Basic kit hit-list?

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oldtimer

Full Member
Sep 27, 2005
3,185
1,801
82
Oxfordshire and Pyrenees-Orientales, France
O,h yes! You've found the right site for advice: we love giving it.

I see Erbswurst has given you a link to Paul Kirtlley'website. I second this. Paul Kirtley synthesises a wide range of knowledge into easily digested chunks. His web site is well worth a visit.

I would also recommend Joe O'Leary's Wilderness Survival Guide,which is available on Kindle.

Kirtley and O'Leary together make a good starting poin If you read them first, the vast amount of accumulated wisdom on thei site and elsewhere will begin to make sense and help you to narrow down what you need to know and in what order.

The only hard advice I would give now is not to waste money on expensive kit until you know what you really need. The site is a good place to buy quality used kit from folk who didn't follow this advice!
 

TeeDee

Full Member
Nov 6, 2008
10,447
3,652
50
Exeter
I’ve probably got a Mora you can have for the postage price if you want. I’m sure I’ve got a Triflex, a Bushcraft and a Robust knocking about not doing much if you’re of age and a knife is on your list.

I'll take a punt that the poster is 42/43 based upon their user name. Just a guess however.

But a super generous offer you are making regardless of their age.
 
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Erbswurst

Bushcrafter (boy, I've got a lot to say!)
Mar 5, 2018
4,079
1,766
Berlin
The average usual strong young man would be pretty well served with the following equipment.

I tried here below to save money where it's easily possible but spend a bit more where it's sensible.

Most people have already some equipment of course, like a rainsuit for example. One should of course take what's already in wardrobe case, attic and shed. It's also sensible to ask around if family members and friends have such stuff and would gift it to you. Nearly every old military equipment might be usefull. And a lot of old civil hiking, hunting and camping equipment too of course.

Packing list for beginners, low budget.

Rucksack
Dutch army Sting, used
or Karrimor SF Sabre 45, new
The pots below fit into the side pouches of these rucksacks, what's outstanding practical.
Garbage bag as waterproof rucksack liner

Under the flap of the rucksack
Insulation mat, British army, used
Can be secured on the flap with
2 British army utility straps, used

Stuffed to the bottom of the main compartment:
Sleeping bag Snugpak Special Forces 2, new, in
Bivvy bag Snugpak Special Forces, new,
or British army, used in very good conditions

On top of it in the main compartment:

Ortlieb 7 litres dry bag PS10 as pillow too, new,
containing
Fleece jacket Solognac 300, new
Fleece jacket Solognac 100, new
Spare underwear 1X
Briefs and T-shirt, thin cotton
Woolen spare socks 1X Falke TK1 or British army, new
Swimming briefs 1X
(Shorts Solognac 100, new)
Longjohns, fleece, Solognac 100, new
Knitted cap, Solognac 300 Larch, new
Liner gloves Solognac 100, new
All leather working gloves, new

Left side pouch:

Poncho, German army, used
or British army shelter sheet, used
Cordage
2x 3 m to tension it as lean to shelter, and 1,5 m to make a tripod,
(1,5 m additional for belt attachments and loops for the poncho grommets.)
Edelrid multicord SP, 2,5 mm orange, new

Food
in the
Pathfinder Bush Pot 1800 ml
new, in a plastic bag.

Right side pouch:

Toilet paper in a toppits zipp lock freezer bag
Wash kit
Folding tooth brush, tooth cream, little tube, soap in a bottle, Sea to Summit body wash 89 ml, razor Wilkinson disposable orange, small towel, Nabaji size S, new.
It fits all together - razor blade protecting - into
Solognac Organizer Size S, new

Mug, Lixada 750 ml stainless steel with bail and butterfly handles, new, in a plastic bag

2x Bottle, Nalgene 1 litre cylindrical and clear, new, nests with the mug above

In the flap pocket:

Knife Morakniv Garberg stainless steel with leather sheath or Hultafors GK heavy duty, new
Spoon stainless steel from the flea market
Candle in a zipp lock freezer bag
As fire starter you can put a few drips of wax on the twigs.
Bic cigarette lighter, orange, new
(Gas stove
Alpkit Kraku with cardridge Primus red, new)
Head lamp Petzl e+lite, new
Head net Sea to Summit Nano, new
Waterproof cap Solognac 500, new
Perhaps Goretex suit German army, used


ON THE MAN:

Mountain boots Schladminger 100, new
Woolen Socks Falke TK1 or British army, new

Underwear briefs thin cotton
Trousers Solognac Steppe 300, new
Belt Solognac 100
Cotton Handkerchief
Several times folded usable as pot holder and pre filter before water purification by boiling.
Purse
House
keys
attached with 40 cm cord to the belt.
Bic cigarette lighter orange
Pocket Knife Victorinox Climber, new, attached with 60 cm cord to the belt.

T-shirt Solognac 100
Shirt Buttoned (army) long sleeved shirt with two pockets and flaps over it or Solognac hunting shirt 500
Compass Suunto M-9
Topographical hiking map 1:50 000

That's a complete packing list for several weeks or months long journeys.
More you don't need and you can start in summer conditions with much less of course.
 
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Erbswurst

Bushcrafter (boy, I've got a lot to say!)
Mar 5, 2018
4,079
1,766
Berlin

 

Nice65

Brilliant!
Apr 16, 2009
6,438
2,859
W.Sussex
I'll take a punt that the poster is 42/43 based upon their user name. Just a guess however.

But a super generous offer you are making regardless of their age.
Probably, and the writing, but having spent a fair bit of time behind the scenes on a knife forum, nothing surprises me. For all I know it’s you and your shill account chatting away to yourself. :lmao:

Thanks for the compliment, it’s daft for me to have knives sitting unused in the cupboard, I’d much rather they went off to be used and someone to get something out of it. Fancy a scandi grind/flat grind/micro bevel argument? There hasn’t been one for at least a month. :D:D:D
 
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Nice65

Brilliant!
Apr 16, 2009
6,438
2,859
W.Sussex
Come on guys, he actually says he's 41 in his info! :)
Not good enough. I could put I was that age even if I was 15.

Seller or in this case giver, is bound by law to ask for proof of age, not something that’s been written in a forum profile.
 

Broch

Life Member
Jan 18, 2009
7,981
7,757
Mid Wales
www.mont-hmg.co.uk
Not good enough. I could put I was that age even if I was 15.

Seller or in this case giver, is bound by law to ask for proof of age, not something that’s been written in a forum profile.

Sorry, I agree with you as far as the knife is concerned; I was really only commenting on TeeDee's estimation of age :)
 
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Erbswurst

Bushcrafter (boy, I've got a lot to say!)
Mar 5, 2018
4,079
1,766
Berlin
Oh, if You are 41 and not 20 and a half as I assumed, you should get all the stuff twice of course.

:biggrin:
 

Barney Rubble

Settler
Sep 16, 2013
552
280
Rochester, Kent
youtube.com
Well done Erbswurst, his list above is very comprehensive and a very reasonable list of kit that will, for the most part, be very affordable. I agree with his view that it's worth spending a bit extra on sleeping kit and you won't go wrong with the snugpak gear.

There's only two things I'd add to his list - first aid kit and brew kit. The first aid kit is obviously the item that you need to carry but never want to use. But don't forget the tea bags otherwise you really are up a creek without a paddle!

The only thing I'd add is that you don't have to go out and buy all that in one go to enjoy Bushcraft. Just get yourself out for a walk around your local countryside/woodland. Take a flask of tea and a sandwich and spend a bit of time learning what trees you have around you. Listen to the wildlife, see if you can figure out what all the different calls are. And why not scout out some areas for future stealth camping trips! If you get yourself a tarp you can think about visiting these areas to practice pitching the tarp and learning the various knots.

When it comes to knots, I used to practice those on my train journey into work! I probably looked like a bit of a wally sitting there playing with a bit of string, but those knots are firmly engrained in the ol' noggin' now!
 
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lostplanet

Full Member
Aug 18, 2005
2,124
243
53
Kent
Something you can do whilst you are deciding what to go for is visit Go Outdoors and a Decathlon. They have loads of gear some good some not, getting a hands on look does really help and sometime in store offers you wont see online.

For more expensive stuff there is snow and rock, Blacks, millets, cotswold outdoors.
 

Erbswurst

Bushcrafter (boy, I've got a lot to say!)
Mar 5, 2018
4,079
1,766
Berlin
I doubt that this is a good idea.

An inexperienced beginner is unable to see the differences between good and bad constructed equipment and clothing.

If you show him a 1000 € Hilleberg Nallo 2 tent and and a 25 € Quecha tent and offer him to gift him one, he perhaps would choose the 25 € tent because it's easier to enter or because he preferes the colour. Without any experience you don't see the differences.

And even if the beginner is able to apply experiences of 40 years daily civil life he is unable to imagine how all the offered stuff will work together.

I need a new large rucksack. Although I have 45 years outdoor experience I needed round about two years to decide which model I will buy. Because I think about details that a beginner is unable to understand.
 

TLM

Bushcrafter (boy, I've got a lot to say!)
Nov 16, 2019
3,092
1,624
Vantaa, Finland
There is another problem that will almost require one to be a pro to even be recognized. Materials, the field has kind of exploded in the last 20 years, there are just too many technical names and trademarked ones for a normal person to readily keep up with them, not to say to say anything but yuck about terms invented by the marketing departments.

I have worked for a short while for a sports equipment manufacturer, their marketing was based on deception if not quite lying, in a few case the numbers were actually changed by marketing from the real ones given by the lab. After that I have had problems really believing much about out door equipment ads.
 
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Erbswurst

Bushcrafter (boy, I've got a lot to say!)
Mar 5, 2018
4,079
1,766
Berlin
And exactly that is one of the reasons why I tend to recommend generally:

Buy used in the best available conditions what was recently issued in the army of your own country!

If you have no clue, you assure like that to get a well working and to each other fitting system and your army thought about the materials for you and about the weather conditions that are usual in your area.

Not all stuff that's issued by the own army might be the best in the world, but the price-value relation is usually very good, the stuff is robust and fault forgiving, nearly idiot proof, and especially it will neither fall in pieces after a couple of month nor will it be wrong constructed like most, yes I wrote MOST, civil outdoor equipment.
 
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TLM

Bushcrafter (boy, I've got a lot to say!)
Nov 16, 2019
3,092
1,624
Vantaa, Finland
Even though military equipment is mostly manufactured by the lowest bidder, it is still required to fulfill certain standards, mostly relevant ones.

Varusteleka's people for example say that generally speaking the best camo uniforms are British ones. I think they have tested in one way or another almost all European ones and more that few from all over. Belgian, Dutch and German are OK and Austrian non camo ones are not bad, their camos have not been tested yet.
 
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Erbswurst

Bushcrafter (boy, I've got a lot to say!)
Mar 5, 2018
4,079
1,766
Berlin
Well the standards are usually pretty high. Sometimes so high that they exclude in one NATO army what's issued in the other one.

The Kasper & Richter compass Meridian Pro is good enough for the Dutch, the Suunto MB6 good enough for the Austrians, but if you want to sell a compass to the German army you need to create something like the 240 € compass Breithaupt Conat 4. Good Luck!

Breithaupt in Kassel is by far the cheapest bidder for the Breithaupt Conat 4. That's right, because they are the only ones who can make them. And they need to earn money because they deliver more complicated very important measuring technik too. They shouldn't close the gates!

;)

And the Carinthia sleeping bag cover for 400 € is the cheapest Carinthia military bivvy bag in the world.

If you are able to deliver a waterproof bivvy bag that allows the soldier to close it totally from inside and breath through the fabric the whole night you are invited to offer it to the German army. They surely will tell you a few more interesting specifications that you need to fulfill.

;)

And so on...
 

Van-Wild

Full Member
Feb 17, 2018
1,400
1,221
44
UK
I bet there's enough gear stowed away in members houses that never gets used, enough to offer the OP as a gift. Well done @Nice65 for offering a knife.

I will send him a bacho laplander that will see him good for a few years, so there's two things.... c'mon peeps, it's nearly Christmas!

PM me @welsh79

Sent from my SM-G970F using Tapatalk
 

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