The 10 Best Camping & Bushcraft Saws

The camp saw to buy if you buy one. A 240 mm impulse-hardened pull-stroke blade cuts green and seasoned wood absurdly fast for its size, folds to pocket length, and locks solidly open. Medium teeth are the right compromise between speed and control.

A real 21-inch bucksaw that folds flat to the size of a paperback. The frame tensions in one motion, holds it under hard cutting, and the geometry gives you a full-length stroke no folding saw can match. The canoe-tripper's default.

Half saw, half two-handed weapon. A 500 mm folding blade that goes through 10 to 12-inch logs faster than most people can run a chainsaw out of the case. Overkill for a weekend — perfect for a long winter camp.

The Boreal21's little brother. Same one-motion folding frame in a 15-inch package that disappears into a daypack, and honest enough to buck small firewood all weekend.

The bridge between pocket saw and bucksaw. A 360 mm folding blade with a two-hand handle that gives real leverage without carrying a frame. Runs down 8-inch deadfall without complaint.

The workhorse of forestry courses and bushcraft schools for a reason. Rust-protected 190 mm blade, a grippy dual-component handle in the wet, and a price that means you will actually take it into the swamp.

A Minnesota original that has not needed redesigning since 1962. The aluminum frame collapses into the blade guard, and the triangular geometry is stiff enough to lean into. Boundary Waters standard issue.

The one you always have. 170 mm of impulse-hardened blade in a folder that lives in a jacket pocket or a fishing vest, with a hard case that keeps it from opening in the pack.

A fixed-blade curved saw built for arborists that happens to be superb at camp. The aggressive curve pulls itself into the cut, and there is no hinge to loosen or fail.

A chain saw in the literal sense — a bi-directional chain with leather handles that packs to the size of a fist. Not fast, but nothing else this capable weighs five ounces.