Need recommendation for "pro" chainsaw chaps

[phidauex]

Hi,

My younger brother-in-law is starting to get serious about his forestry career. He's been a sawyer for the forest service and various agencies doing wildland fire fighting, working fires in CO, UT and CA for the last few years. He's getting quite good at it, leading crews and whatnot, but has always been using just "issued" gear. He's finally getting his own gear together to expand his career. He has been cutting several days a week recently, doing pine beetle mitigation and fire mitigation, but still has the indignity of having to borrow his dad's chaps, which is all well and good, but they aren't meant to hold up to daily use, and hey, every pro should have their own set of gear.

I'd like to get him a really good set of chaps for long term use, but am only familiar with the cheap stuff. There are a few things he's complained about regarding his borrowed chaps... He really likes the Forest Service issue stuff, here's what he likes about them:

Three buckle design, instead of two buckle
Good, big, easy to access pocket for wedges
40" length (he's a tall guy anyway, and likes them to go a little further down his boots than normal)
Green, instead of orange.

I also imagine there are a lot of differences in protection level, and all around durability. I'd be happy to pay a little extra for something better, since he'll be using them a LOT, and has a pretty powerful saw (not sure which model, but its a pretty big Stihl).

Any recommendations from folks who have to use their chaps every day? I know from other industries that the details really make the difference when you use gear every day, and I just don't have the experience to tell.

Any recommendations for good forestry helmets would be appreciated too.

Thanks,
Sam

[Dan_Shade]

http://www.baileysonline.com/itemdetail.asp?item=138+GRN+40&catID=

this might get you started.  Bailey's has a lot of gear, browse around their site a bit. 

[beenthere]

phidauex  Welcome to the forum.
If in doubt, I'd send him the money to buy the pair he likes.    No risk to you then, that he gets just what he wants. Sounds like he has fussed over some already, and you are trying to keep that from happening.   

Good on you for caring about him.

A search on chaps will bring up several good discussions about them. 

[phidauex]

Thanks for the suggestions, finding a lot of good possibilities. Who'd have thought that something as simple as chaps could get so complex? I blame the internet, back in the day, I'd just go down to the farm store and buy some chaps. Ignorance is bliss, I suppose.

Any thoughts on the Labonville chaps? Their 6-ply chaps look nice, and come in green. Very reasonably priced, too. Pocket comes separately though...

-Sam

[RSteiner]

Thanks for the suggestions, finding a lot of good possibilities. Who'd have thought that something as simple as chaps could get so complex? I blame the internet, back in the day, I'd just go down to the farm store and buy some chaps. Ignorance is bliss, I suppose.

Any thoughts on the Labonville chaps? Their 6-ply chaps look nice, and come in green. Very reasonably priced, too. Pocket comes separately though...

-Sam

I bought a piar of Labonville chaps about 6 weeks ago to replace a pair of chaps that had the Husky brand name on them.  I like the Labonville chaps so far, the outer shell seems to be a little more durable than the other chaps but time will tell. 

I wear a 33 inch inseem on regular pants and got the long size chaps which were none too long.  The lenght size of the chaps is measured from the top of waist band to the bottom cuff so get a length that is at least 6" more than your inseem size.

Randy

[Maineloggerkid]

I like the Labonville chaps. I have worn some with the wrap around style and some without. I personally like the non-wrap style, because they don't seem to "bunch up" as much.

[Kevin]

SwedePro chaps are quality chaps.
Full wrap with a mesh lining that allows them to breathe.

http://www.gransfors.us/SwedePro.pdf

[timberfaller390]

I can't blame him for liking the Forest Service issue chaps. I too am a USFS firefighter and those are the ones I prefer. When I was sent to Miss. After katrina on a saw crew the incident issued us all a new pair of F.S. chaps and never told us to turn them in. Something to think about is there is only a couple of brands that are rated for firefighting, show up with anything else and you'll get kicked off the fireline. Check with National Firefighter Corp. they have a pretty big sawyer section in thier catalog. Also Ben Meadows sells a pair of fire compliant chaps.  I like Beenthere's thought about just giving money, that way there is no mistake.

[BuddhaKat]

Just remember this about the FS issued chaps, they came from the lowest bidder.  Personally, the Labonville video is pretty convincing to me.

[beenthere]

BuddaKat
Lowest bidder, but to pretty tough specs.

Mine are to the FS specs, and they have functioned very well the two times I needed them to work. And they are comfortable to wear...so much so, that I usually wear them to just walk the woods, as well as when splitting firewood. Good leg protection.

[timberfaller390]

Just remember this about the FS issued chaps, they came from the lowest bidder.  Personally, the Labonville video is pretty convincing to me.

They may have come from the lowest bidder but they are about the best and heaviest built chaps I have used and I have gone through several different brands.

[Urbicide]

I have a set of the 6-ply Labonville full-wrap chaps. They are very well made. Be sure to order a set long enough or you will end up with a set of "high water" chaps.