad one, for all sorts of prying tasks you might encounter while going about your backcountry adventure.
According to the outfit, this is a heavy-duty tool, although you’ll probably be the best judge for that, based on how you plan to use this in the field. It comes with a cordura carrying case, by the way, so you can keep all the individual head attachments and fastening accessories in one place.
The Forest Tool Company Max Tool Kit is available now, priced at $250.