Saw recommendations

[CMF]

Do you pack the entire skull then after you have deboned?

remove hide, lower jaw, and eyes and ready for the boil when you get to camp...

 

[whiskeysierra762]

I carry a replacement bucksaw blade only. I use it to construct meat poles if I have a multi day pack out. When I need it I make a bushcraft style bucksaw.

 

[allenbolen]

which model of silky is the lightest?

 

[eaglemountainman]

Just a WAG, but I'll say the 130 Pocketboy at 6 oz.

 

[satchamo]

Bahco Laplander. Best folding saw I’ve ever used….

 

[IBen]

The fine tooth silky blade cuts through moose ribs with ease.

 

[B_Reynolds_AK]

which model of silky is the lightest?

I find the Silky F180 is a fantastic saw that cuts extremely well and weighs 5.3 oz. The 7” blade is long enough to be useful on fairly large diameter trees. I always carry one on my snowmachine.

But, like what’s been mentioned, this large tooth blade is for wood, rather than skull capping. For that I use a Havalon replaceable blade saw for hunts where I anticipate capping an animal.

 

[huckfin]

for light weight dual blade(wood/bone) the SVEN saw is hard to beat. the Wyoming pack saw is the heavier duty version of a break down saw with both wood and bone blades.

 

[Windigo]

OP, you're looking for the AGAWA Boreal..

Agawa Boreal is such a champ. Sydney Rancher blade rips through wood

 

[jonesn3]

Up until this year, I used to always a Havalon folding saw with a couple replaceable blades. I’ve used it a handful of times for things like cutting bone to small tree branches/limbs for trail cam placement. I’ve broken several blades using it for tasks it wasn’t well suited, too. With how infrequent I use it, I haven’t been packing it in my standard “kill kit”, but it’s certainly a lightweight option in my opinion.

Saws that I use regularly include:

Silky Pocketboy 170mm (6.6”), 8oz, for firewood with wood stove

Silky Professional Sugoi 420mm (16.5”), 16oz, for carrying in the vehicle and if I’m hiking in to set trail cams during the summer (I tend to pack heavy when it comes to setting up cameras, taking hatchet, saw, sometimes power tools depending on distance). Definitely not lightweight options, though.

Havalon Bone Saw, about 4oz (might be discontinued)

 

[mtwarden]

The coarser blades from Silky are great for wood, suck for bone. I keep a fine blade in my kill kit; the extra blade weighs 0.2 oz.

The saw with wood blade only 2.1 oz

 

[eaglemountainman]

@mtwarden
I'm assuming that you also need to pack a screwdriver, correct?

 

[mtwarden]

@mtwarden
I'm assuming that you also need to pack a screwdriver, correct?

Yes. I pack a very small multi-tool that has a Phillips head; I'm a little nervous changing blades on my Tyto (having seen some bloody messes, thankfully not mine) so I'll use the little piers for that.

If you have no need for a multi-tool, a small Phillips would be just a few grams.

 

[Matt5266]

The coarser blades from Silky are great for wood, suck for bone. I keep a fine blade in my kill kit; the extra blade weighs 0.2 oz.

The saw with wood blade only 2.1 oz

Might of missed it but what brand of saw is that?

 

[mtwarden]

Might of missed it but what brand of saw is that?

It's a Silky with a custom (3d print) body. A guy on backpacking light.com sells them—I think for both sizes of the Pocketboy. It shaves off several ounces (the Pocektboys come w/ a metal handle), but you have to use a little care as the plastic is not as strong as the original metal bodies. I have a spare body, but still going on the original from 4-5 years ago.

 

[kodiak725]

Just quickly looked at responses but didn't see any for KOA. I've used their bone saw for a few years and its a great saw for what it is. My only qualm would be the price.

 

[bradmacmt]

Might of missed it but what brand of saw is that?

Reach out to Jan Rezak at backpackinglight here: https://backpackinglight.com/forums/topic/ul-folding-saw/page/4/#comments

For wood I prefer the medium Silky blade over the coarse.

 

[Beendare]

remove hide, lower jaw, and eyes and ready for the boil when you get to camp...

I've done that a few times with elk....no more. The extra weight and awkward-ness of the top half of the skull ...plus the meat in my pack puts me over the edge. Plus, those teeth are sharp.

Cutting the skull plate like I did for decades makes it so much easier to balance the rack on your pack and carry out.

 

[CMF]

Cutting the skull plate like I did for decades makes it so much easier to balance the rack on your pack and carry out.

I like skull mounts though. Once I have a few stacked up, I'll probably just skull cap them if I know its just going in the shed or outside