Brian makes a number of basic mistakes in Hatchet, which isn't altogether surprising when you consider that he's not used to surviving out in the wilderness. One of the biggest mistakes that he makes is in relation to the hatchet itself. Over time, Brian will come to realize that his hatchet is absolutely crucial to his chances of survival. But initially, he doesn't treat this life-saving object with the respect it deserves.

For instance, when Brian sees the tail of the crashed plane sticking out of the lake, he immediately figures out that there might still be a survival pack on board that he can use. So he hops on board the raft he's hurriedly constructed and heads on over to the plane to investigate.

In order to retrieve the survival pack, Brian will need to cut into the plane's aluminum fuselage. As Brian's still pretty naive about what it takes to survive in the wilderness, he thinks it will be possible to do this by using a hatchet. Unfortunately, the hatchet it completely the wrong tool for the job, and as he's trying to bend the aluminum, Brian drops his trusty hatchet into the water. Thankfully, he's able to retrieve this vital survival tool, and from now on he will use it more carefully.