New into bushcraft.

[James-1408]

Hey all, newbie, I've always had an interest in bushcraft. Watched Ray Mears all the time when I was younger but never actually done anything and I'm looking to get started. I live in Glasgow would appreciate if anyone knows places nearby I can practice some skills while I build up my kit. I don't have a lot of money for equipment yet but I hope to have a tent and all the rest by summer and head to Loch Lomond for a couple nights.
All I have is a flint and steel and getting a knife and saw in the coming weeks as well as waterproof/winter clothes.

 

[Broch]

Hi James, welcome to the forum. IMHO there's no need to spend lots of money to get into this activity; just stick to within your capabilities and that of your kit. Don't go hankering after the over-priced big names made popular by the showmen. Look at alternative sources such as robust workwear, functional knives, restored axes etc.

Above all else, enjoy!

 

[crosslandkelly]

Hi, welcome and enjoy. As Broch said, keep to the cheap kit while you are learning. If you lose or break a piece of kit, it won't be the end of the world.
A Mora or Hultafors knife and a cheap folding pruning saw, willdo to start. You might want to think about a cheap shelter tarp as well.
https://www.axminster.co.uk/hultafors-craftman-s-utility-knife-502372
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Qimh-Foldi...031_1_14?s=diy&ie=UTF8&qid=1539171785&sr=1-14
https://www.tarpaulinsdirect.co.uk/camouflage-pattern-tarpaulin

 

[mikehill]

Is that tarp decent enough for occasional use ? Bargain price

 

[crosslandkelly]

Is that tarp decent enough for occasional use ? Bargain price

They're OK for the money. Won't last like a DD and are heavier, but they'll do the job. Reinforcing the eyelets with gaffer tape is also a good idea.

 

[Dreadhead]

welcome aboard, i'm just over in perth. Don't know of anywhere directly around glasgow but theres plenty around to checkout im sure. dont worry too much about kit, getting out is more important

 

[Nice65]

James, I have a few Moras, I’m happy to donate one to your kit bag if you want. I mainly bought carbon steel, so it would need a clean and possibly a sharpen.

 

[nobby8126]

Enjoy learning mate, the good thing about bushcraft is it can be really inexpensive. you can grab a decent hultafors work knife for a fiver and some army surplus and you are away. You will feel the extra weight it brings but all part of learning. Be careful of reading kit reviews online, check the reviewers channel to see if they have actually been out camping as you will be amazed at the amount that don't. I'm not the most experienced by a long shot but I am out regularly so if there is anything you need to know just shout. I might not know but you might be lucky.

 

[James-1408]

Thanks for the Advice guys, I'm looking at a lot of cheap gear already and have a morakniv basic 546 here and a backpack arriving today.
I'm only taking my time getting equipment because my days off work aren't consecutive and I'd have to use holidays if I wanna camp anywhere.

 

[Erbswurst]

The point is, that a lot of videos you find in the internet are made to sell equipment.

The truth about bushcraft is, that you don't need special equipment. You can go out with that, what you have at home or can get from somebody in the neighbourhood or family.

And the most important point is, that you should concentrate your money on proofed cheap stuff and a short packing list!

If you keep the packing list as short as possible, you keep the weight of your ruck sack low, and the amount of money you have to invest too.

I will try to give you an example about some equipment of very high quality wich you can get for a very low price:

1. Rucksack
German army, 65 Liters, Flecktarn, used 40€
Here belongs in the German army folding insulation mat, that is the back frame of the ruck sack and necessary! 10€

2. Military Poncho (Poncho - tarp)
German or Austrian army, olive, 210x165cm, used 20€

3.Bivvy bag
British Army, olive or camouflage, Goretex, used 40€

3. Sleeping Bag you should buy a new one from Snugpack in olive green, 60€
A Bag from Aldi or Lidl for the beginning would be ok too, and for 20€ very cheap, but they offer it usually in the beginning of the summer.

4. An Opinel Carbone Nr 8 folding knife, 10€

5. A normal spoon from the kitchen

6. The Tomshoo 750ml and 450ml Titanium mug kit for 25€ the 750ml is made to hang it over an open fire.
Or you take an old 1 Liter pot without plastik handles from the flee market and the 400ml stainless steel mug from Decathlon (4€)

8. Two 1 litre plastik bottles from the super market, the best are Volvic with a wide mouth
3€

9. Two Bic Mini lighters 3€

10. A beer can alcohol stove, how to make it you will find at YouTube

11. A small plastic bottle for the alcohol from the supermarket

12. Head torch from Decathlon for 5€

13. T-Shirt you own

14. Swimming breefs you own

14. Socks you own

15. Two bin bags of 60 litres capacity as ruck sack liners to seal it rainproof from inside, one comes in the lower compartment.

16. Small Plastic bags from the super markets in different colours to keep the content of your rucksack in order, and to pack the pot in, that it doesn't make the content of your ruck sack dirty.

17. Some cordage, for example 2x Decathlon Simond 2mm orange, 2x 3€

18. Tooth brush, folding
19. Toothpaste, small tube
20. Wilkinson one way razor, orange
21. Decathlon microfiber Towel S, blue, 2,50 €
22. Shampoo in a little 50 to 80 ml plastik bottle

23. Instant coffee in a 250ml plastik bottle from the super market



Later you could buy:

24. Decathlon orange aluminimum pegs 5 in a package for 7€.
But for the beginning carve some pegs from wood!

25. Decathlon Compass for around 8€
26. A hiking map of your area

More doesn't belong in a well packed ruck sack!

27. Water proof jacket and trousers in rainy conditions perhaps additional.

28. A folding saw should be expensive. Fiskars extract is the minimum I recommend.
For the beginning it isn't really necessary.

-------------------------------

Cheap green clothing you can find at Decathlon in the Hunting Corner. The stuff has the Brand "Solognac". Or you find good quality Clothing at the Surplus shops.

But for the beginning you should simply use what you have in the wardrobe. Woolen clothing you should prefere!

If you have similar things to the things in the packing list, just use them! !!!!!

A small pot in the kitchen? A folding knife in the writing desk? A woolen blanket somewhere?

And you can find a lot of things second hand for some pennies at the flee market.

It is surely helpfull to ask in the neighbourhood and family. A lot of old Ladies own a completed hunting,trekking or fishing equipment of their husband who died years ago.

 

[John Fenna]

Hello and welcome!

 

[Robson Valley]

Food. Shelter. Clothing. Not necessarily in that order.
Hot food and drink means fire. You won't always get to build a wood fire.
I see dozens of manufactured stoves using all sorts of fuels and a great bunch of ingeneous home made rigs.
Make a few. Read as many reviews as you can. Try a few. Certainly an order of business to work on over the winter.
Learn to make bannock in your own kitchen.

 

[Erbswurst]

Yes, I forgot food!

Bivi bag and military poncho are shelter enough.

I own a lot of stuff but usually I go out with Poncho and bivvy bag, because it is light and very nice to use.

If you want a larger Tarp, take the Decathlon Arpenaz Kaki for 25€. With 650g it is light and cheap and has a good quality.

If you want a tent you can buy for 20€ the Decathlon Arpenaz 2 . It is a good one person tent, 2 kg without pegs. That is light!

It is not constructed for more than 40 km/h wind speed. You have to hide it in a forest or a hedge. It isn't storm resistant, so not created for open land and mountains!
. But for the beginning in the woods it is absolutely ok.

But I recommend the poncho and bivvy bag lightweight concept.

 

[Robson Valley]

To me, camping is the most transparent excuse to buy tasty foods.

I keep thinking that I should play with some home-built twig stoves just for the experience.
Except for campfire bans during bad wildfire seasons, we can build wood fires on any crown land.
You use the existing rock ring firepits, they are scattered all over the landscape.

 

[Erbswurst]

Yes, @Robson Valley , but:

Are you here in the right thread with that?

He said hallo, and he told us he wouldn't have so much money to spend for bushcraft, so I recommended a pot that he can use over open wood fire and I recommended to make himself an alcohol burner from a beer can, what is used in the ultralight trekking community all around the world!
Low budget burner, low budget fuel!

 

[Robson Valley]

Does that look better? I have had more than 60 years to mess with camping in wilderness and off the grid.
Some kit isn't worth getting interested in for buying.
I read so often that open wood fires scorch the grass and leave fire scars.
Stoves of all kinds are serious considerations.

 

[Janne]

Erbwurst, why a razor and shampoo? Not needed.
Instant coffee?
Expensive, tastes crap. If the OP drinks coffee, he deserves to have a proper cup.

I would get a larger backpack, around 90-100 liters.
You can use it for over nighters, you can use it for several week long treks.
Saves money to just have one.

Alcohol for burner - get a Sigg bottle or similar, do not use a cheap plastic one. Something unbreakable.

Saw? What for?

 

[C_Claycomb]

Folks,
There is some good info in here, and it is undoubtedly useful for anyone starting out, but I think a lot of us are answering a question that was never asked. James-1408 asked if anyone knew an area that he could practice skills around Glasgow (Scotland). He didn't ask for kit recommendations. That he posted in "out and about" rather than the kit sub forum suggests that was his intent.

People often remark how we tend to be kit focused on the forum, rather than skill focused, and this would be a prime example.

Other than Dreadhead, can anyone offer suggestions of places to practice?


James-1408,
So, practising skills, what skills are you thinking about needing to practice? I see on the map that there are a number of country parks arranged around the south side of Glasgow which could offer opportunities for some things, then you have Forestry and fells all over the place within 20 miles of the city centre. There are a lot of skills that can be worked on at home if only you can gather the materials (fire lighting, knots, cordage making, tool making). There are threads on this forum about what skills people should learn when they start out, maybe finding and reading one of them would help narrow the focus of what kind of place you are looking for. I mean, if you want to practice navigation, you are spoilt for choice, but if you want to try spoon carving with birch, you need to find somewhere that you can get the wood.

I hope someone else with local experience can give you a good steer. The Right to Roam that you have up there means that you are not as tied to only getting out in places that have public foot paths, as we are in England. Would you be able to walk in Skiff Wood (55.804908, -4.543617)?



...and don't worry about fuel bottles 250 -500ml cola bottles work great for carrying meths fuel! I would take one over a Sigg any day of the week.

Best of luck, and welcome to the forum.

Chris

 

[nobby8126]

Depending on what type of camping you are looking at doing means a load of different kit option. Things to consider; walk in distance? this will dictate what you are comfortable carrying. Enviroment? can you shelter build, pitch a tent or tarp, hammocks an old lavvu or french f1 tent will see you through most things as will a basha or poncho.. Fire risk or fuel supply? Stoves are really easy to make especially alcohol/ meths stoves. Get out and practise just have a plan B as it gets quite chilly up your way. You can spend a fortune on kit that wont work or very little on some great stuff. I can do a night or 2 out of an lk35 but if your wanting to have kit for every eventuality then a bigger bag will help. Keep dry Keep warm and the night will be a success, Water is essential.

 

[Erbswurst]

@Janne

In civilised countries in Europe, such like France, Italy, Britain or Germany we use to cut from time to time the beard away.

For this, how can I explain it to a Viking, we use something like a little axe, we call a razor.

In our countries this is an expression of cultivated mind and behaviour.

You really should try it once!

;0)

The recommended german army 65 litres Flecktarn ruck sack is constructed to attach a winter sleeping bag on top.
Of course than it has to be sealed and water proofed in an Ortlieb dry bag or some thing like that.

So the size is very well for 3 Seasons use and the ruck sack is usable in winter times too.