Category: Survival

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.

Small metal rods with plastic handles laid out on an orange cloth
The Best Ferro Rod? Insights From My Experience

The Best Ferro Rod? Insights From My Experience

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In this article we examine common questions about ferro rods. These simple devices have become a mainstay of outdoor fire-lighting, especially in bushcraft, and a key component of many modern survival kits. Yet, ferro rods are not all made equal. We need to be selective about the ferro rods – and associated strikers – we choose to rely on. In this article – and embedded video – I share some insights gleaned from many years of experience relying on ferro rods in the wilderness, along with countless interactions with my students when they learn ferro rod techniques. Foremost I try to share the qualities and features to look for in a dependable ferro rod. However, I also offer some top picks from the available brands. These picks promise consistency, durability, portability and, of course, that vital spark when you need it most…

Orange lighter, whistle, knife, saw, ferro rod and match safe
The Value of Visibility: Considering the Colour of Critical Kit

The Value of Visibility: Considering the Colour of Critical Kit

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In the bushcraft world, we tend to like muted, natural colours. These mirror the colours of our local natural environment, typically shades of green and brown. I think there’s a strong argument for important pieces of equipment being brightly coloured. The items of equipment I particularly have in mind are critical on-person items. These are both important and typically small, thus relatively easy to mislay or lose outright. I expand on this idea in this article, which also contains a video with me discussing particular pieces of equipment…

Two umbellifers with clusters of white flowers, from members of the carrot family or Apiaceae
Discussing Problems Presented By The Universal Edibility Test

Discussing Problems Presented By The Universal Edibility Test

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The Universal Edibility Test, while having its place, presents problems. These problems largely fall into two categories; 1) problems caused by the way this test is commonly presented, especially on the internet, and 2) shortcomings inherent in the application of the the test itself, even when fully presented and properly applied. There are also a number of issues caused by the popularity of the test. Gordon Dedman of Bushcraft Survival Australia and I discuss these problems and some solutions in the embedded video…

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

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Bruce Zawalsky is a professional wilderness survival instructor and author, with over 25 years of experience as an outdoor educator. He teaches survival courses, wildlife and bear awareness courses as well as wilderness navigation. Here in Podcast 48, Bruce talks with me about all these subjects and more, which have much wider application than just in his native Canada….

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

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

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John Hudson, Chief Instructor at the UK military’s Defence SERE Training Organisation, joins me in conversation on the Paul Kirtley Podcast. Originally an RAF helicopter pilot and now the survival instructor responsible for training all the survival instructors in the UK military, John is the real deal when it comes to survival training and advice. In the civilian world John’s expertise has been called on for Discovery Channel TV show Dude You’re Screwed as well as other projects. He has laid down some key principles we can all apply to our lives in his book How To Survive: Lessons For Everyday Life From The Extreme World. In this podcast we talk about all this and more, including which survival myths need killing once and for all…

Snow Shelters: Why We Don’t Build Igloos In The Forest

Snow Shelters: Why We Don’t Build Igloos In The Forest

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Traditionally igloos were tundra shelters, with other snow shelters and snowhouses involving mounding up snow being favoured in the forest. But modern Ice Box devices blur this boundary. So, I thought I would investigate building an igloo-type shelter in the boreal forest…

The Best Clothing For Digging Out Snow Shelters

The Best Clothing For Digging Out Snow Shelters

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Snow shelters take different forms but have many commonalities. Digging them out can be warm work as well as creating problems with moisture in your clothing. I have found over the years, utilising some well chosen items of clothing for digging snow shelters can make all the difference between being damp and chilly afterwards or being warm and comfortable…

Man in drysuit and helmet being swept down white water rapids
White Water Safety & Rescue Training Provides Useful Survival Skills

White Water Safety & Rescue Training Provides Useful Survival Skills

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White water safety and rescue skills are essential if you spend any time on or around rivers. These are real world survival skills. If you examine the statistics of what kills people outdoors, water is right up towards the top of the list. Moving water, whatever temperature, poses specific hazards…

PLAN: A Framework For Prioritising In A Survival Situation

PLAN: A Framework For Prioritising In A Survival Situation

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It’s never been easier to reach wild and remote parts of our planet, and we’re doing it more and more for recreation and adventure. The question is though, what do we do when things go wrong? If you’re in an emergency situation in the outdoors, if you’re lost, if your stranded, if you’re in a situation that may ultimately become a survival situation, what do you do? How do you prioritise?