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I found this fairly terrible 7lb maul at our scout hut. It apparently originally came from HSS. The head had potential, but the handle was extremely flexible. Striking a log resulted in the handle bending, with terrible transfer of energy and a lot of vibration. It was unusable! The handle...

I bought this S&J Neverblunt billhook on Ebay. Does anybody have any idea when it is likely to have been made? It was in reasonably good condition. There was a bit of pitting, but it is solid. There was still a bit of an edge on it. I gave it an initial rubbing down of the surface rust...

Whilst sorting out the Scout group hatchets, I found two with heads that had potential. A HB 1 1/4lb and an unbranded one of ~1 1/2lb. They both had terrible handles of around 13-14". The HB had a butchered/home-made effort and the unbranded one was damaged glass fibre. The handles were...

I decided to make my own budget version of a Gransfors Small Forest Axe, I bought a fairly old-looking French Goldenberg 800 axe head for a few quid. It was very pitted, although blued/black. The top corner of the blade showed evidence of a lot of use. It would have taken a lot of grinding to...

I have a pair of DPM camo British Army ECW Mittens. They are fully waterproof, appear to be breathable and thin. They have a leather and finger/thumb area. I wear them over a pair of warm boiled (claimed to be merino) wool gloves for commuting by bike on snow/frosty days. They do the job well...

I'm in my late 40s. I grew up in Merseyside/SW Lancs. I remember the snow and ice of 1981/1982. We went tobogganing on a hill near home and saw some Scottish people skiing! We lived at low altitude and had a few days of snow per year through the 1980s and 1990s. Winter Hill was the nearest...

I recently found a stick (possibly some sort of cherry from a garden) in a wood pile at our scout hut that was being chopped up for fire wood. It had presumably been there for some time as it was very dry. The thin end snapped off to the ideal length that is now, which may or may not be a good...

Having seen these shovels pop up in various articles and videos, I bought one. It is a well-used Russian army example, rather than a new Cold Steel one. The handle was removed, coated with raw linseed oil (along with the head) a couple of times and left it a week to cure. The handle was...

I have a Snugpak Elite 3 sleeping bag. "Comfort temperature rating -5DegC"? I used it in August and it did not feel as warm as I might have expected. I used it for camping this weekend. It was around 1-2Deg and damp, then down to 0DegC on the first night, and slightly warmer, but more...

This started off as a very cheap hickory handled Silverline felling axe. I have improved the blade profile and put a better edge on it, sanded and oiled the handle and made a simple leather handle protector. I will be making a leather blade cover for it. It will be interesting to find out...

I bought this knife a few years ago, after buying the bigger one. I use it regularly, and it takes quite a hammering (literally, if using it for battening) in construction work, DIY, Scouts projects, bush/camping work, including cooking and general pocket knife duties. The steel is good and it...

I was given these kitchen knives. As they were surprlus to kitchen requirements, I decided to modify them a bit for bush/garden/workshop use. Marked-out, then I used a Dremel with a cutting disc, the bench grinder, a selection of sharpening stones and a leather strop. The bigger one needs a...

I like wearing wool and I finally got around to making a blanket shirt due to having Covid over New Year. I watched a couple of Youtube videos for sizing and for ideas for features (gussets under the arm pits and across the neck opening are useful) I had a qood quality old wool blanket -albeit...

I have an acrylic + Thinsulate 'beanie' hat that i bought for £5 from an outdoor clothing fair in a village hall near Barnard Castle or Kirby Stephen in the mid '90s. The insulation feels quite substantial and there is knitted acrylic inside and out. The 'overlap' of 'brim' material is quite...

I currently have a pair of Goretex-lined Merrell shoes for light outdoors duties (ie. when not wearing boots) I have begun wearing lower heeled shoes for running to promote a 'mid-foot' strike and have been wearing flatter shoes for day-today use. Having worn the Merrells for a forest walk...

I picked up one of these desirable jackets, left over from a previous "Thursday Special", in my local Aldi for the grand sum of £7.99, down from £20. As it packs quite small, the intention was to use it as an extra/lunch layer to keep in my rucksack, but the "lofting" and fit is better than I...

My replica M65 jacket with quilted (but non-elasticated wrists) liner is fine for normal conditions, but no use below freezing. In the past I'd buttoned in a pseudo-polarfleece "waistcoat", but the arms were still a little cold and the coat wasn't quite up to standing around in the cold. The...

I'm interested in moving away from the base-mid-membrane layerss for outdoor activities. I'm mostly a mountain biker these days, but enjoy mountaineering/walking and general outdoor/camping activities. I'm keen to get a jacket with a hood that can be used in a range of conditions and not...

We're off on a road trip taking in NE France, Germany, Luxembourg and Belgium. Having found a superb place in Brittany a few years ago, I was wondering if I'd find anything similar on this trip. Does anybody know of any good surplus shops around Freiburg/Black Forest, Luxembourg, Koblenz...

I picked up a pair of surplus/used full Leather Matterhorn boots with Goretex lining. My comparisons are with my German (2000?, MkIV?) army boots with stitched sole that have never fitted me properly. First impressions are of well-made boots, but much less substantial than the Germans...