I've used several hatchets before and never learned to love them.
If it is for firewood on a backpacking trip I would rather have a lightweight "Sven Saw". They come in 15 and 21".
Lighter and I would think faster than a hatchet. Not nearly as cool though, lol.
Link
Thanks, too, for the tip to check out Target's sale on leathermans! I need one instead of the very cheap, generic one I have. Anyone have tips on a specific model? I don't know much specifics on those.
Just a notice, it's not all their Leatherman tools. You might have to shuffle through the racks to find the couple that have clearance tags on them. In my experience, most of them will still be full price but there will be a couple, seemingly picked at random, which have a clearance tag on the package of about half off the regular price. (And if you wait, and those randomly picked Leatherman's don't move, I have seen Target lower the price all the way to about a quarter of the regular price.)
A river rock will sharpen just fine , find a smooth hard stone.
There are scads of lightweight hones out there. Much better than a stone, especially for a stainless or high-end blade.