While camping, making firewood can be a heck of a lot of fun. You get to use fun tools for a brief spell, work up a sweat, but dont actually have to do it all day so it turns into work. Kind of like taking a friends kids to the park; its the perfect dose of awesome, which you wrap up before it becomes a chore.

　　But which tool should you choose? Ill break down a few options here and give some guidance as to which is best for a given task.

　　But first, Please be mindful of your environment when making firewood. Dont damage fragile camping areas by collecting wood where many others camp. Each place is unique and has its own regulations and etiquette, so ensure youre up to speed on good practices in your region before collecting firewood. If in doubt, pick some up from a local gas station.

　　Hatchet The hatchet is a good choice for the campfire and has some additional uses that make it a solid all-around outdoor tool.

　　The Hults Bruk Almikeis one of our favorite camping hatchets; (photo/Sean McCoy) Choose a hatchet for cutting limbs from downed trees or chopping through small logs to make firewood. The hatchet is also suitable for making kindling from small logs, although it wont do much good for trying to split larger logs.

　　A hatchet is useful around camp. If kept razor-sharp (it should be), it can make shavings to start a fire or hone sticks into cooking skewers. It can even break down big game for transport or pound tent pegs in a pinch.

　　Choose a hatchet as an alternative to a survival knife, as a tool to collecting small firewood, and as an all-around camp tool. Its a great choice for the camper.

　　How to Choose Hatchets have a few points of differentiation, and the biggest is likely price.

　　Some, such as the Hults Bruk Almike Hatchet, are hand-forged of high-quality steel with beautiful handles and come at a hefty price ($150 in this case).Less expensive hatchets can also be very functional. Some use glass-filled nylon or steel handles for strength but may lack some of the rustic beauty of traditional models.

　　Hatchets are intended to be swung with one hand, and most people will be comfortable with a handle length of about 16 inches and weight of around 1 pound. Pick one up and feel it in your hand. Is it comfortable? Feel like itll swing well? Then it should do the trick.

　　Axe The axe is awesome. Its big, burly, and looks cool in photos. But its also heavy and cumbersome, and can be dangerous around a group.

　　This Stihl axe has lived in the bed of my truck for more than 8 years and still works great; (photo/Sean McCoy) The axe is a good choice when the primary application is splitting logs or chopping small branches into firewood-length bits. While it will cut through thick logs with many strokes, hacking through big trunks quickly becomes a chore, especially if you have to cut several lengths. For those times, its best to choose a saw.

　　How to Choose an Axe Axe prices vary widely, with hardware store cheapos starting at around $20. But its worth spending a few more bucks and getting at least an Eastwing, a USA-made brand that makes a good quality, steel-handled axe for around $50.

　　For camping and general outdoor use, a single-bit (sharp on one side) axe is the best choice. While most arent intended for the job, they can do double duty knocking in tent stakes and such.

　　For those who dont mind shelling out a few more bucks for a high-end or hand-ground model, axes made in the U.S. or Europe tend to retain an edge longer and use better steel, than mass-produced axes.

　　A longer handle tends to be safer for less experienced users, although they take more work to swing. Thats because if you miss your target or swing through it, youre less likely to swing past and hit yourself. Always be aware of your surroundings when using an axe. And consider where it will hit if you miss your target. Is that where your foot is standing?

　　As with most things, you often get a better product at a higher price, with better steels, hand forging, and hickory handles bringing premium pricing.

　　Saw Hand saws are our favorite choice for camping. Small hand saws are light, effective at turning small branches and trunks into firewood, and generally faster to use than an axe.

　　They are also much safer than axes and hatchets, especially around groups of fellow campers, children, and dogs. And they make a little less noise.

　　A saws drawback is that it cant split logs, and making kindling can be more of a chore. If your only tool is a saw, you need to select firewood wisely.

　　How to Choose a Saw There are three main types of hand saws used in the outdoors. The first is the folding saw.

　　These have a simple design, usually with a stout handle that pivots over a modest, small-toothed blade. They are very effective and available in a wide variety of prices. Here, you usually get what you pay for, with high-end models like the Silky Big Boy cutting wood like butter and lasting for years. Less expensive models, well, you roll the dice.

　　A second common type of hand saw for the outdoors is the bow saw. Bow saws use a flexible blade tensioned between the ends of a metal bow to cut wood quickly. They are extremely effective and can be found at any hardware store, but they dont pack well.

　　The Boreal 21 (an excellent folding saw) and a hardware store saw; (photo/Sean McCoy) A great, packable version of the bow saw is the Agawa Canyon Boreal 21 (above). It may be the best folding saw Ive tested. So far, Ive used it at a dozen elk camps and probably another 50 occasions at campsites, and its still going strong. Another great option is the Sven Saw, which has been trusted for decades.

　　Finally, a light and packable option is the pocket chain saw. Not to be confused with the motorized type, a pocket chain saw is simply a sharp chain that rolls up small and has a handle on each end. You pull it across branches to make a fast cut.

　　The advantage of these is portability. The SaberCut Saw, for example, weighs just 6 ounces.

　　Knife

　　A stout, fixed-blade knife can be remarkably effective at cutting and splitting small firewood with a technique called batoning. Thus, its a prime choice for minimalist travelers who dont want to carry a dedicated wood-chopping implement.

　　How to Choose a Knife You need a fixed-blade, full-tang knife for firewood prep. Those same attributes make for a good all-around survival knife. We generally prefer knives with blades under 3.5 inches for weight and versatility, and that should be plenty to cut small wood as well. If the knife will be used mostly for wood prep, you may want a longer blade or even a machete in warmer climates.

　　If youre really intent on using a knife to baton wood, check out the guide to the best survival knives here.

　　How to Make Firewood With a Survival KnifeSurvival knives (and most fixed-blade knives) can perform some of the functions of an axe. Learn techniques to make a bundle of firewood deep in the forest. Read more

　　Remember, using a knife to make firewood can be tricky. Practice, and be careful.

　　Chainsaws and Log Splitters

　　(Photo/Sean McCoy) Now were cutting with gas! Really, you shouldnt need a chainsaw for campfires, but no wood-cutting article would be complete without one. And wood splitters are really just for home heating, so anytime youre facing one of those you can count on a lot of hard work in your future.

　　These are loud, powerful tools. Ive spent a lot of days in my youth making minimum wage running them on farms in Wisconsin, and I can assure you theyre not great recreation. But they are also awesomely effective at making firewood. For some folks, they are a necessity.

　　If you need either of these, plan to invest in a good one, and be sure to learn from an experienced user how to maintain and safely use these power tools before jumping in — it gets deep fast!