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(for my part, I've been playing with a Kelly kettle and don't love it, on multiple grounds. It takes up a lot of room, the fire pan on the smallest one is teeny, I've got misgivings about the health impact of wood smoke, my cooking is too bad to cook and monitor a fire at the same time, and the...

Tbh I don't think being fussy about weight is a bad thing. Nobody ever went on a hike and thought 'the one thing that really spoilt this for me: my pack was too light'. It makes every part of the process more pleasurable and saves you strength and energy. It reduces the risk of an emergency...

A musical instrument is a great idea! (ideal place to practice away from longsuffering next door neighbours!)

I think for a month in the wilderness, the real things I'd struggle with would be boredom and isolation. A solar powered battery pack for my phone of some kind, above and beyond what you'd need for emergencies, allowing me to chat with people - I think it'd make a big difference. Equally, some...

That's such a wonderful photo. Today I saw some tiny (3cm tall) mushrooms which were pale lavender, a couple of tiny ones inside a hole in an oak which seemed to be glowing in the dark, and probably a beefstake mushroom on the same tree, about 20cm in diameter. No idea what the other ones...

I really enjoyed the Ray Mears book about trees - which turned out to be a lot about ancient Britain, which order trees evolved in, how he imagined them living alongside trees based on the skills he knows. I loved how very humanising his vision of ancient people was, it made them seem very close...

My take on the converted van campers - take it with a grain of salt as I've never actually used one - is I'm surprised when people put in like an entire fitted kitchen. It's a very small space and you're camping, so my instinct would be to keep the space as multi-purpose as possible with...

That's a great question! It's like, forestry and coppicing with some woodwork, so plenty of moving your arms about plus some walking

Here we go! One swirly whirler & I attempted a bit of carving to look like rope on the handle. I see the value of all those carabiners, for points at which you clip & unclip rope - I'll have to think about what I've got I can use. safety pins or even a clever knot. I also had a go with an...

I'm not loving my Salamanda - I'm more of a camper than a hiker, I want a shelter with a touch more wiggle room, maybe the ability to comfortably read a book & have fun hanging out in. I know I don't like this one, so I'd like to try something else and see how that goes. I'm open to trade for...

Been sent here by my husband - he's about to start an outdoorsy job & wants to invest in a serious waterproof jacket & waterproof trousers, at a max budget of £600 for the pair. We're in Wales, so the rain slaps you about and comes down in miserable waves, & he says he's not worried about warm...

I;m procrastinating on buying some smurf poo (blue substance you put on a leather strop for knife sharpening) and that's got me thinking: what did people in history use for this substance? Can you DIY it from natural materials in a survival situation? Can I put something viable together in my...

Aurora watch UK - notifies you if the aurora might be visible Weather - on your Internet browser, go to your favourite weather page and bookmark it. Then go to your bookmarks and select the page (possibly by long-pressing it instead of tapping it quickly), and you might be able to put a link...

Adding on to this: You use wood board if your knife is uh a Scandi grind or kinda flat, and you use the carpet underlay foam if your knife is shaped like uh the prow of a canoe ie whether the knife needs to echo the rigid shape or whether it needs to echo a curved shape

For sure :) they're not demands or complaints, more like feedback to help - it's possible that some of these are big barriers & if no one feeds back, the team might not be aware they're issues.

Sorry I can't remember names, but did anyone get a photo or can draw me a sketch of the thingy from the Moot. It was two sticks and you swung it about like a football rattle to wind cord, being demonstrated on the family day? I tried to show some kids bramble corsage yesterday and it's clearly...

I've been thinking of making a sampler - not sure what the finished object will look like - demonstrating as many different cord-making techniques as I can find. I thought it'd make a fun game thread! Here are the rules: name & describe a technique to make some string rope, cord, or anything...

It's a good thought, & it'd be important that people in those industries also had the opportunity for more free time. and it's probably right to create a norm of at least one day a week which everyone has off, so you know when your family and friends will be free. But that could be nice? It...

Another really good use of a tarp: we can't afford to run heating in the winter, it gets very cold in our cottage, but you can string a tarp over/around a bed - with lashed branches or to the bed itself depending on the design - and hey presto, it's a tent, and your body warmth seeps out and...

No one has said this yet so I'll add it: it's a pleasurable bushcraft skill to master. It's an excuse to learn, do and practice knots & handle/collect rope; and the art of learning, designing, pitching and situating a tarp is a survival skillset which some people find inherently interesting. I...