Author

Paul Kirtley

Paul Kirtley is an award-winning professional bushcraft instructor, qualified canoe leader and mountain leader. He is passionate about nature and wilderness travel. In addition to writing this blog Paul owns and runs Frontier Bushcraft, a wilderness bushcraft school, offering bushcraft courses and wilderness expeditions.

Posts by Paul Kirtley

Paul Kirtley answering bushcraft and survival questions in episode 38 of Ask Paul Kirtley
#AskPaulKirtley Episode 38 – Carbon Steel Knives & Flint, Boots, 3-Season Sleeping Bags, How To Know When You Know Enough, Plus My Take On A Survival Scenario

#AskPaulKirtley Episode 38 – Carbon Steel Knives & Flint, Boots, 3-Season Sleeping Bags, How To Know When You Know Enough, Plus My Take On A Survival Scenario

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Questions about boots for bushcraft, 3-season sleeping bag choices, carbon steel knives and flint for sparks, how to avoid shredding your knuckles while using a firesteel, long distance hiking, lightweight gear and bushcraft, how do I know when do you know enough for wilderness, and what would I do in a particular wilderness canoe expedition survival scenario.

packed lightweight sleeping equipment for camping
Lightweight Tarp and Bivvy Set-Up

Lightweight Tarp and Bivvy Set-Up

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In previous articles and videos I’ve discussed equipment choice and ways of lightening the load of your pack. In this article, with video, I look at one particular tarp and bivvy bag set-up which is light, compact and protective…

Paul Kirtley answering bushcraft and survival questions in episode 37 of Ask Paul Kirtley
#AskPaulKirtley Episode 37 – Sustainable Birch Bark Harvesting, Tarp or Tent, Shelter Bedding Materials, Camp Positioning, Heavy Tents and Outdoor Career Advice

#AskPaulKirtley Episode 37 – Sustainable Birch Bark Harvesting, Tarp or Tent, Shelter Bedding Materials, Camp Positioning, Heavy Tents and Outdoor Career Advice

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Shelter bedding, sustainable birch bark harvesting, martial arts and teaching bushcraft, higher or lower for optimal camp temperatures, cod liver oil tablets for survival packs, heavy tents, outdoor career advice and what’s best – tarp or tent?

white umbel of flowers againts a green backgrop
Approaching Apiaceae: A Practical Example Of Carrot Capture

Approaching Apiaceae: A Practical Example Of Carrot Capture

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These days we all have a camera in our pocket. Most of the time we carry a smart phone. Increasingly we use our phones to make notes for later. It’s very easy to take a photo of text in a museum or take photos of something we see out and about, to act later as memory joggers. It’s not necessarily anything to do with the art of photography. It’s memory extension, brain augmentation. So, what details of members of the carrot family Apiaceae should be recorded so you stand a good chance of identifying the species?…

Wild Wanderings 5 – Seasonal Shift

Wild Wanderings 5 – Seasonal Shift

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Raspberries, blackberries, rowan berries, hawthorn haws, sloes are in fruit and there a good many seeds around for eating and for other uses. Yet many lush green edible leaves are still to be had and some common plants still in flower. This time of year is one of transition as the seasonal shift takes us from late summer to early autumn. As always there a subtleties worth exploring…

Paul Kirtley answering bushcraft and survival questions in episode 36 of Ask Paul Kirtley
#AskPaulKirtley Episode 36 – Bow Drill Woods To Avoid, Edibility Of Beech Nuts, Looking After Teeth & Nails The Indigenous Way, Natural Meds or Charcoal For Stomach Upsets?

#AskPaulKirtley Episode 36 – Bow Drill Woods To Avoid, Edibility Of Beech Nuts, Looking After Teeth & Nails The Indigenous Way, Natural Meds or Charcoal For Stomach Upsets?

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In this episode, I answer questions about how we might look after our teeth and nails without modern tools, natural meds and charcoal for stomach upsets, the edibility of beech nuts, bow drill woods NOT to use, shorts in the bush (are they a good idea?), some curious rings around a tree, uses of Himalayan balsam and pot lifting – what on earth are we doing?

Paul Kirtley answering bushcraft questions in episode 35 of #AskPaulKirtley
#AskPaulKirtley Episode 35 – Top Trees For Bushcraft, Light Saw Recommendation, Axe & Knife Maintenance At Home, No-Water Dish Washing, Best Times For Carving

#AskPaulKirtley Episode 35 – Top Trees For Bushcraft, Light Saw Recommendation, Axe & Knife Maintenance At Home, No-Water Dish Washing, Best Times For Carving

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In this episode I answer questions about top trees for bushcraft, dish cleaning in random camp spots with no water, the best time for carving, how not to get wet under a tarp (revisited), light saws for bushcraft, equipment for maintaining axe and knife at home…