Survival Equipment

An 80s Revival: Surviving with the Dartmoor Knife

The final production version of the Wilkinson Sword Survival Knife was something of a redesign of the original, officially renamed the Dartmoor Knife CSK185. The best way to review a piece of outdoor equipment, whether it is a knife or a canoe or anything else, is to go and use it for its intended purpose. So, it was thus I decided to get a good measure of the usefulness of the Dartmoor Survival Knife by heading out to the woods for a few days with little else to see how well this survival tool served me… Read more >> Read more >>

The Value of a Tarp in Your Day-Pack

With heavy rain being a fairly regular feature here in the UK – even during the summer – I rarely, if ever, go for a day hike without taking a waterproof jacket. This is hardly an earth-shattering revelation as I’m sure this preference is almost universal amongst those heading for the great British outdoors. What’s probably less common is packing a tarp. Including a tarp in your day-pack isn’t limited to the UK, however, as it makes sense anywhere you might have damp or cold-damp weather and you can string… Read more >> Read more >>

A Personal Wilderness First Aid Kit: What to Include?

The best wilderness first aid kits are ones where the contents, your experience and the likely risks are in sync. This is why assembling your own kit is the best option. The choice of equipment to include in your kit is a personal one. The process of optimising your first aid kit and training, as well as assessing the risks you might face, improves your wilderness survival skills and maximises your outdoor preparedness. Read more >> Read more >>

How to Build a Survival Kit on Bushcraft Principles.

Having been given a copy of John ‘Lofty’ Wiseman’s ‘SAS Survival Handbook’ when I was 13 years old, I spent a disproportionate amount of my mid-teens devising ingenious ways to cram more and more survival kit into a tobacco tin. At the weekend I’d go… Read more >> Read more >>

Essential Wilderness Equipment – 7 Items I Never Leave Home Without

If you were stranded in the middle of nowhere, your chances of survival would be significantly higher if you had this equipment with you. To me, however, these items are not just pieces of survival equipment, they are things I use everyday when I am living outdoors. They are well-used but also well-loved. With the exception… Read more >> Read more >>