Don Foreman wrote:

I have never seen anyone wearing chaps while cutting wood in MN. I
cut a buncha wood today with my sissysaw (14"), but only a little of
it was over 13" dia.


Leg protection is mandatory for all Commercial Fallers or any other
commercial operation working in B.C and I bet everywhere else . Most
Pros wear what looks like jeans but has the pads built into them . So
you might see someone wearing them and not know it . Chaps are fine if
adjusted properly . They twist if worn too loose and then don't protect
as they should . Really they are there to protect your knees more than
anything . Knees being a lot more expensive to fix then a quad . In fact
a big saw can go right through them if the throttle is held open . They
are designed to snag and slow a saw with the throttle released . For a
nice weather day out cutting firewood you can MAYBE get away with out
them your entire life , but when its your job and you are out there in
bad weather on steep terrain the eventually the odds are you will get
tagged . In fact when you wear full protection every day you no longer
notice you even have it on . A very common incident the chaps protect
you from is the dogs . They are always next to your thigh whether the
saw is running or not and moving around on hilly ground sooner or later
you slip . Like any safety gear in any field , a nuisance till you need
it then it's literally worth your life .
Ken Cutt