Just thought I would post my solution to this problem.
I work with a volunteer organization doing trail maintenance in a NY state park. Last spring I took a chainsaw safety training class so I am permitted to use a chainsaw in the state parks to clear trails.
I am using a Kelty baby carrier for my saw. The baby carrier is built to carry weight well, and has a proper suspension with a waist strap and a good frame. The baby carrier has a fold out back leg that lets it stand up for easy loading and unloading of your 'baby'. The back leg is attached to the pack straps, so it folds in as soon as you pick up the pack. The saw fits inside nicely and the straps that are meant to go over the baby's shoulders go over the handle and keep the power head nice and secure. I have attached a spare scabbard to the side for an extra bar and chain. I drilled a hole in the bottom of the spare scabbard to allow rain to drain out of it. Where I put holes in the scabbard to tie it to the pack I tried to make sure the string will not come into contact with the chain on the spare bar, so it won't cut the string. Hanging below the body of the carrier I have a first aid kit, and raingear. The small yellow stuff sack carries a quart bottle of fuel mix, and a quart of bar oil. The yeelow sack is velcroed to the back of the pack in the small of my back. The velcro was already on the baby carrier, so all I had to do was add the velcro to the stuff sack. The fuel and oil bag sits right on top of the bottom piece of the frame, and the string to it hooks to an existing hook on the baby carrier. There are another pint, and 10 oz fuel containers tucked in the bottle holders on the back of the carrier. I always say my baby's preferred formula is 50:1.
Pictured with my 026 with an 18" bar. The spare bar is a 20". The red bag in the top in the last photo has the chaps in it, and gets tucked in next to the handle, and then the side webbing snugged down on it. Occasionally when I am hasty in putting the saw back in the pack the chaps bag falls out if I have to jostle the bag too much, but I also tie the cord for the red bag to the top of the carrier, and typically ignore the bag hanging off of it as it is not enough weight to throw off the load. I still need to work on a way to hold the helmet better. I was tucking it in the bag with the chaps, but when I went to take the pictures this afternoon I found the piece that holds the screen on one side broke. Lucky I noticed it before the local Stihl dealer closed so I could run out and grab a new visor holder before tomorrow's trail work. When I am working, if there is a bunch to cut close together I will frequently leave the chaps and helmet on while I am hiking, but this only works in cooler weather. There are snaps at the edge of the baby carrier for a hood for the top. I may try to find some nylon mesh, and attach snaps to it to go over the helmet quickly and hold it in place as shown in the photos.
As pictured and fully fueled the set up comes in at about 40 pounds. Kind of heavy for a day of walking, but it gets the gear out there. This carrier keeps the weight on my hips, and close to my back so I can hike even rough almost vertical trails with the saw secure. This does not include extra chains, scrench, wedges, lunch, and water, but that is what my swamper is for. When I get done with the hurricane Sandy blowdowns and can go back to normal trail clearing I will switch to a lighter saw.
One of the nice things about baby carriers as saw carriers is that used baby carriers are cheap. I picked up three of them at three different garage sales for $5 each. I really don't care if there is some dried drool on the carrier or if they aren't spotless, because for my use they sure won't stay spotless. The one I settled on is a deluxe one with thicker padding on the straps, and a chest strap that I find essential for rougher trail use.
If anyone has ideas to improve my rig I would love to hear them.
If these photos don't work for people let me know and I will try to figure out how to post better ones. It has been a while since I posted here, and I don't remember exactly what I did last time with the photos.
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I work with a volunteer organization doing trail maintenance in a NY state park. Last spring I took a chainsaw safety training class so I am permitted to use a chainsaw in the state parks to clear trails.
I am using a Kelty baby carrier for my saw. The baby carrier is built to carry weight well, and has a proper suspension with a waist strap and a good frame. The baby carrier has a fold out back leg that lets it stand up for easy loading and unloading of your 'baby'. The back leg is attached to the pack straps, so it folds in as soon as you pick up the pack. The saw fits inside nicely and the straps that are meant to go over the baby's shoulders go over the handle and keep the power head nice and secure. I have attached a spare scabbard to the side for an extra bar and chain. I drilled a hole in the bottom of the spare scabbard to allow rain to drain out of it. Where I put holes in the scabbard to tie it to the pack I tried to make sure the string will not come into contact with the chain on the spare bar, so it won't cut the string. Hanging below the body of the carrier I have a first aid kit, and raingear. The small yellow stuff sack carries a quart bottle of fuel mix, and a quart of bar oil. The yeelow sack is velcroed to the back of the pack in the small of my back. The velcro was already on the baby carrier, so all I had to do was add the velcro to the stuff sack. The fuel and oil bag sits right on top of the bottom piece of the frame, and the string to it hooks to an existing hook on the baby carrier. There are another pint, and 10 oz fuel containers tucked in the bottle holders on the back of the carrier. I always say my baby's preferred formula is 50:1.
Pictured with my 026 with an 18" bar. The spare bar is a 20". The red bag in the top in the last photo has the chaps in it, and gets tucked in next to the handle, and then the side webbing snugged down on it. Occasionally when I am hasty in putting the saw back in the pack the chaps bag falls out if I have to jostle the bag too much, but I also tie the cord for the red bag to the top of the carrier, and typically ignore the bag hanging off of it as it is not enough weight to throw off the load. I still need to work on a way to hold the helmet better. I was tucking it in the bag with the chaps, but when I went to take the pictures this afternoon I found the piece that holds the screen on one side broke. Lucky I noticed it before the local Stihl dealer closed so I could run out and grab a new visor holder before tomorrow's trail work. When I am working, if there is a bunch to cut close together I will frequently leave the chaps and helmet on while I am hiking, but this only works in cooler weather. There are snaps at the edge of the baby carrier for a hood for the top. I may try to find some nylon mesh, and attach snaps to it to go over the helmet quickly and hold it in place as shown in the photos.
As pictured and fully fueled the set up comes in at about 40 pounds. Kind of heavy for a day of walking, but it gets the gear out there. This carrier keeps the weight on my hips, and close to my back so I can hike even rough almost vertical trails with the saw secure. This does not include extra chains, scrench, wedges, lunch, and water, but that is what my swamper is for. When I get done with the hurricane Sandy blowdowns and can go back to normal trail clearing I will switch to a lighter saw.
One of the nice things about baby carriers as saw carriers is that used baby carriers are cheap. I picked up three of them at three different garage sales for $5 each. I really don't care if there is some dried drool on the carrier or if they aren't spotless, because for my use they sure won't stay spotless. The one I settled on is a deluxe one with thicker padding on the straps, and a chest strap that I find essential for rougher trail use.
If anyone has ideas to improve my rig I would love to hear them.
If these photos don't work for people let me know and I will try to figure out how to post better ones. It has been a while since I posted here, and I don't remember exactly what I did last time with the photos.
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