My trusty Estwing rock hammer handle split clean in two after 15 years of service during a mapping trip near Moab.
I had to wrap the head with a ton of duct tape and a bandana just to finish the day's work, so what's a good, tough replacement that can handle a lot of desert sun without getting brittle?
Honestly, that duct tape bandage is a look. I once tried to fix a camp chair with so much tape it looked like a silver mummy, and it still folded on me. For a real replacement, you want a full tang steel hammer with a polymer handle, like a Stanley FatMax or something similar. That plastic won't dry out and crack in the sun like wood or cheap rubber. Lisak14 is right, tape is a pain, but it gets you home. My current hammer has been baking in my truck for three Arizona summers and the grip is still solid.