Saws for Camp and Backpack
Bowhunting Necessities for Australia and New Zealand
Gerber Exchange-A-Blade Folding Saw
Although it only weighs a few ounces, the Gerber Exchange-A-Blade Folding Saw will find a 101 uses around any campsite and it will be a great help when it is time to butcher your next trophy.
The high-carbon steel, 10-inch blade bristles with super-sharp double-cut teeth that will make short work of all your brush-clearing and firewood jobs, and it will zip through the toughest pelvic bone in seconds. Blade folds into handle for compact packing.
Here is an amateur
.
that is a reasonably objective review of the Gerber Exchange-A-blade Saw.
Price:$59.95 (AU$47.95)
Gerber Gator Combo Axe II
Whether you are traveling the remote Outback wastelands, the jungles of the York Peninsula, the steep rocky off-roads of the Southern Alps or the muddy tracks of the Ureweras, every bowhunter's ute needs a good ax and a saw to deal to firewood and trees blocking the track. The trouble is, axes and saws sturdy enough to do the job are bulky and heavy and the smaller hatchet-sized axes are worse than useless in many emergency situations. Now Gerber has come to the off-roader's rescue with this dandy lightweight ax with a small saw built right into the handle where it is stored neatly and securely out of sight yet is always there when a need arises. Not only is the Gerber Gator Combo Axe II sturdy enough to handle 75 percent of your chopping and sawing tasks, it is light enough to backpack in to your remote campsite.
The Polyamide handle of the Gator Combo features a textured-rubber grip that fits comfortably in the hand and is both lightweight and tough, and the high-carbon-steel head of the ax is injection molded right into the handle where it can't separate or come loose. The saw part of this kit stores inside the axe handle and is held in place with a patented magnetic lock that holds the saw securely but allows it to be easily removed when needed.
Gerber Gator Combo Axe comes complete with a durable ballistic nylon sheath to protect the edge. Belt loops made of heavy Nylon webbing provide a convenient means of carrying on hip or backpack. The internal saw features the same Gator textured Polyamide handle as the ax. The short six-inch steel saw blade has aggressive teeth to make short work of sticks and small logs up to about three inches in diameter, perfect for constructing a quick maimai or clearing a shooting lane through the gorse. The entire kit weighs only two pounds (less than a kilogram) and is a compact 15.6 inches (39.6 cm) long.
This is a well-made and handy little ax but bear in mind that it is a lightweight designed for easy transport. If you are looking to cut down trees or chop up heaps of firewood, you will be better off with a standard-sized ax or a chain saw.
Price:$89.95 (AU$71.95)
Gerber Gator Machete
Anyone who has spent any time in rural South or Central America can tell you some amazing stories about the ubiquitous machete. The
campesinos
A campesino is a farmer or field worker in a Latin-American country.
(from The Free Dictionary
http://www.thefreedictionary.com)
Also a pretty-good British rock group.
seem to carry them everywhere they go and use them for everything from food gathering and preparation to mowing hay. They are the ideal tool for clearing brush and for any job that requires a large knife. The problem with most machetes you see in New Zealand and Australia is that they aren't kept sharp (Every SA campesino who carries a machete will also have a stone or file to keep the edge keen.) and we tend to expect too much of them. A machete isn't a substitute for a chain saw, ax, or even a hatchet and they aren't good for felling trees or splitting firewood.
The Gerber Gator is a classic machete in every sense of the word. It has a hefty fifteen-inch (38 cm) blade that is crafted from high-carbon steel with a sharp (very sharp) edge and a useable saw (again, don't expect too much from the saw) on the back. The comfortable ergonomic grip features Gerber's famous rubberised textured surface for non-slip safety and control. Also included is a Nylon sheath with a belt loop and riveted reinforcements at the important stress points.
Price:$49.95 (AU$39.95)
Meyerco Folding Saw and Sheath
The Meyerco Folding Saw and Sheath is small and compact enough to take on all your bowhunting trips. Yet it is sturdy enough with a course-tooth super-sharp blade to handle all your firewood and camp-site preparation jobs. And it will be invaluable when it comes time to butcher your trophy as it will make short work of splitting the pelvic bone to sperate hind quarters.
The 420-grade stainless-steel blade has a simple push-button release and locks in both the open and closed position while the hand-filling rubber handle insures a non-slip grip that wont induce fatigue with extended sawing tasks as will saws with thin handles. And the Meyerco Folding Saw is easy to carry in the durable nylon belt sheath.
Overall length of the The Meyerco Folding Saw is 39 cm with a 16cm blade. There is a lifetime warranty on this item from the manufacturer.
Price $29.95 (AU$23.95)
Griz-Saw from Outdoor Edge
<The Griz-Saw's triple-ground diamond-cut blade will make short work of the toughest New Zealand or Australian game animals cutting through bone as easily as it cuts through tree limbs.
The ergonomic T-shaped handle allows cutting with a natural straight wrist which delivers 100-percent of your muscle-power to the cutting blade. The Griz-Saw also allows you to cut from any angle with a secure lock-on grip, even when your hands and the item you are cutting are soaking wet. The Griz-Saw from NZAP comes complete with a quick-release Zytel sheath and a swivel clip that can be used to attach the saw to your belt or backpack.
The Griz-Saw blade is 8 inches (20.3 cm) long; overall length is 11-1/4 inches (28.6 cm); and it weighs a mere 5.4 ounces (153 grams)
Price:$39.95 (AU$31.95)
Pack Saw From Outdoor Edge
The Pack-Saw comes in a compact package with all components stowed in the handle and makes up into a sturdy 12" bow-saw that is capable of sawing through logs up to about four-inches in diameter (or larger if you have a lot of patience). The complete Pack-Saw package includes three blades, (one each for wood, bone and metal) and a nylon storage/carry pouch for easy packing.
The Pack Saw sets up from the pouch to the complete bow saw in just a few seconds (and it takes down just as easily). Another cool feature of this saw is that it uses standard hack-saw sized blades that are available in any Bunnings of Miter 10 hardware store.
The Pack Saw kit comes with blades for wood, bone, and metal included. Blades are 12" (30.5 cm)long. the entire kit fits into a sturdy nylon storage bog with a draw string and weighs a mere 14 ounces (397 grams), which is quite light and handy when you consider the size and capabilities of the saw.
Price:$39.95 (AU$31.95)
QUICK TIP
How To Straighten Twisted Recurve Limbs
Yes, it is possible to repair even badly twisted limbs on laminated recurve bows. Provided that there are no cracks or delimitations, the following procedure taken from an old archery magazine (with special thanks to Archery History.com ) will usually work. The drawings may be old but the basic techniques work as well as they did in the 1950s, which is about 75% of the time in the NZAP archery repair shop.
If you try this, go slowly and avoid overheating the limbs. If it doesn't work the first time, try again with a bit more heat and leave the limb in position overnight (at least) before unclamping it.
Twisting can be caused by several things. Leaving a strung bow in the back seat of a hot auto is a popular one. Standing a strung bow in a corner for a long period of time is another. But the most common twisting is caused by stringing the bow improperly, so if this works to straighten your twisted limb be sure to use a proper bow stringer next time.