Budget Bushcraft

I recently spent a few hours at my local branches of Bunnings Hardware Store, Hunting And Fishing (H & F) and Kiwi Disposals Army Surplus. I wanted to price a low cost bushcraft kit. I did not want cheapo rubbish that would fail outdoors so I looked for a balance of quality and pricing.

A barrier to getting outdoors can be cost. But do we have to pay as much as we think? My aim here was to find what is readily available at…

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After tipping out of our canoe in rapids. We needed a considerable sized fire to dry our gear.…

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Upload your best campfire photo to win a $50 voucher to Army and Outdoors (also known as Kiwi Disposals) who ship nationwide.

Simply create a blog post and upload the photo along with a short blurb about where, how, and why you made the campfire. Be sure to add a "fire" tag to the post (comment below with any questions on how to do…

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Hi guys.

I just joined the growing group of Youtubers and started a channel. It is about the NZ bush, bushcraft, kit and gear, enjoying the outdoors and how to get out there. It is called daveoutdoorsnz. if you are interested in videos of the awesome NZ outdoors then you might like to check it out. I love the NZ bush and photographing things so I put it together into videos. Please check them out and let me know what you think. Here is the link to my…

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Just tried the world stove design that Stephen Coote posted about a few years back and it works like a charm.

I wanted a more bullet proof inner tin that was a bit thicker than a fruit tin can so i managed to find a smaller nesting styled Stainless Steel chopstick holder at a $2 store and surprise to my eyes, it was pre drilled with drainer type holes ( although vertically so could be too much air flow ) and nestled nicely inside a stainless steel coffee tin.

Follow the…

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A cool little phrase on the Bushcraft NZ website says Learn, Share and Get Out There. Getting out there doesn’t happen unless I make a plan to do it. Without the learning my getting out there could end up a disaster. I decided to try something I have been thinking about for a while. A Blanket Roll Camp Out. I learned how to do it, I got out there and did it. This article is the sharing part.…

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Now I have always liked compact pack saws, and recently I saw a video of Ray Mears using a very useful looking bow saw.

A quick look showed the nice wooden ones to be beyond my price range while the metal ones felt too flimsy.

While browsing the second hand shop I came across two brand new Sandvik saw blades, one dead wood blade and one greenwood blade, both for only $5.



So once home, a suitable piece of seasoned Kanuka (Tea Tree) was found in my stack.…

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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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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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