r/Bushcraft

For a long time I've been fantasizing about going on a multi week trip in the woods with minimal supplies, by myself or with a few friends. I grew up being in the boy scouts and have spent some time in the military, but I have very little experience truly roughing it for longer periods. There is so much to learn, and I don't want to get in over my head by pushing my limits too soon.

I have some basic skills down, but I want to get into all the things; hunting, foraging, making tools, and all the little tricks and bits of knowledge. What are some areas I need to learn about first? And what are some good resources for me to start with? I'm not obsessed with getting all the perfect brands of gear; that can come later. I want to learn the tangible skills first, and then nerd out about all the packs and knives later.

For some reference, I am currently in NC for work, but will be doing most of this in and around the Chihuahuan desert in West Texas where I'm from.

Thanks

Does anyone here use military surplus rain gear for bushcraft? 🌧️🌲 I’m curious which surplus rain gear people have had the best experience with for staying dry while hiking, camping, or working around camp.

What military surplus do you actually find useful for bushcraft? Clothing, packs, shelter, cookware, canteens, sleeping gear, etc. What surplus item has held up the best for you, and what item would you avoid?

I'm aware of the SAS handbook and am pondering on whether it's indeed worth it for someone not living in the US. My idea behind it is to have both some lecture to learn things about that will help outside but also have something that can come in handy in a real pickle. Sadly these are the times we live in in Europe and elsewhere these days and it's no longer solely a mere hobby.

So what reading material can be recommended for these regions that cover what the SAS one does too? Wilflife, tracking, traps, firemaking, navigation, sanitation, plants, basically anything that I'm bound to encounter and should at least have some knowledge of.

I'm also asking because I want to avoid the whole hardcore prepper fearmongering end of the world nuclear winter etc etc crap rabbit hole right off the bat. A guy I sometimes go on a hike with has unfortunaly fallen into that and went as far as building a bunker under his house, his own power grid, wifi/comms setup and such. Despite everything going on, I highly doubt things will get THIS dangerous for most EU citizens anytime soon.

What would you all say is the ideal place to start?

Fire building and lighting?

Hi everyone,

I have this titanium pot (Boundless Voyage) pot that features a top bail handle and a small side D-handles. Unfortunately, when holding this D-handle your hand comes very close to the hot pot wall. Especially when full.

Since I plan to cook in it and eat straight from it while sitting on the ground or a log (without a table), handling it safely is a bit of a hassle compared to classic butterfly handles.

Since I can't return it, I'm looking for a solid way to modify it or improve the setup to get a longer, more stable grip.

Constraints:

• Material: Titanium (so direct welding or complex mods are out of the question).
• Portability: It still needs to pack down well for trips.

As you can see in the photos, I can actually remove the D-handle. My bent titanium spoon also fit into the mount as an improvised long handle extension.

My questions to you:

1. Do you think using a spoon/improvised tool like this can be made better or more secure than standard handles?
2. Do you use a universal pot gripper / pot lifter that fits these specific rolled lips well, and which ones do you recommend?
3. Has anyone built a custom DIY wire extension using the existing side loops or D-handle mounts to create a longer, rigid handle?

I've attached a few reference photos of the handle mounts, the D-handles, and the spoon-hack. I'd love to hear how you would solve this! with a top bail handle and small side D-handle in the side. Unfortunately, D-handle lie very close to the hot pot wall, and handling the pot to eat out of it is a little bit of a hassle compared to classic butterfly handles. I plan to cook in it and then eat straight from it. Eatin from it when you have a table is ok, but I want to be independent and eat while sitting on a log/ground without a table.

Since I can't return it, I'm looking for a solid way to modify it or improve the setup to get a longer, more stable grip.

Here are the constraints and what I've considered so far:

• Material: Titanium (so direct welding or comthat features a top bail handle and small side D-handles. Unfortunately, these D-handles lie very close to the hot pot wall.

Since I plan to cook in it and eat straight from it while sitting on the ground or a log (without a table), handling it safely is a bit of a hassle compared to classic butterfly handles.

Since I can't return it, I'm looking for a solid way to modify it or improve the setup to get a longer, more stable grip.

Constraints:

• Material: Titanium (so direct welding or complex mods are out of the question).
• Portability: It still needs to pack down well for trips.

As you can see in the photos, I can actually remove the D-handle and slide my bent titanium spoon into the mount as an improvised long handle extension.

My questions to you:

1. Do you think using a spoon/improvised tool like this can be made better or more secure than standard handles?
2. Do you use a universal pot gripper / pot lifter that fits these specific rolled lips well, and which ones do you recommend?
3. Has anyone built a custom DIY wire extension using the existing side loops or D-handle mounts to create a longer, rigid handle?

I've attached a few reference photos of the handle mounts, the D-handles, and the spoon-hack. I'd love to hear how you would solve this!plicated mods are out of my league).

• Portability: I still want it to pack down well for trips.

As you see i can remoe the d-handle and my bent titanium spoon for example can fit in there as a handle. Do you think it can get better than this?

Do you use a universal pot gripper / pot lifter that fits these specific rolled lips well, and which ones do you recommend?

Has anyone built a custom DIY wire extension using the existing side loops or D-handle mounts to create a longer, more rigid handle?

I've attached a few photos of the handle mounts and the D-handles for reference. I'd love to hear how you would solve this!

https://preview.redd.it/dh2qx9r9lckh1.jpg?width=450&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=43084a1c227596973de38c08071bd783bae99bbd

https://preview.redd.it/lpghy8r9lckh1.jpg?width=450&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=1896f67344b12987a901e5e7a3c727551cab2b72

https://preview.redd.it/01o4ljt9lckh1.jpg?width=701&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=a4d32d09bb21f801a4cc399041347be343d303f5

https://preview.redd.it/20zcu9r9lckh1.jpg?width=701&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=0a53635d5848a9806b8d637104dce53d905dbdad

https://preview.redd.it/on1r8ar9lckh1.jpg?width=701&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=bec0eecd025852ec426dd3a004dcd1dffd8d5f13

https://preview.redd.it/f5eqj9r9lckh1.jpg?width=701&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=943f9e32aa1db9f78ab01aa43cc6da815c82b525

https://preview.redd.it/8wgofar9lckh1.jpg?width=4032&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=b357a520692ed0512dfc3678687a017ee3b5fa7c

https://preview.redd.it/xunyoar9lckh1.jpg?width=4032&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=f8459dacf345e6db1e520fc95d3f4269b3626d29

I'm currently making a pair of sticks out of silver maple that will work functionally as trekking poles for a friend's birthday. I've got the sticks down to about the right height and taper now (1 1/2" down to about 1") but now need to make sure I get a good grip so it's comfortable for her long term as well as a tip to make sure wood ends don't split on rocks and such.

For the grip, I've seen on here a lot of people use leather or paracord. I'm not opposed to this but I want to try and make sure the sticks could be gripped like a trekking pole. Would leather still be a good choice?

For the tip I was thinking a carbide tip like on most trekking poles. Has anyone else put a tip like that on their walking sticks?

Looking for a good hatchet. What would you guys recommend? Looking for something reliable that can handle general camp chores.