chapps

[lxskllr]

Regarding expense... For professional use, it makes sense to pay to make your job nicer. High end pants(or whatever) may not be "fun", but when you're spending hours every day in them/using it, it adds more to life than something that's "fun", but only gets used on weekends.

[sidehill6]

have worn various brands of pants in the past but kinda got away from them and just wore jeans, thanks to you guys i ordered a pair of elvex wraps today. not getting any younger or faster. thanks

[longtime lurker]

Always a double edged sword for me - I make an informed decision about risk at the start of every day.

The single most dangerous thing I can do in summer is wear chaps. As Barge said any of the lightweights aren't pulling up a big saw... it's heavyweight or why bother... and due climate conditions the heavyweights are dangerous here because they will cause you to dehydrate and overheat. A couple guys had to die first but now we've got a statewide risk assessment in place and an out from chaps because the risk of hyperthermia from wearing the chaps is higher than the risk of cutting yourself without them. But you can't be working solo either, and its only available to guys with an "advanced production" felling ticket so... experienced professionals not the weekend warriors.

Winter I wear them... gets down around 80°F and I start to shiver and they're nice and warm. ;D

The thing that gets me is "wear chaps" has become a substitute for "handle your saw correctly".  It really irks me when I see "experts" stand behind a saw instead of beside it when limbing or crosscutting. That change of stance takes 95% of your body out of the line of fire in the event of an incident. Maybe it's just me, or a local thing, but growing up swinging on big saws much less the old gear drives.... think about where it will go if it comes back after ya was drummed into us early. And nose awareness too: lot of inertia in a big saw and I can't recall ever having one kick back hard enough to engage the chain brake but how much of that is inertia and how much is the fact that some part of my brain is thinking of where the nose of the saw is? PPE is supposed to be the last line of defence, not a substitute for careful handling.

[treemuncher]

I was first introduced to "Saw Chaps" during a Master Logger class back in the early-mid 90's. It's really a no-brainer when you compare the cost of the chaps to the cost of medical bills. It's just cheap insurance. Chaps, hard hat, gloves, ear plugs and safety glasses every time. I don't have time or money to waste in a doctor's office.

I don't have to cut much with a saw but when I do, it's for precision drops or difficult terrain situations. And I break Rule 1 with a chain saw every time I use one - NEVER WORK ALONE WITH A SAW. So I take the time to wear chaps regardless of weather conditions. Yep, they are hot in the humid south but I deal with it. My life is worth it.

I did cut through my first pair of saw chaps with an unexpected saw incident. It made it through the chaps and through my blue jeans but drew NO blood. I only run a Husky 385xp as it's all I need. The chaps did well and when I purchased a replacement pair, I bought the best Bailey's had at the time (Work Safe?). The cost of chaps is minimal compared to what can happen without them.

[Pine Ridge]

I work alone 90 percent of the time as well. I've ran a chainsaw since a very young age, my Dad was a logger, and he showed me the do's and don'ts and techniques. I've been lucky as i've never been cut, but anytime i use a saw could be my first, and possibly last. Young eyes watch us as we fall a yard or hazard tree and cut it up. I will continue to wear my chaps.

[teakwood]

The single most dangerous thing I can do in summer is wear chaps. As Barge said any of the lightweights aren't pulling up a big saw... it's heavyweight or why bother... and due climate conditions the heavyweights are dangerous here because they will cause you to dehydrate and overheat. A couple guys had to die first but now we've got a statewide risk assessment in place and an out from chaps because the risk of hyperthermia from wearing the chaps is higher than the risk of cutting yourself without them. But you can't be working solo either, and its only available to guys with an "advanced production" felling ticket so... experienced professionals not the weekend warriors.

With all do respect Ll but your wrong on this one.
We two are probably ones of the very few in this forum who can actually argue over hot temps logging. We work in similar nasty climates.

Of course chaps are off the discussion when we talk about our temps, but i can talk about the pants i use, i have praised them here many times (i don't have any business with pfanner in any form), i'm just a very happy customer and will not buy another pants as long as they fabric them.
I don't sweat any more in the pants than in regular jeans/workpants. shorts are off the table, nobody would use shorts in our bush, too many uninvited crawlers and nasty vegetation. the pants have vent zippers on the backside of the knees, so a fresh breeze passes over the skin from time to time, the pants are preformed, stretchy, venting back fabric. very robust front fabric. The pant has Klass1 protection (20m/s) and are aproved. So that statement about a light pant can't protect against big saws is absolutely wrong, or is true for cheap products. but not for this price class  

 https://www.treestuff.com/pfanner-gladiator-ventilation-red-chainsaw-pants/


here is another guys opinion i found in a random forum

I'm not sure what it is about the Gladiators, but the fit is exceptional. Even though they're type C with full Kevlar all around they are really, really comfortable, and lighter than you would think. Certain features are an advance over other pairs. Pfanner covered all the fine details and crafted an exceptional pair of chainsaw protective pants.

I've used a range of chainsaw protective pants over the years, Stihls, Husqvarnas, Cloggers out of New Zealand, undoubtedly the Pfanner Glads are in a class by themselves, are the best I have ever worn. I climb in them daily.

Normally I write manufacturers a polite letter, suggesting ways to improve their product; extreme end-user feedback. For Pfanner, the letter might just as well read "Thank You", not for the steep price tag, but for producing for us CLIMBERS a product that warrants and can stand up to that price. All I can say is, they're really remarkable. For Pfanner, to produce this level of pant, and calling this price, into a small and already highly competitive market, THAT takes a lot of courage.

Ll, spend the 300$ and order one, i guarantee you you won't regret it.

just my two cents

[brianJ]

Longtime Lurker makes a very important point.    The absolute most essential safety device is your grey matter.    Everything else is just a secondary layer of safety.