The Essential Kit Guide - tips for newbies (like me....)

[michaelp]

I've been trawling around drooling over various bits of kit, feeling slightly confused. I might be wrong here, but there are soem differences in 'essential' hiking/trekking kit and 'essential' bushcraft kit. I know they are different disciplines, but for me there is a massive overlap.

So, this is what I think, or rather what I perceive as essential:

1) Tarp
2) Bivi
3) Sleeping bag and mat
4) Somthing to cook on (I have a trangia and a pocket rocket)
5) Something to eat with
6) A nice mug for tea
7) Decent backpack
8) Knife
9) Dry bags
10) Waterproof clothes
11) Head torch
12) Firesteel thing
13) A decent pair of boots

I have all of the above, but my knife was 3.99, and is about as bushcraftworthy as my finger.

Having read all of that, i think a list of essentialls for a very skilled person could be:

1) Hammock and tarp
2) Knife
3) Firesteel
4) Something to cook on
5) a fork

What do you lot think?

(hope this isnt a repost!)

 

[Peter_t]

good list as a newby maby add backup way of lighting a fire? but i don't know how good your fire making skills are. as you will progress you will find you dont like/need a bit of kit and replace it or get rid of it all together. such as carrying no fire and shelter equipment but there arnt many of those about

for the summer a sleeping bag and bivi may not be essentual, just a blanket will do.

but a hammock being a for a skilled person is not true. i wouldnt say putting up a hammock (or useing any 'kit') requires much skill. also a hammock is very specialised, what if there are no trees?

also eating utensals are not essentual as you can just use a shapened stick as a fork and make a spoon on the go. it doesnt even need to have a bowl in the spoon, that just meens you have to carry a spoon knife aswell

pete

 

[Ogri the trog]

Its a good list,
but shouldn't be taken as gospel for every occasion.

Think of it this way;-
You need something to cut with - £100 knife, £10 knife or a years old penknife - all have their place.
You need somehting to cook over - £100 stove with £50 pans or an open fire and an empty soup can - each is worthy.

There are ways and means of accumilating kit, the shiney stuff calls to all of us, but it feels good to make stuff yourself too.

ATB

Ogri the trog

 

[andy_e]

Hi Michael, hope you're enjoying the site.

It's a topic that does come up from time to time and truth is it seems everyone has a different take on it - turn up at an average meet and you'll see a dozen different ways of doing much the same thing: spending a few nights in the woods (or wherever).

IMHO, nothing is really essential except perhaps a sharp knife that holds an edge and you can re-sharpen when you need to. Everything else just adds to your comfort level, and BTW I do like my comforts

As Peter_t says carry a few different ways of lighting a fire/stove.

Learn how to use an ember to burn out the bowl of a spoon or cup or ... errr ... bowl. Use an abrasive pebble - sandstone or the like - to smooth it out then you won't even need a spoon knife, but they are fun to use and make stuff with.

A bivi bag isn't essential if you learn a few different ways to rig your tarp to give the best shelter for the expected weather - sometimes a bivi can actually be a hinderance - allowing moisture to build up and dampen your sleeping bag, but having one can give you a bit of confidence when it starts to tip down.

Even a sleeping bag isn't essential for a comfortable night out, I know many people on here have slept well using woolen blankets, including myself - it's a bit more weight to carry but it's another way to do exactly the same thing.

There's nothing complicated about setting up or using hammock, learn a couple of appropriate knots and you can take nothing more than a decent length of parachute fabric, some ropes and improvise yourself a hammock in no time at all. But, give it a go, some people can't stand sleeping in hammocks others try once and never go back to ground-dwelling.

Then again, if you're anything like myself and one or two of the other members on here - you'll end up with a fair collection of stuff - some gets used some doesn't - learning what works for you is half the fun.

 

[wentworth]

Don't forget the first aid kit.

 

[sandbag47]

28cm ss frying pan from asda for a fiver ...or if you lucky to find the small ones for £2 (selling them off)

 

[bushwacker bob]

I have all of the above, but my knife was 3.99, and is about as bushcraftworthy as my finger.
If its sharp it will do most you need it to

Having read all of that, i think a list of essentialls for a very skilled person could be:

1) Hammock and tarp
2) Knife
3) Firesteel
4) Something to cook on
5) a fork

What do you lot think?

Whats the fork for? if you have a knife you can make a spoon.
You also dont need a hammock and tarp as you can make natural shelters, but a sleeping bag is handy even with a long fire.

 

[Big Geordie]

We all have too much kit. To test how much you really need, do some one nighters without anything from the one of the key sections ie: shelter/ cooking/ water etc..
It wont be long till you discover that it is easy to find abandoned tin cans that do for pots/ cups etc. and a whole host of other stuff with which you can make do. The exception might be virgin forest, not likely in UK.
Needless all the usual caveats appply. .
G

 

[Thewolf2000]

My esenshals are a fiskars x10 (axe), a sleeping bag and fire kit; flint+steel and a turbo lighter.

 

[rg598]

There is a big difference between a theoretical "essentials" list, or even theoretical gear, and the gear you find to be essential when you are actually in the woods. The only way to know what is essential is to go into the woods under different conditions and see what works for you.

Ultimately, what you need will not only depend on skill level, but also the environmental conditions and luck. A sleeping bag might be enough, unless the rain has been beating down all day and all night. A fire and tarp might be enough, unless you find yourself having to set up camp without enough time to gather sufficient wood to last you through the night.

For me backpacking and bushcraft are the same thing, with only stylistic differences. The one thing they share in common is that when you ask gear questions online, 90% of the "advise" you will get is from people who have never spent a night in the woods. That's why my advise to you is to not waste your time with lists and "essentials", but rather just get a bunch of very regular, very mainstream camping gear, and start spending time in the woods. Not long after you will know exactly what you need and what you don't need, and you won't be worried about what anyone online says.

 

[Hammock Hamster]

I've spent many years refining my kit and scaling down what I do/don't need and I still take WAY too much with me.

As has been said already kit is a very personal thing in terms of what you feel you need.
I like to be moderately comfortable so ensure I have a sleeping bag and inflatable Matt and a way of keeping myself dry.
I usually using flint and steel or a fire steel to light fires but always have a lighter just in case as there's nothing worse than being cold and eating cold food.
I like to carve when I'm out as I find it relaxing so take axe, saw, knife, spoon knife etc....

Food and water for most of us is the biggest essential unless you have the skills and the desire to forage, water being the most important and something I used to regularly underestimate when I was starting out.

Like some on here I am a kit magpie (though not all of it is new or shiny) and having a load of surplus isn't always a bad thing as I can pick and choose what I want to take depending on my mood/needs and have plenty to lend out to my bushcraft buddies or to newbies to our group so they hopefully get a good first experience.

Hamster

 

[TinkyPete]

Your kit list of essential kit is a good idea, as everyone else has said it all depends on what you what to get out of this thing called bushcraft.

One thing I would suggest is practice not only out in the woods but in the back garden, you can try different ways of putting up a tarp or any shelter system and also stuff like blanket tricks and ways to use it in the garden try a sleep out one night if it does not work for you then go inside and get your sleeping bag. try different fire lighting methods and different tinders too out in the garden you can also try it out in different conditions like high winds and rain without having to find yourself in trouble with out support and it helps to practice you skills where ever you can,

 

[rik_uk3]

I've been trawling around drooling over various bits of kit, feeling slightly confused. I might be wrong here, but there are soem differences in 'essential' hiking/trekking kit and 'essential' bushcraft kit. I know they are different disciplines, but for me there is a massive overlap.

So, this is what I think, or rather what I perceive as essential:

1) Tarp
2) Bivi
3) Sleeping bag and mat
4) Somthing to cook on (I have a trangia and a pocket rocket)
5) Something to eat with
6) A nice mug for tea
7) Decent backpack
8) Knife
9) Dry bags
10) Waterproof clothes
11) Head torch
12) Firesteel thing
13) A decent pair of boots

I have all of the above, but my knife was 3.99, and is about as bushcraftworthy as my finger.

Having read all of that, i think a list of essentialls for a very skilled person could be:

1) Hammock and tarp
2) Knife
3) Firesteel
4) Something to cook on
5) a fork

What do you lot think?

(hope this isnt a repost!)

As you've not been back here in four years can we presume you list was sorted?

 

[21st century pict]

Hi Michaelp.

Give it a try with your kit list it looks ok to me and see how you get on, kit is very personal and some of the things on your list aren’t on mine but thats ok.

Here’s a handy saying to help sort out your kit and lighten the load.
Next time you get back from a trip sort out your kit in to three piles.
1 The kit you use all the time.
2 The kit you used only occasionally.
3 The kit you never used.
Then ditch the last two piles.

There probably are some basic essentials common to us all but again this all depends on skill levels.

My No1, A knife or a hatchet and here’s where I ignore my own advice, I've been on some trips and occasionally I have never used a knife the whole trip but I would never go on a trip without a cutting tool. But you can and probably should learn to adapt and live without one.

My No2, Two methods of lighting a fire, at the moment I like to use a Flint and Steel, or sometimes it’s the ferro rod just whatever takes my fancy at the time and the second method of fire lighting I have is only for backup or for an emergency some UCO weather proof matches, if you get home and still have all the matches you left with your doing great.

Next a Tarp, Bivi bag or Tent.
I have never used a hammock and wouldn’t place it among the essentials but if you like it that’s all the reason you need and that’s cool you’re out there to have a good time make yourself as comfortable as possible but learn to be adaptable.
half the fun is trying out new kit to see what works best and what combinations work well together and a lot depends on your environment, time of year and the weather, you can certainly learn lots from the guy’s on here but at the end of the day you’re just going to have to go out there and gather the experience for yourself and to be honest with you roughing it a bit now and again is probably the biggest and best learning curve there is.

Happy trails Bro...

Don't forget the first aid kit.

Id seconds that a small first aid kit.

 

[rik_uk3]

Hi Michaelp.

Give it a try with your kit list it looks ok to me and see how you get on, kit is very personal and some of the things on your list aren’t on mine but thats ok.

Here’s a handy saying to help sort out your kit and lighten the load.
Next time you get back from a trip sort out your kit in to three piles.
1 The kit you use all the time.
2 The kit you used only occasionally.
3 The kit you never used.
Then ditch the last two piles.

There probably are some basic essentials common to us all but again this all depends on skill levels.

My No1, A knife or a hatchet and here’s where I ignore my own advice, I've been on some trips and occasionally I have never used a knife the whole trip but I would never go on a trip without a cutting tool. But you can and probably should learn to adapt and live without one.

My No2, Two methods of lighting a fire, at the moment I like to use a Flint and Steel, or sometimes it’s the ferro rod just whatever takes my fancy at the time and the second method of fire lighting I have is only for backup or for an emergency some UCO weather proof matches, if you get home and still have all the matches you left with your doing great.

Next a Tarp, Bivi bag or Tent.
I have never used a hammock and wouldn’t place it among the essentials but if you like it that’s all the reason you need and that’s cool you’re out there to have a good time make yourself as comfortable as possible but learn to be adaptable.
half the fun is trying out new kit to see what works best and what combinations work well together and a lot depends on your environment, time of year and the weather, you can certainly learn lots from the guy’s on here but at the end of the day you’re just going to have to go out there and gather the experience for yourself and to be honest with you roughing it a bit now and again is probably the biggest and best learning curve there is.

Happy trails Bro...



Id seconds that a small first aid kit.

The thread is years old, the OP has not been back for years.

 

[The Survivor]

The thread is years old, the OP has not been back for years.

This is kind of sad, a thread has just been forgotten, it has fallen by the wayside. What was once a hive of activity is now just used binary.