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It would be easy to make this a hammock versus bivi bag review, but really these are two different ways of sleeping in the outdoors. So I'll attempt to confine this to reviewing the bivi bag itself. As the name implies, a bivi bag is designed as a shelter and to encompass a sleeping bag which...

Dear Santa, I know you visit this site and probably login under a pseudonym. I'm sure a few of us might like to leave their messages for you. Here's mine. I’ve been very good this year. I’ve done all the domestic chores asked of me and I’ve worked hard. I’ve helped...

:) This is amazing. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/cumbria/7096816.stm Pablo

I spotted this fella out yesterday evening. Looks a bit young and obviously a late fledgling. He flew off to safety ok and didn't appear injured. While doing some research I came across this excellent Barn owl cam here. Pablo.

What are you doing to prepare for winter? I'm relying on a lot of kit from last year with just a few modifications. I learnt a lot last year from the wet and windy conditions. Fleece stuff is okay for dry cold, but not for damp cold. I intend to replace fleece layers with wool. I've...

I’ve not had a lot of luck with wood burning stoves, nor in fact in my quest for any type of lightweight stove. Come to think of it, apart from the good old Trangia, I’ve had no joy with stoves at all. I’ve tried the Pocketcooker (too heavy) and even made my own hobo stove (too big.) I’ve...

Heads up on a film released in November called "Into the Wild" screenplay and directed by Sean Penn. You can read the synopsis here but it's a true story revolving around a graduate who drops out with the intention of eventually living in the wilds of Alaska. It appears the film focusses on his...

Inspired by Kae1's thread, I thought I'd kick off a sensitive Bushcrafting thread to promote good practice. I hope contributers will cover a range of subjects including trimming, felling, food prep, cleaning up etc. It might even become a sticky for newcomers to view and take heed. I'd like...

Hi folks. I brought this at a surplus store at the weekend for a tenner. I know it's called the All Arms bergen and wasn't that popular with the forces. Looks to me like a pretty reasonable bag for bushcrafting if not that good for carrying heavy loads for a long distance but I haven't tried...

It's National Moth Night on Saturday 11th. (No.. I didn't know until recently either). Anybody up for getting out and about and trying to get some pics as well as collecting data? The website here will tell you all the info you need about how to attact them etc. The best ones come out...

This is a great time for dragonflies but I've not been too successful this year in photographing them. I managed to take this female Emperor ovipositing in a local pond. The male was patrolling nearby and just didn't settle long enough for a photo. Pablo.

This fella (?) came to visit us during lunch when we were on hols in Menorca last week (much to Mrs Pablo's disgust - especially when Pablo spent most of lunch trying to photograph it). Pretty sure it's a Migratory locust. Anyone else any other ideas? Cheers, Pablo.

Anyone here going on the Foundation/Intemediate tracking course run by Shadowhawk later this month? Pablo.

I know this might be a stuid question (there is such a thing if it comes from moi :o ), but can someone explain why some steels in knife blades work well with firesteels and some don't? What is the main constituent to make a blade work well with a firesteel? Finally, is HRC a strength rating...

I was delighted to find this scarce plant in a hedgrow near some disused buildings by our local woods. Subject to confirmation from our local wildlfe trust, I'm pretty sure it's a Sulphur clover. There was a single plant, but there might be others in the undergrowth. I was advised to clear some...

With a deep in take of breath I bought a new laptop and decided to keep the Windows Vista software on it. I've heard a few nightmares and I must admit, I usually wait a year until issues have been sorted. Only had it 2 days and have had a few issues with incompatibility with other programs...

I'd thought I'd share some pics of our local Bee orchids. Although not rare, I think they're quite localised. I understand that sometimes it could be a number of years before they appear in the same spot again. The petals mimick the female bee to attract male bees for pollination. They make a...

I've been struggling to find a suitable electronic database to record wildlife sightings, so I decided to build my own. It's a Microsoft Access database, so of course you have to have this installed on your computer. You're free to download it from here . I've enclosed two jpg files as test...

If anyone is interested in a 30 litre daysack reduced from £50 to £25, have a look here. http://mountainwarehouse.com/shop/product/products_id/5589.html I know it's just a Mountain Warehouse jobby, but I bought one and I'm quite impressed. I even managed to squeeze all my overnight kit in...

I've just taken delivery of some all leather Rogue Rangers from John Muirden at Unbeaten Tracks (great service by the way - not affiliated etc etc). Being ex-mob, I have my own ideas about breaking in boots and have seen and heard pretty weird ideas from others. Just wondering how folks out...