Bushcraft tips
- Thread starter Gcckoka
- Start date
My top ten tips for bushcraft 'survival'.
1.) Be prepared. Make sure you have whatever kit you personally need to cope with whatever worst case scenario you can envisage.
2.) K.I.S.S. - Keep It Simple Stupid. I'm all for making our stay in nature pleasant with luxuries but make sure you've covered the basics Shelter/Fire/Food/Drink/Emergency and have them to hand on your person.
3.) Two is One and One is None. - make sure you have suitable backups and keep these on your person.
4.) Tools are no substitute for Knowledge. Knowledge is no substitute for Skills. Make sure you have the tools and have some knowledge and have practiced and practiced it, before putting yourself in a potential survival situation.
5.) Practice, Practice, Practice. - you will keep learning and honing skills, and be better prepared for a survival situation.
6.) Don't Panic, take a breather and assess what needs to be done before attempting anything. Some say make a cup of tea and have a sit down. You need to be thinking clearly and have a plan rather than be just doing something.
7.) Leave an itinerary with someone you trust, including details of where you'll be and what you'll be doing and when you will be back. Accidents happen which is why we have emergency services.
8.) Learn to trust yourself and learn your personal limits safely. - Different people have differing abilities and different mindsets. Find out what it's like to have a cold miserable night, find out how you cope without food/drink for 24 hours. You may surprise yourself how well/badly you cope, but learn from it.
9.) Pride can kill. - Don't be afraid of acknowledging when mistakes have been made and that help is needed. Better to be a live fool than a dead hero.
10.) Tiredness can kill / Don't cut corners. - Especially when doing tasks with sharp tools or fire. Take a break rather than get sloppy because that's when accidents happen. Take your time and do things properly.
1.) Be prepared. Make sure you have whatever kit you personally need to cope with whatever worst case scenario you can envisage.
2.) K.I.S.S. - Keep It Simple Stupid. I'm all for making our stay in nature pleasant with luxuries but make sure you've covered the basics Shelter/Fire/Food/Drink/Emergency and have them to hand on your person.
3.) Two is One and One is None. - make sure you have suitable backups and keep these on your person.
4.) Tools are no substitute for Knowledge. Knowledge is no substitute for Skills. Make sure you have the tools and have some knowledge and have practiced and practiced it, before putting yourself in a potential survival situation.
5.) Practice, Practice, Practice. - you will keep learning and honing skills, and be better prepared for a survival situation.
6.) Don't Panic, take a breather and assess what needs to be done before attempting anything. Some say make a cup of tea and have a sit down. You need to be thinking clearly and have a plan rather than be just doing something.
7.) Leave an itinerary with someone you trust, including details of where you'll be and what you'll be doing and when you will be back. Accidents happen which is why we have emergency services.
8.) Learn to trust yourself and learn your personal limits safely. - Different people have differing abilities and different mindsets. Find out what it's like to have a cold miserable night, find out how you cope without food/drink for 24 hours. You may surprise yourself how well/badly you cope, but learn from it.
9.) Pride can kill. - Don't be afraid of acknowledging when mistakes have been made and that help is needed. Better to be a live fool than a dead hero.
10.) Tiredness can kill / Don't cut corners. - Especially when doing tasks with sharp tools or fire. Take a break rather than get sloppy because that's when accidents happen. Take your time and do things properly.
The above list is excellent.
Not only prepare for emergencies, but practice.
Before you go, study the maps, learn your route, check where nearest help is.
Mark out your route, mark out where help can be had.
Leave a copy of the map at home.
Stick to your route.
DO NOT RUN or speedwalk! You are no Bear Grylls, and have not his backup! Do not climb, avoid fording.
Keep high hygiene. No fun having the runs! No fun having a crotch infection! No fun getting
Before the trip, cut your finger and toe nails.
Only use equipment you have tried before.
Do sit down in beautiful places and enjoy!
Forgot: practice not only when it is warm and the sun shines, but also a rainy night.
Not only prepare for emergencies, but practice.
Before you go, study the maps, learn your route, check where nearest help is.
Mark out your route, mark out where help can be had.
Leave a copy of the map at home.
Stick to your route.
DO NOT RUN or speedwalk! You are no Bear Grylls, and have not his backup! Do not climb, avoid fording.
Keep high hygiene. No fun having the runs! No fun having a crotch infection! No fun getting
Before the trip, cut your finger and toe nails.
Only use equipment you have tried before.
Do sit down in beautiful places and enjoy!
Forgot: practice not only when it is warm and the sun shines, but also a rainy night.
Last edited:
In no particular order...
- Consult Naismith's rule before deciding on any route
- All government issue OS/USGS etc maps sometimes by accident & sometimes by design, may not be entirely accurate. Crosscheck with Bing/Google aerial photos.
- Always pack your rain gear.
- Protect your cell-phone and power bank inside a hard waterproof container.
- Never underestimate how fantastically good instant noodles & a cup-o-soup taste when you are tired.
- Stay hydrated.
- There is 'Skimmed Powdered Milk' and then there is Nido, discover the difference and your muesli will love you.
- Use Trekking Poles. Mankind learned to move on two legs because it was faster. Animals however being smarter stayed on four legs as it is safer.
- On steep inclines walk like a Himalayan Sherpa, shorten your stride and pause every dozen steps or less. Aiming for a workout equilibrium where you are breathing hard but more importantly not sweating. Progress will be slow but admire the view, take a photo, it's what you are there for.
- Fords are always deeper than they look and way colder than you thought.
- Trekking Poles II: Snow baskets are not just for the white stuff and work well in mud or boggy terrain.
- Don't keep blisters to yourself. With no Internet or TV watching surgery is compelling entertainment.
can only add
If you are using your car, make sure you leave it in a safe place,
Make sure you lock the door
Keep your key safe
If you need to pay for parking, make sure you do
Nothing worse than getting back and finding you no longer have a car.
Make sure you have a comfortable pair of boots, just in case you no longer have a car
If you are using your car, make sure you leave it in a safe place,
Make sure you lock the door
Keep your key safe
If you need to pay for parking, make sure you do
Nothing worse than getting back and finding you no longer have a car.
Make sure you have a comfortable pair of boots, just in case you no longer have a car
Sounds like a painful story in that post
I would say keep your keys safe or use a hazel wand whittled to a hook to retrieve your keys from a grid...
If heading to a plush local well stocked wood haunt, you never have enough beer, you will have more than enough food and friends.
One sharp is never enough but more than one is too many.
Plush woods trips aside further trips out will see you having a quiet word with your self on several occasions but that's OK
You should drink more brews or water than you think.
Pay attention to your footing in woodland. Especially in snow as a torn ligament in the ankle takes a long, long time to heal.
Get organized and find your ryhtm. Everything in its place. Different colored drybags of different sizes is a must.
Add a layer before you need it.
Protect your hands. Gloves will not only save you splinters but also keep your hands safe and clean. Reducing water consumption for washing not to mention injury.
Find your head-torch well before its gets dark.
Have all your admin sorted before it gets dark so you can enjoy the evening.
If your surroundings are new then take time to test your setup before you need it. Small adjustments are much easier to do in the light.
Keep day time outer clothes away from your sleeping space. Harvest mites can be a nightmare not to mention ticks.
"Sounds like a painful story in that post"
Never happened to me, but even on Dartmoor they warn you about car thieves........................what a twisted world we live in, when opportunist thieves are roaming around Dartmoor, its no wonder they built a prison Here.......lol
Never happened to me, but even on Dartmoor they warn you about car thieves........................what a twisted world we live in, when opportunist thieves are roaming around Dartmoor, its no wonder they built a prison Here.......lol
Do not be afraid/ashamed of practicing in the garden or nearest camping
Do not take much advice from TV shows. A dead sheep carcass flushed down from squeezed camel poo water might sound disgusting, but is in fact deadly.
Do not take much advice from TV shows. A dead sheep carcass flushed down from squeezed camel poo water might sound disgusting, but is in fact deadly.
On the car front, make sure you keep the electronic thing that unlocks your car doors and turns off the immobiliser dry - preferably in a dry bag.
This does come from experience: I had the minibus key in my pocket on a particularly sopping wet day in North Wales. On our return to the bus, the thing didn't work because it was soaked. It took about forty minutes under the hand dryer in the loos at Pen-y-Pass to get it to work! Not life threatening but annoying, to say the least!
This does come from experience: I had the minibus key in my pocket on a particularly sopping wet day in North Wales. On our return to the bus, the thing didn't work because it was soaked. It took about forty minutes under the hand dryer in the loos at Pen-y-Pass to get it to work! Not life threatening but annoying, to say the least!
May I suggest a condom?
You place the keys inside ( two in case the sharp key cuts one) and tie a knot.
(serious suggestion!)
You place the keys inside ( two in case the sharp key cuts one) and tie a knot.
(serious suggestion!)
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