Veteran designed, tested, and approved. Elmer Roush spent 18 months in Vietnam. So when his vision for a new axe comes to fruition, it’s inspired by more than just aesthetics. The Pack Axe is refined down to the minute details and wilderness-ready on every last level.“Cut effectively, chop effectively.” Those are the two simple objectives Elmer Roush set out with when he took to the drawing board. From his workspace in Brasstown, North Carolina, he achieved them to a T in the Pack Axe. But it didn’t happen on the first go. Elmer’s style is all experimental—make it too big and too long, then pare down until it feels just right. Some may say it’s a bit unorthodox, but after holding the Pack Axe, we’re believers.It’s an all-around outdoor-savvy axe with a hot forged 1060 carbon steel head complete with a hammer finish. Sitting snugly atop a highly ergonomic Tennessee hickory handle, it’s at once good looking, durable, and compact enough to be lashed to a pack for journeys miles from anywhere. Perfectly portable, seriously serviceable, the Pack Axe is further proof that Elmer is at the top of the pack.About the Forged By War programIn 2013, Ryan Johnson of RMJ Tactical, designer of elite, military, tactical tomahawks, approached CRKT with the news that he had been working with a few combat veterans that had returned from war with varying degrees of post-traumatic stress (PTS). To help work through their challenges, they have been designing and forging steel into custom tools. Drawing from their experience earned in combat situations, they have been creating tools they wished they had available to them in the battlefield. CRKT cares deeply about our returning veterans and we saw a way to give back to the community that created them. In 2016, we launched the Forged By War program. These are mission ready tools, designed by veterans, with 10% of the CRKT net profits of the program donated to the veterans' charity of choice. Mission ready tools that are Forged By War. Learn more here.Elmer Roush's charity of choice for this tool is the Green Beret Foundation. *Although we know the temptation is great, we do not advise throwing this specific tool for safety and potential void of warranty reasons.