Hi

[unused[nl]]

Hi,

During the last few months I've been watching a lot of Ray Mear's episodes of bushcraft, extreme survival etc etc! Now is the time I want to start out myself!

I'm 18 years old and I live in the Netherlands, are there any other dutch guys around here?

I am just starting out in the world of bushcraft/survival. I bought a book "The SAS Survival Handbook" by John Wiseman. After reading the most of it I am really encouraged to start!

Rushing into the great world of bushcraft didn't sound very smart so I want to take small steps and try to begin with the basic stuff. For any tips/hits or other info please contact me!

I bought a Swedish FireSteel and made a lot of attempts, after 3 days(!!) I manged to get my first fire going but after that it still don't work like I see in many video's on youtube and done by Ray Mears for example! Now when I want to light a fire I use a bit of cotton wool as thinder but, I think it's a little bit of cheating. I don't know why it doesn't work with my fire lighting on normal wood.. I use very dry wood and really fine shavings. If you have any tips contact me please!

What would you see as my next step? I would love to hear things you guys first learned! And of course also why you learned some things first!

Greetings,

Guido

 

[rich59]

Hi Unused,

Great to hear of another fire enthusiast. I suspect that you could practice on getting hotter sparks. Some guys here seem to get huge sparks that catch fire to all sorts of things.

There are a few natual equivalents to cotton wool - dandelion fluff, bull rush (reed mace) fluff and the like. In between there is fibrous bark from lime and some other barks. Rubbed cotton cordage is an interesting one to practice on.

 

[ferrol]

Welcome to the wonderful world of Bushcraft and survival.

This forum as a huge amount of information all waiting to be found by searching the forums.
If you have any questions search first as it's prob been covered a few times over.

As for using a flint and steal, try Birch (silver) bark scraped to create fine shavings should get you going first. Ray does it a few times in his DVD's.

Enjoy yourself

ferrol

 

[Ahjno]

Welcome to BCUK Guido!

 

[Galemys]

Another Dutchie!

Welcome and enjoy

Greetings from Zaandam

Tom (AKA Galemys)

 

[unused[nl]]

Thanks for all your replies guys!

I usually search a forum before asking, hate it myself when people double ask!

@Tom,
Are there a lot of Dutch guys here? Are there even guys practicing bushcraft in the Netherlands? And I am not allowed to go in the forest, make camp or pitch a fire because of " Staats bos beheer" or something like that, is that everywhere in the Netherlands?

@Ferrol,
How can I recognize a silver birch tree? Because there are birches around my house and in the forest next to my house but I don't know if they are Silver Birch..

 

[Galemys]

Are there a lot of Dutch guys here? Are there even guys practicing bushcraft in the Netherlands? And I am not allowed to go in the forest, make camp or pitch a fire because of " Staats bos beheer" or something like that, is that everywhere in the Netherlands?

In theory you are not allowed to wander off the tracks or sleep overnight in the Dutch forests, that´s right...
You can always try a ´paalkampeerplaats´ (google it, there are a few in most Dutch ´provincies´, still haven´t tried it myself) which is a legal site to sleep over in a forested surrounding. You are allowed to camp within 10 meters of the ´paal´ and there is a tap with running water (that has to be cooked before use, they are shut down in winter). Open fires are never allowed though.

There´s quite a lot of people interested in bushcraft in the Netherlands and twice a year there´s a bushcraftweekend in the neighbourhood of Apeldoorn with all kinds of workshops hosted by three members of this site. Take a look here to find out about former editions of the Dutch bushcraftweekends:
http://www.bushcraftweekend.nl
There´ll be another one sometime in the autumn but you have to be quick to attend because the site where it is held (a little prehistoric camp, it always reminds me of Asterix and Obelix little village ) can only support about 70 people. I think the last three bushcraftweekends were fully booked.

If you have more questions, fire away (or send a PM)

Tom

PS
you can also use the middle layer (the ´trama´) of the tinder fungus (Fomes fomentarius, de tondelzwam) scraped to form a wool like mass or the whole innerside of the cramp ball fungus (Daldinia concentrica, de kogelhoutskoolzwam) to take a spark from a modern firesteel or from a traditional flint and steel (use an old file as the steel)

 

[JonnyP]

Hello Unused, and welcome here.....its the peelings off the birch you want. Find a tree and look for where the bark is peeling, its very thin and comes off in strips as you pull it off, sometimes big bits, sometimes tiny bits. It is very good as tinder, takes a spark well. I hope you can find someone local to you, to show you a few things....

 

[unused[nl]]

In theory you are not allowed to wander off the tracks or sleep overnight in the Dutch forests, that´s right...
You can always try a ´paalkampeerplaats´ (google it, there are a few in most Dutch ´provincies´, still haven´t tried it myself) which is a legal site to sleep over in a forested surrounding. You are allowed to camp within 10 meters of the ´paal´ and there is a tap with running water (that has to be cooked before use, they are shut down in winter). Open fires are never allowed though.

Cool! I didn't knew these existed I would like to try one of those one day! Maybe strange but how can you cook the water without a fire? That way I won't get ill!

There´s quite a lot of people interested in bushcraft in the Netherlands and twice a year there´s a bushcraftweekend in the neighbourhood of Apeldoorn with all kinds of workshops hosted by three members of this site. Take a look here to find out about former editions of the Dutch bushcraftweekends:
http://www.bushcraftweekend.nl
There´ll be another one sometime in the autumn but you have to be quick to attend because the site where it is held (a little prehistoric camp, it always reminds me of Asterix and Obelix little village ) can only support about 70 people. I think the last three bushcraftweekends were fully booked.

Yeah I found out about that site a while ago! Also I found the "extra survival training" something.. They give bushcraft courses etc. but rather expensive.. I am just a student you see..

you can also use the middle layer (the ´trama&#180 of the tinder fungus (Fomes fomentarius, de tondelzwam) scraped to form a wool like mass or the whole innerside of the cramp ball fungus (Daldinia concentrica, de kogelhoutskoolzwam) to take a spark from a modern firesteel or from a traditional flint and steel (use an old file as the steel)

Wow do they grow somewhere around Noord-Brabant also? Because I always wonder when looking at Ray Mears or someone else, they find a lot of eatable plants, usable fungus's but I don't know if that is also possible in the Netherlands. Because all the forests in the Netherlands are planted aren't they?

@Jon Pickett
Does only the silver birch has these peelings? Or also other birches? Because someone just said that silver birches are excellent use for fire lightning. Yeah I sure hope to find some one around here who can show and teach me somethings about plants, shelter building, animal tracks, etc etc! There is just so much to learn!

 

[rich59]

Wow do they grow somewhere around Noord-Brabant also? Because I always wonder when looking at Ray Mears or someone else, they find a lot of eatable plants, usable fungus's but I don't know if that is also possible in the Netherlands. Because all the forests in the Netherlands are planted aren't they?

@Jon Pickett
Does only the silver birch has these peelings? Or also other birches? Because someone just said that silver birches are excellent use for fire lightning. Yeah I sure hope to find some one around here who can show and teach me somethings about plants, shelter building, animal tracks, etc etc! There is just so much to learn!

Cramp ball is found in plenty on dead ash - probably throughout Europe. Need to choose black ones (brown = too young) and dry them thorougly first. False tinder fungus (fomes fomentarius) is usually rarer, can be found on birch, or in some places beech.

Any sort of birch seems to have similar properties I think.

 

[unused[nl]]

Thanks a lot

 

[Galemys]

Maybe strange but how can you cook the water without a fire?

Yeah I found out about that site a while ago! Also I found the "extra survival training" something.. They give bushcraft courses etc. but rather expensive.. I am just a student you see..

Wow do they grow somewhere around Noord-Brabant also? Because I always wonder when looking at Ray Mears or someone else, they find a lot of eatable plants, usable fungus's but I don't know if that is also possible in the Netherlands. Because all the forests in the Netherlands are planted aren't they?

Open fires (campfires) are prohibited but you are allowed to cook over a burner. Here's a link with some locations:
http://www.hiking-site.nl/routes_paalkamperen.php

The Bushcraftweekends are not for free but it is very good value for your money.

Both species of fungi grow in Holland but you have to look for them. For instance: I haven't found the 'tondelzwam' near my hometown (Zaandam, just above Amsterdam) but plenty of them near 'de Veluwe' so I suspect you would also find them in Brabant. I have only found them growing on dead or dying beech trees ('beuk') not on birch. Cramp ball fungus is found locally in Holland (I know just 2 spots near my hometown), normally found on ash trees ('es').

There's enough edible plants to be found in the Dutch woods, even in planted woods

Good luck

Tom

 

[unused[nl]]

Thanks a lot Galemys!

I really need to check one of those weekends I think, but because I don't know why study I am going to next year it's hard to say when I have some free time.. Maybe I am going to the "KMA, officiers opleiding in Breda" if so, I won't have much time. So I can't really subscribe

While spending more time on this site I realize I need to work on my plant knowledge a lot! I can only identify Oak, Birch, Beech(if there are some "beukennootjes" on the ground), Burrs bushes and thats mainly it.. maybe a few more but not much.. and I am even living in a forest I am so ashamed!

What kind of things can be eaten? I know Burrs but apart from that.. I will need to live on catching rabbits the rest of the year I think!

Thanks again