Today I have started getting my (first) kit together for my holiday next year (to central Sweden). I'm going there with some friends for about 2-2,5 weeks to hike and camp out in the woods.
I want to use (and practice) some bushcraftskills such as firemaking and making a shelter from natural materials etc.
What I've got so far is:
A tinderbox and firesteel. The box contains:
The tinderbox contains mayasticks which have been cut and scraped into smaller pieces (although from my first firemaking practice this afternoon I've learned that these pieces are probably still too large). It also contains charcloth which I use to ignite the maya"dust" with (Firesteel -> cloth -> mayascraps).
My first experience also taught me that I shouldn't be too squeamish about blowing too hard, I was afraid blowing too hard would kill the embers in the cloth. But when I blew harder they lit up more and became a lot hotter and I got a flame (awesome feeling seeing that first flame ). I was practicing in my backyard and the wood was very moist so I couldn't get a big fire going. I have some wood out in the sun drying right now so that I can practice some more in the future with decent, dry firewood.
I also bought this, a Condor bolo machete:
A bit more versatile than an axe in my eyes, it got good reviews and (for a student very important) it didn't cost too much. I'm still new to Carbon-steel blades but I read you need to oil them to keep them rustfree. I went to the pharmacy and supermarket looking for mineral oil but I found none. So I've looked on ebay a bit and found this , would that work?
I'm going to dig up my dads old fishingrods from the basement this week to see if they are usable and maybe even make a fishing kit out of the materials if they are not.
Questions and especially tips and comments are welcome
good going sofar mate and i would first of like to echo what the others have said sofar
but my advise is find your self a deceant pair of boots, sleeping bag, and rucksack cos all three are very important cos they can make a trip the appserlute hell or heaven depending on you and how you like them
Good knife the Bolo, I have the Golok and it's fantastic. Like all kit from Condor, it punches well above it's weight in terms of value for money.
Next up, I'd be looking at a sleeping bag/Basha/Rucksack combo. Thats the building bones of your rig from the very start.
If you're tight on money, then Costco occasionally have a synthetic 4 season bag in, usually for £30, that I've used down to -10 with underclothes and a hat, so not shabby kit at all. Also, being synthetic it isn't going to be useless if it gets wet, which mine always does.
If you are ok with a down bag, the Brit army arctic bag is very good indeed.
Bivi bags, well, you could do worse than again the army issue bag. It's cheap, and big enough you can get a small rucksack in with you if it's pouring down.
Rucksacks, well, for a 2/3 day trip £30 will sort you out some decent ones. I recently got a small 30l sack which has managed fine for 2 days out. I just clip my bedding to it with carrabiners. Have a look at my other posts for a review on it.
Get those three items sorted mate, and you're more than halfway there.
I should add that I just summed up the kit specifically for bushcraft. Camping equipment such as a tent (lightweight 1.8 kg), bivy bag (U.S. Army issue Goretex bivy), sleeping pad, several sleeping bags (summer and 3 season) , 70l backpack, boots, all those things I already have .
A byrd folder is also in my drawer here, but I ordered a Mora Clipper (carbon) which should be here monday.
For my trip in Sweden I'm planning to buy a tarp & hammock. I'm probably buying a DD Hammock (either the travel or frontline version) but I don't know which tarp to get. DD tarps look good but I also like the web-tex basha, I'm going to read and watch some more reviews before I make that decision.
Perhaps some sort of saw? I have a folding Laplander and rate it highly. Also a crook or spoon knife is cool to add to whittle some utensils or even a cup?
First kit - Questions and comments
). I was practicing in my backyard and the wood was very moist so I couldn't get a big fire going. I have some wood out in the sun drying right now so that I can practice some more in the future with decent, dry firewood.
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