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[moko]

Biddlesby's thread (.....a plea for help) got me thinking about young people who are getting into bushcraft for the first time with no kit and on limited means.
So here's the scenario.... you have worked hard and saved up £100 and now want to get yourself set up with enough equipment to get you sleeping out in the woods and practising bushcraft for real.
What equipment would you buy and why and where would you buy it from?
I hope this is of some help.....to someone.

 

[ChrisKavanaugh]

One problem of outfitting today is the nature of the populace. My recent acquisition of a tweed suit may seem anacronistic, but people just a few generations back spent considerable time outdoors. Most contemporary clothing is designed to look good, give traction on asphalt and concrete not grass and granite and any rescue proffessional will tell you the best dressed corpses are in cotton and trauma/burn wards have to deal with melted clothing. The #1 killer of people outdoors is exposure/hypothermia. I can imagine a minimum UK kit of a decent sleeping bag, mora knife and a few more minimalist items assembled with forethought, ingenuity and helpfull posts like this one. If "clothes make the man " what do they do for the bushcrafter?

 

[Ogri the trog]

Very true Chris,
Ex-forces gear can be bought quite cheaply and is more than adequate for most jobs.
But I think the real ingenuity comes with learning a craft and, for example, making your own hammock. Cheaper knives will cut the same amount of stuff that an expensive one will - but might not last as long.
Some plastic bags to keep everything dry and it doesn't matter what your pack look like.
There are savings to be made for every piece of equipment that we see as necessary, but they are mostly nice-to-haves.

Ogri the trog

 

[Scally]

after MOD stores i have found deccathlon cheap for clothing, sleeping bags, rucksacs, boots even fishing gear it has everything and its not branded so you save a fortune. there is one in sheffield near ccc and 1 next to ikea in nottingham.

 

[jamesdevine]

Keeping it simple is the aim.

A German army poncho is great buy as it can be used as rain cover, shelter, carring fire wood, debris for a shelter, ground sheet the list is endless.

A sleeping bag, foam mat, Orange survival bag(not perfect but it can be used for alot of things like the poncho). Boots all do for roaming around the local woods trainers, shoes or even wellies if your not walking far will do and save up for a good proper feeting pair.

Army surplus clothing is good so long as you do your willing to do some really looking and then do your layering properly, good wool socks, trouser such as the lightweights, a t-shirt, shirt, wool jumper and good coat or jacket (many of these are items you properly have at home in the wardrobe). Add a wool hat and gloves and your way.

If you have the money a Compass and map of the area a whistle and then your mora but a good opinel might be a good start until next month maybe.

I find I don't move about alot at night so a few candles will do well enough and safe up for a good torch.

Your pack is the next thing and again their are loads of half descent cheap ones out there for the beginner. I say no larger then 35-40L to start any bigger and you should spend the money on find the right one to fit.

The cooking gear well a bit of time here and other places will give you a good few tips to making your own stove and bills, but you can get some descent alli billy sets out there and a cheap gas stove or hexi stove for little or nothing.

All in all you get a good outfit on a £100 so long as you stick to your basic requirements. Shop around and ask as many questions possible before you part with your hard earned.

Anyway just my rambling thoughts. I still shop on a budget and at present my kit is pretty complete at about £200 so not bad really. Anything I buy now will be either improve items I have for bigger and better outings or becuse it is too shiny to resist.

James

 

[greg2935]

It is an unfortunate fact of life that the west claims to have liberal beliefs, open mindedness etc, but in fact are more than willing to pour scorn on anything different.

 

[greg2935]

I would suggest only summer camping, so an ex-army bivi (any military surplus), 2 blankets and waterproof shoes (charity shop/military surplus), a cheap penknife (anywhere), some clothes from a charity shop and a plastic raincoat would be the bare minimum.

You would have to improvise insulation (cardboard boxes) but that would probably give a good sleep, and enough to begin.

 

[shanec]

I would suggest only summer camping, so an ex-army bivi (any military surplus), 2 blankets and waterproof shoes (charity shop/military surplus), a cheap penknife (anywhere), some clothes from a charity shop and a plastic raincoat would be the bare minimum.

You would have to improvise insulation (cardboard boxes) but that would probably give a good sleep, and enough to begin.

Once me and 2 friends camped out we just went out and walked around and found a place all we had was 3 knives a lighter and a few tins of beans for food haha. In the end we got some cardboard boxes and slept in them it wasnt too bad but waking up with slugs and snails allover you wasnt the nicest wakeup call, but it was fun and i wasnt very cold at all.

If any of you have a shop called Eisenegger near you i advise you to go there to get some clothes. I went yesterday while in oxford looking for some new gear and picked up 2 pairs of trousers with a few pockets on them 100% cotton, were £80 and £60 reduced to £8 and £6, i paid £14 usually £140 pretty big saving there, there very cumfortable too. Every time i go in to oxford they have big sales on like that i dont know how they can afford it but im not complaning!

 

[outdoorcode]

here a list of Eisenegger stores mentioned in the above post, we have a Foxhole in Huddersfield and although hit and miss you can get cheap gear in there.

 

[leon-1]

Frost mora or opinel.
Lightweights and OD shirt from any surplus.
Water bottle (can be an old 1 litre pop bottle with masking tape on it to protect it)
Small Esbit Stove (I know that they are not liked but they are handy and small, light and reliable).
Mess tins.
Small cheap torch on a lanyard (if you can afford it get a little LED they will save you a fortune on batteries)

Poncho, ex military (good points of this peice of kit have already been mentioned)
A Pack (the swedish army 35l would be as good an investment as any).

Tobacco tin from a friendly smoker or Altoids tin. Inside it have;
Firbeball firesteel and tinder.

Roll matt (closed cell foam, surplus again)
The old issue sleeping bag 58 pattern.
Both the above in black bin liners seperately and another to work as a pack liner.

You could get nearly all of this from surplus stores and it would cost approx £100.
Most people have warm kit and water proof jackets at home, the mess tins could be substituted for a small billy can for cooking over an open fire (if you have permission).

Bivvi bags are generally quite expensive (even ex surplus ones) so a platic bag like the foil packed ones that the RAF get could come in handy.
The only other thing that I would say is a can of Fabsil for treating the poncho every now and then. Socks can be used in layers, just ensure they are in good condition.

Footware is a difficult subject because a lot depends on the type of terrain you will be covering, but if you have a set of sandals they are good for walking around your camp of a night, if not don't worry.

You will find a lot of the kit that you want at home. These are some of the items;

String or cord
Cotton wool (for tinder)
Candles (they won't be long life but they will do)

Housewife (military nickname for needle, thread, safety pins and some buttons) made up from what you have at home or ask your mum if you can have some of hers. Can be kept in a 35mm film container. for equipment clothing repair.

Small first aid kit made up from what you have at home (Paracetomol, plasters, antiseptic wipes) placed in a zip lock bag.

I hope that this is of use

 

[Ahjno]

(...)but waking up with slugs and snails allover you wasnt the nicest wakeup call (...)

There you go, even breakfast is serving itselves ON bed ... and for FREE
(Sorry mate, couldn't resist this one)

 

[Biddlesby]

Well this is certainly helpful for me. I am in the market for new stuff, primarily some boots, a sleeping bag and a 35l rucksack. Perhaps also some additional clothing. I have already decided on the Mora Training Knife.

 

[Graham_S]

you can pick up a swedish army stove/billy can for under a tenner (a surplus shop in lanark has a bunch of them for £5 each) that takes care of cooking.
surplus wooly pullys are ace, as are lightweight combats. and both can be picked up cheap. the surplus shop is your friend. find a good one and check it out regularly.
also shops like "poundland" can have useful bits and bobs in them. i picked up a stainless steel pint mug for a pound. it's big enough to use as a pot when i'm travelling light. you can also get plastic food containers there.
remember it doesn't have to be pretty to work.