ErnieW
Trail Wise!
I want to backpack
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Post by ErnieW on Jan 15, 2021 6:21:35 GMT -8
One thing about high traffic areas that allow fires is there are a lot of people in this no saw mode. I have been places where there aren't even little kindling sticks for 50 yards+ near the campsites let alone breakable firewood. A lot of time I find unbreakable logs with one burnt end stuck into the fire pit and the rest outside in these areas.
A saw on that log turns it into good firewood.
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Post by cweston on Jan 15, 2021 6:23:39 GMT -8
One thing about high traffic areas that allow fires is there are a lot of people in this no saw mode. I have been places where there aren't even little kindling sticks for 50 yards+ near the campsites let alone breakable firewood. A lot of time I find unbreakable logs with one burnt end stuck into the fire pit and rest outside in these areas. A saw on that log turns it into good firewood. Good point. People suck, with and without saws, alas.
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Post by bradmacmt on Jan 15, 2021 7:25:11 GMT -8
Good point. People suck, with and without saws, alas. LOL, spoken with authority by a man with obvious experience!
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Post by cweston on Jan 15, 2021 7:42:46 GMT -8
Yep. To clarify, though, most people don't suck, in my experience.
I think it's partly that at lot of people like us here tend to camp in the deep backcountry: places that people who who may not know (and/or care) as much as they need to about being good stewards of the BC don't tend to visit too often.
I passed through Chicago Basin this fall and camped a night there. I knew that it was a place that had been "loved to death." It was actually in better shape than I expected. The USFS had posted "no camping" signs in some meadow areas that had been overused, but it wasn't devastated or anything. I imagine this is largely because it's not a super easy place to get to, so the people that camp there tend to be people with a fair amount of BC experience and mostly good intentions about their stewardship of the BC.
But yes, closer to the front country, one is definitely more likely to see signs of stupidity and/or people just not caring.
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driftwoody
Trail Wise!
Take the path closer to the edge, especially if less traveled
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Post by driftwoody on Jan 15, 2021 9:52:19 GMT -8
I don't want a big raging fire anyway ... or having to fetch the water to completely extinguish it.
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driftwoody
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Take the path closer to the edge, especially if less traveled
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Post by driftwoody on Jan 15, 2021 10:16:10 GMT -8
The Opinel with a 7-1/8" blade sells for $50 on Amazon. I don't doubt it's higher quality, lighter, and more durable than the 7" Corona that sells for $15.23. I need to replace my Corona, which broke recently when the black release lever flew off somewhere in the brush. I will definitely consider the Opinel, though pricey.
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Post by bradmacmt on Jan 15, 2021 10:26:55 GMT -8
The Opinel with a 7-1/8" blade sells for $50 on Amazon. I don't don't it's higher quality, lighter, and more durable than the 7" Corona that sells for $15.23. I need to replace my Corona, which broke recently when the black release lever flew off somewhere in the brush. I will definitely consider the Opinel, though pricey. Mine is smaller and lighter than the Opinel you describe. I’ve never paid more than $35, and it’s well worth it.
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driftwoody
Trail Wise!
Take the path closer to the edge, especially if less traveled
Posts: 14,877
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Post by driftwoody on Jan 15, 2021 10:30:14 GMT -8
I’ve never paid more than $39 For the saw in your pic (4.75"), or the 7.125" blade?
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texasbb
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Hates chicken
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Post by texasbb on Jan 15, 2021 12:39:46 GMT -8
Yeah, I went to googling the instant I saw bradmacmt 's Opinel post. For the rare trip when I know my hiking bud(s) will want a fire, it would be nice to carry a little saw at less than 4 oz. But the $35+ price turned me off.
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Post by bradmacmt on Jan 15, 2021 14:30:35 GMT -8
For the saw in your pic (4.75"), or the 7.125" blade? Mine is the 4.75" version... it's all the length a backpacker needs. I can cut firewood far wider across than 5". But again, it's a matter of being smarter than the log you're cutting, and with me sometimes the log wins...
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Post by bradmacmt on Jan 15, 2021 14:44:31 GMT -8
Yeah, I went to googling the instant I saw bradmacmt 's Opinel post. For the rare trip when I know my hiking bud(s) will want a fire, it would be nice to carry a little saw at less than 4 oz. But the $35+ price turned me off. Well, for $35 and 3.9oz's you have a saw that will last all your backpack trips for the next 10-15 years and will provide endless hours of enjoyment. It's not some plastic junk made in China, but a real/quality tool made out of steel and wood from France. Seems like a bargain to me...
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tomas
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Post by tomas on Jan 15, 2021 15:02:23 GMT -8
I had no idea that Opinel even offered folding saws! It certainly looks prettier than my Gerber saw and probably weighs a lot less to boot.
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Post by johntpenca on Jan 15, 2021 15:35:29 GMT -8
I'm not anti-fire. A nice fire can be a mood enhancer where appropriate and done safely.
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driftwoody
Trail Wise!
Take the path closer to the edge, especially if less traveled
Posts: 14,877
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Post by driftwoody on Jan 15, 2021 16:17:46 GMT -8
For the saw in your pic (4.75"), or the 7.125" blade? Mine is the 4.75" version... it's all the length a backpacker needs. I can cut firewood far wider across than 5". But again, it's a matter of being smarter than the log you're cutting, and with me sometimes the log wins... I've never taken a folding saw backpacking. I put my 7" folding Corona saw through heavy work in little-used local forest preserve routes on day hikes. I like to get off the beaten path, and there is some serious blowdown. The really thick tree boles can usually be stepped over, but I encounter some branches up to 6" blocking the path in a gordian tangle of smaller junk tree growth. I spent nearly an hour clearing one such mess last weekend. If I invest in an Opinel I'd probably get the one you have but only for backpacking, not subjecting it to the heavy use I described.
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Post by High Sierra Fan on Jan 15, 2021 16:33:38 GMT -8
I'm not anti-fire. A nice fire can be a mood enhancer where appropriate and done safely. I’ve been shifting a bit tbh with all the recent wildfires. The hitch is that “ where appropriate and done safely“ in our world so chock full of arrogant fools who are the world’s total experts: in their own minds.
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