I started bringing a saw camping about 18 years ago. It was the right thing to do. In fact, for a while I thought about giving up the axe completely, but now both the axe and saw are best friends, and always get packed together.
Back in the day, I started with the excellent Trail Blazer Bucksaw — a 100% Canadian made foldable 24″ saw (also available as an 18″ model). My preference has always been for a longer saw, so a full stroke can be taken on a log as large as 14″ to 16″ in diameter. Unfortunately, Trailblazer has gone bankrupt.
Since 2015, I’ve switched to THE BEST CAMPING SAW on the market from Japanese manufacturer, Silky Saws. I currently carry the Silky KATANABOY, 500mm/19.5″ ( XL Teeth ). I’ve cut through dead fall as large as 18″ in diameter with this saw, with no problems. Due to popular demand, and because SIZE matters, Silky released an even larger Katanaboy with a 650mm/25.5″ blade. This largest sized Silky basically cuts as fast as a chainsaw in softwoods, but is probably overkill for folks who stick to collecting manageable sized firewood. Not to be outdone, there is now even a Katanaboy 1000.
For practical camping purposes, Silky has a variety of elite folding pruning saws (which only cut on the pull stroke), and they are all simply amazing. The Bigboy 2000 (XL Teeth) with a 360mm/14″ curved blade (yellow handled pictured above) would be my next best recommendation, and is less expensive (under $70), but does not offer quite the same two-handed comfort during long wood cutting sessions of a full-sized Katanaboy (like 10+minutes of cutting through a 12″ diameter deadfall). Regardless of the saw you get, stick with XL or Large tooth size for a faster, more aggressive cut. For camping, the cut is utilitarian and does not need to be precise or have a cabinet makers clean finish, which is why I recommend the largest possible saw tooth geometry.
A curved blade cuts faster than a straight blade since it kicks out the wood chips a little more effectively. When cutting near the ground, a curved blade helps to not get dirt stuck in the saw teeth, and saves your back a bit. The two hidden advantages of a folding saw over a bucksaw that I discovered first hand in the field, are: that you can cut right through large diameter timber without hitting the top edge of the saw frame on the log, which means you can cut right through the log without needing to physically rotate or re-position it. This issue plagues both the bucksaw and its non-collapsible cousin: the bow saw. The second advantage is your hand positioning. With a bucksaw your knuckles can come into contact with the log on each stroke (see leather gloves). With the overhand grip of a folding saw, your hands are much better protected since they are nowhere near the bark of the log. Also from a comfort level, it appears to be more ergonomic to hold a saw handle horizontally, rather than vertically.
The reason for the switch from the bucksaw to a Silky folder for me was really two-fold: Although the Trailblazer bucksaw cuts in both directions, it has a very thin kerf (blade thickness), and when sawing vigorously, would sometimes bind and flex/bend. This happened more frequently when sawing with two people on both ends of the saw. A Silky saw has a slightly thicker kerf, so it does not bend so easily, although you still need to be careful. Silky blade teeth are also impulse hardened and stay super-sharp for a long time. The blade itself is actually taper ground — thicker at the tooth edge and thinner at the top edge of the blade, which reduces binding significantly. These premium blade features alone, are worth paying the premium cost of a Silky, compared to other brands of pruning saws. My second reason was that the setup time is much easier and faster with a folding pruning saw. You have to assemble and disassemble a bucksaw from multiple pieces. A Silky folding saw is only slightly longer than a compact bucksaw and they both weight about the same within an ounce or two.
For those on a budget, I can highly recommend a one-piece non-folding curved professional-grade pruning saw from Corona, available from Lowes. I used the 18″ Corona RS-7500 series RAZORTOOTH for about 5 years before finally spending the money on the slightly lighter and more efficient Katanaboy. I found Silky saws cut a bit faster through both hardwoods and softwoods, but you cannot go wrong with the Corona, especially when cutting any of the spruce/pine/fir (SPF) species. The Corona is a bullet-proof camping saw for cutting up firewood, with a strong thick kerfed blade and a very comfortable wooden handle (now upgraded to a polymer handle on the RS-7510D model). The blade is made in South Korea, so it excellent quality. I just wish it came with a scabbard, but you can always re-enforce the cardboard safety cover that ships with the saw, with packing tape or duct tape.
