Mossy Oak is a Mississippi-based outdoor company specializing in camouflage, outdoor equipment, etc. They are operated by a parent company Haas Outdoors. Over their 30+ years in business, they’ve sold thousands of outdoor products, including blade knives, camo, camping gear, hunting supplies, and other outdoor equipment.
One of their most popular items is their 12-piece camping toolset, which comprises:
- 10-inch machete (with sheath)
- Tactical axe (with sheath)
- Hunting knife (with sheath)
- 250Lm flashlight
- 5pcs carabiners
- 50ft of paracord
- Flint stick fire starter
- Stone sharpener
Let’s take a look at how the kit performs.
What We Like
The first thing I noticed on the axe-head was the three hex-bore, ranging in size from 5/8 to 3/8. This is a great little feature that’ll allow you to rely on your axe as an on-the-go wrench. I rarely see this feature on standard hatchets. But, in terms of typical functionality, the axe doesn’t do too bad either. It’s a good little backpack tool.
The rope grip is easy to handle and can be disassembled for emergency use; however, if you need to do something that puts pressure on it (for example, hammering tent pegs), it may cause discomfort. The belt loop makes for easy attachment and I found moving around with it very easy due to how lightweight it is. However, I couldn’t help but feel they might’ve made it too light… more on that later. The materials are high quality for the price , with the blade being made entirely of 3CR13 stainless steel, giving it excellent strength and edge retention. It is anti-corrosion and will last a long time if you take care of it.Alongside the axe, there’s also the machete. The machete knife came with a sharp blade and back teeth ideal for wood sawing. The stainless steel is painted black for corrosion resistance and durability. I found the grip to be surprisingly comfortable, and the textured rubber means I could use it for a considerable amount of time without tiring. A machete with a poor grip can cause you to slice yourself.
For more general use, you also have the hunting knife. It arrived razor-sharp and ready to go. I liked the hunting knife the most out of this kit – it has a 3-inch handle that fits comfortably in my hand and has a serrated edge, allowing for the fast removal and cutting of rope or other materials. Like the axe, it also has a handle covered in tactical rope, which makes for an easy grip that doubles as an emergency backup.
The other items in the bundle were helpful add-ons – carabiners are a useful outdoor tool, and you can never have too many. I use them to secure my luggage and they are also useful tent locks, as you can lock your tent from the inside with them. The flint stick and whetstone were other nice additions, two often overlooked pieces of kit that you’d be lost without. Overall, this is a great little kit that presents the ideal gift for teenagers on their first hunting or camping weekend.
What We Wish Was Different
The axe spends a little too much time trying to be a multi-tool but isn’t that great in terms of functionality; while it’s easy to use for various purposes, you can’t use it for most things. For example, it is pretty thin and doesn’t have the weight required to chop a small or medium-sized log. It’s only suited for light use. In addition, the size is smaller than you may expect, leading to several customers commenting that it would be better suited for young women or teenagers.For a camping set, it’s a bit disappointing. In addition to this, while the machete and hunting knife were great, they don’t provide much for the average camper. Other things could’ve been provided.
Overall, it’s not an incorrect kit, but you have to purchase with the mindset of getting what you pay for.
What Other Customers Say
We’ve taken a look at some Amazon product reviews to see what others think of this camping set.
‘‘This axe is small and doesn’t give enough force for splitting wood. If you plan on chopping some wood while camping, get a proper axe. This won’t in any way split the logs of wood you commonly find at campsites. It won’t even properly give you wood chips for kindling. The other accessories are nice to have but are of no practical use really. If they provided a pair of scissors, that would have been more useful while camping, than a machete and a knife.’’ – Blue‘‘I would definitely not buy this again but then it was really inexpensive; maybe suited for a young Boy Scout, but not grown man material.’’ – Amazon Business Customer.
‘‘Might be good for someone just starting out or don’t go camping very often. Hatchet is way too small to do anything with. Knives are ok. Flashlight seems ok so far. Kind of disappointed. Everything is very small. Looks much larger on the ad.’’ – S A.
‘‘Nice looking sharp blades, feels sturdy, the grip for the big knife feels nice and has a decent weight, overall worth the price the flashlight came with batteries. Nice package job’’ Daisy V.
‘‘My boyfriend and I do a lot of survivalist/prepper style camping, and bug-outs. He loves this kit. While it all needed a good sharpening, they’re holding up well …and he’s hell on tools ???? There’s a few pieces in the pic that didn’t come with the kit (like the 6″ Baylite Ferro rod with striker, and the Swiss Safe Ferro/striker), but aside from those, all are included, and of decent quality. A great buy for the price.’’ CP.
‘‘I wasn’t expecting such a nice kit for this cheap, but everything seems super well-made and even the sheaths are nice (the machete sheath has the sharpener/fire rod holder). Even the flashlight included is much better quality than I expected and very usable! If you are just starting out in prepping, this is the perfect kit for you!’’ Heather.
Wrapping Up
If you’re looking for an inexpensive beginner kit for light use, then you won’t be disappointed; add it to your wishlist. For the price you’ll pay, this kit offers the best value you’ll find. However, if you’re a seasoned camper looking to pick up your next bargain, better products are available for you.The Mossy Oak camping set was picked as the best kit in our list of best bushcraft axes
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