When out in the bush its handy to have some things easily accessible all the time. Pockets just aren't big enough to hold a couple lengths of paracord, knife, notebook and pencil, a simple first aid kit etc but you can bet as soon as you don't have them near, you'll need them. I used to keep them all in my main pack but then I had to leave most at camp when I went tracking or just to explore the next valley. Then after a bit of research I came across a perfect solution which has… Continue

When out in the bush its handy to have some things easily accessible all the time. Pockets just aren't big enough to hold a couple lengths of paracord, knife, notebook and pencil, a simple first aid kit etc but you can bet as soon as you don't have them near, you'll need them. I used to keep them all in my main pack but then I had to leave most at camp when I went tracking or just to explore the next valley. Then after a bit of research I came across a perfect solution which has… Continue

A great way to develop your skills with a knife is to whittle. I find it a rewarding and relaxing hobby and when I am beside a campfire on a beautiful clear night its my favorite thing to do. Here are a series of videos that walk you through the whittling of a simple face, which actually looks very impressive!

No doubt the results look better and better with practise, and your improved control over the blade will benefit other tasks where a knife…

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I was interested in finding a good ready source of tinder in the forestry I trap in. When wet most of the usual suspects really did not work at all well. I then came across a tinder called Fat wood on the internet.

This works when wet or dry and is extremely easy to light. The basics of finding fatwood are

1- look for old fallen or cut down Pine Trees ( have not tried any other types of trees yet, as this is the forestry I have to work with )

2- forget the tree…

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"Groups" are a great way to bring people together on the network that

have a specific interest. They come equipped with their own discussion

forum, RSS reader, text

box and comment wall, and several privacy settings. They allow group

members to group message each other.



The idea is to have a group for every niche of bushcraft and assign

people that have experience and are passionate about a certain area as

group moderators. For example for the Knives and… Continue

At the age of seventeen, Eustace Conway ditched the comforts of his suburban existence to escape to the wild. Away from the crushing disapproval of his…

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It struck me that sometimes the little things might be useful to my fellow outdoor enhusiasts that are just starting out in the world bushcraft. So I thought I would add, from time-to-time, the odd quick post focusing on an item of kit or technique that may be second nature to o'timers. In this post I introduce the light-weight travelling sharpening stone kit (photo below). Full-weight sharpening stones are quite heavy and cumbersome, so whilst you'll take them with you for a…

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I started learning the craft of knife smithing a few years ago on the South Island with a visit to Ross Johnston, a craftsman knife maker near Nelson. He runs Blackbird Valley forge and makes knives in the traditional way using many good grades of carbon steel from reused car parts and saw blades amongst other things. What he can turn an old metal file into is something to behold, the care and skill in his work is wonderful. I had had a go at reconditioning a couple of…

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This is a tutorial on making a bow saw in the field. The advantages of this method if that you only have to take the blade with you, which is easily coiled inside a billy pot. When you get to your site you can construct a sturdy saw in about 20mins (with practice). If you decide to keep the pieces, next time it will only take you 2mins to put together. The benefits of a saw over an axe or machete are:

• Safer -…

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Had a great outing the other weekend. I returned to a ridge overlooking a valley where I had been before, but set up camp in a different place to try a new tarp configuration. I rigged up my main tarp (2.7m X 1.5 m) between two trees to form a sloping wall, then used my poncho to add a small roof as I was expecting heavy rain.…

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