Category: Bushcraft

High quality Bushcraft articles written by professional wilderness bushcraft instructor, Paul Kirtley.

Pinyon pine cones atop a small pinyon pine tree.
Wild Plant Usage Across Cultures: Is Four Hundred Species The Benchmark?

Wild Plant Usage Across Cultures: Is Four Hundred Species The Benchmark?

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Traditional cultures across the world, and through time, have held remarkable ethnobotanical knowledge. If you aim to excel in bushcraft, long-term survival, or traditional living skills, having a high degree of plant knowledge is essential. In this article, I explore how various traditional cultures, past and present, lived from the land – examining the number of plants they relied on for food, medicine, and materials to sustain their lives and culture.

Closeup of outdoor trouser pocket with item being placed into it.
My Essential Pocket Gear for Bushcraft and Wilderness Trips

My Essential Pocket Gear for Bushcraft and Wilderness Trips

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When it comes to bushcraft and wilderness trips, having the right gear in your pockets can make all the difference. In this article, I share the essential pocket gear that I carry with me on every outdoor adventure – whether I’m teaching bushcraft, leading a canoe trip, or exploring remote trails. It’s not about carrying a survival kit crammed into every pocket, but rather a thoughtful selection of items that it’s about strike a balance between practicality, preparedness, and convenience. Discover what I carry and why, and get some ideas for your own outdoor pocket setup….

Paracord lanyard fixed loop containing ferro rod, striker, whistle and microlight
How I Optimise My Ferro Rod Pocket Carry

How I Optimise My Ferro Rod Pocket Carry

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Carrying a ferro rod securely while keeping it easily accessible is crucial in the field. In this article, I share my optimized ferro rod pocket-carry setup using paracord, a mini carabiner, with the option of adding other essentials like a whistle and a light. This streamlined system ensures quick deployment of the ferro rod and minimizes the risk of losing vital gear during wilderness trips. Whether you’re on a bushcraft course or a solo expedition, this setup will keep your pocket kit safe and ready when you need it most.

Man kneeling and splitting wood with an axe but no chopping block in a winter backcountry setting
Essential Axe Techniques For Backcountry Firewood Splitting

Essential Axe Techniques For Backcountry Firewood Splitting

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In this post I highlight essential bushcraft axe skills for safe and efficient backcountry firewood splitting when you have no chopping block. In the embedded video I demonstrate three essential backcountry axe techniques using popular Gransfors Bruk and Hultafors (Hults Bruk) axes in the very common lengths of “half-axe” and “three-quarter axe”. Despite the similarities between the various aspects of these axes, there are variations in technique required to get the most out of them. I also discuss material selection, material processing and species of wood. All of these have a bearing on how these techniques work. There are also limitations and parameters to consider with each technique, both in terms of what is possible but also what is safe. I cover these aspects in detail…

Two men sat on benches in the woods talking about bushcraft
The Dunning-Kruger Effect in Learning and Teaching Bushcraft, Survival and Wilderness Living Skills

The Dunning-Kruger Effect in Learning and Teaching Bushcraft, Survival and Wilderness Living Skills

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Gordon Dedman, lead instructor at Bushcraft Survival Australia returns. He was keen to discuss a number of questions with me, particularly in light of some of his observed developments in the instruction of bushcraft and survival in Australia, along with potential parallels with what we have already experienced in this field in the United Kingdom. Moreover, there were a number of inter-related topics that were top of mind following the 2022 Global Bushcraft Symposium, which had happened a few weeks before we had this conversation. In particular the keynote presentations from David Wescott and Cody Lundin, respectively, provided some valuable points of reference for this conversation. His questions also referred back to my keynote at the 2019 Global Bushcraft Symposium, and specifically my referencing of the Dunning-Kruger effect therein. In terms of how we approach our learning and development, there is something for everyone here….

people out at sunset in the short days of the year
Ideas For Extending Your Bushcraft Year Through The Autumn

Ideas For Extending Your Bushcraft Year Through The Autumn

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Autumn brings golden leaf hues, low sun angles, casting long shadows in the afternoon, cold, crisp air as night falls, and Orion coming into view above the horizon, as the skies darken. In my book, these are all aspects of the season to be savoured, positive reasons to be outside, not inside and, yes, even camping. More specifically, if you want to continue to extend your bushcraft knowledge and skills, even as summer is left behind and autumn progresses into winter, there is much to be done. Furthermore, keeping your existing skills honed over the darker and colder months of the year will mean by the time spring comes you won’t be rusty. This article contains of ideas for extending your bushcraft year, getting the most out of your time outdoors in autumn and, through this continued focus, expanding your bushcraft skills and knowledge….

Paul Kirtley sharpening an axe
Axe Sharpening – What, Why and How To Do It

Axe Sharpening – What, Why and How To Do It

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How to sharpen an axe? Having a good answer to this question is something that should concern anyone who carries or uses an axe. In principle sharpening an axe is not particularly difficult, although there is an additional consideration over the technique that works for sharpening many knives. In the video here I look at using bench stones, modified bench stones, specialist axe stones, small pocket stones, as well as stropping. I finish with a few words on protecting your axe after you have finished sharpening it….

Paul Kirtley and Kevin Callan talking about types of axe
Whisky, Water & Wilderness Axe Skills – Kevin Callan Interviews Me About My Axe Book

Whisky, Water & Wilderness Axe Skills – Kevin Callan Interviews Me About My Axe Book

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Kevin Callan, The Happy Camper, asked me to join him on one of his Whisky Fireside Chat series of video interviews. As usual it was fun chatting with Kevin and along the way, we covered a lot. The jumping-off point for the conversation is the publication of my book Wilderness Axe Skills and Campcraft…

Paul Kirtley holding up axe and saw
Optimising A General Purpose Axe And Saw Combo For Wilderness Travel

Optimising A General Purpose Axe And Saw Combo For Wilderness Travel

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It’s always great when a combination of equipment equals more than the sum of its parts. In this post I run through an axe and saw combo I really like for wilderness trips from spring to autumn. It’s not just the solid tools that make this a great combo, though, it’s also the additional small details that add up to make a big difference. I start by explaining how to make sure you have everything you need to make the most of your saw. Then I run through a number of modifications and improvements I have made to a fairly standard axe to bring it up to its full potential…

Old, neglected, dangerous axe
How To Spot A Dangerous Axe

How To Spot A Dangerous Axe

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If you travel in wild and remote places, you will likely end up using axes that are not your own. In my experience this most often occurs if you are staying in wilderness camps, remote cabins or huts with axes already in the woodshed, or if you have been provided with an axe as part of a larger outfitting of equipment, on a canoe trip for example. Before you start swinging an unfamiliar axe with any sort of gusto, you’ll want to make sure the axe is sound. There are some tell-tale signs to look for, indicating an axe is neglected, abused and potentially unsafe to use….