7 Best Backpacking Saw [Reviewed & Buyer’s Guide]

Any backpacker knows the importance of having a good saw in their kit. We have created a list of some of the best ones.

If you have spent time in the wilderness, you already know the number of ways a saw can come in handy. Of course, dozens of these are in the market, making it confusing for most hikers to choose the right one.

Well, we are here to ease your worries. Our team has extensively tested some of the top-rated backpacking saws to curate a list of recommendations for you. Moreover, we have added our reviews and a short buyer’s guide, which will help you choose the best one for your needs. 

So without further ado, let us begin.

Best Backpacking Saws

Here’s the list of the 7 best backpacking saws.

1. Corona RS 7265D RazorTOOTH Saw – Best Overall

Beginner hikers looking for a foldable, convenient saw to carry on hiking adventures can consider the Corona RS 7265D RazorTOOTH saw. This product features a bi-colored, ergonomic handle with a curved blade and three-sided razor-sharp teeth for precision cuts. Moreover, it allows you to make sharper cuts than most traditional saws.

Searching for the perfect small-sized backpacking saw can be challenging. Most traditional saws are either too big to fit comfortably in a bag or your pocket or are not sharp enough for most tasks. 

When we came across the Corona RS 7265D RazorTOOTH Saw, we were skeptical about its abilities because of its small size. However, this saw turned out to be one of the most aggressive, powerful, yet lightweight saws in the market. 

Its 3-sided 10-inch blade features long teeth, enabling you to cut through most medium to large-sized logs and branches. Furthermore, the ergonomic handle design ensures that you enjoy a steady, comfortable grip throughout. 

One of the essential features to look for in a backpacking blade is its safety mechanism. This product features an excellent locking mechanism where the trigger is located away from the fingers, ensuring that you don’t accidentally press down on it. Moreover, the curved blade design enables you to make more precise and efficient cuts – no matter what you’re sawing.

The aggressive, curved blade may not be suitable for cutting smaller branches. It is best used on medium-sized logs or other similar materials. Also, the blade is designed to be used in a pull-down motion, so it is vital to keep your body away while using it. 

2. Sportsman Hand Saw – Best Outdoor Saw

Those looking for an ideal backpacking saw to add to their wilderness survival kit will appreciate the Sportsman Hand Saw. It features a 65 mn carbon-treated blade that can be attached to two handles. Moreover, it is lightweight and can be stored in the included nylon pouch for safety when not in use.

Having a survival kit is essential for hikers and backpackers. While you may come across several survival kits in the market, few live up to their hype. 

The Sportsman Hand Saw comes with a powerful, sharp blade that you can attach to two rugged handles. The handles have an incredible cross-stitch design that makes them comfortable to use for extended periods. Furthermore, the kit includes a 5/32 round chainsaw file that enables you to sharpen the blade as and when you see fit.  

Moving on, we loved the rugged nylon pouch that comes included with it. This enables us to carry it conveniently, whether in a backpack or in our pockets. 

The pocket chainsaw also comes with a fantastic fire starter kit with an included flint and scraper. You no longer have to worry about how to build a fire when you’re out in the wilderness with nothing but nature around.

While using this saw, we noticed a minor flaw that we want to tell you about. Although the teeth are designed to cut bi-directionally, the links feature one tooth per three links. This may cause some unintentional or unwanted binding at times. However, it is nothing significant to be concerned about. 

3. Bahco 396-LAP Folding Saw – Best Versatility

It’s time to introduce you to our next product, which is the Bahco 396-LAP Folding Saw. Featuring a 7.5-inch blade with XT toothing, this saw is an excellent addition to your survival kit. Moreover, it features 7 teeth per inch, giving it optimal cutting capacity for all types of materials, especially wood.

To begin with, this compact foldable saw is very lightweight and easy to carry on every camping and hiking adventure. It weighs just 14 ounces and can be pocketed conveniently when it is not in use. Furthermore, it features an excellent safety lock mechanism that prevents it from accidentally opening inside your pocket or bag. 

Next, we want to talk about its hardened teeth, which feature XT toothing. Also, you will notice that it has 7 teeth per inch, allowing you to make very precise and small cuts for outdoor adventures. 

The handle measures just around 2 inches, making the entire length of the saw only 9 inches. Moreover, it comes with a fantastic leather carrying strap that makes it convenient for you to hang from your wrist when it isn’t in use. 

Take note that this saw features a straight-edge blade design and not a curved one. You need to learn to use this kind of blade correctly to make precise cuts with it. 

The hardened teeth of this blade are relatively small, making the saw ideal for smaller cuts. To cut thick pieces of wood, consider a saw with larger teeth. Also, the dark green handle and dark blade make it difficult to identify it in the dark, especially if you mistakenly drop it. 

4. Skyocean Pocket Chainsaw

Moving on to our next item, we have the Pocket Chainsaw from Skyocean. Weighing only 5.6 ounces and measuring 6 inches, this tool is a must-have for hikers and backpackers. Its small form factor makes it extremely portable and easy to use for various cutting tasks. Read on to know more about it.

We are excited to introduce the next item on our list – the Skyocean Pocket Chainsaw. This versatile tool features a long, military-grade parachute cord that can be tied or untied according to your requirements. Doing this will give you an extended handle that enables you to reach high branches. 

Another excellent aspect of this item is its small form factor. Although the extended cord gives you a total of 36 inches to work with, it can be folded easily into 6 inches to fit into your pocket. 

In all, you will find 11 sharp saw blades that offer maximum precision while cutting. Moreover, the blades have 16 teeth which are incredibly durable and enable you to cut through most heavy-duty materials. 

Finally, the chain is treated with industrial-grade heat and made of super durable high-carbon steel. They are long-lasting and provide excellent versatility for a number of jobs.

A minor inconvenience we observed while using this saw on a sizable 12-inch log was that the chain would flip and bind frequently. It required us to work very slowly or have a second pair of hands to ensure that the chain stayed secure. This can be slightly annoying to work with long-term. 

5. Agawa BOREAL21 Canyon Folding Bow Saw

We are almost at the end of our list. However, we still have a couple of items we want to talk about. One of them is the Agawa BOREAL21 Canyon Folding Bow Saw. Because of its flat form factor, it is highly convenient to carry anywhere you go. Furthermore, it folds and unfolds within seconds.

When it comes to bow saws, you can expect them to weigh and measure a little more than traditional folding hand saws. That said, at 21 inches and 1.2 pounds, the Agawa BOREAL21 is relatively compact and lightweight, enabling you to carry it on all your camping trips. 

An especially beneficial feature of this item is that the hard-anodized aluminum frame can accommodate any standard 21-inch blade. Of course, you can purchase replacement blades from Agawa, but the option to fit other blades is something we think you will appreciate. 

Moving on, the frame of this blade allows high clearance, letting you make deep cuts without interruption. The teeth of the blades are extremely sharp and enable exact cuts without much elbow grease. 

Also, the blade is completely hidden once the frame is folded, ensuring that you don’t accidentally injure yourself. It is compact and portable when folded and does not require the removal of the blade.

Overall, this bow saw is an excellent addition to any hiker’s survival kit. Although we did not find any obvious flaws with the item, we wish that it was priced slightly more reasonably, as it might be a little costly for most users. 

6. SUMPRI Pocket Chainsaw

Moving on to our next item, we have the SUMPRI Pocket Chainsaw. Featuring a long 36-inch chain, this saw performs excellently for all types of woodcutting jobs. Moreover, it is relatively lightweight and easy to carry, weighing only 12 ounces. Curious to know more about it? Read on to find out.

One of the defining features of the SUMPRI Pocket Chainsaw is its 36-inch chain which is super flexible, versatile, and easy to handle. The long chain gives you immense freedom to make long, deliberate strokes and make cutting through thick logs a breeze. 

The chain is made of heavy-duty heat-treated steel which is durable and lasts for years with good use. Moreover, it features razor-sharp blades that enable you to make precise cuts with little effort. 

In fact, the chainsaw is so sharp that it can easily cut through a 3-inch log within 10 seconds. 

Moving on, we also liked the heavy-duty wrist straps, which stay comfortably on the wrists, even during prolonged use. That said, the wrist straps may be slightly undersized for an individual with large hands.

Lastly, this item comes with an all-weather fire starter kit which is extremely easy to use. It ensures that you never find yourself in the dark or in need of warmth during long expeditions.

Overall, this heavy-duty chainsaw is an excellent product for most hikers. That being said, we observed that the sturdy wrist straps may be ideal for small to medium-sized hands but may be slightly tight for larger hands. We recommend using sticks as handles instead of struggling with the small straps. 

7. Sven Saw

Moving on to our next item, we have the high-quality Sven Saw – perfect for camping, hiking, and yard work. This triangular saw is constructed with high-quality steel and has an all-metal body, giving it incomparable sturdiness. Moreover, its blade can be folded entirely for safe storage, which helps prevent accidents.

Although the Sven Saw looks innocuous, its razor-sharp blades can cut through most hardwoods with ease. The all-metal frame is made in the USA, while its heavy-duty blade is from Sweden. This may cause a slight inflation in its price, but the item is worth having in your survival kit. 

Next, we loved how easy the metal frames are to grip with both hands. This gives you more force and momentum to cut through the thickest of logs with ease. Moreover, the saw is relatively lightweight, even though it is built entirely of metal and steel. 

The saw features an excellent safety mechanism that enables you to remove the wingnut and place the sharp blade safely back into its sheath. 

However, be careful when removing these small parts, as they are an essential part of assembling (and disassembling) the saw. Without them, you won’t be able to use the saw when required. 

Be mindful of placing the wing nut and washer safely when assembling and disassembling the saw, as they are easy to lose. Furthermore, this saw is compatible only with Sven blades. If you need to replace the blades, you must opt for the expensive Sven-branded blades instead of the standard ones.

Best Backpacking Saws Comparison Table

Buying Guide for the Best Backpacking Saw

And with that, we have finally wrapped up our reviews and recommendations. We hope this helped you find the right backpacking saw for your adventures. If not, don’t fret. We still have one last guide left for you. 

In this section, we will talk about some of the vital factors to keep in mind when looking for a backpacking saw. These will help you find the right saw based on your requirements. So without further ado, let’s begin! 

1. Saw Size

Does size matter? Well, when it comes to the size of the saw – no. However, the entire responsibility of the saw falls upon the blade, so pay attention to it. If you are looking for a heavy-duty backpacking saw to cut thick pieces of logs or other materials, opt for a large blade with sharp teeth. 

However, if your purpose of buying a saw is to cut branches to make a fire (or for other purposes,) a small or medium-sized blade will work fine. 

For example, if you want to cut a 9-inch log, getting a 10-inch blade may not be super-efficient. Sure, you will be able to use it to cut; however, it will be an arduous and time-consuming task. 

2. Distance Between the Blade and Frame

This is one of the most important aspects of any saw that you should consider. Ideally, the distance between the top edge of the blade should be at least a few inches to enable you to make deep cuts. 

This is especially important when picking a triangular saw, or a bow saw, as the frame can limit the depth of cuts. 

3. Type of Saw

As you may have noticed from our list of recommendations, there are various types of saws you can opt for. These include foldable ones, bow saws, and triangular and curved blade saws. 

The saw you finally pick will depend on the purpose of use. If you want a compact, lightweight, and portable saw that can be used for cutting branches or fabric, opt for a compact foldable saw. 

However, if you plan on cutting thick logs, fishing, or cutting bone, you may need a heavy-duty saw with aggressive teeth. In that case, opting for a curved blade saw, or a bow saw may be the ideal option. 

4. Handle

The handle of a saw is invariably one of the most crucial factors to pay attention to. It is best to opt for one that features an ergonomic handle with a soft and comfortable grip that is ideal for prolonged use. Hand fatigue is the last thing you would want to deal with when trying to see through logs and bones on a camping trip!

What is the difference between a folding saw and a reciprocating saw?

A folding saw is designed to fold in half for easy storage, while a reciprocating saw is designed with a handle and a reciprocating blade for more powerful cutting.

What are the different types of backpacking saws?

There are three main types of backpacking saws: bow saws, folding saws, and chain saws. Bow saws are lightweight, easy to pack, and can handle cutting small to medium-sized logs. Folding saws are lightweight, compact, and can handle cutting branches and logs of all sizes. Chainsaws are the most powerful and are great for cutting through large logs.

How should I care for and maintain my backpacking saw?

After each use, be sure to clean and dry the saw. Also, store it in a dry and safe place away from any moisture and extreme temperatures. Regularly check for any wear and tear and sharpen the blade as needed.

What types of backpacking saws are available?

There are a variety of backpacking saws available, including folding saws, pruning saws, bow saws, and hacksaws. Each saw is designed for different cutting needs and applications.

How do I sharpen my backpacking saw?

You can sharpen your backpacking saw by using a file or stone to maintain a sharp edge.

Conclusion

We have finally reached the end of our comprehensive guide. However, before signing off, we want to take a moment to discuss some of our findings. 

Overall, the Corona RS 7265D RazorTOOTH Saw is an excellent option for most cutting and sawing jobs. It features an aggressive curved blade and foldable design, making it perfectly portable and functional. 

However, the Sportsman Hand Saw may be a better option for those looking for a tool to cut through thick pieces of wood. The included fire starter kit is a bonus that many competitors saw brands do not offer. 

Finally, we also liked the Bahco 396-LAP Folding Saw because of its hardened, aggressive teeth and compact form factor. That said, this saw is susceptible to merging with its surroundings in the wilderness due to its dark green shade. 

Let us know if you agree with our verdict. Also, which saw did you pick for your backpacking adventures? Comment below and let us know. 

Until next time!

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