In cold environments, a very good set of mittens is essential. A truly good set of mittens is hard to find, though. There’s a lot of tat on the market. Plus mittens that are ideal for one type of environment or activity are not necessarily ideal for another. For a long time I was…
A heated tent is a fantastic way to spend the long, dark nights of winter outdoors, particularly in the deep cold of the far north. While a modern four-season mountain tent – or even a bivvy – may be tolerable for a few nights out in sub-zero temperatures, when it comes to truly living…
It’s difficult to go anywhere without being presented with the opportunity to extend or refresh your tree and plant knowledge, even in urban environments. Previously I’ve written about urban botanising and making the sharpening of your tree and plant identification skills part of your daily practice. So it was the other day when I…
As with any fire lighting exercise, starting a fire with feathersticks can go one of two ways – it either works or it doesn’t. You end up with an established fire or you don’t. Nature doesn’t offer any middle grades for fire lighting. You get an A-grade or you fail. If you’re fortunate, you…
Feathersticks are extremely useful under certain circumstances. Yet many people who enjoy bushcraft, survival skills and outdoor life are not particularly well practised in the skill of making them. Many books, particularly those involved with survival training, contain images of what are often referred to as “fuzz-sticks”. These are little more than twigs with…
Common ash, European ash or just “ash”, Fraxinus excelsior, is a common and widespread tree of northern Europe, including the UK and Ireland. Ash trees make up a significant proportion of British hedgerows and are a key component of many mixed deciduous woodlands in the UK. In the summer of 2013 a friend of…
A couple of the Frontier Bushcraft team and I took the opportunity to get away for a short foray in the northern wilderness. We only had a week to spare in between teaching and guiding commitments. Our destination area has no hiking trails and we were likely to see few people. The idea was to explore by foot, taking some food and camping equipment with us as well as investigate the resources available to us.
Sometimes life produces interesting coincidences. Last month I was travelling on the London Underground – something I do only infrequently. I noticed a poster advert for UNIQLO Ultra Light Down Jackets. Not only did the words ultra, light and down catch my eye, but so did the price. £59.90 The outdoor clothing industry has…
Rosebay willowherb, Chamerion angustifolium (also known as Epilobium angustifolium) is a widespread plant of the Northern Hemisphere. Known as Fireweed to many, particularly in North America, this name reflects the plant’s appearance following forest fires and other events which leave the earth scorched. With greater light on the earth again, C. angustifolium seeds then…
In a previous article I outlined a realistic approach to survival foraging. In such a situation, you would have nothing stored or preserved from previous seasons, little or no gathering or processing equipment (such as baskets, bags or grinding vessels), limited experience and possibly little or no familiarity with the geographic area. In short,…