Woodlore Fundemental Course - soon!

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AlexRowan

Tenderfoot
Sep 9, 2005
67
0
44
Somerset
Right, I'm sure this has been posted before but I've had a search and couldn't find much...

I'm off on this course in a couple weeks... anyone else going?

Does anyone have any advice about the course? I'm not really flapping about it but though it would be nice to know what to expect...

Also, if anyone is interested/attending after my course I'll write up a quick review if you want.


Ta...
 

Aliwren

Nomad
Jan 2, 2006
429
2
46
Bedford
I would be very interested to hear how you get on. I am booked on a weekend introduction course at the end of July this year and then for the Fundamental Course in 2007 :)
 

C_Claycomb

Moderator staff
Mod
Oct 6, 2003
7,395
2,414
Bedfordshire
Have you had a look at:
http://www.bushcraftuk.com/content/articles.php?action=show&showarticle=23

I did at one time have notes on the kit list somewhere on the site, but the link seems to have been lost, so will repost here.

I went on the trip in September 2003, so quite a lot could have changed. If you fancy writing an update that would be great! :)

The following was written shortly after I came back from the trip. Some of my opinions have changed or been modified by experiences since then, but this was a good start.





Kit notes; Based on the list provided by Woodlore:

Suitable outdoor clothing
• The instructors all indicated a preference for wool. It is warm when wet, does not burn or melt from sparks, which is an important consideration when using campfires, and, they say, smells better than synthetics after you have been in the same clothes for several weeks! GoreTex was mentioned for rain shells and wet weather boots. Waterproof socks were praised for keeping feet warm in a number of situations. For warm, dry weather they wore cotton. Trousers were to dry fast, be tough when sitting and kneeling, and not been too expensive because whatever you are using will wear out in the long run.
• There wasn’t a lot of walking involved in the course, maybe 1.5 miles was the furthest we went in one go. However good walking socks are still needed. Again, wool was recommended as smelling better than synthetics after being worn for a long time.

Sleeping bag
• The most important thing it to make sure your bag is warm enough for use without a tent for the given time of year.

Bivi bag
• We were issued bivi bags the second day for use under a tarp and in the leaf shelter. They were simple ex-army ones and though they had a tendency to trap water vapour they did make the sleeping bags much warmer and had it rained they would have kept things much dryer.

Tent or tarp
• Those who brought tents only got to use them for two nights. Sunday night and Friday night, the rest of the time they just stored all the gear people didn’t want to be carting around! Two days were spent under Woodlore tarp shelters (a.k.a. hootchie or basha), and two more in a shelter thatched with leaf litter.

Sleeping mat
• Thermarests are great. They are warm and cushion roots and pine cones better than closed cell mats. If I were to do the course again I would be sure to work out some way of keeping my feet off the ground since they were the only part that got cold on the ¾ length mat.

Knife, fork, spoon, mug, bowl, plate
• On the first day we were all issued a stainless billy can with a dish nested in it. This was good enough for eating out of for much of the trip. I didn’t use the plate I brought all that much, didn’t use the knife at all, and the fork only once. The steel spoon was invaluable.

Water bottle
• Clean water on tap is something people tend to take for granted. When you either have to carry, or worse, purify all your water for drinking, cooking, and washing you begin to appreciate its true value. One litre really wasn’t enough to carry, especially if you took the instructor’s advice to heart about drinking three litres a day. I economised and carried 2 one litre soft drink bottles, which were adequate for the week, but they took a beating and something tougher and easier to carry would have been good.

Torch
• Ray’s book mentions that he carries three lights, a tiny LED key ring light, an LED head lamp and a halogen torch for emergency use only. I carried a Surefire halogen and a couple of PhotonII key rings. The Surefire ran out of batteries even though it wasn’t used for more than a bit of gear shuffling and navigating at night. The red Photon wasn’t bright enough but the blue was okay for near range navigating around camp and finding some gear. An LED head lamp is practically a “must have” item since we did a lot of cooking and crafts after dark and trying to keep a fire burning brightly enough to see by is a time consuming and thankless task.

Wash kit
• Travel soap that could be used for washing up was great, you might find you are sharing it!
• Washing in the woods is difficult, you are going to have to put up with being dirtier and possibly hairier than usual. This isn’t as bad as it sounds since everyone else is in the same boat, so you won’t stand out! When you get a chance to wash you want stuff that will get you clean with the minimum fuss, not just make you smell like roses for 10 minutes!

10m cord
• You will be using this for bow drill work, make sure it is sturdy and abrasion resistant, 4-5mm accessory cord might be better than parachute cord, or a good addition to it.

Insect repellent
• Bugs chomped on most people during our September course. These weren’t just mosquitoes and midges, but tiny orange mites that were picked up from the vegetation and seemed to like to bore into hair follicles under socks and waste bands. They were practically too small to see with the naked eye. In warm weather I’d make sure that ALL clothes are treated with 0.5% Permethrin, ticks and bugs can get into clothes and since you will be in the same set for several days this can be a bad thing. I only treated trousers and long shirt, should have treated t-shirts, and socks. After treating my socks I didn’t get any bites below the waist but my untreated t-shirt left me with 50 bites on my chest, back and upper arms.

First aid kit
• No one cut off a hand, or got burned and I only saw one bleeding cut, however there were LOTS of small nicks and cracks from handling leaves, nettles, soil and firewood with hands that are more used to office environments. It was easy for small cuts to get infected. Plasters got dirty and fell off fast.

Change of clothes
• I think that most people did bring more clothes than they needed. Two or three shirts were enough, I took four and had one left at the end of the week Had I not been bug ridden I probably wouldn’t have changed shirt as often. Lawrence stored his in a mini dry bag but said that bin liners were almost as good. Had it rained this could have been an important consideration.

Day sack
• The two 10 litre side pockets from a military style Rocket Pac did a great job as a daypack. We carried a folding saw, cordage, wood (either work in progress or raw materials), tinder, billy (sometimes), mug and water bottles. A couple of people didn’t bring big rucksacks with them. They had sports bags and their day sacks. Though this wasn’t ideal when we had to cart gear a mile plus to and from the bivouac area, it did work.
 

Ahjno

Vice-Adminral
Admin
Aug 9, 2004
6,861
51
Rotterdam (NL)
www.bushcraftuk.com
Alex,

I'm sure you'll love it mate :D

On the kit chatter note:
Make sure your boots are in good condition (I wore a very old pair ... not exactly waterproof ...) or at least have some spare (and more) socks (I can second Chris' statement about waterproof socks ... I wished I had a pair at that moment).

A lady in my group (a medical doctor ... my age ... :eek: ) carried 'wetties', they came in real handy in the field.

Make sure everything you bring fits inside your rucksack ... We had a guy in our group that carried his sleeping bag in a separate bag (and tied to his pack) ... All in all not a bad idea, unless you have to walk a mile + in pouring rain. It fell off several times ...

Carry at least one package of paper tissues on your person ... ;) :theyareon

Remember: your torch and spoon are your best friend during that week!

Keep your eyes and ears open to absorb all the info (and / or take notes)!

By the way, I did mine in July 2004 :D

Have fun!!!
 

Nathan Sturgess

Forager
Mar 11, 2006
132
0
Various due to work
I didi the junior one in August 2005. Ws brilliant it was a shame I was the only northerner though. Anyone guess what my nickname was? Anyway I am sure it will be brilliant for you. The instructors will be very helpful if you are struggling wityh anything, just ask. If you have Lawrence Clark as your chief instructor though, get ready for some cheasy jokes around the campfire.
 

Laurence Dell

Forager
Aug 24, 2004
128
0
Sevenoaks, Kent
Nathan Sturgess said:
I didi the junior one in August 2005. Ws brilliant it was a shame I was the only northerner though. Anyone guess what my nickname was? Anyway I am sure it will be brilliant for you. The instructors will be very helpful if you are struggling wityh anything, just ask. If you have Lawrence Clark as your chief instructor though, get ready for some cheasy jokes around the campfire.

I don't think he works for Woodlore anymore, I believe he has moved on to Bushcraft Expeditions with Woody.

The lead instructor on the Fundamental will probably be Juha Rankinen who will still keep you amused with his wry humour and enthralled with his level of skill in bushraft.

Make sure he demonstrates how to make and use withes, you will be amazed :Wow:

There are usually several other instructors assisting and if you are very lucky Ray might make an appearance.

The other thing is if enough people are interested then towards the end of the week they will bring the Woodlore shop down to the woods so be prepared to be tempted into giving your wallet a battering :deal: :nono:
 

C_Claycomb

Moderator staff
Mod
Oct 6, 2003
7,395
2,414
Bedfordshire
If they DO bring the shop out for you, I would suggest giving it a miss. Not that its not good kit, and nothing to do with the price. Its just that having had a week out in the bush you are probably all geared up and enthusiastic and it is easy to go a little overboard buying nice shiney new toys :D

After getting home you can sit down and sort through all the stuff you have learned and be better at evaluating what kit you need. You can always place an order with them over the phone.

I second the withe demo. Its probably not the right time of year, but worth a try.

Heavy duty plastic sacks sold as cheap rucksack liners are great for keeping kit dry, if you wrap things right, wrap clothes in one, sleeping bag in another if it is going to be wet. We had a dry week, but other trips I have made have made me a believer in being able to bag everything in my rucksack.

Those individual packs of tissues are great. One pack per day, all uses, works pretty well.

Don't laugh, but I would recommend taking some hand cream too :rolleyes: :D :lmao: The Norwegian formula stuff is good. If, like many of us :eek: you have soft hands, the sudden exposure to lots of dirt, tree sap, ashes, and mechanical work can really make them crack up. :censored:
 

led

Settler
Aug 24, 2004
544
5
uk
I agree with you about something for your hands - mine can get really bad if it's wet and cold. My recommendation is one of these which can be used for all sorts of things.
 

AlexRowan

Tenderfoot
Sep 9, 2005
67
0
44
Somerset
Thanks guys, that's some excellent advice.. I've spent a fair few nights living outside so I'm pretty sure my kit will be up to scratch (haven't got any wool though...) thanks for the advice about the biting insects! I've got that Avon soft and smooth or whatever it is.... I've been told it's good?? any other takers??

Actually, it never mentions about sleeping outside of the shelter you bring although I would have thought that was part of the course, this has been one of my main concerns because given a choice, it would be a bivvy bag with a basha sheet as a tarp but I didn't want to scare the other course members by having them waking up to my hairy white bum every morning!! haha I don't acutally have a tent and I didn't want to fork out unless I had too.

The other thing that concerned me is that almost 100% of my kit is green/dpm because of it's normal military application... I really don't want to look like a right Walter when I rock up with that.... is it a wide range of "complete civvy bright orange jackets with (as per above) sleeping bags hanging off bergans" right down to the "rambo, you'll never see me I'm all in DPM weekend warrior" type????
 

Ahjno

Vice-Adminral
Admin
Aug 9, 2004
6,861
51
Rotterdam (NL)
www.bushcraftuk.com
AlexRowan said:
The other thing that concerned me is that almost 100% of my kit is green/dpm because of it's normal military application... I really don't want to look like a right Walter when I rock up with that.... is it a wide range of "complete civvy bright orange jackets with (as per above) sleeping bags hanging off bergans" right down to the "rambo, you'll never see me I'm all in DPM weekend warrior" type????

No worries about the DPM / green thing. When I had mine a lot of the guys had green / DPM kit. You'll stick out more if you turn up in orange ;)
Needless to say I sticked out in my civvy kit ... :lmao:

EDIT:
Though have to add you will absolutely not be frowned upon! It's a very relaxed atmosphere and people are quite layed (sp?) back. If it works for you: fine. No worries about it. You're there to learn. And as mentioned in Woodlore kit instructions: you don't have to spend a fortune on kit. Compare their comment in the Arctic-expedition kit list: something along the lines of: "we all look like Dad's Army". Pink, orange, green, blue or DPM kit - as with the color of people it doesn't matter. We're all human and it's all kit. ;)


Second note on the kit chatter:
Work gloves (the cheap ones as used on construction sites) are good to protect your hands whilst building shelters (in case you don't want to use hand cream ;) ).
 
I'm off on the Fundimental course on 7th May 2006, thats only about 4 weeks away now. Having read some reviews before about biting insects, I have got a couple of bottles of permethrin cloths spray from Magellans, which is supposed to kill ticks etc on contact, plus 50% DEET and Avon skin so soft dry oil, and there is a good natural remedy for ticks at www.nontix.co.uk which is basically dried marigold heads. My kit is a mixture of civy and military.
 

redcollective

Settler
Dec 31, 2004
632
17
West Yorkshire
I've head a lot about this skin-so-soft stuff - how do you buy it? I went to the avon website but is was full of 'bronze members only' and 'a-list' stuff so I I hot-footed it back out of there - though it looked a bit wierd. How can you buy this stuff without the avon lady showing up on your door every week with another load of firming body lotion and age-defying larks spit preparation-H for you to try?
 

Paul K

Tenderfoot
Apr 29, 2003
75
1
In the woods
You shouldn't need any repellant at the beginning of May. You will more likely need your thermals the way the weather is going this year! :)

DEET is foul stuff (both for you, your kit and the environment) and best left for use in the Jungle when it's absolutely necessary. It's complete overkill in the UK, even in Scotland in August. If you want to have something with you just in case try the natural Mosiguard stuff available from Boots or the Nordic Summer stuff available (if your lucky) from Woodlore (or Sweden).

For the record, I've never used insect repellant on UK Woodlore courses and the only time I've been bitten by anything was the occasional mossie bite when some of the courses were held in Ashdown Forest (during the foot and mouth outbreak).

Also remember that you'll be near a campfire a lot of the time you when are not out and about. The smoke helps deter any airborne nasties.
 

Adrian

Forager
Aug 5, 2005
138
3
71
South East London
I went last September and didn't get bitten at all, which is VERY unusual for me. Some people did however, and just in case I would recommend the rollon repellent from Boots, or the tissues referred to.
Kit - a) Gardening/work gloves to protect your hands while shelter building, but especially for gathering nettles for making cordage
b) swimming trunks as underwear - you never know when you might be wading knee or groin deep in mud collecting rhizomes and fall over onto your bum - don't ask how I know this can happen, just trust me. :rolleyes:
c) wet wipes to keep hands/face/ groin clean. It does make you feel better to feel clean and they dry quickly outside the pack to burn in a fire.
d) pocket packs of Kleenex kept on you at all times and KEPT dry - you never know when nature may call, and a fluffed up one can be reasonable tinder.
e) ziploc freezer bags to keep small stuff dry
f ) some bags of jelly babies or similar - quick energy and a welcome treat!
g) sense of humour - the course is excellent, but Woodlore reckon it's the most intensive one they do, so you do get tired and fatigued, and that's when it's easy to get into a serious strop with someone who in other circumstances might just be a bit irritating (me for instance!).

Otherwise just enjoy it. The instructors are a good bunch and want you to do well, and will always be willing to help no matter how much difficulty you may have with understanding something. What matters is that you are giving it your best shot, so even if you really are having trouble and can't get the hang of something - don't give up
 

Odie

Member
Sep 23, 2004
12
0
Essex, UK
Although my post may be too late, the most handy item is a head torch. I bimbled along with my trusty maglite and kept finding myself one hand short while everyone else just got on with things.

By the end of the week my mouth was a permanent O shape from hold the damn torch in it!
 

PhilParry

Nomad
Sep 30, 2005
345
3
Milton Keynes, Bucks
I go and the end of May so hopefully it'll be a bit warmer! I note it's going to be -3 Deg C in our part of the world on Saturday night!!! :eek:

Hopefully the rain will be wamer by the time I go on my course! :D

Question - if you DO use DEET many of the notes on the bottles recommend that you should not wear clothes repeatedly if you've exposed them to the stuff...why is this? :confused:

All the best,

Phil
 

Odie

Member
Sep 23, 2004
12
0
Essex, UK
dont worry phil, by day 3 you will smell so bad that nothing living will come near you - except your fllow course mates :)

Seriously though, I did my course in Ashdown forest in Kent. The only time I put the DEET on was before going to sleep - and then it was only on my face. I would then wash most of it off in the morning.

Anyway, by the time you have bare-handedly harvested your nettles for cordage, scrabbled around gathering leaf mulch for your shelter, and been collecting tinder and firewood for an eternity, the bite of a mozzie will be of little consequence.
 

MartiniDave

Bushcrafter (boy, I've got a lot to say!)
Aug 29, 2003
2,355
130
62
Cambridgeshire
Stock up with plenty off decent soap, not for the course but for afterwards. It took me about 4 hot baths to get anywhere near clean!

Seriously though, I echo the comments re a head torch, take a decent one with fresh batteries, as stumbling around strange woods by a dim glow is no fun, I speak from experience as I found myself in just that situation following a panic attack while sleeping in the leaf shelter. If I were going again I would take a long burning tea-light to set safely outside the entrance to the shelter, as I think it was the total darkness and silence that brought on my problems.

Enjoy it though Mate! I wish I was coming with you, its a great experience.

Dave
 

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