I've see only one that I thought would work. It was marketed by the Boy Scouts in the late 70's/early 80's. Construction was from a single strand of much thicker wire with sharp teeth formed on it. It would still gum up in green wood but cut great until it did. The teeth were sharp enough that it really needed a pouch out of leather or something similar.

Actually I have A Wyoming style saw made by Gerber.(the one that breaks down into pieces) and this saw also comes with fine and course blades. Its a great saw as well, but way too bulky for a belt or even my backpack as the sheath is quite long. I could carry the parts loose but that is more trouble than it is worth. The folding type suits my needs in the field a lot better. Usually I keep the bigger saw home in my garage as it is absolutely wonderful for butchering.

during my day hikes i carry a gerber exchange-a-blade. hunting / dismemberment is not in my anticipated daily hikes, so i'm ok with just the coarse blade. it has helped to make many a trail more civilized. also carry a leatherman wave.

bsmith

You have NO idea how much fun you are missing! LOL

Saws are usefull not so much for precision as SAFETY. I own and use an axe. Please review Dougs comments on the things in a survival situation.Then Buy Mors Kochanski's excellent BUSHCRAFT book and get religon. The wire saw can have a use beyond the space in a Altoid tin. if you don't find that use go with something else. I have the Pocket Chainsaw in my larger pocket kit. When I go up in a sailplane it's a perfect compromise.I haev enough trouble bending my long legs into the cockpit. I am not about to lug a 28"- 4 lb axe or bowsaw in there too.

I hunt with the Eberlestock J104 back pack which has the large zip open meat compartment. The pack is designed to go in light and come out heavy, if you are successful of course. Even a small axe gets very heavy with a 100lb quarter of meat in your pack. In my line of work the only way I could carry an axe would be if it was issued to me(usually the absolute cheapest model available) Anything visible strapped to my rucksack has to be authorised kit, so I can at least hide my folding saw in a cargo pouch. So far, for me at least, I have found that my saw can do most of what an axe can do(withen reason) in a much lighter and easier to carry unit. Everyone has a different need I suppose.

Les Stroud in his first season of survivorman broke a wire saw in one episode and you quickly see his opinion of the frustrating little thing. It made a big impression on me. I went through all of my kits, trashed the wire saw and replaced them with the "chainsaw" variety. I always assumed I just wasn't using it "properly" and it turns out I was fine and it was junk.

I'm not a big fan of wire saws but there's something that isn't taken into consideration:

The smaller the branch/tree/wood/ you are cutting, the smaller the radius is which the wire needs to wrap around. This makes the wire bend A LOT more each stroke and as anybody who's used a paper clip for it's non-intended purpose knows, this weakens the wire/metal.

As I recall, Les Stroud was trying to cut something far less thick than wrist size...I could be mistaken however.

Either way, there are quality version of these saws to be had made from materials which can handle the stress (more than the cheapos most of us are familiar with anyhow)...but I'm still not a fan.

Yea, the size on the gerber is quite attractive, though, I have no issue slipping the wyoming's 12inch sheath into my backpack. In terms of convenience its no contest (gerber), but i find the wyoming is nicer/safer once you have it set up. Different strokes for different folks

I'd like to try this saw out:

http://www.cabelas.com/cabelas/en/templa...66200&nyr=1