Autumnkraft

  Romanian army canvas rucksack Rucksacks are an important piece of kit when practicing bushcraft. It's used to hold your tools and other items needed out in the wild. The pack needs to be comfortable and durable. There are hundreds of choices on the market today for a bushcraft packs. Some of these are suitable for bushcraft, whilst others are not. There are plenty of modern hiking backpacks that have a large carry capacity, whilst some do use these packs for bushcraft, in my opinion these are not suitable and are far too large for the needs of a sensible bushcraft kit. 30 to 35 litres is a perfect sized pack for bushcraft. It will hold plenty of gear and food for several nights camping. The Romanian pack is in it's element in the snow The Romanian army canvas rucksack is my current choice of pack for bushcraft. The cotton canvas is well made and durable. The canvas is roughly around 16oz. The leather straps are buckles are sewn in well with leather patches on the inside for a...

  The Woodsman's Pantry Kit Taking food out into the wild requires careful planning if you're going to be wild camping for a few nights. Many factors need to be taken in account, such as weight or how the food will be stored for carrying. Some foods that are stored incorrectly will spoil, whilst others might be fragile and not suitable to carry in your pack. In this post, I will discuss the woodsman's pantry concept and how to effectively plan and carry food into the wild. The idea of the woodsman's pantry is to carry foods that can be supplemented by hunting, fishing or foraging in the wild. With this in mind, we have to think carefully about what foods are suitable.  Fresh meats are going to spoil fast, especially in warmer climates. If you're thinking about taking meats with you, these should be either salted or dried for longevity. Beef jerky is a good choice as it's rather compact and takes up little room in your pack. This can then be rehydrated and added ...

Leather French army double ammo pouch A belt pouch is a great item to carry when practicing bushcraft. It allows a person to carry essential items within easy reach. This means the items that we choose to carry in a belt pouch, should be well thought out and ideally, multi-use in there functions. Belt pouches are made in various materials, cordura, cotton canvas and leather. All of these materials have advantages and disadvantages. I went over these points in the last blog post which can found here:   Creating a Simple Fire Kit One major point to take into account is that a belt pouch will have to endure the weather. This means that a belt pouch will often require more maintenance than a pouch that would be inside your pack. If the pouch is leather or waxed cotton canvas, it will need leather conditioning or re-waxing more often.  Close-up of the pouch I've been using a French army leather double ammo pouch for a few months now. This is a nice option for a belt pouch, and I qu...

The Fire Kit One of the fundamentals of bushcraft is fire making. We need fire to cook food and sterilize water, It's one of the most important things that we have to think about when out in the wild. The best way to create fire in the wild is to prepare beforehand. This means that before we even venture out into the wild to practice our bushcraft skills, we need to prepare a fire kit. The most simple kit you could take into the wild for fire starting is a simple flint and steel, with some charcloth. This however, is a more advance method of fire making and requires practice to start a fire from a small ember. The Pouch When making a new fire kit, the first thing that I do is decide what I am going to use to hold the contents of the fire kit. There are several options that one could use for this. from a modern pouch made of a modern cordura material or a more traditional approach such as cotton canvas or leather.  There are both pros and cons to either one of these pouches, which I...

The Feuerhand Baby Special 276 attached to my pack A Brief Rundown  The Feuerhand Baby Special 276 has been produced for over 100 years. A testament to it's design and robust durability. Feuerhand are a German company and the lanterns are still made there to this day. The lantern has a simple design and with a full tank of lamp oil, it can burn for roughly 20 hours.  The lantern has five main components that play a part in the operation of the lamp. These include the fuel tank, glass, burner, wick and the chimney.  The design uses each of these parts to create a long burn time and a flame that is well protected from the elements. The lantern uses a cold blast system to sustain the flame. Cold air is taken through the top of the chimney and taken down the two pipes on the side. This air then travels to the burner which provides oxygen needed for combustion. The hot air exits through the chimney. This process provides a bright warm light that has a consistent output. The la...

  A woodland in Norfolk, UK Connecting with nature is a simple process. It is not hard to do, nature is right on our doorstep. We have access to amazing places, vast forests, rocky coasts, vast fields and much more.  There are plenty of places to explore.  There are many ways that one can connect with nature through bushcraft, for many this is a personal thing and it is different for each individual.   Being outdoors in nature, one can often find themselves free of all troubles. Not only can bushcraft be good in terms of physical activity, it can also be good for the mindset too. Bushcraft is not only about learning and improving techniques in the wild, it is also about experiencing nature at a grounded level.  The Bushcraft Pack It's easy to get out into nature with only a simple bushcraft pack, with a small selection of items covering the five Cs survival. Set up a little camp and cook some food. Whilst that food is cooking away, just sit still and listen...

  The Lodge 6.5inch Skillet Wildlife Series  Cooking in the wild is an amazing experience. It connects us to our ancestors, who more than likely had vast experience in cooking outdoors in the wilderness. You simply cannot beat connecting with nature and cooking some fantastic food. There are many cooking utensils that we have become accustomed to over the centuries; one of these tools being the skillet or frying pan. When I was looking for a skillet to add to my cooking kit, I was looking for a couple of things. Firstly, it had to be from a reputable brand that produced high-quality products. Secondly, it needed to be made of cast iron. Thirdly, it needed to be small enough to pack away nicely and to cut down on the weight of larger cast iron skillets. I spent some time looking at the offerings from several brands; There are several American made brands that produce fantastic cast iron cookware (Petromax in Germany also make good cast iron). Ideally, we want a nice smooth surf...