Not a lot to this one.
Never rely on advice from people who post pictures of unused gear to prove how good or bad something is. Or worse, they don't post pictures proving they have used or even own said item
Never trust a review from anyone who just sits at a table reading the specs of the item or posts pictures of said item unused. To review is to KNOW how something works.
Last Saturday we updated the Adirondack Bushcraft Brothers™ base camp with a some new furniture.
I had an paint ball plate carrier I painted sitting around. I never got enough people interested in getting teams going so it was collecting dust. I painted it last September, left it outdoors most of the winter and it still smelled like paint. Hosed it down a few times and let it dry, but a feint smell of paint lingers. So deer and coyote hunting with it is a no go.
But, turkey don't care much about smell. So I ordered an admin pouch to set this al up as a turkey vest. I opted to take the foam pads out.
I have another of the admin pouches, so I know this would be fine for my goal. carry some calls, strikers, extra shells, and my license. A small box call will fit in this pouch as well as locator calls etc. The elastic bands will hold 20 and 12 gauge shells.
A while ago I made a post about my not being a survivalist. I had removed it after having a conversation with an acquaintance. I have thought about it for a couple of weeks and i want to reiterate: No, I am not a survivalist!
To a lot of people, bushcraft is being a survivalist. The reality is, no, no it's not. I stand by being a bushcrafter and being a survivalist in their most common definitions are not the same. Roll your eyes all you want. Anyone who practices actual bushcraft knows they are different. Allow me to re-explain.
Survivalist:
noun-
◆One who prepares for possible dangers such as natural disasters, societal collapse, or nuclear war, as by stockpiling necessary supplies or acquiring survival skills.
◆A person who believes in being prepared to survive and is actively preparing for possible future emergencies and disruptions in local, regional, national, or international social or political order.
◆Someone who tries to insure their personal survival or the survival of their group or nation.
The above is the most common definition of a survivalist. These are the people with bug out bags, cases of gas masks, underground bunkers, cases of ammo stashed, a 10 year supply of food and water stocked up, etc. etc. . None of this has anything even remotely connected to primitive skills.
Bushcraft/Woodcraft:
noun-
◆The skills needed to survive in the bush, and by extension in any natural environment.
◆A set of wilderness survival skills that enable individuals to live in the wild with minimal reliance on modern tools and technology. The term combines “bush,” referring to wilderness or uncultivated land, and “craft,” meaning a skill or art form. It is about more than just surviving; it’s about thriving in nature by understanding and utilizing the natural environment to its fullest potential.
The above is the most common definition of bushcraft.
Take a look at the parts I made italic. They could not be on more opposite ends of the spectrum. One is about buying and stockpiling to prepare for disruption. The other about a skill set for being in the woods.
Yeah, a nitpicker will say bushcraft skills are survival skills. That's very true! Key word is skill here. There's no skill involved in mail ordering 5 years worth of dehydrated food or buying 50,000 rounds of ammo. There is skill involved in knowing how to make cordage, build a shelter, make a fire with wet wood, and forage for your food.
Things get even further muddies up when we put the two together, bushcraft survival. Then we have a million schools that teach bushcraft as survival and blur the lines. The truth is, it's more a money making term than reality. Bushcraft is survival in that it teaches skills to survive a night or two in the woods if you get hurt or turned around. It teaches old school, often primitive skills most do not possess or in reality have a want to learn. Including survivalists. Bushcraft isn't about LARPing with your buddies running around the woods in camo shooting trees with firearms. Bushcrafts really not even about being prepared for natural disasters. With the exceptions of knowing how to make a fire and cook over a fire. Bushcraft is about being in the woods, the bush. It's right in the word!
Here's an example:
A survivalist needs to know a few skills associated with bushcaft, such as first aid, making fire and cooking over it, maybe, MAYBR shelter building, and possible navigation skills.
But a bushcrafter does not need to know anything about being a survivalist, by definition.
Survivalists lean very heavily into the doomsday prepping aspect of the spectrum. This is not bushcraft, at all! Preparing for shit hits the fan is about as bushcraft as an escalator in an outhouse. Bushcraft is about woodsmanship and skills. Not buying 100 cases of TP.
So, again, am I a survivalist? As per the conclusion of the conversation with said acquaintance, I suppose I am, in the manner of being prepared for an extended and unplanned stay in the woods. But, am I a survivalists in the true sense? No.
I just want to take a minute to discuss a few of the Mora line up. Basically the more popular models many woodcraft/bushcraft people like. The base models, the 511 and 546- which are the same knife but the 511 is a high carbon steel and the 546 is a stainless. The Garberg, the Companion, and the Classic #1. There are a large variety of other models, but these seem to be the most popular choice for outdoors enthusiast.
Most people will attribute the design of these knives to traditional Scandinavian designs. Which are the puuko and the leuku. But, Mora seems to sort of be hybrids of the two. Take the 511 for example. It's sized more like a puuko, but the blade profile leans heavily towards a leuku. As are the Gerberg, Kansbol, and even the little Eldris have more of a leuku blade profile. While the Classic, Companions, the Bushcraft, or even the All Around models lean more into that classic puuku profile.
See my example below:
Yeah, this again.
So every site blogger, YT influencer, social media poster, and state agency has a list of suggested items. I am no exception. I do tend to be a little different, as I feel what you carry should depend on your skill level and experience for being in the woods. Does that mean an expert should carry only bare essentials and that a beginner should carry everything in the house? No. What it means is you should carry items you have tested and know to work for you personally. You will gain that experience by going out into the woods and learning. You will not learn or gain experience from reading. So stop reading and go outdoors!
Still here? OK, lets get the wagon rolling. Again...But a little different.. Maybe..Sort of... Look, if you're still reading then just keep reading. You might gain some insight.
The more time one spends in the woods the more you'll find items you need and do not need. Need here, not want. You need a way to make a fire, but you do not need to carry a flame thrower (you can but... I digress). You need a first aid kit, you do not need to bring three nurses and a doctor. You need a compass, you do not need to carry a satellite on your back. Leaning what you need can take years, or one trip. I'd lean towards a years....
I've covered this, but I want to show a different approach here. Lets a look at what our NYSDEC says on the topic of recommended items, as it's actually pretty universal:
Anyone with real experience will agree with this list. Or at least most of it. Would I suggest lugging all if this for a 5 mile trek through a town park? No. Would I suggest all of it for a day hiking the West Canada Lake Wilderness? Yes, or at least most of it.
Here's the things I would either swap, change, or leave at home. It's really only a couple of items.
For the Sun and Bug stuff, bug repellent is a must anywhere in bug season. But I would not bother much with the bug net, sunscreen (in wooded areas, if you're in the desert with blaring sun, have at it...) or the sunglasses. They are not on what I'd consider a needed list. Use that space to carry a little more water. Or, a few small candles- see below.
The shelter items. It might be a little bulky, but I'd opt for one of the tarps with the reflective side over just a tarp AND emergency blanket. As I said, it weights a tad more and will take up a little more space than a tarp and mylar blanket, but it will not tear like the space blankets tent too. Or, even one of those emergency tents that come in the shape of an a-frame tarp shelter already and have the reflective surface in the inside. In cold temps it might be a good idea to carry some candles, in case the need arises to make a Palmer Furnace.
One thing not on that list is cordage. Not everyone can whip up 50 feet of cordage like heating a can of soup. So I suggest carrying at least 50 feet of some sort of cordage. You'll need it to make a shelter from the tarp, you can use it in a pinch to make an emergency splint. Duct tape works great for that as well, but duct tape hurts like hell when removed from hairy body parts. Cordage of some sort should be in every kit.
I would also carry a knife besides just in the emergency kit. I prefer fixed blade belt knives, but at least a decent folding knife is a must.
I would also suggest appropriate clothing from the start. Those new age gym shorts and flip flops are great for pool parties, but I really suggest proper shoes, actual pants or shorts (not sweat pants or pajamas), and a tee shirt. But, I guess proper clothing is subjective in these times of not even actually getting dressed to go shopping.
As you spend more time out wandering and exploring, you'll learn what works best for you in your area, or even what works best on this trail in this area and what works best for that trail in that area.
I personally know what I need, but often carry what I want as I make videos and I'm not a minimalists in most aspects. But, anyone who knows me or has seen some of the videos I have been known to carry only a bottle of water and a knife at times in warm weather.
Now, if you read all that. Load up some stuff and go practice learning what YOU need for the woods!
I can't even count the times anymore where I have "debated" with others on budget bows and guns. More specifically, that a $300 bow dill kill a deer just as dead as a $3,000 bow. Or that a $500 rifle will kill a deer just as dead as a $5000 rifle, and a $100 shotgun will kill turkeys the same as a $1,000 shotgun. Or, that a $10 fishing rod reel combo will catch as many fish as a $500 rig (talking general fishing, not deep water ocean or lake). They will argue until they are blue in the face. Why? Just because some people love to argue, and no matter what facts you present to them, they will never admit to being wrong, or accept those facts openly.
It amazes me the amount of people who will argue that, as an example, a 180 GR 30/06 bullet fired from a SAKO isn't going to travel any faster or have any more FP or KE than the same bullet fired from a Savage Axis.
Or another one, a #6 shotshell fired from a $200 12GA with a 24" barrel and a full choke will not be any better that a $2,000 shotgun shooting a #6 shotshell with a 24" barrel and full choke. They may pattern a bit differently, but should not be that far differed. Both will very effectively kill a turkey out to 30-35 yards.
Two bows set with the same draw weight and shooting the same exact arrow ( I do mean the same arrow), one that cost $250 and the other a high end bow that cost $2,500 will shoot the same. By the same I mean at 30 yards, both are going to kill the deer just as dead as the other.
Some people feel you need to spend a lot of money on your gear. But, the truth is, you don't. If you happen to be on a budget and don't have a lot of money, never let anyone shame you for what you have. If they persist, they are trolling or just being bass holes (see what I did there!).
This is just my point of view on the topic.
So, this will be the first in what I'm going to call Dispelling The Mythos. At some point, yes, edged tools will be discussed again. But, there are some other myths out there that may be taken as fact, and while not all myths are false, a good many are only true from one perspective. It's the "Look at this I'm doing over here!" while I do that over there thing.
If you talk to most die hard hammock campers, the top reasons they give in defense are they are lighter, set up faster, and I don't need to have flat ground to set it up. Let's take an honest look at these three declarations closer.
A Hammock Is Lighter:
This may have been true ages ago when canvas was the popular material for tents. But in the last 20 years? Nope. Even if you don't use a bug net, a hammock with all the tie outs and a tarp large enough to cover it is going to weigh in at around 3-4 pounds. That's if you make your own tie out stakes. If you carry stakes add about another at least 1/4 pound. If you use a bug net, we're up to 5.5 pounds. Which is pretty light. But, there are a lot of tents out there that weight the same or less. Your basic two person pup tent weighs in at around 3.5 pounds, including the poles, tie outs, and stakes. If you want to shave the weight a little, leave the poles and stakes at home and make them from sticks at camp and you're under 2 pounds, and it's more packable. So for less weight, you get a tent that keeps bugs out, doesn't need a separate tarp to keep the rain off, and affords a little privacy is you want to change your clothes.
Or, if you have the money, there are ultra light tents that weight under 5 pounds for up to a 4 person tent.
I Don't Need Flat Ground:
No, but you do need two trees that are right space apart. You'd be amazed at how the woods don't always agree with us being out there, and don't grow to accommodate us puny humans. For example, at the base camp for the ABB, there's areas to set up more tarp shelters or tents than there are spots to set up a hammock. Between the trees not cooperating, underbrush and growth, it's just not as easy as one would imagine. Even on a hill. So in reality, you don't need a flat spot, but you need a clear spot with the right trees to support the weight and be far enough apart to accommodate the shelter.
I found it rather funny some time ago when a guy using a hammock set up on a fairly steep little bank, and in the morning his gear and boots had rolled down the little hill.
They Set Up Faster:
I have personally never been able to set up a hammock with tarp faster than I can my tents. I am not great at it, but I have watched guys who camp with me who have been using hammocks for decades. I can set up my tent including setting up the inside with my cot, get a fire going, and be relaxing before they have their hammock shelter set up. The 2024 Fall trip, I had my tent completely set up, coolers and so on at the table, and was getting the canopy up before the two guys using hammocks were done.
Every shelter type has it's pros and cons. From a simple cowboy roll, to a tarp shelter, a tent, or a hammock. It's all personal preference! I just felt I wanted to clarify a few myths that come up often.
This is just my personal opinion on the subject.
The following pictures are a couple of years old, they are from a challenge I was involved in at that time. This is pretty much a text book example of a try stick. It covers the main notches one may have to carve for use in bushcraft camping.
I wanted to show how those budget wire saws can do, and I figured I might as well make a hot beverage while I was out in the cold. Packed up a haversack and hit the trail They had plowed a couple of other areas so there's a nice change of scenery.
Embracing the suck I packed up and headed out with a real feel of 4*. My plan? To heat up and eat an MRE and make some coffee. The MRE heater didn't really work out this time, so I ate a cold beef and bean taco with rice and corn MRE. Surprisingly, this ne actually had some coffee in it. But as my wife reminded me, I cannot have caffeine, so I guess it was a good thing when I went out with the first one there wasn't any coffee.
Fingers are still a tiny bit frostbit, but not bad. hard to wear cloves to eat and make stuff to eat and drink.
I thought I'd mentioned this here, and I know I've discussed it in a few videos, but it's worth updating.
For 6 years I hosted an annual virtual meetup for camping and bushcraft. It was called Night Of 1,000 Blades. Due to a few factors, I made the decision that it was time to make changes to this event and host it through my forum starting in 2026.
The object of this event was/is for people to go out in their chosen area and camp for at least one night. I had also deemed that you can even camp in your yard, but you must camp for a night. Then share your trip report with everyone in an report thread. It was started to be a motivational event, but I did add a few requirements to the gathering for the past two years. It's designed to more or less be a bushcraft event, so three bushcraft related tasks should be done. It's pretty easy, your camping and part of camping is making a fire, and cooking a meal over that fire. Twig stoves are allowed for those who might be under a fire ban or not have an actual fire pit in their yard. So that's two of the tasks down by simply going camping. The third was participants choice, go as easy as you like or as difficult as you like. Each year the attendance grew less and less, so I decided that the Fall 2025 gathering would be the last NOATB. I had even swapped it one year from Fall to Spring because people said Fall was not acceptable, and that did not go any better or have any more participants. I had also been asked one year to set up a Google map and did so, but no one bothered to sue it. So I feel it was just time to move on. I feel strongly that 6 years was plenty of time for it to run.
So for 2026 it got rebranded and is now called Night Of Smoke And Blades (NOSAS). It will also be hosted through Firepit Outdoors exclusively. The forum is free to join, all we ask is you follow the rules. Everything is the same. The date will be selected of early to mid September, after the bugs have dissipated a great deal from most areas and temps for most areas have come down and are more tolerable. One must still actually camp out for at least one night on the selected dates, and may still do so in their yard as long as they actually sleep out of doors. The three tasks will remain as well. Make a fire, cook a meal over a fire, and a third of their choosing.
This is a great way to have a virtual gathering and for participants to see what others cook, do in camp, and what other areas look like. Hopefully those who participated in past years will continue to do so from the different base camp. Maybe we will even get some new participants.
If you ask how to sharpen an axe or how sharp an axe should be on the internet, you're going to get a lot of varied replies or information. I'm going to add to the confusion, as well state a few things that will make a collector cringe.
