chainsaw backpack

[andym]

Alice Pack

It looks like we're going to be building a couple of the Alice Pack based packs. For the fuel and oil bottles I purchased a couple of aluminum bottle from Target (on clearance due to a couple dings in them). Someone else suggested I should only use stainless steel for this. What's the consensus here?

 

[AT sawyer]

Fuel bottles

I've used the extruded aluminum 30oz MSR bottles for years without a problem-- they're made for holding fuel. I've seen failures with Sigg and Brunton bottles. If you bought cheap water bottles, the coarse thread pattern and seals may not be up to hard fuel use, particularly if you're changing altitude or working hot, as internal pressure can force leaks. MSRs are pricey, but go on sale in the off season (now).

 

[andym]

Yep, these cheap bottles are already showing a failure. I packed one to work with me today to carry water and the threads on the cap have stripped. Overtighten it just a bit and it pops off. Guess I'll be looking for a deal on the MSR bottles.

 

[mbopp]

I've got my old BSA Yucca pack ty-wrapped to a backpack frame. It holds my fuel, oil, water bottles, 1st aid kit, files, tools, and spare chain. For hauling the saw I have some 2" webbing (IIRR old car seatbelts) with snap buckles on it. It's adjusted to length, run through the saw handle, and either looped over my shoulder or the top of the pack frame. You're still carring the saw but it takes some weight off your arms. For fuel bottles I have the plastic Nalgene backpacker fuel bottles. Bar oil is in a snap cap dish soap bottle. If you get a snap cap off a pancake syrup bottle the threads are close enough to the dish soap bottle and the pancake top has a larger opening for the bar oil.
Man, and to think I started doing this with dad's old Zip, then a PM 655, and now the Shin 488.
The Sigg bottles have a pressed-in insert where the MSR bottles have the threads rolled into the neck. There are interesting stories where people were using a Sigg bottle on an MSR stove and had the insert blow out while running the stove. Fire in the hole!

I saw one setup where the guy made a shelf and had it bolted to a Freighter frame too. He'd bunji-cord the saw to the shelf and had hands-free carrying.

 

[HIAK]

First post here...so maybe should have read the directions

Back when we first landed on the moon, I was humping a saw up the trail on the same flat military board as previously shown. My saw was mounted bar up with bottom of saw flat to the board. I used flat steel straps fitted through inch and a half linen fire hose and bent it to wrap around the bar forming a padded slot to thread the tip of the bar through. Made a similar padded slot holder for the handle end. These holding slots were bolted to the plywood of the pack by bending the ends of the strap out at a 90 to the slot.

The slots need to be loose enough to easily slip the nose of the bar up through the top slot and let the handle drop into the bottom slot. The guy walking behind me could grab the saw off my pack and hand it to me when it was needed.

We had it rigged with a safety stop so the bar could only run up only so far in its slot to prevent injury in case of a stumble.

Do not carry your lunch on this same pack or on your gas mix and chain oil pack. The fumes will penetrate sealed snack packs and leave you burping fumes the rest of the day.

 

[tree md]

I used to have to cut and build trails as well as walk bridges on wilderness trails for the state. We used to just put our saws and tools in a wheel barrel and wheel it in.

We also had to build wheelchair ramps in the middle of nowhere. Doesn't matter if it's 12 miles back, if it's on state land, all trails and walk bridges have to be wheelchair accessible.

 

[Crow Horse]

The military pack board or an ALICE pack frame could easily adapted to carry a saw and other goodies. It'll just depend on how creative you want to get.....

 

[SilverScout]

Here's something I threw together last week. Have the saw, scabbard with scrench and file, chaps, helmet, gas & oil mixture, bar oil and water bottle all on the frame. Have a pouch with gloves, spare chain and cell phone on the right. A pouch for snacks on the left.

Went looking for an ALICE, but surplus store here didn't have the shelf and didn't know if they could get one. Wound up with a Stansport Deluxe Freighter.

Seemed to work fine yesterday on a mountain bike trail build.

 

[Scrat]

If you're hiking that far before cutting, a backpack is a good idea, though some of those soft side packs could get a little hard on the shoulders going that distance. My trail club (PATC) has used Cabelas freighter frame packs for hauling gear, and I would suggest you consider one of those. The shelf can hold your saw and the hip belt and padded shoulder straps balance the load. Plenty of room to cinch on other stuff.

Cabela's: Cabela's Alaskan I and II Frame only

Yeh AT sawyer been using the Alaskan II frame for years for all kinds of stuff. Great shoulder straps and awesome waist belt.