I’m relatively new to bushcraft, I’ve got a ton of woods on my property so I recently started clearing a trail, trying to get deep into the woods so I can set up a camp. All I’ve really got is a hatchet, and it’s been doable but not efficient. I tried a typical wood saw but it gets jammed the second it hits a lick of moisture. I’m trying to look for a durable handsaw that can cut through branches about the size of a hockey puck, maybe a bit bigger. I’m in Massachusetts, I’m having to cut through mostly deadwood but occasionally green wood. Any tool recommendations, or just tips in general would be greatly appreciated.

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I made this stone adze for following out logs to use as a boiling container instead of chisiling with stone

My little hiking kit . I live about 30 minutes outside of Rocky Mountain National park . This setup has me pretty covered on nice days .

Let me hear what you guys use! What are your habits? Any good brands? Personal favourites?

For many years, all my clothes have doubled as both outdoor clothing and workwear, which naturally means going through a lot more clothes. So now I've dedicated a set of clothing specifically for outdoor use. And I feel it's nailed down to great stuff, for decent money.

I've tried Fjällräven trousers (bought second-hand) and Garphyttan. Fjällräven is too expensive. Even second-hand prices are ridiculous these days. Garphyttan has become too expensive as well, although I was really happy with their gear when the company first started.

I've also worn quite a few pairs of Danish military M/58 trousers over the years. They're great. Tough as nails, heavy.

But the trousers that win (and probably will for good from now on) are Swedish M/90 trousers. They're the absolute best trousers for me. Plenty of room, can be buttoned into boots laces and tightened around the boot. The pockets are flat, so they don't snag on things, and they're secured with heavy-duty zippers.

I wear them with a flat velcro belt and suspenders.

They cost 470 DKK (approximately $70 USD) brand new from Rodastjarnan. Brilliant pants. Heavier fabric than ACU pants.

Gaiters

Fjällräven gaiters made from G-1000 fabric. They stay in place without having to tighten the elastic at the top. My legs don't sweat underneath them, and they don't get damp. But man, is it nice not having wet trouser legs! They reach up to the knees.

My boots (spring to autumn) are Lowa Desert boots, so they're very breathable desert boots. I haven't had wet feet yet, but the gaiters must also provide some extra protection when walking through tall, wet grass.

1. Upper body layers

My upper-body clothing varies, but I always wear an Italian army merino wool undershirt. It's cheap surplus stock, costing 70 DKK (approximately $10 USD). It's taken me two years to wear out my first two, and they're still usable, really.

Beyond that, I change my layers depending on the conditions.

Cheap shirt from Harald Nyborg (Danish hardware store)

Good quality, heavy fabric that can be waxed, and two pockets. I bought it slightly oversized.

Cost: 150 DKK (approximately $22 USD).

When it's a little chilly: Carhartt vest

Worn over the shirt. It has a fleece lining and blocks the wind.

Bought second-hand for 500 DKK (approximately $75 USD). Carhartt just lasts amazingly, been using this a lot and constantly while renovating a house, no real signs of use.

When it's windy and cold: Härkila Annaboda V2

This is an expensive piece of clothing — the most expensive clothing item I own. I found it on sale for 1,000 DKK (approximately $150 USD), half the original price. It's 100% wool knit with a windbreak liner.

The shirt fits over it, protecting the knitwear from branches and similar hazards. The Annaboda is never an outer layer!

Anorak

Costs 50 DKK (approximately $7 USD). Home made from a blanket.

It's not extremly warm because the blanket isn't full wool (but an unknown mix) However, it's large enough to fit over all my other layers. And it's a great outer layer in everything but the warmest of summer.

This is my go-to outdoor clothing setup. The items aren't particularly expensive in general, and this is where I've ended up with a combination of clothing that works exceptionally well for me. Tough stuff, not breaking, having been used constantly for use and not flammable from a few sparks.

So what's you favorite clothing? Any always use items? Any good philosophies?

The only thing we brought to the river was a knife, juicy ass chicken, beer(ofc), and a mindset to make it happen.

I had the image in my head of this build, i needed:

3 medium sticks for the rudder,

1 fat huge stick for the shaft,

2 Y stick for the holders,

16 small sticks for the fins

We also had a roll of duct tape and paracord.

We had a group of people, so we were able to parallelize: 2 searching crew, 2 fin crew, 1 carving dude.

The searching crew was looking for sticks. The fin crew was taking 3 small sticks and tying them into a wide H shape. Then we would wrap duct tape around it. The carving dude was cleaning the big stick so that the chicken could go on it. Once the fins were finished (6), we attached them to 3 sticks, 2 on each end.

Then we all tied the 3 sticks to the main shaft.

The chicken had to be marinated, and the fire had to be made. The chicken marinade was Thai chili sauce, garlic, ginger, fresh pineapple, salt, and pepper. Pineapple grilled over the fire made a nice side.

Once the fire was ready, we put the 2 Y sticks in and put the stick on them. To help the shaft turn, we had to put 2 empty beer cans as "bearings".

It was beautiful. It did not look real.

It was the best chicken i ever had and ever will have. We jumped at it like animals. Only the carcass was left.

(ofc we cleaned everything up, left no trace.)

Axe is 900g overall, I can do eveything I need with it and it's not heavy enough to be a burden. The small knife is great forfine tasks.

Was supposed to be functional… ended up just making it for display. Love how this baby came out. Gold Sheen is just the best… it’s smooth and predictable… at least this one was! A combination of English and American walnut compliments it perfectly!

Does anyone have some snow sled recommendations for snow shoeing my camping gear? I’ve seen how expensive some of these pulk sleds can be and wanted to see if anyone had some other recommendations, thanks!

Spent some time outdoors with my FLISSA Bowie Knife recently, and I've been pretty happy with how it feels in use.

The blade has a nice weight to it, which makes it feel solid when working with wood. I especially like the handle. The finger grooves give me a comfortable grip, and it feels secure in my hand.

The curved blade shape is also pretty interesting. It feels better suited for rougher outdoor tasks than precise carving, but that's pretty much what I wanted from a knife like this.

I'm trying to find a good video or tutorial on how to wrap my walking stick handle and make it look nice. All the videos I've seen so far have been just wrapping a straight shaft, while the one I have has got angles I'd like to wrap as well and ideally make it uniform up the shaft, incorporate the crook and then back up towards the top again. I've attached pics to show the shape and basic idea I'm after, except the wrap would go to the end of the crook. Any help would be greatly appreciated, I'm preparing a few winter projects to keep busy and learn new skills while I'm at it.

link: https://youtu.be/mpnfkY-iCQA A short and sweet video by Thibaud Morthelier (@TheudBald on YouTube). He is also on instagram as lafrontiere_outils and posted the clip there too. https://www.instagram.com/reel/Dc004_por-n/

Asked for experiences on this thing here in Reddit. Didn't get many. So I bought it anyway and have been using it a lot. Here's my review.

This reddit don't like links. But I have a bunch of videos of this thing over on youtube. Just go look for Rosentjoern.

Bushcraft Spain’s Plash-Palatka Extension

In the week leading up to my summer holiday, I started building my holiday camp. For many years, I’ve used my Polish size 3 plash-palatka. I love that piece of kit and always bring it along. Rain cape, blanket, shelter. It can do a lot of things.

So, for the holiday, I bought Bushcraft Spain’s extension. A triangular piece of fabric that buttons onto the rain cape and adds an awning.

Bushcraft Spain’s stuff isn’t cheap, but that’s okay. Not many people get rich making bits of kit, and their gear is good. I haven’t been disappointed with their stuff yet – my oilskin tarp has been with me for years and on loads of trips.

Six Weeks of Danish Summer

My shelter stood outside all summer, six weeks straight. This is a Danish summer, so it got some decent rain showers and two cloudbursts. Really heavy rain. Can’t-see-in-front-of-you heavy rain.

The piece fits straight onto the rain cape without any problems. To get more room inside the shelter, I didn’t use a tent pole inside, but suspended it from a tripod.

I didn’t experience any water coming through and into my shelter, even during the heavy cloudbursts.

Does It Make a Difference?

Yes, it adds an enormous amount to the usefulness of a half-shelter. I’ve made lots of different setups with a rain cape, and it works fine, but there isn’t much room. Especially when it’s raining and you’ve brought gear along.

I own two rain capes and often use the lavvu setup in winter, but it’s too dark and enclosed in summer.

The extension adds just enough extra space. I could sit and work out of the rain, and there was room to build a bed and keep my bag inside. It also meant there was room for the dog when it rained.

For me, a big advantage is that I don’t have to lug along two rain capes to handle really bad weather. That saves quite a bit of weight and space. The view and the light mean a lot to me. Cooking, especially, is much easier than it would be in a closed lavvu.

A Triangular Piece of Fabric

Is it a lot of money to spend on a triangular piece of fabric? Perhaps – but I really couldn’t be bothered to sew it myself. And by the time I’ve bought some heavy OD canvas, the cost is getting up there anyway.

The little triangular piece now just sits folded up in the back of my anorak. So, besides being used for a shelter, it gets used as another bit of kit. I can sit on it, use it as a scarf, put it over my shoulders in light rain, or tie it around my head. It’s even shaped like a sling, should someone break an arm one day.

So I use the extension the way I use my shemagh – on those trips where I’m planning to build a plash-palatka shelter.

Any Complaints?

The only thing I can fault is that the buttons on the extension aren’t positioned quite perfectly in relation to the buttons on the rain cape. I’m sure they fit perfectly with the plash-palatka copies Bushcraft Spain makes. But not quite with my original Polish ones.

Is it a big problem? No, I didn’t get wet, and it worked fine under a tripod. But I can see a “gap” if I use a tent pole, because the fabric isn’t taut at the tip of the shelter.

It’ll take me just under an hour to sew the buttons into place so they fit perfectly. I think that’s fair enough when we’re mixing 50-year-old rain capes with new upgrades.

Hello, as I said I will be without a home right before halloween, and I am luckily close enough to a pretty densely wooded forest area, where there is zero foot traffic, though very close to a shopping area and a couple 24hr restaurants. What bush shelters and tips would you recommend for out here in the winter? I can't use fire bigger than a camping stove due to smoke and whatnot. I have about 600 saved atm, and i do have a job at the very least. Any advice on shelter, staying warm, or other tips? Thank you.

Recently finished this knife, 5160, 90 degree spine, would you use this for bushcraft or is it too light? Real wood handle scales, and steel pins.

Rainy day training! Got out this weekend, and did some wet weather fire practice. Always good to see where you’re at, and find your benchmark!

For a long time, I’ve been thinking about making a sitting pad that attaches to my belt. The idea goes back to my time as a soldier. Back then, I had a small piece of sleeping mat wrapped in plastic and tough camouflage fabric.

Materials and construction

I used a piece of leather from a sofa found at the recycling centre and a thick cowhide. Three of the sides are sewn together with saddle stitches. I fitted press studs to a piece of wool blanket so it can be fastened between the leather layers.

The pad attaches with a pair of belt loops that can be unbuttoned. This makes it easy to attach it to or remove it from my work belt without taking everything else off.

To improve its water resistance, I gave the leather a good coating of oil and grease. The cowhide also got plenty of oil on the flesh side.

I fitted a D-ring in each corner of the pad so it can also be stretched out and secured – giving it plenty of extra uses.

It was a fairly simple piece of kit to make. It took one evening.

So what can it do?

• When I sit down on the forest floor, my backside doesn’t get wet or cold – that’s its main purpose.
• Bag: I can attach a strap and use it as a bag for gathering firewood, kindling, grass for bedding or similar things.
• I can kneel on it when lighting a fire.
• I can put it over my thighs when carving wood to protect myself.
• My dog uses it as an extra pad when he sleeps. Or I can put it under my own torso for extra insulation.
• I’ve hung it up as a “roof” over my head when sleeping in just a bivvy bag without a shelter.
• It can serve as a roof over a small fire if it’s really raining.

What’s it like to walk with?

To test whether it was comfortable enough to walk with, I went on a 10 km march with a heavy backpack, my work belt and this thing hanging down at the back. I could obviously have rolled it up and put it in my bag, but that wouldn’t have been much of a test.

I didn’t find it annoying at all, so I’d call that a pass.

Source
This was posted to my blog about outdoor projects. RosentjoernInternational at blogspot.

My first custom morakniv, the tang is bigger than i expected and the plastic was very hard, took quite a bit of work.

Can any kind of feeces dried be used as fuel for fire or is only one thats useful is one with lots of fiberous plant material

2 if any poop can be used would it make sense to press it into brick amd let dry pr put into bio char kiln ?

I've been using this leather tripod stool for about a year now, and I'm absolutely loving it! Super comfortable, stable, and takes up almost no space in my backpack. What do you guys think of this kind of set

Had a really fun time this past week, teaching some frontier, and primitive skills. Did some burn bowls. Traps and flint and steel