Getting out on the trail and making it back home in one warm, dry piece means that you’re probably going to need to start a fire or two. Starting a fire means getting a suitable amount of wood.
Axes can be a little cumbersome at times, you’re never going to be able to collapse them down and slide them into a pocket in your bag like you can with a pocket chainsaw. Choosing the right one for your needs might be a little tough because there are so many small differences between chainsaws out on the market right now.
We did the work for you though, so here are the best pocket chainsaws that we hand-tested just for you!
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Here are the top 5 picks (keep scrolling for more details and picks 6-7).
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The key to investing in an outdoor tool is versatility. Your kitchen can afford niche pieces of equipment because you’ve got storage space, you’re not going to be carrying an egg timer on your back all week, and kitchens are designed to facilitate a wide array of tasks. Your hiking trail, on the other hand, is unforgiving.
Anything you want to bring along needs to have a home somewhere on your body, be it in your hands or in your bag, so every inch of wasted space is a logistical nightmare. This chainsaw from Skyocean is light and simple, but on closer inspection, you’ll find that it’s a chainsaw that you can depend on for more than just bringing down some tree limbs before you settle in for the night.
The shining feature of this chainsaw is the set of paracord handles it’s equipped with. These grips framing the chainsaw are comfortable enough to allow you to get down to business for an extended period of time without them digging into your palms.
Comfort is extremely important when it comes to tools that facilitate manual labor, and this chainsaw has comfort in spades.The decision to construct the handles here out of paracord is brilliant. You might not ever need to use the paracords themselves, but if you ever do, you’ll have a sizeable amount of material to work with, ensuring that no matter what situation you find yourself in, you’ll be able to find a way out, be it by cutting, climbing, or binding.
Read more buyer reviews at Amazon.com.
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This self-cleaning chainsaw is a godsend when it comes to bringing down small trees on the trail. You’ll find that the bi-directional design of the blades gives this saw the agility and versatility to bite through difficult-to-cut branches and branches.
This is the perfect chainsaw for folks that are tired of feeling like they’re fighting tooth and nail to get through the bark of your targets. It’s hard to overstate how useful the teeth on this saw are. It’s also incredibly portable. The chain saw and its handles coil up together and fit into a compact 4″x5″ pouch that’s flat enough to slide in between pretty much anything you’ve already packed into your pack.
The pouch this chainsaw comes paired with is a wonderful thing to have before you hit the trail. There’s nothing more annoying than feeling like you’re going to need to dig up a special place to hide your chainsaw away. The inclusion of this pouch makes this chainsaw almost infinitely more portable than its lacking competition.
It’s made from a thick and durable material that the blades won’t be penetrating any time soon (as long as you don’t try sawing through it). The rust-resistant coating on the chainsaw makes it an excellent companion for traveling through any climate.
If you get caught in the rain, you’re not going to be losing out on a perfectly serviceable chainsaw. You also won’t be ruining it by cutting through damp wood (though, we’re not positive that’d be a great use of your time).
Read more buyer reviews at Amazon.com.
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A lot of pocket chainsaws come in around 24 inches. This makes them a little frustrating to use for a number of reasons. They may simply be too short to wrap around your target, or you might just be spending more time than you need to work the saw through the tree you’re cutting.
Longer chains will naturally bring more of your tree through the blades per pull. Shorter chains require more work, while longer chains can quickly become a little more cumbersome. The 36-inch chain that this chainsaw from Sportsman is a happy medium.
The chain on this saw makes it really easy to saw through any and every tree you find out there. The added foot of chain length gives you so much more distance to work with. The length of a full stroke increases drastically. When you combine this with the 65 mn high carbon heat-treated steel and the positioning of the teeth on the chain makes for an incredibly effective cutting tool.
Read more buyer reviews at Amazon.com.
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This is a lightweight chainsaw that stands up well to a battery of tests. In fact, the Nordic Pocket Saw stakes a lot of its claims on the extensive testing they performed in the process of developing the saw. The nylon straps attaching to this saw are powerful and because of a lot of physics mumbo-jumbo, they’re capable of driving massive amounts of force along the length of the chain. Part of a good pocket chainsaw is sturdy handles.
They need to be able to withstand the kind of work your chainsaw is doing. Tearing through wood isn’t easy, teeth can catch and a natural part of the process is dozens of pounds of force. The handles of your saw need to be able to withstand that, and throughout our testing, we felt like this pocket chainsaw passed with flying colors.
The Nordic Pocket Chainsaw is easy to operate. All of the major links on this saw have a pair of double cutting teeth, so every pass is guaranteed to make a lot of headway through your target, reducing your overall cutting time and saving you a lot of energy for the trail ahead.
The chain itself is made from heat-treated high-carbon steel. The high carbon content of the steel makes it harder than a lot of other steels on the market, so your blades will stay sharper for longer and your links aren’t in constant peril of snapping in the middle of a tough job. The peace of mind you get from this material alone is enough to put this chainsaw head and shoulders above other survival gear out there.
Read more buyer reviews at Amazon.com.
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If you find yourself around old, thick trees with high branches, then you might also find yourself wondering when you’d ever really get to use a pocket saw. The Kutir pocket saw is here to fill exactly that niche. Everything from its length to its accessories makes it the perfect saw for anybody that feels like they’re often struggling with hard-to-reach branches.
The length of this saw isn’t the only thing it has going for itself. One crucial feature of this saw that can’t be overlooked is the inclusion of a weight bag. The bags included with this chainsaw are easy to fill with whatever you find along the trail so you can easily fling your chain over distant targets.
If you’re worried that 48 inches aren’t enough to get to some of your higher targets, the handles have you covered. These handles are pretty simple, they’re basically lengths of rope attached to either end of the chain, but they’re quite long so you can really get some good leverage and get to work without having to figure out some kind of deep-woods ladder situation.
Read more buyer reviews at Amazon.com.
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The Toyeah chainsaw is the ultimate chainsaw when it comes to versatility. The Toyeah approach seems to be covering as many bases as possible with a single product. If you decide to go with this chainsaw, you’re never going to find yourself without exactly the right combination of tools to tackle any situation ahead of you.
This kit comes with the chainsaw (obviously) a pair of 16.4-foot ropes so you can reach limbs that would otherwise elude your arm length, a pair of plastic grip handles, a pair of hand/wrist straps, for longer jobs, a pair of carabiners, and a round file to increase the lifespan of your blades.
All together, this package is the ultimate in versatility. We wish the handles were a bit more on the comfortable side, but understand that doing so would drastically increase the price of the saw. This is a chainsaw that’s hard to pass on.
If you know that you’re going to be encountering a lot, then this kit will keep you prepared for everything, but if you’re keeping to a limited radius that tends to have similar flora, then you’re best off investing in something that will be more forgiving on your hands.
Read more buyer reviews at Amazon.com.
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This pocket chainsaw from SOS is the polar opposite of Toyeah’s chainsaw. Where Toyeah sets out to cover a wide range of problems, the SOS Gear chainsaw is all about doing its one job incredibly well. You’re only getting a pouch, a fire starter, and the chainsaw in this package.
The chainsaw itself is excellent. It’s perfect for short or long trips, and well suited to small to medium limbs and trunks. You’re going to run into a little bit of trouble if you’re finding yourself surrounded by massive, old trees, but otherwise, you’ll have an easy enough time.
The length limitation can easily be worked around if you have a length of rope. The strap handles can take on a rope no problem, and suddenly any seemingly too large branch will come down in no time flat. This chainsaw is an excellent choice for anybody looking for something dependable over anything else.
This chainsaw sacrifices a lot of bells and whistles for dependability. The chain itself is made with heat-treated carbon steel alloy. It’s going to be tough on timber and long-lasting, you can sharpen it when it starts showing wear and drastically improves the lifespan of an already long-lasting chain.
The teeth are bi-directional, so every stroke of the saw is going to remove a lot of material from your wood.The best chainsaw is only as good as its ability to be handled. To that end, SOS Gear made sure the handles are made from incredibly durable nylon.
The handles should last as long as the chainsaw itself. The durable nylon use doesn’t stop at the handles. SOS Gear also includes a nylon pouch for this chainsaw, making it much easier to carry than other chainsaws that would force you to come up with your own travel solution.
Read more buyer reviews at Amazon.com.
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Comfort, durability, and reliability are the core tenets of a good piece of outdoor equipment. This chainsaw from Skyocean has all three in spades. Whether you’re just busting this out for some quick yard work or taking it on a backpacking trek across the Andes, you’re going to love using this chainsaw to clear the way a gather material for your campsite.
The paracord handles on this chainsaw make it a comfortable piece of equipment, which has to be one of the most important aspects of the experience. Your hands need to be able to withstand normal use. If they can’t then you’re not going to get very far with this chainsaw.
The paracord also serves as an emergency source of cord. Paracord is infinitely useful when you’re out on the trail. Breaking into the paracord handles might make use of the chainsaw a little difficult if you don’t know how to tie them back the way they came, but the benefits outweigh the detriments in this case.
Even if you can’t replace the cord perfectly, you can rig a similar system that drastically increases the chain’s effective length. There are a dozen ways to implement this chainsaw and its paracord, you just need the knowledge and patience. If you’ve been on the fence about a chainsaw, then this saw is absolutely the one for you.
Bonus tip: If you decide to go with our top pick, you’re going to want to be familiar with the world of paracord utility. This video will help you nail down some of the secrets!
Riley Draper is a writer and entrepreneur from Chattanooga, Tennessee. As a world traveler, he has been to more than fifty countries and hiked some of the most elusive trails in the world. He is the co-founder of WeCounsel Solutions and has published work in both national and global outlets, including the Times Free Press, Patch, and Healthcare Global. When he’s not writing, he’s probably on a hiking trip or climbing in the mountains.
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