Hello everyone i got shown the light of this website buy my best mate who is on here. If anyone has any advice for me that would be brilliant. ( i havn't done much bushcraft, i am a total begginer)
Hey all i am knew to here so any advice would be brilliant
- Thread starter campervanman20
- Start date
-
Hey Guest, Early bird pricing on the Summer Moot (29th July - 10th August) available until April 6th, we'd love you to come. PLEASE CLICK HERE to early bird price and get more information.
Would this best mate be me by any chance lol. let me be the first to say Hello and Welcome to BCUK mate.
1. Don't spend huge amounts of money on kit. As a beginner you will make mistakes in kit. If you spent a fortune on something that doesn't work, you may be forced to keep it due to the economics of the situation.
2. Don't buy junk. Try to find the middle path. For example don't buy a cheap 2 pound flashlight (torch) and don't buy a 120 pound, bazallion lumen one either. (at least not yet. lol)
3. Listen to your friend and heed his advice. read the forums. limit yourself, at least at first, to the threads that REALLY interest you. Particularly those dealing with the items that you intend to buy.
4. A noob generally will stand out more for being over-kitted as opposed to being under-kitted. Of course there is the opposite--the guy that shows up virtually empty handed. Above all, don't rush out and buy some huge "survival" type knife. For now just get a mora clipper. Work your way in slowly.
5. You probably already have things at home that will serve you passably well for the time being. (something to cook in for example.)
6. Basically, you need comfortable and reasonably water proof clothes and foot wear, a backpack, something to sleep in or on, something to cook on and something to cook in. A reliable way to start a fire, a good canteen, a poncho or tarp.
7. Keep it simple. For example, don't run out and buy an expensive Swedish firesteel, just yet. Buy a Bic lighter. Gathering and making tinder can come later. Don't try to learn everything the first trip out.
8. Relax, go with the flow, and above all have fun. If you are not having fun, you are doing something wrong. (even in the rain!)
9. One last thought. Beginners tend to nearly ignore what food and drink to take with them. If you end up going to bed cold and hungry you will not have a good time. Put a LOT of thought into what you are going to eat. Think light weight and think appetizing. Sitting around the fire at night or in the early morning a good cup of coffee or tea, fixed just how you like it goes a long ways to helping you achieve true bliss.
I undoubtedly forgot something terribly important, and if I did someone will point it out to you.
2. Don't buy junk. Try to find the middle path. For example don't buy a cheap 2 pound flashlight (torch) and don't buy a 120 pound, bazallion lumen one either. (at least not yet. lol)
3. Listen to your friend and heed his advice. read the forums. limit yourself, at least at first, to the threads that REALLY interest you. Particularly those dealing with the items that you intend to buy.
4. A noob generally will stand out more for being over-kitted as opposed to being under-kitted. Of course there is the opposite--the guy that shows up virtually empty handed. Above all, don't rush out and buy some huge "survival" type knife. For now just get a mora clipper. Work your way in slowly.
5. You probably already have things at home that will serve you passably well for the time being. (something to cook in for example.)
6. Basically, you need comfortable and reasonably water proof clothes and foot wear, a backpack, something to sleep in or on, something to cook on and something to cook in. A reliable way to start a fire, a good canteen, a poncho or tarp.
7. Keep it simple. For example, don't run out and buy an expensive Swedish firesteel, just yet. Buy a Bic lighter. Gathering and making tinder can come later. Don't try to learn everything the first trip out.
8. Relax, go with the flow, and above all have fun. If you are not having fun, you are doing something wrong. (even in the rain!)
9. One last thought. Beginners tend to nearly ignore what food and drink to take with them. If you end up going to bed cold and hungry you will not have a good time. Put a LOT of thought into what you are going to eat. Think light weight and think appetizing. Sitting around the fire at night or in the early morning a good cup of coffee or tea, fixed just how you like it goes a long ways to helping you achieve true bliss.
I undoubtedly forgot something terribly important, and if I did someone will point it out to you.
And get a pair of Ray Mears underpants! 
Sorry couldn't resist.
If you do need gear advice then this forum is good for that. If you like to make your own gear (MYOG) then this site is good for that (check out the thread on the condom tin... Hint the contents were not as important as the tin itself). If you just want to have banter with some funny guys, well I can't help but someone on here will oblige.
To summarise - whatever your type of bushcraft this site rocks.
As to gear, my advice would be to buy right from the start. I mean find out what you want to do and what will help you do it then buy good quality, which may or may not cost a lot. Take the Frosts Mora knife for example.
Sorry couldn't resist.
If you do need gear advice then this forum is good for that. If you like to make your own gear (MYOG) then this site is good for that (check out the thread on the condom tin... Hint the contents were not as important as the tin itself). If you just want to have banter with some funny guys, well I can't help but someone on here will oblige.
To summarise - whatever your type of bushcraft this site rocks.
As to gear, my advice would be to buy right from the start. I mean find out what you want to do and what will help you do it then buy good quality, which may or may not cost a lot. Take the Frosts Mora knife for example.
Adze - Apparently if it turned yellow within 10 minutes (still steaming I guess) then its safe to use. Pee is sterile for about 10 minutes apparently. Never wanted to find it out personally but if no water around it is better than nothing in a purely survival situation. Better to keep flushing your kidneys out than not.
I feel sick now.
Campervanman20 - please don't take advise from me I only really know about backpacking gear. I'm a novice too.
I feel sick now.
Campervanman20 - please don't take advise from me I only really know about backpacking gear. I'm a novice too.
i would decide what you want to do and what interests you in the world that is bushcraft
no point camping in a forest if you only want o carve spoons or make nets etc
lots of stuff can be done at home in the garden/ patio or even in the flat etc
however if you do want to spend nights out you will need a certain level of equipt to stop you getting Cold, Wet, Thirsty, hungry, tired etc
ATB and Welcome
Duncan
no point camping in a forest if you only want o carve spoons or make nets etc
lots of stuff can be done at home in the garden/ patio or even in the flat etc
however if you do want to spend nights out you will need a certain level of equipt to stop you getting Cold, Wet, Thirsty, hungry, tired etc
ATB and Welcome
Duncan
Take the time to trawl through the top tips thread:
http://www.bushcraftuk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=11319
all the advice so far seems pretty spot on
Welcome to the crew! Any questions - just ask - everyone I've met on here has been pretty approachable and friendly. A good bunch really
Dom.
http://www.bushcraftuk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=11319
all the advice so far seems pretty spot on
Welcome to the crew! Any questions - just ask - everyone I've met on here has been pretty approachable and friendly. A good bunch really
Dom.
One of my cheapest and most used bits of kit is a small billy can made from a stainless tea cannister and a bit of braided stainless cable. I'll make you one if you like - I've got some bits left over. PM me your address and I'll post you one.
Dom.
Dom.
my advice would be to never give up no matter what ur doing be fire liteing or smithing a blade............
but having said that dont spend 20 hours trying to do the same thing..... mix things up keep it real and true to what you want.....
it took me 4 attempts to get my first heat treating of a blade correct....lol.....
like i say stick with it mate.....all the lads are great so any questions just ask away.....
all the best....chris......
but having said that dont spend 20 hours trying to do the same thing..... mix things up keep it real and true to what you want.....
it took me 4 attempts to get my first heat treating of a blade correct....lol.....
like i say stick with it mate.....all the lads are great so any questions just ask away.....
all the best....chris......
Best advice is keep it simple. Do stuff you've wanted to try doing, if it turns out you're not into them as much as you'd have thought, put it to the side for another time and try something else. Have fun, go out yourself or with mates. Maybe go to an organised meet. Don't take silly risks with your kit or yourself. Oh and have fun..
When I first started visiting bushcrafty, outdoorsy forums, I (like many, many people here) got really sucked into the world of kit addiction and probably spent more time fantasizing about what items I would like to own etc, than I did outside getting stuck in. So I acquired lots of nice tools, many of which rarely got used...
Having spent a fair while away from the internet and this virtual world I have been spending much more time actually doing the stuff I love (but now i'm back, bed ridden with glandular fever) and have now realised that what kit you own really isn't that important, its about what you do with it.
So my advice would be get your self a mora clipper and a couple of other bits of cheap, quality necessities and then focus on the skills, and don't hoard gear for imagined adventures that might not happen (I did).
Having spent a fair while away from the internet and this virtual world I have been spending much more time actually doing the stuff I love (but now i'm back, bed ridden with glandular fever) and have now realised that what kit you own really isn't that important, its about what you do with it.
So my advice would be get your self a mora clipper and a couple of other bits of cheap, quality necessities and then focus on the skills, and don't hoard gear for imagined adventures that might not happen (I did).
Similar threads
