Hand-powered chainsaw -- for emergency use
When we boondock, we sometimes come upon fallen logs blocking the forest roads (especially in the wake of the bark beetle epidemic), and I usually use a bow saw to cut them (if we can't just move them...
Forum Discussion
I carry everything from a Sven Saw and DB Axe to electric saws to small Poulans to Big A** professional Stihls.
For the PA-12, it's usually just the Sven Saw (trying to stay light).
For the Jeep Wrangler on the existing trail to the cabin, it's usually the electric saw, sometimes if I'm feeling energetic when loading, the small gas Poulan.
For the established trail to the cabin or for the (relatively few) backcountry dirt roads in AK, I've never needed more than the electric saw or small Poulan to deal with deadfall or blowdowns..but part of that is that I rarely have to make more than one cut and I'm able to winch the tree out of the way.
I carried one of the wire saws on the snow-go for a couple of winters: never "had" to use it, but when I used it to see how it worked, I had a real struggle keeping it oriented right to cut efficiently and eventually gave up on the concept. Sven Saw or a campers axe was a better choice for me.
For the PA-12, it's usually just the Sven Saw (trying to stay light).
For the Jeep Wrangler on the existing trail to the cabin, it's usually the electric saw, sometimes if I'm feeling energetic when loading, the small gas Poulan.
For the established trail to the cabin or for the (relatively few) backcountry dirt roads in AK, I've never needed more than the electric saw or small Poulan to deal with deadfall or blowdowns..but part of that is that I rarely have to make more than one cut and I'm able to winch the tree out of the way.
I carried one of the wire saws on the snow-go for a couple of winters: never "had" to use it, but when I used it to see how it worked, I had a real struggle keeping it oriented right to cut efficiently and eventually gave up on the concept. Sven Saw or a campers axe was a better choice for me.
