>>615580Even if you're right, how is it relevant?
If they carried that much weight it was because they needed it. OP is not going to need a hatchet. He will get almost no use out of the hatchet.
Can he manage to carry an extra 2lbs? Sure, nobody is arguing that 2lbs is going to break his back. The argument is whether 2lbs is worth carrying for 5 months if you're not going to get any use from it.
Ultimately it is up for OP to decide but it is important to understand that the AT isn't out in the bush. Everyday you see a road and everyday you are walking distance from a town. Hell, at one point in the trail I could see Washington DC. If OP wants the comfort of a fire he could just walk somewhere that had a fireplace (kind of kidding).
The AT doesn't offer a remote wilderness experience but what it does offer instead is really amazing.... and will never require a hatchet.
