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Paul Kirtley

Wilderness Bushcraft. Survival Skills. Outdoor Life.

Man wearing frosty winter clothing in Canadian snow conditions.
PK Podcast 48: Bruce Zawalsky On Canadian Wilderness Survival

PK Podcast 48: Bruce Zawalsky On Canadian Wilderness Survival

Paul Kirtley Comments 8 comments

Bruce Zawalsky, my guest on this podcast, has over 25 years of experience as a professional wilderness survival instructor. Bruce teaches survival courses, wildlife and bear awareness courses as well as wilderness navigation. He is the author of A Guide to Canadian Wilderness Survival, published in 2017. He has been a lifelong student of the wilderness and a committed wilderness educator following his college studies, which culminated in an epic 94-day, 3,600km canoe trip from Rocky Mountain House in Alberta to Thunder Bay on Lake Superior in Ontario.

I had the pleasure of meeting with Bruce during my time in Canada for the 2019 Global Bushcraft Symposium and having since read his book, I very much appreciate the attention to detail it contains. So, I was very keen to have Bruce on my podcast and talk more about his work…

Our conversation forms Episode 48 of the Paul Kirtley Podcast…

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Man holding candle with snowy background
Bruce Zawalsky has been a professional wilderness educator for over 25 years.

Links For This Podcast

Mors Kochanski
Boreal Wilderness Institute
Bruce’s Understanding Bear Behaviour Video
Bruce’s Bear Spray Video
Canadian Wilderness Survival (Bruce’s book)
Global Bushcraft Symposium
Bruce’s Explorations blog post
Canadian Outdoor Survival Podcast
McNally Robinson bookstore Winnipeg

Survival students and super shelters.
Super shelters facing a central fire. Photo courtesy of Bruce Zawalsky.

Thanks For Listening!

Thanks for joining me on this podcast. If you have any comments about this episode, please leave them in the comments section below.

If you enjoyed this episode, please share it using the social media buttons at the top of this page. Thanks!

And Finally…

Finally don’t forget to leave an honest review & rating on iTunes or on Stitcher.

Ratings and reviews are extremely helpful and greatly appreciated! They do matter in the rankings of this podcast and I read each and every one of them.

Related Material On Paul Kirtley’s Blog

PK Podcast 042: Mors Kochanski, Northern Bushcraft Legend

PK Podcast 044: John Hudson, UK Military’s Chief Survival Instructor

PK Podcast 001: Survival Psychology With Dr Sarita Robinson

PK Podcast 026: Kevin Callan On The Joys Of Winter Camping

A Framework For Preparing Yourself For A Survival Situation

The Importance of Leaving Word Before Heading Into the Wild

Tactics For Fire-lighting In The Damp, Cold Months


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8 thoughts on “PK Podcast 48: Bruce Zawalsky On Canadian Wilderness Survival”

  1. Brian says:
    at 16:58

    Excellent Podcast Paul. Very informative! Love the quality of the guests that you host.

    Cheers. B

    Reply
    1. Paul Kirtley says:
      at 18:48

      Thanks Brian. 🙂

      Reply
  2. Robbie says:
    at 16:10

    Excellent!! I can’t remember how I first heard of Bruce. I bought his book thinking living in Maine it would have a lot of revelent survival methods/techniques. I wasn’t wrong. I liked how he explained the why in the use of the parachute in the super shelter. Like in alot of other training venues, shooting comes to find, the “instructor” will show or demonstrate something but not really know the why and over time it will morph into something different. I continue to follow and pay attention to people like you, Bruce ,and Mors because it comes across a common sense knowledge that was aquired in the woods and on the water. Kinda long winded for just saying another Great Podcast! Best Robbie

    Reply
    1. Bill says:
      at 01:28

      Thank you Paul for interviewing Bruce Zawalsky. The segment on the Kochanski supershelter was interesting. As Bruce mentioned, a poly film tarp even when accompanied by a survival blanket does not equate to a supershelter. Bruce mentioned that (1) a breathable fabric such as parachute cloth is a necessary component of a supershelter to help moderate humidity. Related, its breath-ability helps keep carbon dioxide levels from breathing manageable within the poly tarp without letting in blasts of cold fresh air. Had the conversation not veered from supershelteres, Bruce would most certainly have mentioned that: 2) parachute cloth captures drips of water that condense on the overlying poly fabric and prevents them from soaking persons and gear. And 3) parachute fabric when layered with the poly film strengthens pine cone-paracord tie-down from tear-outs during high winds. All in all a great interview with Bruce who’s book, webpage, and youtube channel are all worth investigating as he is is one of the most knowledgeable of the boreal, and temperate-climate mountain, modern survival instructors.

      Reply
  3. Preparedness Veteran says:
    at 17:23

    Bruce provides credibility in the survival arena.
    A proven great source of information.
    Great stuff.

    Reply
  4. Steve Blunt says:
    at 12:28

    Thanks Paul. Interesting as always and I really appreciate the effort you put in to bring us such informative guests – always the real deals! After listening, I ordered Bruce’s book (signed) via the boreal.net site. Not cheap (about £40) with shipping but looks worth every penny – and I’m sure my Mrs will enjoy giving it to me for Christmas… Cheers Steve

    Reply
  5. Steve Blunt says:
    at 17:10

    Thanks Paul. Interesting as always and I really appreciate the effort you put in to bring us such informative guests – always the real deal! After listening, I ordered Bruce’s book (signed) via the boreal.net site. Not cheap (about £40) with shipping but looks worth every penny – and I’m sure my Mrs will enjoy giving it to me for Christmas… Cheers Steve

    Reply
  6. Andy says:
    at 14:02

    Paul, I am about halfway through this podcast and thoroughly enjoying it, when I realized that I really know very little about campfire management myself! I know that it is a fundamental skill for a bushcrafter, but nobody really talks about it!

    Could you make an “ask Paul Kirtley” podcast or video on the topic of tips and tricks of managing a campfire for warmth and for cooking?

    Reply

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