Top 8 Best Folding Saw For Camping Of 2023 Reviewed + Buying Guide

Everyone who has ever gone backpacking or camping would agree with me that a folding saw is an invaluable tool to have with you, useful to saw fallen branches, clearing bush around your site, getting wood for your campfire, and when you need to make a shelter. 

Like all things, purchasing a folding saw blindly without the relevant information is like a dice toss, just buying and hoping the one you get suits your need. I think we all know that is a bad buying strategy. 

This article provides an in-depth review of the best folding saw for camping in 2023. There is also a brief buyer’s guide that helps you know what to look out for when buying a folding saw and a section where the most frequently asked questions concerning folding saws are answered.

Best 8 Folding Saws For Camping 2023

Silky Professional Folding Saw

I will kick off this article with one of the biggest folding saws in the market, the saw for all big jobs; The Silky Professional BIGBOY 2000. Do you plan on doing some trail maintenance and anticipate the need to cut really large logs? This saw is your best bet as it can comfortably cut logs as large as 8″ in diameter.

This is also a perfect choice if you are snowmobiling, trail riding, or ATVing, as it does wonder for quickly dispatching fallen logs from the trail. It features an aggressive cut blade and would cut through almost any material with ease.

This folding saw is for the big jobs and would probably be overkill for typical campfire needs.

Pros

Cons

Takeaway

Silky’s professional BigBoy folding saw combines high-quality design with superior performance. Its rubber handle is easy to grip and can be used for versatile tasks with impeccable results – delicate or hard.

Do you want the best saw for camping? This guide helps make your choice easier.

Bahco Laplander Folding Saw

This is a high-quality folding saw from Bahco and is ranked highly amongst folding saws. Bahco Laplander saw boasts of a high-quality steel saw blade with a length of 190mm. 

Its 7.5-inch blade is designed to withstand the test of time. The blade – with 7 teeth per inch – can cut through both dry and wet wood with no difficulty and its hardened plastic handle affords you a good grip as well as excellent durability.

One of the outstanding features of its blade is the fact that it comes with a non-stick coating. Enabling you to glide it through both dry and green wood easily. This folding saw is highly recommended by tons of outdoor enthusiasts for a good reason and after reviewing it, it takes the second position on this list.

Pros

Cons

Takeaway

This is a sturdy general-purpose folding saw ideal for any wildlife enthusiasts – hunters, campers, etc. With blade uniquely coated for low friction and rust protection.

Corona Razor Tooth Folding Saw

The blade of the Corona RS 7245 folding saw is curved and constructed from high-quality carbon steel. This union – incredibly durable high-quality steel and a curved design – ensures that with each pull stroke, the blade’s teeth dig’s deeper into the log it is cutting.

While the design of the blade of this camping hand saw is ideal for pruning, the Corona Best Folding Saw for Camping would serves greatly for any purpose, including cutting down large logs when on the trail. All its teeth have been impulse-hardened and triple-ground to enable them to handle even the toughest of wood.  The Corona RS makers treated its blade and then sealed it using a chrome finish to provide rust protection and protect it against wear-and-tear, by diminishing friction when cutting. 

The handle is designed using a non-slip plastic injection-molded black cover and features a hand stop for additional safety. The blade is held in place – whether it is being used or closed – by a lock button on the handle. This folding saw is an exceptional choice for camping enthusiasts thanks to its compact and lightweight saw design, which makes it easy to carry. 

Pros

Cons

Takeaway

The Corona folding saw is perfect at what it is made to do; cut wood. Its unique teeth design ensures fast cuts, enabling you to cut two times faster than the traditional saw. This folding saw would be a perfect addition to any tool shed.

Home Planet Folding Saw

Amongst the top best budget folding saws, Home Planet folding saw has very few competitors in its price range that delivers even half of what it offers. It is impressively capable considering its affordable price.

This folding saw has an impressively sharp carbon steel blade that cuts cleanly; perfect for gathering firewood for your campsite. The blade is adjustable and locks securely, completely eliminating any risk of an accident. When folded, none of its teeth are exposed, so you can throw it into your backpack with no fear of it snagging.

Weighing only 6 ounces, this 10 inches bladed folding saw is a supremely efficient tool to have on your camping trips. This folding pocket saw is slim enough to fit into your pants pocket during times you need both of your hands to work on something. It feels rugged and is extremely durable.

Pros

Cons

Takeaway

Unlike most folding saws made of cheap and flimsy materials, this folding saw is made of solid, durable, high-performing premium material and would not bend or break.

It is multipurpose and can be used for a wide variety of applications such as camping, hunting, snow saw, etc.

Are you an avid backpacking adventurer? You probably need a backpacking saw then. Check this out.

Silky Gomboy Curve Professional Folding Saw

All Silky Saws folding saws are made using Japanese SK4 high carbon steel. Each Gomboy folding saw has a TPI of 8.5, which ensures a smooth, clean cut. Each of the teeth has its cutting powers and durability improved by being pulse hardened.

The Gomboy has two locking mechanisms that enable you saw at varying angles. You could lock the blade, slightly tilted upwards or lock it straight. Both positions have their benefits when sawing, locking the blade tilted upwards is recommended for when you are sawing close to the ground as it helps prevent your knuckles from scrubbing and getting injured.

Gomboy does a great job at protecting your hands even without this locking mechanism as its handle features a rubber grip with a palm swell at the bottom. The beauty about Silky is that they offer a wide variety of options, if the Gomboy doesn’t tickle your fancy, Pocketboy 140 design would. There are blades as long as 10 inches available if that’s what you prefer.

Pros

Cons

Takeaway

This folding saw is perfect for camping, general pruning, trail building, or backpacking. It’s so handy you will find yourself with it for routine daily camping chores and campfires at night.

Gerber Exchange-A-Blade Folding Saw

Gerber designed their Exchange-A-Blade folding saw for expert campers who will use their saws a great deal when camping, clearing trails, cutting heavy logs, and setting up virgin campsites. If you need a folding saw for only light tasks or are a novice, this is not the right saw for you as you would be wasting all its extra cutting power.

With its 12-inch blade, it is regarded by most people as the best survival folding saw. Weighing 1.1 pounds, the full dimensions when unlocked are 14.7 x 6.6 x 1.1 inches. 

Its unique design makes using 4 pivot points possible, thus increasing your comfort. Some time is required to grasps how to quickly and safely pull out and attach the blade. A major advantage of this saw is the fact that it is sturdy, saving you a lot of energy if you have lots of logs to clear from your campsite.

You are advised to always wear gloves when using this saw and to hook the blade slowly into the loop to prevent cutting yourself accidentally. You however do not have to worry about this saw ripping your backpack as its blade points into a plastic cover when closed.

Pros

Cons

Takeaway

The Exchange-A-Blade folding saw is the best bet when it comes to versatility. Its sharp blades are interchangeable, durable, and intended to cut with little effort. Another great thing is the fact that you can get the blades replaced easily.

Sven-Saw 15″ Folding Saw

The Sven Saw gets an honorable mention on this list because it still folds, even though it is technically a bow saw. Sven Saws, a US company has a track record of excellent quality over its 60 years of existence. It is simple, made of high-grade metal, and has an ingenious design that make it barely take any space at all when folded.

The back bar and saw blade slide into the saw’s handle when not in use with the wingnut screwing tightly into place to ensure they do not slide out. To use the blade, you simply unfold it, fit the back bar into the handle holes, and screw the wingnut to fixate the blade. Viola, you have a sturdy, incredibly rigid, and ready-to-use folding saw.

The Sven folding is 15-inch, weighs 11.1 ounces, and can easily cut pieces of wood up to 5-inch in diameter.

Pros

Cons

Takeaway

Crafted from high-quality materials and designed to be durable, Sven folding Saw is perfect for all uses. Its high-visibility red color ensures that it’s easy to spot.

Survival saws are on a whole different level. Read this guide to discover the best survival saws.

FLORA GUARD Folding Hand Saw

Flora Guard left no stone unturned when designing this sleek 9-inch folding saw. It is a fact that certain types of blades are better suited for various tasks than others. Flora Guard tackles this challenge by creating a camping hand saw that uses 3 interchangeable blades. 

The hardwood blade has 11 teeth per inch; the pruning blade has 5 while the metal blade has 18. All tree blades slide into individual gaps in its carrying case that comes with the saw. With this saw, you never have to worry about not having the proper blade for any specific camping task. 

It has a soft slip-resistant handle and its lock mechanism is easy to use, assuring safe opening and closing of the saw. This folding pocket saw is sturdy, well made, and extremely valuable. The icing on the cake is the fact that replacement blades are readily available; you can easily swap the blades when they dull, rather than buying a new folding saw. 

Pros

Cons

Takeaway

Great multipurpose folding saw for its prices. A fully hardened stainless-steel 7.7inch saw blade works well on small or large branches.

Best Folding Saw For Camping Buying Guide

What factors to keep in mind before buying a Folding Saw?

Ease of Use

This is the first thing you should consider when buying a folding saw for camping. Some saws are intended to work in both the pull and push sawing motion. This effectively reduces half the workload required if you use a saw that cuts with only the pull or push motion.

Weight

How do you camp? If you are backpacking to your campsite, a lightweight folding saw might offer more benefits than one that is heavy and hard to carry. Most saws typically weigh less than 600 Grams, so ensure you go with the one you can easily carry.

Size

You might have a pocket or space in your backpack you want your folding saw to fit. You should purchase a saw that is not just perfect for your needs, but one that is also compact and easy to carry.

Safety

There is one simple rule here. Always buy a folding saw with a built-in locking mechanism. Most saws lock in both the open and closed positions, while some expensive variants like the Silky Saw mentioned above lock in multiple positions to provide easy sawing at various angles.

Comfort

Comfort should be considered highly when selecting a tool you would be working with. Get a folding saw with easy grips, rubber handles, slip-free, and firm.

Saw Blades – for Dry Wood or Greenwood

This is also important because a folding saw made for cutting dry wood will be a nightmare if you try to use it to cut greenwood in the outdoors. While it will cut well at first, it will likely get stuck, clogged with fiber, and unusable.

Dry wood flake and crumble, and as falls out and away when the saw teeth cuts through it. This isn’t the case with greenwood. If you would be cutting greenwood, go for saw blades designed for cutting greenwood specifically. It would often be defined as such on its packaging. There are also folding saws designed for cutting both green and dry wood. You should go for them if you are not sure which wood you’ll be required to cut.

Replacement Blades 

The blades of these saws are designed to be durable, however, a saw blade wouldn’t last forever and sooner or later they will either become dull or break, no matter how careful you are. Go for a saw that has replaceable blades, as it saves you the cost of buying a new folding saw every time the blade dulls or breaks.

FAQs

How Much Is A Folding Saw?

There is no fixed price of a folding saw; however, the average price is $51 with some selling for as low as $13 and some as high as $200. This video is a great folding saw resource.

Can I Replace My Folding Saw Blades?

It depends! Depending on the type of folding saw you own, changing the blade might be possible or impossible.

Can I Sharpen My Folding Saw Blade?

Again, this depends on the type of saw you own and some other factors. While you can sharpen the blades of most folding saws, it’s important to note that it is impossible to capture that first original edge. Because of this, many opt to simply replace the blade. It is also worth stating that most folding saw blades are not designed to be sharpened but to maintain their edge for as long as possible, and when this edge dulls, to be replaced. This video shows you how to sharpen your folding saw:

How Do I Clean The Blades Of Camping Folding Saw?

After using the blades, the easiest way to clean it is to spray with a liquid cleaner, leave on for 8 – 10 minutes and then brush it with a toothbrush. After brushing, rinse the folding saw, dry it, and then finish with another spray. You can also just wash with soap and water and a mild cleaning agent. Remember to wear proper PPE while doing this – gloves and safety glasses.

Can I Buy Replacement Parts?

While most companies sell replacement parts for their folding saw, most do not and you would have to simply replace the entire saw. 

I Saw A Saw With Really Thick Blades. Should I Buy This?

A general rule of thumb when it comes to folding saws is that a thicker blade is more durable and offers better cutting performance and higher precision. However, thinner blades have their uses and you should make a decision not just based on the thickness of the blade but on what you want the folding saw for. You would be better off with a thin blade if you want thinner or flush cuts.

Conclusion

A folding saw is a great accessory to have when camping, its uses makes it invaluable. You can never go wrong with any of the listed Best Folding Saw for Camping as they are all excellent  with sturdy and reliable blades.