Basic Maintaining Toolkit
The tools I regularly carry on maintenance trips are as follows: hand loppers, folding hand saw, trash bag, and a mid-size anvil type lopper for roots.
Photo one, top to bottom. Standard limb saw, non-foldable, Silky 500mm folding saw, Fiskars limb saw non-folding, Fiskars folding saw, generic folding saw.
Photo two, top to bottom. True Temper bypass loppers, Fiskars mid-size anvil loppers, Fiskars bypass hand loppers
Photo three, left to right trail hoe, rogue hoe, McLeod, Pulaski
Things I don’t always carry, but carry as needed: a weed whip, a shovel, rogue hoe, or Macleod, and a more robust folding hand saw. Many maintainers do not own some of the more specialized tools, but DCNR and Forestry will often have tools that will lend to stewards/maintainers.
You will notice I have not included any power tools in my list. Power tools do not always work, hand tools do. Power tools require fuel, and/or batteries, and so that means they are heavier to take along. Power tools are also potentially more hazardous because they are powered.
You don’t take any of the tools I’ve listed unless you’re sure they will be needed. If you know that water bars and drains will need to be cleared, you should bring the proper tool. If you know that you have a tree down across the trail that can be cleared with a handsaw, bring a proper sized hand saw.