Hi Folks -
Bit bored so decided to have a bit of fun. Maybe you'd like to have a go yourselves and post what you come up with as a reply!
So, the goal / idea was - If I had just £50 to spend on kit for a couple of nights in the woods - Could I get everything I would need, delivered to my door, for less than a good night in the pub, all from Amazon? Read on, dear reader..
Couple of Caveats - I'm assuming you (or I) will already have/own things like clothing and shoes, loo roll, socks, some creature comforts - you get the idea.. We aren't starting buck naked here. Let's assume we own warm clothes. Also, this is just a 'fun' kit for an overnighter or 2/3 day trip. This is NOT a survival kit, or bug out bag. This is a 'random buddy joining the trip last minute and needs gear' type of kit. The basics. Mostly like I said it seemed like a fun idea while stuck infront of a computer for a while. Finally, I'm also assuming access to food and the ability to fill up a big empty soft drink bottle for your water source (big empty soda bottle for our American friends).
Those things out of the way, here's the list & links!
1) - Hultafors RFR Craftmens Knife (Stainless).
Obviously, this was always going to be #1 on the list. A knife is fairly essential if you're going to be playing around in the woods. We all know the score here. Why not a Mora? Hultafors are pretty decent and sturdy, and just that little bit cheaper than Mora. Again, this isn't a survival kit - if it breaks, it breaks, unlucky but not life threatening. Every penny counts in this challenge!
B004O9RZJM
2) - Silverline pruning saw - £5.08
An 'add on item' - 27.5 cm blade, includes sheath - only a fiver for all the firewood I can saw? Sign me up! Gonna be needing that firewood.. Also obviously practical for shelter building and general camp craft.
B000LFVT5Y
3) - 10ft x 10ft (3m x 3m) Blue Tarpaulin - £6.49
Not exactly going to blend into the surroundings with this one, but hey it's a DD size tarp for only slightly more than the cost of a bushcraft magazine. Hard to complain. Should last at least one or two nights!
B00ITRZLLY
4) - Disposable lighters - pack of 10 - £2.89
Many of you will be looking on this list for a firesteel. Let me save you the bother; there isn't one. With the super limited budget, I figure 10 lighters - that's one for every pocket, one in each sock, one in every rucksack pocket - and some left over - is a better spend than £7 or £8 for a decent firesteel. Yes, lighters break, and can get lost - but with 10 of them, you're probably going to be all right for a while. ALSO - Did you know these things are basically waterproof? I made a video on it some years ago.. will post the link at the bottom if I can find it.
955218062
5) - Stainless steel mug - 700ml - £6.99
Assuming our budget friendly bushcrafter has access to oats or any kind of food at all really, then this is going to work as a cooking pot, mug for tea, water collector if it rains, basket to put things in if foraging.. basically it's a big metal fireproof pot cup thing. As with the knife, we all know the score on this one. I could have saved a quid or so by going for a smaller one but I figure 700ml is a decent size and other stuff can be stuffed into it for transport
B00HCQASC0
6) - 5mm Polypropylene Cord/Rope - Blue & White - £4.03
Don't think i'd forgotten about the cordage.. There's something of a blue and white theme developing here actually..! Anyway, obviously useful for putting up a tarp and/or constructing a shelter. I suppose you could pick it apart and make some fishing line but remember, this isn't a survival pack, it's a fun cheap set for someone starting out in bushcraft or just a spare to have around for an unexpected guest. Should be strong enough and visible enough to not trip over. Bonus.
B06WRSBKJC
7) - Camp Gear unisex Foam Aluminium sleeping mat - £3.95
After all that fishing with the rope our bushcrafter is gonna be tired - this should provide some measure of insulation when he/she needs a kip. Hopefully our penniless chum knows how to build a raised bed and a long fire!
B06Y2FRSS6
8) - Yellowstone Essential Envelope Sleeping bag & Carry Bag - £9.49
This might not actually be too bad if it's a warm night. If it's a cold one then yeah.. about that long fire.. Still, better than nothing and hard to argue with that price.
B002ZF2EBG
9) - 35L 3 Day Assault Tactical Military Outdoor Sport Rucksack Backpack - £2.88
Not sure what's going on with this one - that price seems suspiciously low and I doubt they'd actually deliver it. Either a scam or just mispriced, but nevertheless it's there on Amazon so I'm including it.
B00W78MDX0
(For those who feel the bag is a little close to 'cheating', my original pick was this: B01MDRQR7Z- Looks plenty big and I think I actually prefer it..! )
10) - Outdoor LED head lamp torch 5W 600 Lumens - £1.59
Pretty cool that this is about the price of an ice cream when you remember what head torches used to be like before the advent of the white LED. Cree bulbs have transformed lighting really, super bright and low power. This is junk compared to some of the good stuff on the market but it's bang on budget and will brighten the view when things go bump in the night.
B01MSMBWYM
TOTAL COST: £50.43
Ok, so i'm 43P over budget. I can live with that. I'm pretty sure there were cheaper head torches, and I could have gone for a slightly smaller steel mug, so I'm only a few clicks away from getting it under £50. Maybe i'll revisit it another time.
So there you go! Add in a few skills and some local knowledge and I reckon you could be perfectly comfortable for a little jolly into the woods with the above, but what do you think? If anyone wants to have a go themselves and submit a list i'd love to read someone elses take on things. Tarp vs tent, firesteel vs lighter, saw vs axe.. lots of options.
Who knows maybe the next step is we put our money where our mouths are, but our £50 kits and try putting them to use! That'd be a fun meetup!!
Oh yeah, waterproof lighters - here's that vid : [video=youtube;XSaNSkBMCic]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XSaNSkBMCic[/video]
Bit bored so decided to have a bit of fun. Maybe you'd like to have a go yourselves and post what you come up with as a reply!
So, the goal / idea was - If I had just £50 to spend on kit for a couple of nights in the woods - Could I get everything I would need, delivered to my door, for less than a good night in the pub, all from Amazon? Read on, dear reader..
Couple of Caveats - I'm assuming you (or I) will already have/own things like clothing and shoes, loo roll, socks, some creature comforts - you get the idea.. We aren't starting buck naked here. Let's assume we own warm clothes. Also, this is just a 'fun' kit for an overnighter or 2/3 day trip. This is NOT a survival kit, or bug out bag. This is a 'random buddy joining the trip last minute and needs gear' type of kit. The basics. Mostly like I said it seemed like a fun idea while stuck infront of a computer for a while. Finally, I'm also assuming access to food and the ability to fill up a big empty soft drink bottle for your water source (big empty soda bottle for our American friends).
Those things out of the way, here's the list & links!
1) - Hultafors RFR Craftmens Knife (Stainless).
Obviously, this was always going to be #1 on the list. A knife is fairly essential if you're going to be playing around in the woods. We all know the score here. Why not a Mora? Hultafors are pretty decent and sturdy, and just that little bit cheaper than Mora. Again, this isn't a survival kit - if it breaks, it breaks, unlucky but not life threatening. Every penny counts in this challenge!
B004O9RZJM
2) - Silverline pruning saw - £5.08
An 'add on item' - 27.5 cm blade, includes sheath - only a fiver for all the firewood I can saw? Sign me up! Gonna be needing that firewood.. Also obviously practical for shelter building and general camp craft.
B000LFVT5Y
3) - 10ft x 10ft (3m x 3m) Blue Tarpaulin - £6.49
Not exactly going to blend into the surroundings with this one, but hey it's a DD size tarp for only slightly more than the cost of a bushcraft magazine. Hard to complain. Should last at least one or two nights!
B00ITRZLLY
4) - Disposable lighters - pack of 10 - £2.89
Many of you will be looking on this list for a firesteel. Let me save you the bother; there isn't one. With the super limited budget, I figure 10 lighters - that's one for every pocket, one in each sock, one in every rucksack pocket - and some left over - is a better spend than £7 or £8 for a decent firesteel. Yes, lighters break, and can get lost - but with 10 of them, you're probably going to be all right for a while. ALSO - Did you know these things are basically waterproof? I made a video on it some years ago.. will post the link at the bottom if I can find it.
955218062
5) - Stainless steel mug - 700ml - £6.99
Assuming our budget friendly bushcrafter has access to oats or any kind of food at all really, then this is going to work as a cooking pot, mug for tea, water collector if it rains, basket to put things in if foraging.. basically it's a big metal fireproof pot cup thing. As with the knife, we all know the score on this one. I could have saved a quid or so by going for a smaller one but I figure 700ml is a decent size and other stuff can be stuffed into it for transport
B00HCQASC0
6) - 5mm Polypropylene Cord/Rope - Blue & White - £4.03
Don't think i'd forgotten about the cordage.. There's something of a blue and white theme developing here actually..! Anyway, obviously useful for putting up a tarp and/or constructing a shelter. I suppose you could pick it apart and make some fishing line but remember, this isn't a survival pack, it's a fun cheap set for someone starting out in bushcraft or just a spare to have around for an unexpected guest. Should be strong enough and visible enough to not trip over. Bonus.
B06WRSBKJC
7) - Camp Gear unisex Foam Aluminium sleeping mat - £3.95
After all that fishing with the rope our bushcrafter is gonna be tired - this should provide some measure of insulation when he/she needs a kip. Hopefully our penniless chum knows how to build a raised bed and a long fire!
B06Y2FRSS6
8) - Yellowstone Essential Envelope Sleeping bag & Carry Bag - £9.49
This might not actually be too bad if it's a warm night. If it's a cold one then yeah.. about that long fire.. Still, better than nothing and hard to argue with that price.
B002ZF2EBG
9) - 35L 3 Day Assault Tactical Military Outdoor Sport Rucksack Backpack - £2.88
Not sure what's going on with this one - that price seems suspiciously low and I doubt they'd actually deliver it. Either a scam or just mispriced, but nevertheless it's there on Amazon so I'm including it.
B00W78MDX0
(For those who feel the bag is a little close to 'cheating', my original pick was this: B01MDRQR7Z- Looks plenty big and I think I actually prefer it..! )
10) - Outdoor LED head lamp torch 5W 600 Lumens - £1.59
Pretty cool that this is about the price of an ice cream when you remember what head torches used to be like before the advent of the white LED. Cree bulbs have transformed lighting really, super bright and low power. This is junk compared to some of the good stuff on the market but it's bang on budget and will brighten the view when things go bump in the night.
B01MSMBWYM
TOTAL COST: £50.43
Ok, so i'm 43P over budget. I can live with that. I'm pretty sure there were cheaper head torches, and I could have gone for a slightly smaller steel mug, so I'm only a few clicks away from getting it under £50. Maybe i'll revisit it another time.
So there you go! Add in a few skills and some local knowledge and I reckon you could be perfectly comfortable for a little jolly into the woods with the above, but what do you think? If anyone wants to have a go themselves and submit a list i'd love to read someone elses take on things. Tarp vs tent, firesteel vs lighter, saw vs axe.. lots of options.
Who knows maybe the next step is we put our money where our mouths are, but our £50 kits and try putting them to use! That'd be a fun meetup!!
Oh yeah, waterproof lighters - here's that vid : [video=youtube;XSaNSkBMCic]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XSaNSkBMCic[/video]
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