Even more reason to get the saw pants. I can tell you this, I fought fire in the worst heat imaginable and am clearing a ton of moto trail and riding at the same time and will never wear chaps over my pants when working anymore. Chaps worn correctly will effectively bundle your legs and pants tight enough to not get any air circulation making you soaked at the end of the day. Also, chaps hang up on everything especially when getting on and off a bike or walking through brush/limbs. The saw pants are no different than wearing a pair of carharts to me anymore.
good to know. if i went the chaps route i would pack them in instead of wearing them. but sounds like the pants are worth it for overall comfort.
I tried them on in the saw shop before I bought so I am not sure as to the sizing. Better to go a bit too big and use a belt or suspenders and get up the cuff ventilation than be caught wearing skinny jeans on the landing, lol
any old full brim hard hat will do, I prefer comfort and weight over function since my ear pro is behind the ear style, it makes it easy to don doff the ear pro while wearing it around your neck when not in use.
PPE is one area where i tend to not cheap out.
my local stihl dealer is pretty well stocked, but i'm not sure this is something they carry. i can call them and ask.
i've looked at that before. i have the chainsaw sharpener attachment for my dremel, but that doesn't do me any good when i'm out in the woods. also, full comp chains? not familiar with that term.
Full comp or ("standard" -old school terminology) is one link between every cutter rather than skip or semi skip. takes longer to sharpen but also stays sharp longer due to more cutters.
ah, yea i'm pretty sure its a full comp / standard. i'm only running a 20" bar so a semi/skip chain wouldn't save much time.
have it. love it. @jonKranked if you're going to be doing much sawing i highly recommend it.
That sounds pretty brilliant frankly. It's pretty much all I every need.
I have a MS 261 C-M as my main saw, but am looking for a climbing saw or other lightweight saw to carry in/on a back pack for cleaning out smaller stuff on the trails and trimming branches on trees. Are any of the cheaper electric Stihls any good in your opinion?
The top handle is really the only option I am afraid, I have climbing with them for so long it just doesnt make sense to buy anything else since the electric top handle is literally made for one hand operation, I had the other battery saw in the quiver but sold it just because it wasn't as versatile. Also have used the other brands such as makita dewalt, etc and they just dont have the same torque and juice the stihl does. More importantly is stihls warranty, they have a very good warranty on the saw and that batteries themselves where you can drop into any dealer and they will swap out the saw or battery on the spot with no questions asked.
This is still how I roll today and I agree with everything you said. I usually wear my Patagonia work pants, work gloves, hiking boots. I wear eyeglasses always but sometimes bring my prescription safety glasses with side shields if I remember. I will sometimes bring a standard hard hat if I'm cutting something that has overhead components, but most of the time it's deadfall on the ground. I only use electric saws so no hearing protection is needed, which is also much better for situational awareness. Jamming the saw in weirdly supported fallen trees, or branches falling in odd ways, is definitely way more of a concern than cutting myself with the saw.
I have exclusively used the Greenworks 40V 16" battery saw for the past 7 years. I cut everything from small brush like invasive honeysuckle, to fallen tree tops with lots of smaller branches, to taking sections out of up to 30" diameter oaks and maples for the trail to pass through. I've never needed more than two batteries for any project, but something like the large maple shown below consumed nearly one whole battery to make that cut. But for more reasonable 10"-16" logs I can make a lot of cuts on one battery. Keeping the chain sharp is key. I usually just carry a spare sharp chain rather than try to sharpen in the woods, plus if you get it pinched you can sometimes pull out the bar and keep cutting.
These little door stop sized wedges are always in my kit, even if I dont have a felling axe I can drive them with a rock or limb to free my saw if I pinch. https://www.amazon.com/Poweka-Tree-Felling-Wedges-Cainsaw/dp/B07CKXQ8FX/ref=sr_1_10?keywords=small+saw+wedge&qid=1638479574&sr=8-10
I bought one because I poisoned a tree that I need to drop quietly on a weekday, hahaha!
