Essentials for Bushcraft

There will come a time when you find yourself with nothing to eat, nowhere to stay and no one around to help. You’ll have to resort to surviving in the wild or at least try your best. Check out these bushcraft essentials that will come in handy if you ever find yourself in this kind of situation.

Even if you don’t end up stranded somewhere remote, these skills could just as easily save your life one day. If you love going outdoors, learning new things, and trying exciting activities, then bushcraft is the perfect hobby for you. Let’s take a look at some of the essential things you need for bushcraft.

A knife

A knife is the most important bushcraft essential. You can use it for hunting, fishing, gutting animals, building a shelter, cutting wood, preparing food and so much more.

When choosing the best bushcraft knife, look for something that’s sharp, durable, and has a good grip. You can also consider getting a folding knife that has multiple blades and tools such as a screwdriver, ruler, or magnifying glass.

A hunting knife with a serrated edge is a good choice for slicing through things like rope, but you should avoid using it for chopping wood because it’s not as effective as a bushcraft knife.

Stove

A stove will help you make delicious meals, which are a lot more tastier and nutritious than raw food. Depending on the type of stove you get, you can even make hot drinks like coffee, tea, or cocoa.

This is particularly helpful if you’re out in cold weather and need something to warm you up. If you’re new to bushcraft, propane stoves are a good choice – they’re easy to use, safe and reliable. Stoves are an essential part of bushcraft because they can help you prepare more nutritious meals.

Fire-starters and fire-making tools

Fire-starters are pieces of flammable material that you can use to quickly start a fire without having to do a lot of work. You can use things like cardboard, dryer lint, wool, and wood shavings to create fire-starters.

Fire-making tools are items that you can use to create a fire when there’s no flammable material around. Two common fire-making tools are the bow-drill and hand-drill.

To use the bow-drill, you have to have 2 people – one person holds a long, straight stick upright and the other person uses it to spin a short, curved stick with a string tied to it. The hand drill is a complicated but effective method of creating a fire. It works best in the sand, pumice, and soft soil.

Sewing equipment

If you’re going on a long camping trip, you might want to consider taking along a few simple sewing supplies. They can come in handy if you rip your clothes or they get torn in an unfortunate accident.

You can use a thread and a needle to repair your clothes, blankets, or sleeping bags. You can also use them to stitch together two pieces of fabric to create a unique item of clothing, like a scarf or a bag.

A water bottle or container

If you don’t have access to a water source nearby, you can use a water bottle or container to collect water. You can also use it to collect and store rainwater. In some situations, you might not be able to drink the water from lakes, ponds, or rivers, so it’s important to know how to purify water.

Water purification tablets or iodine can help you purify contaminated water in a short amount of time. If you don’t have access to water treatment tablets, you can use a water filter or water purification straw to clean the water. You can also boil water to make it safe to drink.

Proper clothes

As we have mentioned multiple times, doing bushcraft requires a set of skills, including knowing how to dress properly.

According to what we wrote before, when staying in nature, it is important to have equipment that protects you from certain natural phenomena, such as rain, snow, wind, or sun. But, the most important thing is ensuring that you are warm and dry.

This can be a difficult task, given that we usually sweat when spending active time outside. With rainy and cold weather and a 20 kg backpack on your back, you can still be hot and cold at the same time. In addition, even in winter, there is a risk of sunburn.

In other words, depending on the weather and the activities we do, there are countless different clothing combinations. So, the best idea is to dress in three layers. Each of these has a different function

The first one – is closest to the body. It must be made of fabric that allows the moisture to evaporate quickly, in order for the skin to dry. Because when you pause from walking, you want to make sure you are dry to prevent catching a cold.

In the colder months, this layer also serves to retain heat. The best materials for this purpose are synthetic ones.

The second one provides insulation and retains the heat. We recommend you use fleece in different thicknesses.

The third one is made for protection in times of crisis. This means it will protect the lower levels when the weather gets ugly. From being soaked in the rain, for example. So you need something with ventilation holes to get rid of excess heat, and something that can serve as a balance between this and water/wind resistance.

Between

If you get too hot or too cold, it can seriously threaten your health. This can lead to serious complications, such as heat exhaustion, sunburn, hypothermia, frostbite, and hyperventilation.

If you don’t have access to a sleeping bag, you can use two large pieces of fabric (a t-shirt and a pair of trousers, for example) to create an emergency blanket.

First aid kit

In addition to basic items such as gauze, plasters and disinfectants in the event of unplanning, you will probably not be able to get medical help easily and quickly. So, it would be good to get ready and learn the basics of first aid in nature.

There are small kits that are bought in pharmacies that contain basic things for dressing wounds and treating injuries. Look for them. You can also use some of the first aid items for cars.

Conclusion

Bushcraft is an outdoor activity that involves living off the land in an outdoor environment. It can be a great way to get out of the city and enjoy nature. If you’re new to bushcraft, you should make sure you have these essentials with you. Backpacks for the bush activity like the ones at survivalcache.com are essential as well.

If you love going outdoors, learning new things, and trying exciting activities, then bushcraft is the perfect hobby for you. In addition to being extremely useful in real-life situations, it also offers countless benefits on a personal level.