Notebooks/Journals for bushcraft?

[sandbender]

Does anyone keep a notebook or journal for bushcraft?

Some years back I heard the following story from a man who has spent much of his working life in the Swedish Arctic.

Years earlier he'd gone hunting with a friend and that friends grandfather; during the trip the grandfather would occasionally pause to examine a tree that had caught his eye, if he liked what he was seeing he'd note something down in an old pocket book.

The reason for the note taking was revealed once the trip was over and they had all returned to the old man's home. The man's house was a very old Swedish farmhouse, almost entirely built from wood, what the man was doing was identifying replacement parts for the building and its contents in the living trees of the forest around him, things he would need one day, door-handles, window shutters, floorboards and more were listed along with details regarding the age and location of the relevant tree, some of the entries were decades old.

I carry a small notebook to help with tree ID, knots, et cetera, each section separated and divided by a sticky fix-it labels.

What do you use a notebook for?

 

[Wayland]

I carry several notebooks for different reasons.

I have a photography one in my camera bag.

I have a Photoshop tips one near my computer.

I have one that I sketch in when I visit museums.

I have a bushcraft one that I take to meets for jotting ideas and the like.

And at the moment I have on in my dog walking coat for notes on the campaign to save our local moorland from council incompetence.

I'm thinking of starting a library...

 

[Bootstrap Bob]

I was beginning to collect quite a few notes from the various courses that I'd been on so this winter I came up with this so I could put them all in one place. It's a simple A6 size pad but I covered it in some old leather that I had knocking around.

I haven't started filling it in yet but suffice to say there will definitely be sections on fire, shelter, camp craft, clothing, trees, edibles and canoeing.

 

[firecrest]

If your sketches are anything like your finished articles Wayland, I bet they are great


I often intend to keep notes but I chronically lose things, including every notebook I ever started. I have sketch pads from various places but again I misplace everything. Im forever flicking through numerous art pads looking for the sketch I need.

 

[BorderReiver]

I don't keep a notebook Sandbender.

It does sound like a very good, practical thing to do. I often see useful bits of wood, or burr, or tinder type fungi when I'm in the woods but can never remember where it was I saw them when they're needed.

As I always carry a camera, maybe I could photograph the object of desire and then try to work out where it was from the surroundings.

 

[Toddy]

I use notebooks, but not in a terribly organised fashion. They are full of sketches, notes, bits of poetry, a turn of phrase that appealed, colours that 'worked' together, recipes, bits of dried plants, even phone conversations get noted sometimes. They are more an aide memoire, and my usual trigger to which one has something I'm looking for it where was I when I wrote in which notebook. Typical butterfly mind really

cheers,
Toddy

 

[Steve M]

My friend (an artist) and I have had made and had book bound about 30 "sketch journals" ready for covering. Some have hard covers for sticking paper, etc. to and some are just paper, ready for leather or thicker material binding. They are made of heavy, 100% recycled artist paper.

Must get around to covering and selling them

 

[durulz]

Yes.
It was a £1.99 thing I got from Paperchase. I put all sorts of odd things in there - knots that look useful but I will seldom use or remember, how to make things, things to look out for etc

 

[ol smokey]

Yes, I have a collection of small notebooks, but I am not very organised. I start off well enough but then in a hurry enter something in the wrong section and spoil the set up.

I have one section on bushcraft in which I make notes from books, ( like what to use for spark tinder, and coarse tinder,) Tree identification notes, References to useful links to
sites on the computer, Items bought relating to Bushcraft, where and when bought and cos of same. also things to do with nature and where and when seen.
I have a section with similar notes for Song of the Paddle (Canoeing,) and also
British Blades . I tend to spoil these notes when I do not have another piece of paper handy and I want to notedown a name of a musical record, or a telephone number.
Like someone said before I never know which note book has the information I am wanting to refer to. If anyone is giving me a present and dont know what to get. I end up with another notebook, but they do come in handy especially as my memory is not what it used to be.