I use Coghlans folding Sierra Saw and I find it works great. I have used it on many camping trips in the backcountry and I have recently used for clearing some land where I am building a cabin. I spent three long weekends last summer sawing down trees with that saw, nothing bigger than grapefruit size in diameter trees mind you, but that saw went through them like butter.
For things thumb size, I would just get a folding pruning saw. If you are worried about it closing on your fingers, just get one with a locking blade. That way the saw can not fold back unless you release it.
For thumb size pieces, you can even use a hacksaw. It doesn't take much. Saw in about 1/3rd inch and snap the branch.
A lot of folks rave about these saws but my Drapper which was much cheaper yet better constructed than the laplander has out last the laplander by 4 years and is still going strong.
Get a Drapper,they are very well made,have a rubber grip and lock open and lock shut.:thumb:
Forget the pocket saws; they are near useless for anything but gardening, IMO.
Get a small/folding bow saw that can be used for firewood.
A Svensaw (21")has been my backpacking & four-wheeling companion for nearly 30 years and has cut many cords of firewood. http://www.campmor.com/outdoor/gear...urrentPage=&ip_sortBy=&searchKeywords=svensaw
If you are going to carry something carry something useful...
Look for a standing dead tree in the 4 to 8 inch diameter range push it over (if its still firmly anchored go to the next one and push it over) drag it back to camp and cut it into reasonable lengths for the fire pit that you dug previously.
If standing deadwood is not available look for Squaw wood; dead branches that haven't fallen all the way to the ground yet.
Lastly if only dead branches laying on the ground are available use them.
Never cut live trees its a a poor practice/against the law in national forests and the wood won't burn at all well (live wood is often nearly fireproof, except on very large wasteful fires)... You can tell a neophyte by their firewood... and their fire.
I'm still using a WalMart folding saw that I bought 25 years ago..give or take.. for around $10 in the camping dept. Still seems as sharp as the day I bought it. It makes fast work of limbs 6 inches thick. That's about the largest stuff I've used it on. The blade locks open, I generally cut with it on the pull stroke. Weighs almost nothing. Folds up to about 7-8 inches.
Had one of those folding jobs ,took the blade off and mad it fit my folding shovel so I can swap heads any time I want simple bolt on .
As for larger issues the very best Idea I saw is a long bow blade that rolls up in a stew pot for storage .
When needed find a suitable branch and make a handle on site, it will work just fine .
Now you would have the advantage of a very large blade easy to glide through wood and not a lot of very short strokes, wearing you out. Make sense ?
I have had bad luck with every folding saw I've bought until I got a Bahco Laplander folding saw. It works great for processing fire wood. I have found that a saw is not completely necessary since I have been able to find all the fire wood I could ever need just laying on the ground or hanging from trees. I'm fairly confident that I could get a good fire going without ever having to cut or chop anything unless there were pieces that were just far too long to fit in my firepit.
IMO the Gerber/Fiskars retractable/sliding saw is the best thing coming or going. It is much lighter than most I have used or shopped. The cut tooth design is amazing, super sharp, and the perfect pitch to throw the saw dust out of the cut offering very deep cuts per motion.
In short it requires less energy to carry and use than anything I have found so far and I am a big time stickler on such things. I love mine and take it everywhere.
I can vouch for Silky saws. I have a small one that I carry in the woods. It will easily handle thumb sized limbs. If too big, I also have a Bundeswehr Victorinox SAK. It will handle limbs of 2cm or a little more. Smaller yet, the Farmer SAK.
I think they've only been out since late last year, which is why no one here really knows about 'em. I was pretty happy with my Bahco, but it was mostly plastic construction... I'm much more comfortable and trusting of metal.
If I need to get through something the size of a thumb, I just get my fixed blade knife and batton through it. For firewood, I got this last week and tested it backpacking this past weekend:
It is now the only wood gathering tool I carry when backpacking. Extremely small and lightweight, and it made quick work of anything I wanted to cut with it.
If I need to get through something the size of a thumb, I just get my fixed blade knife and batton through it. For firewood, I got this last week and tested it backpacking this past weekend:
It is now the only wood gathering tool I carry when backpacking. Extremely small and lightweight, and it made quick work of anything I wanted to cut with it.
I tried the SAK saws, several pocket saw variants, wire saws and the pocket chain saws; For me a bow saw works about the best (the really small ones don't have the capacity that I need and are more work to use (like the folding pocket saws and other light gardening tools) the pocket chainsaws are also more work for me than a bow saw. I did find that there is, occasionally, a slight need for a small saw, by some people, for fabricating objects in the woods... for this I carry a homemade small light folding saw attached to the back of my fixed blade sheath. (I would never beat a knife though wood as I have a healthy respect for my tools and want them to last... the sharpened pry-bar afficianos will likely object to this opinion).
Since everyone is different I would suggest trying saws until you find what works for you, don't forget however, that you can carry a relatively large/long bow saw blade (rolled up in your pack) and make you own bow saw frame in the field and get very good performance and capacity at relatively little weight penalty; its more work than I like to go through.
The best saws will allow you to section small trees, for good quantities of fire wood, easily, the less good ones will require more sweat/time/effort, try several and see whats easiest for you.
I was only using it to cut dead stuff of about 6 or so inches of diameter to length for the campfire. But it was quicker and easier than my gerber gater 2 collapsible bow saw. And knocked two pounds off my pack weight to boot.
I've had a Coghlan's Sierra saw for many years, and also a Sven saw, a Corona saw, and several others. All work well, and have held up surprisingly well over the years.
My favorite, and I think the best saw, is the Sven saw. It's a light, small folding saw with metal handles, comes in I think 15" or 18" blades. They are available at many stores or online.
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