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Don’t forget your local car boot sale. Over the years I’ve picked up lots of amazing gear for very little. You do need to go regularly and early in the morning (be there for 0700!) but it’s worth the effort. Don’t expect to just pick up what you need, just be open to surprises. I recently got a...

I think our interpretation of advanced differs perhaps. I tend to think of advanced as new and harder skills focused; but I accept folk may wish to push themselves physically and mentally too. As a service person I wouldn’t be paying for fitness tests or endurance training; I get enough of...

Well if you look at the syllabus offered by reputable companies like Woodlore or Frontier Bushcraft their more ‘advanced’ courses steps up the learning to what would be considered harder skills. The classic example would be bow drill on a ‘basic’ course and hand drill on a ‘intermediate’ or...

If you’re just walking low level OS 1:50k or 1:25k are appropriate. If you’re going into the Cullin then the Harvey’s 1:40k is a good option. Essentially the level of detail is too little on the 1:50k and too much on the 1:25k. The colour shading is better on the Harvey’s but note that the...

Try spitting on your hands so you get more friction and open your hands at the top so the fleshy lower part of your palm is the only bit in contact with the drill.

Yes - I’ve successfully hand drilled into a piece of Chaga. It takes couple of days to build up the muscle memory and so you don’t trash your hands. It’s the only thing I’ve successfully used for hand drill.

I find the biggest issue is often the wind direction less the configuration. The wind needs to be parallel to your shelter else it will fill with smoke in anything less than perfect condition. I often sit under an old military Basha set at 2 meters - this removes the wind problem, covers the...

Welcome aboard. I’d recommend one of these if you can find one...

I see both ‘Hurricane’ and ‘Tilley’ lamps all the time at my local Carboot. You can pick them up quite cheaply. A Hurricane might only cost £10 & a Tilley £20-£30 if you don’t mind them being a bit beaten up. Tilley X24B are very common but you might also see Vapalux & Coleman. I prefer pressure...

Joined about 20 years ago, helped me get through an Afghan and couple of Falklands tours. I still have a look most days and contribute when I can. We need more posts about canvas Crusader rucksacks!

The standard text for UK colleges for the last 50 years teaching catering is Practical Cookery by Cesserani & Kinton.

Actually no not everywhere. Obviously the high mountains are though. There are a lot of plantations but also increasingly areas of native woodland. They are mostly birch and willow but I think since the peninsula came into the care of the Knoydart Foundation the stance on deer management and...

I’ve spent a fair bit of time in Knoydart and though it is wild it isn’t wilderness in my mind. Pre the Clearances I read that there were a thousand fighting men living in the peninsula which would suggest the total population would be perhaps 4-5 times that. In some of the glens that are empty...

Personally I wouldn’t go for the Ionesphere. I can’t comment on the quality as I’ve not owned one. Essentially I think you’ll miss the space to sit up and cook in the porch if the weather is poor. It’s also hard to keep your kit dry / get dressed for the same reason. If you only camp in fine...

Gaberdine is windproof, lightweight and quick drying - it’s a tight weave cotton fabric but it’s not especially robust. It used to be used for smocks for SF Troops and Royal Marines, although plenty of other military folk would wear them as the standard issue smock wasn’t as nice to wear.

Why would you not want to use the hip belt? I do 100s of miles over the hills each year and it really is crucial in a comfortable carry. I know some military guys cut them off but their rucks usually sit on webbing.

Not in the UK buddy. EBay UK banned knife sales years ago and you can’t bid on overseas knife sales. Anyway here’s a Big Swede I got recently from the Car Boot sale.

Anything sold by Survival Aids (old shop)!

I live in Scotland and they can be very bad in some areas up here. I’ve been involved in a few missing person searches where I’ve literally been brushing them off my trousers because we were searching through deep bracken / foliage. If you can avoid these areas and wear long clothing even when...

That’s an interesting reflection on the AI that eBay gets users to use to describe items for sale - they’re absolutely useless as it doesn’t actually describe what you are selling.