`Survival` Edited By Len Calcutt

  • Hey Guest, Early bird pricing on the Summer Moot (29th July - 10th August) available until April 6th, we'd love you to come. PLEASE CLICK HERE to early bird price and get more information.

RAPPLEBY2000

Bushcrafter (boy, I've got a lot to say!)
Dec 2, 2003
3,195
14
50
England
Hi again Guy's, I was PM'd this by someone in the know, he said i could show you:

Hello Rappleby

You are of course right in your observations that Ray Mears is the author of the articles in the book Survival, it wasn’t a company though, just a pseudonym he used.

I thought you might find the following information from my book collection of interest:

the articles in 'survival' are actually a reprint of the 'stone age survival' series of articles he wrote for 'combat and survival' magazine in 1987.

In total he wrote 21 (perhaps more) articles for 'combat and survival' between 1987 - 1988, these were his first published survival articles.

his first article appeared in issue 27 (which is on eBay at the moment, search for 'ray mears') and the last article I know of was in issue 72 (There were only 100 issues total)

The titles of the 'freefoot' articles are as follows:

The search for water
purifying water
flint tools for survival
alternatives to stone
hunting with spears
using your survival knife
choosing your survival knife
working with rope
knots for survival
tracking for survival
Tracking: using the light
Advanced tracking techniques
Tracking: the follow-up
Navigating in hostile terrain
Fishing for food
Navigating by natures signposts
Preserving food in the wild
overwintering
food that doesn’t run away
Preparing plants and fungi for food
Edible and poisonous plants

much of the information Ray provides in these articles is very different to what he teaches now, in these articles he uses and praises to Wilkingson sword survival knife he designed, and teaches techniques which he now discredits, like the 'edibility test'. Some also contain picures of him dressed in full combat clothing and webbing and even carrying firarms.

Its a rare collection, though no where near as rare as the 'Alberta wilderness arts and recreation' magazine from the early 1970's for which Mors Kochanski was an editor, and every issue contains at least one article on Bushcraft written by him, many of which were collected together to form the book Bushcraft a decade later, but that’s another story.

Feel free to publish this information on the forums

yeeeeeeeeeh, I knew it!
Thanks for that Anon I actually have a few of those articles :You_Rock_
 

RAPPLEBY2000

Bushcrafter (boy, I've got a lot to say!)
Dec 2, 2003
3,195
14
50
England
:D
Ok here's the Evidence......Ray Mears apearing in Combat and Survival magazine.
(and Survival by Len cacutt)

Ray&

definitely Ray!

Raycolectingtreeice.jpg

Ray again collecting Tree Ice

Earlyray.jpg

Again undoubtably Ray.

ray.jpg

I'm not sure about this one being Ray, but it's his section, right colour hair, using spear to fish with etc (hairline is iffy)

What do you reckon?
 

RAPPLEBY2000

Bushcrafter (boy, I've got a lot to say!)
Dec 2, 2003
3,195
14
50
England
Been told by the guy in the know the first two pics are definately Ray the other two aren't.
 
Mar 27, 2009
5
0
Sweden
Nice to see that the old "Survival" still have some readers. I have my copy alongside with "Combat". They where the first books I bought in outdoor techniques. Brings back good memories of that period (younger, fitter, more time for being "out there").

Nice to read that my old regiment was promoted to special forces in p128 in "Survival":)

/Koskela
 

RAPPLEBY2000

Bushcrafter (boy, I've got a lot to say!)
Dec 2, 2003
3,195
14
50
England
Nice to see that the old "Survival" still have some readers. I have my copy alongside with "Combat". They where the first books I bought in outdoor techniques. Brings back good memories of that period (younger, fitter, more time for being "out there").

Nice to read that my old regiment was promoted to special forces in p128 in "Survival":)

/Koskela

Yup theres still many years of info to look up for me!

so you were in Swedish Faltjagarna? thats pretty full on!
always wondered about that picture , the soldiers are wearing Snow camo suits but they have massive black sacks on top of their dark coloured rucksacks. which isn't great camo:dunno:
 
Mar 27, 2009
5
0
Sweden
The Fältjägarna was indeed a unit specilized in arctic warfare as a light infantry brigade. How ever, as in every unit there was always C2 (command and control) and logistics. If the orgin of the picture is Fältjägarna, it seems that they might have caught one of those troops. The guys have submachineguns and glasses, but the pointman are armed with a G3 assault rifle.This guy seems also be a little fitter then the rest.
The regiment was one of the first to adopt the FNC assault rifle i the mid 80s

Something that is wrong with the picture in the equipment. The rucksacks they have was not in use in common by the light infantry. At Fältjägarna (and other infantry units) those 70 liters (LK70) was only in use by the recon platoon. The rifle platoons and others used a 35 liters rucksack. Since the platoons where usually transported by BV202 or 206, it was very seldom that we carried the rucksacks. When transported into or out of the battle zone the rucksack was loaded onto the bandwagon and the troops was mounted, or depending on enemy situation, skijoring
Therefore was the snowcover for rucksacks not issued to the infantry units, except recon.

My personal opinion of that picture is the soldiers (if they are Fältjägare) are on a non-regular winter training tour. They might be a detachment of specialists who are issued with the recon/ranger rucksack for just this training session. On the top they have the sleepingbags (bodybag as we called them), and due to the size, they not either issued to the infantry. With the lack of handling the equipment, they might be new recruits.

The picture is also taken during the winter, sometimes between december and mars, when the batallion training period is at most intense phase. Special training tour might therefore be a very very rare occasion.

But who knows, it was a nice time, and I enjoyed my service a lot, and got a lot of practice to ski...

http://www.tradera.com/Militar-barsack-LK70-auktion_85236925#pic
LK70 rucksack
Found a nice pic of the organization of the battalions
http://pic.srv5.wapedia.mobi/thumb/...andsbrigadskyttepluton.png?format=jpg,png,gif

/K
 

RAPPLEBY2000

Bushcrafter (boy, I've got a lot to say!)
Dec 2, 2003
3,195
14
50
England
:D :You_Rock_
cheers for that!
"you learn something new every day"!
that's the same Rucksack RM uses I think! ;)
 

BCUK Shop

We have a a number of knives, T-Shirts and other items for sale.

SHOP HERE