Chaps anyone?

[cmontana]

Does anyone wear protective chaps? Ever glad you did? Is there a real benefit? What's the best type/brand to buy?

Thanks for your advice.

 

[chipper]

Never have, maybe will.

 

[Max]

Yes, yes and yes !

Stihl wrap arounds.

Nice to know they are there and offer protection for a very common injury to the legs. I have seen my friends leg opened up while cutting and it was not pretty. If he had chaps on the injury would have been lessened or eliminated.

Stay safe.

 

[chipper]

I usually just wear really thick, double or triple layered Arborwear pants. I feel safe enough in those....

 

[keith c raymond]

Most definetley,because its when you are almost done for the day,a little tired,you get bit.I have the Husky wraparounds,and they do the trick.

 

[njforestfire]

Yes - always wear them and glad I did. Had a chain throw and catch the sprocket and whip back and tagged my thigh. Slightly cut the chap and surely would have left a mark through regular jeans.

 

[bgadway]

I wear them and to this day have never actually cut a set.(knock on wood) but I have thrown the chain and nicked them a couple of times, and thrown the chain and hit my leg a couple of times "it leaves a mark"

 

[z4lunch]

Steve here...
Always...

 

[Chopwood]

I have a pair of chaps that are scarred across the right thigh. I keep 'em hung up un the shop to remind me to be safe and always wear PPE.

 

[cmontana]

Thanks everyone for your feedback. I'm definitely going to get some chaps before I cutting anymore wood.

One thing that occurs to me is that the position of the chainsaw is different when milling as opposed to bucking (or any other type of cutting). Seems like more protection would be needed in the torso area.

Does anyone know if there is anything like chaps for the mid-section and/or arms?

 

[runninghot]

I have worn them for a number of years, the green ones that I think are park service issue or something. I don't use them all the time, but feel better using them when I have to work real quick or am limbing down trees with other people running saws around me. We have a venomous snake in these parts called a Mamushi, that likes to hang out where there is brush and down wood, chaps offer some protection in that regard as well.

 

[njforestfire]

If you have to hold a saw up THAT high....you probably shouldn't be doing what you are doing. I'm sure all of us (me included) have cut stuff higher than our head which is usually a big no-no. So head and chest protection are pretty hard to get when doing something that really shouldn't be done in the first place.

 

[njforestfire]

Chaps do offer some protection to snake strikes/bites. Been uncomfortably too close to some timber rattlers and the chaps gave a more secure feelings then not having them. Tall boots are ALWAYS a must. I prefer 12"ers just for that reason.

Green chaps are usually Forest Service but now they are available thru Bailey's to the public.

 

[cmontana]

I didn't mean to imply that I was holding the saw above my head or naything like that. If you place your cant on saw horses (as I've heard many do) to save your back and legs, then the bar is in a horizontal plane closer to your mid-section than your knees. I would think that chaps would be of less benefit in that situation. If someone made a waist coat of the same material chaps are made of, that would be ideal for milling on an elevated cant.

 

[runninghot]

It's a real trade off between protection and staying cool in the summer. I often wear chaps with a no sleeve tee shirt...just can't stand wearing a lot of clothing in the heat.
I must be foolish I guess, everyone else I work with are all covered up.

 

[Blowdown1]

the real benefit only comes if you need them. It is insurance basically. Is there a real benefit to paying for homeowners with extra liability coverage? Many would say no, but get sued once and you wish you had it. Same w/ PPE.

I've had one slap on the thigh w/ a thrown chain. Had chaps on and probably saved me from at least a few good cuts, though probably nothing serious had I just been wearing jeans.

 

[fwf]

It's a real trade off between protection and staying cool in the summer. I often wear chaps with a no sleeve tee shirt...just can't stand wearing a lot of clothing in the heat.
I must be foolish I guess, everyone else I work with are all covered up.

I agree 100%! In the winter, I wear full PPE, including chaps, but in the summer, I wouldn't last a half a day if I was bundled up like an orange Michelin man. Heat (for some of us) leads to fatigue that leads to accidents. A catch-22.

In the summer, I wear chaps only when I feel they might have real benefit -- bucking and limbing. When felling, I feel the benefits of chaps is minimal.

Just my 2 cents.

Joe

 

[bookerdog]

yesssssssssssss I have a pair that have a nice rip in them. I think without them the leg would of cost me more to replace then the chaps

 

[2Coilinveins]

I feel naked just holding a chainsaw without wearing chaps, whether it's running or not. Like others, I've only tossed a chain that left a mark on the chaps but probably wouldn't have done much if I'd only been wearing jeans or Carhartts. Scared me enough to wear them religiously from then on, though.

 

[fishhuntcutwood]

I also always wear them. I have a pair of the Labonville pads that go inside your pants for when I'm out and about, and brush is an issue. I let my Filson pants fight the brush off, knowing that my chaps are on underneath should a chainsaw come calling. In my yard bucking firewood, I've got a pair of the Woodsman Pros out of Bailey's. The other day I went over to a buddy's house to cut down a 30' cedar in his yard. I get there, put on chaps, helmet, goggles, all that. He was laughing his butt off, but that's just what I wear. Always.

Never had to use it, but hey, it only takes once.

Jeff