Chainsaw chaps: How many use 'em?

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I am amazed at the stupid, idiotic stuff I used to do when I was younger and dumber. (driving a 75 chevy 100 mph on gravel roads comes to mind) I am only 30 now, but I find that life is good with eyes, ears, arms, legs, etc... So I now am more safety conscious than I used to be, in a lot of areas. When you're young and invincible you just think it can never happen to you, once you get older you realize that it can happen to you (or maybe it even does happen to you).

I don't care if anyone of you does or doesn't wear chaps, hearing protection, gloves, helmet, whatever. I am fully supportive of your right to be stupid. :msp_smile: Seriously, do whatever you like on this one as far as I'm concerned, what I think may be stupid to you, but I'm going to do it anyway.

I haven't worn chaps in the past, but have some now. I plan to cut more this summer than the past, too.
 
I have Husqvarna pants and stihl chaps. If it's a quick job I'll do chaps, if it's longer, the pants are more comfy.
 
I never considered chaps or pants until I found this site and read a couple of horror stories. Always worn the boots, gloves, hard hat , muffs and glasses though. My girls have nicknamed me Mr. Safety :rock: I've been looking locally for some for a couple weeks now. Everyone seems to be sold out of them at the moment. Must mean a lot of people wear them here.
 
I have Husqvarna pants and stihl chaps. If it's a quick job I'll do chaps, if it's longer, the pants are more comfy.

I opted for the pants as well, like you said, very comfy. Also have nice pockets, including the wedge pocket, and cover the top of your boot well.
 
I've got pants from Stihl. I like them, they clean pretty easily. But after a hot long day, it sure feels good to drop the extra weight.
 
The only protective gear I've ever worn has been earplugs or muffs, good boots, gloves, and safety glasses. The wife asked what I wanted for our anniversary, so I told her I wanted a set of chainsaw chaps.
 
I started about a year ago wearing them on and off. Its hot in Florida and i still put them on when cutting brush and logs on the ground. You have to watch them around brush running a chipper as limbs grab whatever they can.
 
My oldest son bought me a pair and I wear them not as much as I should, the older I get I think I'll be wearing these more though.
 
Always ware chaps they have more than paid for themself from just the wear on an grime on my pants . First year using bugeyes took a little getting use to .Sure beats getting dirt in your eyes safety glasses an googles never work for me . Googles always fog up . Sometimes glasses made it worse.
 
I've been running a saw since I was big enough to hold one (@ 36 years). I grew up in a chainsaw shop that my dad owned. Until recently, I have never used any PPE except sunglasses and ear muffs. Knock on wood, I have only ever been cut once, and that wasn't my doing, it was my dad's mistake. I have a full set of PPE now. Hard hat with muffs and face shield, kevlar gloves, full-wrap chaps and chainsaw boots. I know that I should have been using them from the very first time, it's just a bad habit that I have had for a very long time. I only recently acquired all the stuff because I took a safety class so that I could get certified to operate a saw on Boy Scout of America activities (and to do so, I have to have all the PPE). I hate wearing gloves, just can't stand them (guys thought I was crazy when we would string out concertina wire in the Army, I would never wear the special gloves - and I never got cut). I usually forget to put the chaps on, I'm just ready to get to work. I do wear the hard hat (been hit by a few small limbs and pine cones in the past). I have very light sensitive eyes and always wear sunglasses (certified safety glasses) and my ear muffs (have had hearing loss for a very long time). My mom had me in a play pen next to her bench in the shop (the before mentioned chainsaw shop) since I was about two weeks old and as I get older, I don't want my ears ringing any more than they already are. I also used to be in field artillery and was a heavy equipment operator while in the Army.
Anyway... I've got all my PPE, I just don't usually wear all of it like I know I should. I really am trying to get into the habit of using it.
 
I do i have seen to many pics here of cuts that chaps would have prevented or reduced.
 
I wear earmuffs, steel toe boots all the time.

Wear a full husqvarna helmet some of the time (visor & muffs) and chaps nearly all the time.

Still have mild tinnitus tonight as I put a tankful of fuel through the ported 2095, and ran the Honda brushcutter (with helmet on due to lots of rocks thrown up), and muffs while mowing too.

And the muffs are the 5+ rated high cutout 3m pelt or branded ones.

I also have my 4yo trained to wear his 3m kids muffs when watching me from a distance - never close due to risk of flying rocks/debris/chain/chips etc.

Although he likes to leave them on and not hear what he doesn't want to. :hmm3grin2orange:

Easy fix, take them off him as the equipment is by then turned off.
 
I use them when ever I am on the ground, but they do get blazing hot in the summer when moving around in limbs and brush.
 
Finally broke down and bought a pair of chaps. Bailey's had some on sale and was offering free shipping, a free t-shirt and a free trial of some new string trimmer line all because I hadn't ordered in a while. So I put together an order that included chaps which arrived today and they seem pretty nice, Labonville 6-ply. I wasn't sure about the length because I wanted 38" which apparently doesn't exist. I ordered 40" and they seem to be good. I have a 32" inseam but I buckled these up above my belt line and they went just to the top of my boots. They are lighter than I thought and I think I will like them. The tree guy at church will finally stop bugging me to be safe now. I have the Husky helmet/shield/earmuffs already. I'm just a weekend warrior who heats his house with wood, I don't sell it so I felt a little stupid spend the $70-plus on them but if they save me one trip to the ER they will have paid for themselves several times over. Heck, if they save two pairs of jeans I'm breaking even. I got the green ones, thought the orange ones looked like inmate pants.
 
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I just got 9 ply Stihls. I'm not starting another saw unless they are on. I wear my Stihl Helmut with muffs and shield. Keeps the swa dust and chips out of my eyes. I were safety glasses always. I will also be using my steel Toed boots. I have a 046 with 32 in bar on the way and Don't want my wife to find out about it the hard way.

Wiz
 
Just upgraded to a longer pair of Labonville full-wraps and some new boots (Carolina steel toe with metatarsal-thingies).

I wish there were better ways to protect against chain cuts to the foot, though. (I'd rather add protection to a comfortable boot than try to find a boot made specifically for chain cut protection)
 
Just upgraded to a longer pair of Labonville full-wraps and some new boots (Carolina steel toe with metatarsal-thingies).

I wish there were better ways to protect against chain cuts to the foot, though. (I'd rather add protection to a comfortable boot than try to find a boot made specifically for chain cut protection)


100% agree. Some sort of add on steel backed kevlar layered gaiters,that extend out over the toe? Something like that, that strap on perhaps.
 
Got chaps and the all-in-one helmet shortly after I bought my MS 361. That saw is so much faster and more powerful than anything I had used previously, and it scared me into the buying the safety equipment. I use it faithfully, but have never had to put it to the test, thank God.
 
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