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Could be a good addition to your camelbak for trail maintenance
Gerber Freescape folding trail saw - half price £36.50 at Hennie Haynes
Have you used one? Dead curious if it's actually useful over my nonfoldy 275mm saw... It's barely any smaller when folded, though, obviously gains a little more blade, and doesn't need a scabbard. I'm just thinking that for a saw that size the arch could be limiting, you can go through a pretty big log with a 300mm blade? Cheaper than a zubat though at this discount.
OTOH I really want it, it looks awesome and I want to unfold it in front of people like the nazi dude in indiana jones with the coathanger.
(my normal one is this piece of crap:
WHich is cheap and nasty, but actually does the job incredibly well, and despite being quite long still packs easily in a camelbak. Zubat is better but this is cheap enough to be pretty much disposable while still cutting nicely.)
Haven't used one as with spms and limited mobility I doubt I have a need as can't even access my garden, I'd prob lop off a limb or two. The blade looks like it would cut faster than my silky zubat that I previously used and for green wood I imagine it wouldn't get stuck quite as easily.
I'm a sucker for anything folding and gadgety though.
Yah me too 🙂 Tempted! I'd have to make the transformers transforming noise while I assembled it, crrsh crrsh crrsh crrsh
The only thing bow saws are usually any good at, is getting jammed in trees, and bashing your knuckles of the tree if you try using one for brashing.
A semi-decent fold up saw is far more practical for trail work.
A sub 200mm blade is ideal for most things, and will fit in most backpacks.
I generally use Stihl PR16's as they're a good all rounder, but I have also had a mix of cheaper options.
Some are just pure rubbish. Too fine a blade and they're useless on bigger stuff. Too course a blade, they'll jump/snag on smaller stuff more. Cheap ones also tend to blunt and snap easier.
However the best one I ever had was one I got out the clearance bin at B&Q for a couple pound. It cut brilliantly, never seemed to dull, but it eventually succumb to jamming and snapping.
Now I just buy the Stihl's. Relatively expensive, but I'd rather spend £30 on a known good saw, than £10 on three unknown saws.
If you do want to go bigger, a Silky Bigboy will fit in most backpacks, and cut most things you'd want to cut on a trail. Katanaboy's will do anything you'd likely be willing to do without resorting to a chainsaw, but you're not really going to ride around covertly carrying one of those!