The Best Folding Camp Saw

Last Updated on May 14, 2020 by EditorIf you’re packing up your bag for a weekend camping adventure or hike and plan on bringing a folding saw to keep your load light, then look no further than the Corona Razor Tooth Camp Saw.   While digging through 10 different options in order to find the best folding camp saw, we tried weighing as many attributes as we could.  And in the end with multiple blade lengths (7, 8, and 10 inches), a curved ergonomical design (cutting down on the sheer work that goes into using a manual saw), and a lifetime warranty (always a plus), the Razor Tooth impresses on multiple fronts.  But while the Razor Tooth is our number one selection on our list of the best folding camp saw models, it also makes for a great saw and tool around the home.

Simply Multi-Purpose For Multiple Adventures

Camping and hiking are pastimes that have varying level of enthusiasts.  We have those who doing to bring the family together and get away on a vacation.  And there are others who see camping as just one part of the adventure of a hike or journey through whatever terrain you like.  If you’re going to be out among the elements and relying on you and your tools, you better have the best folding camp saw at your disposal when the time arises.

This is especially true for those who are long-distance hiking junkies.  If you’re going to be spending days or weeks hiking along the Appalachian Mountains or backpacking through the lush deciduous forests, you’ll need firewood.  And you’ll need something to cut your way through those logs and kindling.  But carrying a large saw or ax brings up cause for concern due to their size and weight.  That’s why a camping saw that folds down into a compact form is so crucial.  It lightens the load and can easily fit into any backpack on the “hiking backpack” market.

But anyway, let’s jump back into it.

The Folding Saws You’ll Find Here:

Best Folding Camp Saw:

Corona RazorTOOTH  Folding Pruning Saw, 10 Inch Curved Blade, RS 7265D

Corona Razor Tooth Folding Saw

As we stated, the three major things that stand out to us about the Corona Razor Tooth is its multiple blade length options, a curved ergonomical design, and a lifetime warranty. It’s crafted from SK5 steel, which contains higher carbon in order to strengthen the steel, meaning you’ll get a blade that stays sharper longer.  If this is a tool you plan on lugging around with you for the foreseeable future, you’re going to have no worries on the dullness front.  The reinforced steel is also going to help when tackling those bigger-than-should-be-cut-with-the-Razor-Tooth pieces of wood. The teeth are whetstone-ground at 3 different angles, allowing for up to 3 times more material grabbed per stroke.

 So then, why the Razor Tooth?

While the Corona Razor Tooth saws are made for medium-width branches and wood, our decision to choose the Corona Razor Tooth over models that can more easily cut through larger branches comes down to its low-entry pricing and that lifetime guarantee.  As we share below, you can splurge on more expensive folding camp saws.  In fact, you may even like them more!  However when it comes to our audience, we’re always keeping price top of mind. But the Razor Tooth can chomp through most of the common tasks you’ll face on the hike or campgrounds.  If you’re looking for anything to cut firewood with, you should consider something like an ax.  Folding saws, of any variety, aren’t going to be designed for you to be chopping lumber or larger trees (anything larger than 7-8″ of thickness is going to be a bear to get through).  Hence the name of that task is “chopping” for a reason–it’s also much easier. The safe-play, middle-ground-price, best folding camp saw to us is the Corona Razor Tooth.  We love it, and we think you will too. 

Who Else Should Get A Folding Saw?

Outside of the obvious answer of “hikers” and “campers” we see there other folks who should be included in this list as well.

Hunters

Hunters, especially larger-game hunters, could definitely benefit from a folding saw for their carrying pack.  For example from SurvivalCommonSense.com, collecting animals racks while hunting makes carrying a folding camp knife a must.  This prevents inadvertent damage to the rack if you’re transporting your kill to your vehicle for field dressing.  Or if the animal is too large to transport, you can do field dressing on the spot and reduce your carry weight there.

Farmers

This is really for those farmers who tend to be mobile around their properties.  A folding saw is simply more convenient to carry than a traditional saw and if you’re traversing on foot, then it should be a no brainer.  Common tasks like fence repair, crop-related work, and more can be handled much easier than that little Swiss Army Knife you might carry instead.

Preppers

Preppers–you know, people prepping for the end of the world.  Yes, if the ever-approaching apocalypse-style doom that people are prepping for suddenly hits, you’re going to been needing a folding camp saw.  Forget the firewood, you’re going to learn how to be a carpenter if you plan on survival a fallout of civilization.

The (Close) Runner Up:

Gerber Freescape Camp Saw [31-002820]

Gerber Freescape Camp Saw

To get back to reality, our runner-up pick is the Gerber Freescape Camp Saw.  It was nearly our number one choice but it’s price point is just a bit on the higher side of the bell curve.  The majority of folding camp saws are anywhere in the $20-$30 range, the Gerber Freescape is certainly above that.

But that should not stop you from seriously considering the Gerber Freescape.  Because if you can afford it, you’re not going to be disappointed.

As you can see here, the Gerber Freescape is an awesome folding saw and different than our pick for the best folding camp saw.  Starting in a very compact form (in comparison to its saw form) the Gerber puts quite a bit into a small package.The Gerber Freescape uses any standard 12-inch bow saw blades.  This gives the user much more control over the options for blade replacement.  Like, for example, the Corona Folding Saw will only take the ergonomically-designed blades.  Instead, the bevy of after-market options are at your fingertips when you need to replace a broken blade.  But a broken blade doesn’t need to be the reason to replace.

We’ve all had moments where we start a job requiring a sharp utensil, only to find it has dulled.  If you’re not bound to a singular type of blade, you will never have a problem with blade dullness.  You can run right out to the local hardware store and pick up your replacement immediately.  Options like this give you great flexibility in a pinch.

Frame Excellence

Moving on to the frame of the Freescape Saw, the rubber overmold grip is quite comfortable to grip.  The Sven Saw (which is a comparable model to the Gerber Freescape) doesn’t have the nice grip which is why we feature the Sven Saw here but it’s further down on our list.  Having a grip that is comfortable goes a long way if you’re going to be cutting wood.  While the Gerber Freescape’s bow saw shape isn’t as ergonomical as the Corona Razor Tooth, at least it’s grip is quite comfortable.

Overall while the Freescape gave a strong run at the Corona Razor Tooth, we had to give nod on the price-side of things.  If money were no object, we’d have considered the Freescape our winner.

See what others have said:

  • Gregory: “Folds up small and cuts quickly without a lot of effort. Also doesn’t weight that much so you could bring this backpacking if you think you may need to process some larger pieces of wood.”
  • A. Reader: “I have used survival saws, hatchets, sven saws, and silky saws on my many camping and hiking adventures. This is hands down the best compromise choice for a saw I have ever used.”
  • Thomas: “It’s really a great design and just perfect. Cuts great. Comfortable to use. And stows away great. It’s now my go to saw.”

The Budget Folding Camp Saws:

Coghlan's Sierra Saw

Coghlan’s Sierra Saw

Found at a price under $10, sometimes under $5, the Coghlan’s Sierra Saw is a true budget camping saw.  But for a folding saw this cheap, it’s a durable and quality saw, which is no surprise coming from a company like Coghlan’s.  As a major player in camping and camping products, they aren’t putting out junk products.  And once we got to have a go with their camping saws, we had to nod our heads in agreement.  The blade is built from tempered flexible steel and the blade locks open for secure cutting.  The blade is around 7.5 inches long and the overall length is approximately 16 inches–so folded up, it’s around 9 inches.  Thing to be wary of is that this is a low-price option, so don’t expect the results and quality in our top 2 picks.  But overall, the price makes this a worthy choice to consider!


Primos Folding Saw

Primos Folding Saw

Our next budget folding saw pick is packaged up for the hiking-minded individuals.  The Primos Folding Saw has a 6-inch blade and is just over 8 inches in its compact form.  You can then easily slide the saw into a pouch that can be securely fasted to your belt.  Definitely a hiker’s folding camp saw!  The Primos compact folding saw has nice teeth serrations and are offset for better and easier cutting.  Located near the joint of the saw is a push-button lock made to keep each push and pull consistent.  At under $15, and sometimes under $10, the Primos saw is an excellent budget pick on our list to find the best folding camp saw.


TABOR TOOLS Pruning Saw, 13 Inch Hand Saw with Curved Blade, Suitable for Trimming Tree Branches and Clearing Forest Trails. TTS13. (13 Inch, Curved Blade, Without Holster)

Tabor Tools Folding Pruning Saw

Our final budget folding saw comes in at a little bit higher price but not much and can still be had under $15.  The Tabor Tools Folding Pruning Saw is sturdy, yet lightweight and efficient.  As we’ve covered before, a lightweight folding camp saw is crucial for hikers when you only have a backpack on.  The blade is 7.5 inches, locks closed and in place for stable cutting, and is tested to cut at least 4-inch branches.  Folded up, the saw is slightly under 10 inches long, so a little larger than our other budget saws.  That also explains the bump in overall cost, which again isn’t terrible.  The design is curved and ergonomical, which made cutting those larger branches easier and without much discomfort.  In the end, the Tabor Tools saw gives you a little more variety on the search for a budget folding camp saw.


The Best Of The Rest:

Bahco 396-LAP Laplander Folding Saw, 7-1/2 -Inch Blade, 7 TPI

Bahco Laplander Folding Saw

Leading off our “Best of the Rest” saws is the best-selling Bahco Laplander folding camp saw.  Bahco (based out of Sweden) is a reputable name in the outdoor hand tools and equipment and their Laplander saw is what you might consider one of those “Honda Civics” of folding camp saws.  A ton of people have these and a ton of people are satisfied with them.  It has a 7.5 inch blade, open/close locking mechanism, and an XT toothing system.  The XT toothing is designed for a fast cut in hard or dry wood. It’s essentially an alternating double-tooth saw design.  The blade does come with a limited lifetime warranty, which always helps ease the mind on a long-term purchase.


Folding Saw 21 inch Blade

Sven Saw

Ahh, the famous Sven Saw.  We couldn’t put together a list to find the best folding camp saw without it.  And while it has a fantastic 50+ year history and is a reliable choice for a folding camp saw, we had our reservations about making it a top pick.  The good things about this saw are what make it such a great-selling and reliable folding saw.  It folds into a small, compact form yet gives you a cutting blade that is  21 inches long.  That’s a lot of blade real-estate, cutting (pun intended) down on the time you’ll spend hacking away at wood.  Where the Sven Saw lacks is in the obvious details like the ergonomics.  It’s not a very comfortable saw to clench while you’re driving the blade through wood.

That said, it’s very stable and secure–given its higher price-point, it makes sense too.  The Sven Saw is well-deserving to be on this list and part of your camping gear.


EverSaw Folding Hand Saw All-Purpose, Wood, Bone, PVC. Best for Tree Pruning, Camping, Hunting, Toolbox. Rugged 8" Blade, Solid Grip - Quality Made for Real Work

EverSaw Folding Hand Saw

The final saw on our list of the best folding camp saws is the EverSaw Folding Hand Saw.  This is another best-seller, so its reputation speaks for itself.  If you’re not familiar (probably why you’re reading this), it has a strong 8 inch blade with triple cut teeth serrations for a smooth cut.  The handle is ergonomic and doesn’t wear on the wrists much when you’re using it.  It’s going to be geared more for medium-size lumber and wood but we felt no exhaustion in our arms after trying it out.  Speaking of the handle, the grip is a nice rubbery material and is slip-resistent.  This is great because if you’re a summer-time long-distance hiker, you’ve dealt with some sweaty hands before.  The EverSaw has a lifetime warranty and is no “last place” model on our list.  It’s well worth it!