Anyone Keep A Bushcraft Journal?

[Outdoorlifeofbrian]

So I've been journaling for a few years, however it's not pretty its more of a load of information crammed in one place in no particular order, so I've decided to rewrite it in a more orderly fashion!

So my question to you guy is how have you done it? So far I'm thinking of sectioning the Journal into 4 sections Fire, Cooking, Camp Crafts and Equipment. I figured pretty much everything can be placed into one of those categories (so I think).

What do you think? I'm just looking for possibly better ideas?

Thanks Brian.

 

[Lizz]

Yes - me too! I've got pictures, notes, reflections on the notes, ideas, reminders of things that went really badly or worked unexpectedly well, recipes and resources. I used to do it in notebooks by event or dates I was away as I tended to remember according to where and what I was up to. But when I've been a bit more organised I've done it in sections in an a4 folder - I've got food and foraging, gadgets (camp crafts?), gear (equipment), resources (like books, and websites that people suggest), shelters, fire, clothing and carrying (basically baskets, bags, weaving and more sort of textile stuff than the other gadget section). I've got to the stage where some of them have their own folder now!

How nice to know someone else does it too!

 

[Dave]

Yep. My memories not what it used to be, I have little journals, sketches, etc.
Lately Ive been using the moleskine ones.
Difficult thing for me is knowing what to put in and what to leave out.
Mine probably wouldnt make any sense to other people.

 

[Corso]

not so much, I have a stash of laminated reminder cards though

 

[Outdoorlifeofbrian]

Cool so it sounds like people are doing a similar thing to my idea. I've seen a lot of people using a filofax so they can take out and add pages. However I don't really like the style, I've just made myself a madori style journal filled with 4 inserts. Ideally for my 4 sections.

 

[Mesquite]

No section for nature observations?

 

[Idleknight]

I have a couple of simple books like the moleskin ones.
Generally mine is more lessons learnt, things I want to bring next time, things I can get rid off.

 

[Seoras]

I used to keep a journal and created a few folders for my bookshelves.

Now everything I do I record electronically online. It all started from the mass of pictures I had taken over the years recording my crafts and then putting them into step by steps in my folders.

Some call it blogging but I think it really is an electronic journal.

Cheers

George

 

[sandbender]

"...So my question to you guy is how have you done it?...I'm just looking for possibly better ideas?.."

Moleskine notebooks are quite pricey but they do take some hard knocks. I have old ones sitting in a large tin biscuit box in Scotland that have had some very hard hard use and didn't fall apart. I also like the quality of the paper, I can use a proper pen with it and not have to worry about it bleeding through to the other side.

I usually have a travel journal and a notebook with me when on longer trips.

In the travel journal I recount a days events, things seen, distance travelled, terrain, weather, folks encountered etc.

At the back of the travel journal I'll usually have my kit lists and notes relating to things not used or missing for a particular journey along with notes about expenses, bus timetables etc.

The notebook contains things that I may want to refer to again and again, useful knots, tree and plant ID, birdsong ID etc. etc.

I use those little coloured stickies to divide the book into sections.

"...Now everything I do I record electronically online..."

I have years of stuff in paper notebooks that I wouldn't want to lose, the notebooks might be lost or damaged in a fire or flood, so mine end up online too, obviously I don't rely on just the one cloud provider and I keep the paper copies too.

While traveling I usually photograph the pages of my journal as I write them and as I will try to upload photos to somewhere on the internet whenever I can a lost journal doesn't mean lost memories.

Once home I usually read the journals aloud to my computer which does a remarkably good job of accurately turning my spoken words into text.

A few ideas for some folks maybe.

 

[Dave]

My moleskines are nowhere near as neat and tidy as that. I tend to scribble down what im being told, as im being told it on a course for instance. Trying to pick out the relevant info.

You'll note here, that under the rather overpriced imo leather folder, the plain cahier moleskines i use:

Ray Mears Leather Notebook Cover

 

[jimbo75]

because getting out is so infrequent for me, i have found keeping a journal really usefull.
especially when you come back froma meet/trip with loads of new ideas!

 

[sandbender]

"...My moleskines are nowhere near as neat and tidy as that. I tend to scribble down what im being told, as im being told it on a course for instance. Trying to pick out the relevant info...."

Mine can become just as messy when jotting down course notes...

"...You'll note here, that under the rather overpriced imo leather folder, the plain cahier moleskines i use:

Ray Mears Leather Notebook Cover..."

Overpriced? Yeah, just a bit.

 

[mick91]

I keep a game diary to keep track of the amount of woodies we've had that year and often jot down interesting things when I take it out bushcrafting and camping.

 

[Harmonica]

I love moleskin notebooks eve though they are expensive, I have an everyday notebook for jobs lists and general notes which I carry in my bag to work.

I also keep my climbing logs in one hoping some day to see improvement!

And my wife got me one of the Hobbit special edition ones with the maps of Middle Earth on the cover and inside cover so I could write up adventures with my infant son so we could read them together later on and remember our trips.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

[tutorp]

Moleskine is a good choice for a notebook. I carry one of those myself, as an everyday (not bushcraft) notebook, and they can take quite a bit of wear and tear. For a bushcraft journal, I've just started using one of their regular softcover notbooks. Same quality paper, somewhat cheaper, though not quite as long-lasting (still high-quality, though, properly sewn and not something that will fall apart on you easily).

 

[jimbo75]

They are an essential item I reckon.

Sent from my GT-I9195 using Tapatalk

 

[Goatboy]

They are an essential item I reckon.

Sent from my GT-I9195 using Tapatalk

Used to buy a journal for heading off on specific trips. Though these days I carry a wee drawing pad/journal so that I can do little drawings too. Often take drawing pencils too though using charcoal from the fire for drawing is also nice. They can end up looking like Indiana's dads journal fron ROTLA but they are nice to look back on.

Sent via smoke-signal from a woodland in Scotland.

 

[DocG]

Wonderful ideas. I used a small "police" pad on a Ray Mears course. It was ok as it was very portable and quite strong.

Having seen others here, esp. Sandbender's, I really regret my poor drawing skills.

I'm inspired and will look for a good pad to take to Bushmoot.

Thanks for the inspiration - yet again a bonus from being a member here.

All the best.

 

[beachlover]

Moleskine notebooks are quite pricey but they do take some hard knocks. I have old ones sitting in a large tin biscuit box in Scotland that have had some very hard hard use and didn't fall apart. I also like the quality of the paper, I can use a proper pen with it and not have to worry about it bleeding through to the other side.

I usually have a travel journal and a notebook with me when on longer trips.

In the travel journal I recount a days events, things seen, distance travelled, terrain, weather, folks encountered etc.

At the back of the travel journal I'll usually have my kit lists and notes relating to things not used or missing for a particular journey along with notes about expenses, bus timetables etc.

The notebook contains things that I may want to refer to again and again, useful knots, tree and plant ID, birdsong ID etc. etc.

I use those little coloured stickies to divide the book into sections.

I have years of stuff in paper notebooks that I wouldn't want to lose, the notebooks might be lost or damaged in a fire or flood, so mine end up online too, obviously I don't rely on just the one cloud provider and I keep the paper copies too.

While traveling I usually photograph the pages of my journal as I write them and as I will try to upload photos to somewhere on the internet whenever I can a lost journal doesn't mean lost memories.

Once home I usually read the journals aloud to my computer which does a remarkably good job of accurately turning my spoken words into text.

A few ideas for some folks maybe.

This is a cracking post. Thanks.
I've kept both paper journals and in parallel used a digital journal for several years. I have printed photos and stuck them in paper journals and uploaded pics to my journal, but for some reason had never had that epiphany / lightbulb moment and thought about uploading photos of journal pages.
I'd be interested to know what more people use as subdivisions in their journals too.

 

[sandbender]

"...This is a cracking post. Thanks..."

Thanks.

"...Used to buy a journal for heading off on specific trips..."

Something like this?

More here.