Krista has accused me on occasion of being a gadget guy and being responsible for passing the gene along to our daughter, Sierra. When I say accused, I am referring to those sentences that start with the word “your” as opposed to “our”; like, “your daughter” or “your son”. You know the type that transfer child ownership and are not just reserved for immediate family; they can extend way beyond that. I am quite sure many of you can relate. Apparently, I have a few of my own that I am guilty of using from time to time, with a distinct and perhaps rather annoying tone. LOL, I am working on that.

Although we share some gadgets, Sierra tends to have a whole different line of ones that interest her, proof that gadgets are for everyone. Whether it’s the Go Pro (that I am trying to learn how to use) or the knife that doubles as a fire starter, there is something to be said for items that have useful purposes, especially those with more than one. I found a great new item on the market, while online the other day. It’s a 4 in 1 axe, saw, hammer and stake puller, by Zippo. A company known for quality windproof lighters that has been around for ever.

It’s compact, light and takes care of four very important wilderness tasks. I don’t own one yet, but, it looks like it would be handy for our back country snowmobiling trips. It would store nicely under a snowmobile seat or in a medium sized backpack. We often run across a fallen tree on the bush trails that need removal and our “boil-ups” require splits (that’s Newfie for kindling) to get the fire burning. This gadget takes care of both those chores. It appears to be a quality product that would prove itself useful for the winter outdoor treks as well as back woods trips or hunting trails.

This is not the tool for putting up a few cords of wood at the cottage and by-the-way you won’t need one at our remote outpost camps; the wood is cut and piled and we provide an axe for splitting.

I read a few reviews about the 4 in 1 Woodsman and it appears to be very good at most chores. It apparently has one short coming, the axe blade doesn’t taper thick enough for spliting wood effectively; which was probably a compromise to making the axe handle comfortable for sawing. Because of its long axe blade I think the splitting inefficiency can be overcome by cutting shorter chunks of wood. You would want to be sure the saw blade is completely dry when storing it in the handle of the axe, or you will end up with a rusted blade fast.

I like the plastic handle / axe cover for sawing, thats much better than the skinny metal tube swede saws and the covered axe when used as a hammer is a nice safety feature, just in case your daughter decides to pick it up.

What gadget can’t you live without? It would be great to hear your thoughts!
Alan