Autumnkraft

Carrying a sewing kit in your bushcraft pack is essential when on longer trips in the wild. You never know when you might need to do some field repairs. You might obtain a small tear in your tarp; a sewing needle and some thread will fix that. You can even repair leatherwork with your sewing kit. In this blog post, I'm going to be showcasing the items that I carry in my kit and the context behind carrying these particular items. Sewing kit There are several items that I like to carry in my sewing kit. I have assembled a kit that is suitable for a variety of situations that I may encounter throughout the year. When creating a sewing kit, the first thing to think about is: what materials am I likely going to have to repair? You might have a waxed cotton canvas tarp that obtains a tear or perhaps the wool jumper you're wearing develops a hole in the elbow. Each of these scenarios require a different approach in needle and thread choice. This requires a well thought out...

This pack is a recent addition to my bushcraft gear and a highly anticipated one. I've been after one of these packs for a fair while after seeing countless YouTube videos on them and how well they perform. I decided to pick up the satchel in the coyote colour. There are plenty of reviews on this satchel already on the internet. A quick search on YouTube and you will see plenty of videos. In this blog post, I wont be reviewing the satchel, but I will be going over what I have decided to carry in it and the context behind the selected items.  Helikon bushcraft satchel The bushcraft satchel has a large 17 litre capacity. I won't be using the full capacity of the satchel, this would get too heavy. My aim is to keep the satchel nice and light with room to add additional items as and when needed. Another good reason for doing this is that I then have additional room for foraged edibles. I'd like the satchel to contain the five Cs of survival: cutting tools, combustion, cordage, ...

  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...