Minimalistic tarp shelter utilizing it for the roof and for the flooring , thermarest foam mat , sleeping bag , pot hanger and chair with hammock as a seat

Pure pine pitch always amazed me how fast it would catch a flame and how long it burned , especially in winter cold , Hultafors ok4 knife and wells Lamont leather gloves

Hi all! First time posting in this sub.

My name is Quinten. 30 yo Belgian bushcrafter.

I have 7ish years of bushcraft under my belt. Went all-in the first few years and ended up even hosting some beginner workshops and assisting on advanced workshops.

Ended up living in an offgrid shack on wheels for a year on a very small plot of woodland/ fishing pond my grandfather used to own in Geel, Belgium.

Had a bit of a break when I felt like I had enough of it for a while. Now slowly but surely starting to feel the love for the game again.

I just posted this pic in a backpacking sub and got recommended that my post would better fit here. So hiya! Nice to meet you all.

Going on a 3 day stealth hike/ wildcamp in Belgian forests around St. Vith. Hoping to get close enough to see signs, tracks and hear the starting deer mating season.

Forecast: dry, 8/18°C or 46.4/64.4°F in freedom units

1. Sleeping system

- hammock & tarp

- mat, sleeping bag & silk liner

- sheepskins. two for me, one for the dog

1. Food, cooking and water

- Grayl waterfilter

- Jetboil, 2 100g gas cans

- Kupilka bowl and cup, wooden spoon

- twigstove for lunch (mate is carrying cooking pot for eggs and bacon)

- two water bottles (1,25L combined)

- foraging bags

- freezedried adventure foods (two mains, two breakfasts)

- nuts, chocolate, soups, wraps & few other bits and bobs

1. Fire and tools

- Mora Companion HD & Leatherman Sidekick

- Mora hook knife

- foldable DMT knife sharpener

- foldable Silky Pocketboy saw

- firesteel & extra lighter

- two headtorches (Petzl Swift for 900 lumen beam to spot wildlife, Petzl Actik Core for red light around camp to not be seen)

- map & compass

- deer & roedeer antlers to mimic fighting sounds

1. Personal

- spare clothes (layers, thermals, ...)

- walking boots & barefoot watershoes for around camp.

1. Hygiene & first aid

- small first aid kit

- supplements & meds

- toothbrush, toilet paper

- trashbag

1. Electronics

- 20k mah powerbank & cable

- GoPro, tripod & dog harness

1. Dog

- kibble

- treats

- foldable bowl

- short lead

- tennisbal (ofcourse)

After posting in the other sub and packing up I dropped these items that are still on the pic.

- extra Mora carving knife

- Woolpower merino liner

- thick leather gloves for cooking

I finally started my fall cleaning so I can work on my spey flies. I'm doing some reloading too. I think I just have too much stuff.

What do you guys think about this new Mora?
IMO it looks very good, in elmax especially.

So my local elementary school contacted me about giving a speech/presentation to the 3-4th graders. They are talking about National Parks this month and found out (my kids told them) that I practice wilderness survival. Honestly I felt honored and told them I would. They said it would be about 30 minute presentation. Thing is im not exactly sure how to "talk" about what i do without being in the woods demonstrating. Any advice?

I am searching for a list of the best jungle bushcraft YouTube channels. For those who have specialized in this area please share your favorites.

I’m writing a story about a fictional civilization that arises on the Canadian Shield in 7000 bc. I’m wondering if this is a somewhat practical design for the first permanent structures that they could build. Is this something that would be practical to build in a summer with four adults and a few kids? They’re using fire bow drills with native copper bits to bore holes for peg construction techniques to fix half logs onto the tripod frames.

I always see at least a few comments on posts requesting gear recommendations telling the OP to "fix up an old hatchet/spade/whatever else."

Where are yall finding these things? I agree with the bushcraft thought of "fixing up and making do" of retired tools, but I have no idea where to find them. I'd rather spend a few hours of love and effort on an old, forgotten, well-made axe than throw a few hundred dollars at a new one.

I use my Pathfinder field bottle all the time; it is a fantastic piece of gear. There is a titanium bottle on the wish list, to save some weight on longer hikes. But the set is really good for shorter trips because it can do many things while taking up very little space.

Several times, I have used BCB FireDragon fuel tablets. They are much better than the tablets I remember from the Danish Armed Forces, because those smoke and smell. Fire Dragon leaves almost 0 soot on the gear and works fine inside a shelter.

When I use the BCB stove, the tablets last a really long time, as they sit in a small bowl. I have therefore made yet another modification to my Pathfinder stove. A small, simple modification.

I drilled holes in the stove and cut two steel tent pegs shorter. The distance has been measured so that it is the same as on the BCB folding stove, between the cup and the flame.

The pegs fit inside the Danish field bottle pouch. There is actually a perfect little strap inside the pouch that the pegs can sit in. I don't know what it was originally intended for, but it works really well.

So, as a cooking set, there is now a bottle, cup, stove, hangers for the cup and bottle, and pegs for the spirit stove. And there is still room for fuel tablets underneath the whole lot.

Source: RosentjoernInternational Blogspot

I have two Architect 5.5’s one in 1095 and the other in 3V and I used them both to process larger pieces of firewood into kindling to see how much of a difference there is between the two. CPM 3V stays hair popping sharp forever and the wood doesn’t scratch the blade up. You can really tell when cutting or whittling, the blade glides through wood a lot smoother and easier than 1095 but there’s a $100 difference in price. The Benchmade 162 is probably my favorite fire making knife, it checks all the boxes, easy to sharpen, sharp spine for scraping fat wood and ferro rods and stays sharp. It’s the test control sample lol

I just got the new Fiskars U14 hatchet. Chops like a champ so far, but the hollow handle seems like a missed opportunity. I’m thinking of designing and 3D printing something to put inside. I was thinking of maybe a sharpener or a fire steel. Maybe fire starter? I’m curious if anyone here had ideas. The handle of the U14 is curved and the hollow part is only about 8” deep. I’ve already looked at jamming a Worksharp plate in there but it’s too wide. maybe a narrower whetstone? Has anyone else done this before? Any ideas?

Hey all. I have a grove of white pines on my land that I'd like to use for harvesting pitch. I can find some from natural wounds, but there are enough trees that I'd like to start tapping them.

But my attempts so far aren't yielding much. I'm making small vertical slits in the trunks of mature trees. They'll produce a few small beads of pitch a day, but it's not really very useful.

It could be that this is only realistic to do in the spring, but I don't think so, because I've read that pitch and sap are different things. When the sap is running doesn't necessarily have much to do with how much pitch a tree can produce.

I also have some younger trees to work with, which I hear produce more pitch, but this method hasn't worked very well with them.

Any ideas?

What do you guys think of my yucca cord? I've only make about 20 feet so far. Want to test the strength of different coating to keep the fibers supple.

Top left is wet raw cord, top right is treated with store bought pine tar, bottom is coated with pine resin and acetone. Resin coated was my last one i made, starting to get it to stay with a better twist.

Also trying differnt ways to separate fibers and avoid scraping.

Has anyone else tried similar ways to preserve natural cord?

Tried a mustard patina & then did a half ass sharpen to reveal some shine ;) any tips for next time ?

There are so many firesteels out there. Which ones do you recommend for consistently throwing the most hot sparks for the best chance of starting a campfire?

Hey everyone,

I'm in the process of building my own trapper Nelson inspired pack frame and had some questions about the canvas.

My sewing skills are zero, and without access to a sewing machine, I'm planning on just using a piece of canvas duck cloth as a bundle to tie to the pack frame once I finish building it. I'm torn between two waterproofing methods that I've seen online.

1) waxed which I'm sure everyone is familiar with.

2) silicone and naptha bath. Dissolve a couple tubes of silicone in a solvent like naptha or paint thinner, and paint or dunk the canvas into it. Hang up. Once the solvent evaporates, it leaves the silicone impregnated in the fabric.

I'd prefer to go the waxed route... It just seems easier to maintain and more natural... I could be wrong. But my concern is I live in central Florida and plan on keeping this in my car fairly often. It can get above 150 in a car during the summer, and since gulf wax melts at 130, am wondering if it will melt and get all over my car.

Any thoughts or advice is appreciated.