Sweden - Pathfinder Survival Course with Dave Canterbury

[Hibrion]

Hi all,

I'm just back from Sweden after being sent on a Pathfinder Survival Course thanks to Bushcraft and Survival Skills Magazine and Outcraft canoe centre in Immeln Sweden. I won't do a full write up on this one as I'll be doing an article for the magazine, but I thought you guys might like to see some pictures and hear what I thought.

The course was brilliant and Dave was a real nice, genuine guy. He clearly spoke from experience and was a great instructor. The other instructor on hand, Toni, had the patience of a saint and gave one to one attention to those who needed it until they could finish a task themselves. Dave added some extra content into the course after gauging the group's skill level and the pace was perfect, not too rushed, but not painfully slow like some courses can be.

The extra pressure of timed exercises was great and gave me extra confidence in my abilities under pressure. Some of these tasks included making a 5 minute fire under certain conditions; and making fire, shelter and boiling 2 litres of water with a partner in 15 minutes - while one of you had a splinted, simulated broken leg. My Partner and I managed this in 4 minutes 50 seconds, which Dave's wife Iris informed us is a new record for the school.

The final exercise saw everyone spending the night in the woods with just the '10 Cs' survival kit. We each were given a point on the maps we had drawn in the previous day's exercise and were told to head out at dusk to make camp. I found a nice cave-like structure near my point for shelter and really enjoyed the night alone with minimal gear.

Jon from Outcraft also let us take out canoes on the lake system, which was a nice surprise and a lovely way to explore such a beautiful place.

Overall it was fun and informative and everyone on the course is looking forward to going back for some of the more advanced classes. It went so well that Dave has opened a Pathfinder Scandinavia School. I can highly recommend the course.

For now it's back to leatherwork and trying to catch up on my orders.

All the best,
Peter

PS: excuse the poor quality of the pictures, they're a mix of the group's photos from facebook and have been reduced a bit.

 

[Janne]

Not wanting to be an er$ehole, but it is considered bad form to make fire outside the existing fireplaces.
Another no no is to remove the vegetation / moss from rocks. It can take Centuries for them to come back, as the climate is very harsh. First leaf compost has to get stuck, then the moss to get established. Not even replacing the moss layer works, the first autumn storm, or even a heavy rain will remove it.
Plus we do not make fires on rocks as they do get damaged. Millenia before those damages are gone. Moss does NOT grow on heat damaged rocks!

I assume you went to Raslången Naturvårdsområde. We tend to be extra careful in those areas, as they are chosen for their pristine nature and beauty, and as a result very popular destinations for us...

I know Raslången very well, have sprnt many a weekend there, enjoying the firests, canoeing, fishing and swimming in the lake. I lived in Kristianstad and Åhus for many years!

Naturvårds område = Nature protected area. Step below from National park.

 

[Hibrion]

You assume wrong. The forest we were camped in was privately owned, we were there with permission from the owners and the area was cleaned up afterwards in line with the 'leave no trace' philosophy.
When we were in areas for which the government is responsible we were visited by officials dropping off firewood etc. who were quite happy the conduct on the course.
When it comes to making fire, It's generally considered better to do so on a rock than on the forest floor as it is easier to remove afterwards. The owner of the Outcraft centre makes his living here and was on hand to keep a close eye the course. He inspected everyone's camp during the course and was happy with their conduct.

You might also notice that most fires in the teaching area were limited to sand, for the reasons above.

 

[Janne]

Private land yes different rules!

But making a fire on rocks is not ‘leaving no trace’ nor is making a fire on the sandy area. The coals are there for ever.
Better to dig down a bit, maybe 15 cm or more, then cover.

The rock changes, moss will not grow there. If you have walked in the forests there as much as I have, you would have seen the scars fires make.

 

[Hibrion]

Most of these fires were quickly lit and quickly put out, so no scars. I was quite happy to trust the locals participants and outdoor professionals when it came to their opinion on this.

As for fire on rock. I'd much rather do this than dig down in unfamiliar ground and risk scorching peat and setting a slow burning fire under-ground.

 

[Janne]

The fire on the rock was no quickie. Next time you go there visit the same place and see how it looks like.
Of course the swedish people were liberal with the rules, as yoare paying customers, and they want your future business plus any business stemming from your article.
I guess I would do the same.

Remember, there is a reason that the Scandinavian nature is pristine, as we take very, very good care of it. It is our most precious resource.


End from me.

 

[Hibrion]

End from me.

Thank goodness for that. Have a better read of the posts and you might see that the fire on the rock was not claimed to be a quick fire and was the best option available.

 

[Janne]

Best option — no fire at all. You did not need it as you were sufficiently dressed, in a nice and cozy sleeping bag, lying on pine boughts that were freshly harvested and fragrant!

 

[Hibrion]

But it comes naturally to you, you just can't help it.

Janne. Thanks for your opinions. I'll be sure to let the organisers know how you feel when I attend the next course.
Just so you know, there was no sleeping bag, but a nice wool blanket, and no pine bows as I'm not of fan of cutting live trees unless absolutely necessary n

 

[Corso]

Looks like you had a good time

What was the theory behind needing to make camp within 15 mins, did you have enough resources on hand, what was your shelter and what sort of weather would it resist.

I've been looking at 5'c unexpected set-ups for a while and a bad weather expedient shelter has been letting me down so far

 

[Hibrion]

Thanks Corso. It was good fun throughout and nobody was taking things so seriously that the fun disappeared.

Dave is big on the 'possum' mentality and encouraged us to collect tinder throughout the course a the type of thing you might do hiking to a camp anyway.

The idea of the timed excercises as far as i could see was to make sure you could do it in a pinch, for example if you fell from a canoe you might have only 15 minutes to make fire to warm yourself. I've never been one to rush anything, so the added pressure of the time limit was interesting. It was good to see what you could do under pressure.

For the 15 minute fire/shelter/boil excercise I found it quite manageable as we had a grabber space blanket with which to make the shelter and we were allowed to collect small twigs before starting the excercise. The shelter in this instance was just something to get you out of the rain but good enough to sleep under for a night.
For real bad weather the grabber might not be enough, but some on the course used it to improve natural shelter in the final excercise rather than rely solely on it.

I used the grabber as a ground sheet under my DD 3x3 tarp for the other nights and I found it a useful bit of kit that I'll be using more from now on.

 

[Corso]

I'm interested in the grabber setup's that were discussed 5x7 seems easily packable but a bit small for bad weather, I'd be interested to know what techniques were used if rain and wind were expected, what sort of temps did you have to deal with?

 

[Hibrion]

For the 15 minute excercise a simple lean-to tarp setup with a ridge line was used. It was made clear, of course, that this is just a basic 'get the worst of the rain off you' setup. The reflective side of the grabber is faced down to reflect the heat of the fire onto to make for a more comfortable might's sleep.
When the time came to sleep out with just the 10 Cs we used he 55 gallon drum liners as ground sheets that could be filled with debris if needed. A wool blanket was also used to wrap up in.
Many of us used natural shelter to gain more cover: rocks as cover or reflectors, fallen trees over which the tape could be used, etc.

A poncho would be a great way to supplement the grabber in an emergency, but we weren't allowed take extra cover out, just our clothing.

Temperature wise, I'm not sure what they were. It wasn't too cold, much the same as what it has been like here for me. Generally damp with scattered rainfall and a few heavy downpours a couple of nights.

 

[Janne]

I must have met him, if he owned it 20 years @go. I certainly remember a young lady that worked there. Very knowledgeable about that area she was.
I would say that the area is the best ‘managed area’ ( not wild forest) south of Jönköping in Sweden. Lots of visitors, but st8ll clean.
Did you visit the Beech forest on Ivön ( Ivö island) north tip?

If not, make sure you go there. Very beautiful. Take a canoe.
Good fishing around the island too.
I did a 3 day minimal equipmrnt/no food on it once in autumn. My recommendation is — do not eat more than two handfulls of beech nuts!

There is an old defuct open mine there, chalk stone I yhink?

I do appreciate you trying but please understand my concerns!

We see lots of foreign tourists t4ying to behave p4operly, but not going ’the extra mile’.

Thank you for understanding.
That part of Sweden is where I lived the most years in Sweden. Know it better than my wife kniws my walket!

Then you'll know Jon, who owns the centre and organised this course, is a good guy and wouldn't let anyone ruin the areas he frequents.

You need to appreciate that the course was teaching valuable skills and did so in the best way possible. This was not a normal weekend's camping.

 

[Corso]

Thanks Hibrion sounds like I'm heading in the right direction

 

[Samon]

That looks wicked! Is Dave short or are you just a giant? Lol

Shame someone in this thread has to be a know it all nause and derail your adventure.

 

[Samon]

Thank goodness for that. Have a better read of the posts and you might see that the fire on the rock was not claimed to be a quick fire and was the best option available.

You certainly have a good sense of patience ! More than myself for sure.

But it comes naturally to you, you just can't help it.

Lol same boat brother!

 

[Hibrion]

If you have any other questions, Corso, I'll do my best to answer them.

It was an awesome experience, Samon. I'm 6'1" to give you a bit of scale
As for patience, the older I get the more I try to have. I just try to assume people mean well and give the benefit of the doubt where I can. It makes for a less stressful life

 

[Tony]

Hey Peter, thanks for taking the time to share your adventure, it looks like you had a brilliant time. What do you think is the best thing you took away from the course?

 

[Hibrion]

Hey Peter, thanks for taking the time to share your adventure, it looks like you had a brilliant time. What do you think is the best thing you took away from the course?

It was great to test oneself in all the challenges, but I think the best thing for me was learning that you can spend a comfortable few nights in the wild with minimal gear by chooosing the right items and relying on your knowledge and skills. It was quite liberating.