Chainsaws on the road.

Mate has a 36 volt Ryobi Cordless, magic saw, wouldn't have anything else.

I carried a small petrol for a few years

Switched to the 36v cordless Ryobi.....works a treat...little slower on cutting simply because of the rev's the chain does....but cuts well...good decision and happy with it

What do you want a chainsaw for?

If you are just chopping up a bit of light material for a campfire anything will do but if you are in places like the Vic High country and need to clear a decent tree off the road you need a decent petrol saw

Depends on where you go. An electric one with the chain kept very sharp will suit most. In the northern parts of Oz the timber gets much harder which can leave the electric saws struggling. Try cutting gidgee at night and it throws sparks the wood is so hard.

I'd go for battery...the technology is pretty good now. I have an 18V Black n Decker and its one of the most useful tools I have for use around the house (primary reason). But we take it with us when travelling but have only used it a few times on the road.

My experience with batteries is that you charge them up, don't use them for weeks, and the darn things are always flat, just as you want to use them. [:-(

My Still travels in an ex-army ammunition box with a slot cut in it for the blade, and a plastic blade protector on the blade and chain.
I keep a couple of bottles of oil (2-stroke oil and bar oil) in the box with the saw, along with basic chainsaw tools and a spark plug, and I carry a 5 litre poly fuel container with 2 stroke mix in it.
It's been travelling like that since 1989. It's done a lot of work, it's on its second bar and about its fourth chain, and it still starts first or second pull.

I've often had to remove sizeable trees that have blocked roads and tracks, particularly after strong winds or a bushfire.
I wouldn't like to attack a sizeable eucalypt with a battery-powered saw.
You'd probably be starting off with a half-flat battery to start with, so you'd more than likely run out of power before you got 'er done.

If you carry a 36V battery, it needs charging regularly - so it's only going to be a workable solution if you're carrying a genset, too, to my way of thinking.

Bottom line I guess, is how likely you are going to be regularly travelling through moderately-heavily treed country.
I used to travel the remote areas of the Southern Goldfields of W.A. a lot and the country is fairly heavily treed.

Cheers, Ron.

Just my opinion. I have carried a bow saw and axe for as many years as I have been 4WDing. Only ever used them for gathering campfire wood. I have in the past winched smallish trees of tracks although very infrequently. Anything that is too big to be winched or dragged off a track is in my opinion not the sort of job I would try to tackle with a battery powered chain saw. A reasonably sized petrol saw would be needed. Even a reasonable quality saw with a charged up battery and nice sharp chain is not going to (if you will excuse the pun) cut it. Just a bit of campfire sized wood should be OK.
As others have said, it depends where you are traveling and your purpose for considering taking a powered saw.

Cheers
Pop

G'day Mike,
"I love the smell of 2 stroke in the morning"!

Cant beat a petrol chainsaw when the going gets tough. Wouldn't be without my reliable Stihl saw. Reckon you cant go wrong with a Stihl, Husky or Echo saw but if you won't be using it much one of the cheapies might suffice.

Just make sure if you go for a 2 stroke saw use fuel stabilizer in the mix so it's always ready to go after sitting around between uses. Modern fuels tend to go stale pretty quick & will gum up your fuel system if you don't add stabilizer. I use STA-BIL brand but there are a few different ones around.
Also use 2 stroke oil rated for AIR cooled engines & not for outboards.

Cheers
Stu

Used to carry a petrol chainsaw. Hate petrol.
Now carry a 240V sabre saw and run it from the inverter. Very light and compact.
I can cut a bulbar in half with it. Try that with your chainsaw. :)

Cheers,
Peter
OKA196 Motorhome.

We use a cheap $99 ozito petrol saw from bunnings for travel. It was left over from a commercial job at work and has surprisingly never missed a beat. It is also an excellent climbing saw. We also have an electric saw and a mcullough pro mac (yes original).... each saw for their own job and I do like an electric saw but in the bush the versatility of petrol vs the pain to carry the stinky little thing is well worth it in my opinion.