The Explorers Ax Collection
You don’t have to be a timber-hardened lumberjack to appreciate the satisfying heft of a well-balanced ax.
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For total campsite domination, get your keyboard-calloused hands on one of the chic choppers in the Explorers Collection from United By Blue.
Handmade in North Carolina as a collaboration with Council Tools, a company that’s been crafting high-quality axes since 1886, each 26-inch camp ax features a solid hickory handle, a two-pound Hudson Bay-style steel head (ideal for splitting small firewood or driving in tent pegs), and a custom paint job from one of five up-and-coming designers, artists, photographers, and explorers from the U.S. and Canada.
But don’t be fooled by the immaculate aesthetic—these things aren’t afraid of getting their blades dirty. The ax heads are made out of hand-sharpened steel and coated with durable enamel, while the eye sections of the handles are dried to below 10 percent moisture content, minimizing shrinkage and preventing the head from loosing up.
Now all you need is some gratuitous chest hair and a closet full of flannel.
$165, Unitedbyblue.com