BUSHCRAFTING
Bushcrafting is the use, knowledge, understanding and skills necessary to survive and thrive in a natural environment.
There are four basic needs to surviving in the wild: shelter, fire, water and food.
Listed below are the skills you will learn in our WILDERNESS ACADEMY.
KNOTS & CORDAGE
Did you know that the premise to almost all bushcrafting activity pends upon the quality of your knife and knots?
Here, we will take a look at a few common knots...
Cordage is a word used to describe anything you can use to tie a knot. Paracord is a common type of cordage used among survivalists, preppers and outdoorspeople and is made of intertwined fibers; each one with a specific use.
Synthetic cords are more slippery than natural cords. You may prefer natural cords; particularly hemp for its strength and durability; however, they are prone to rot if exposed to humidity & water for a long time. If this is a concern to you, then quality, synthetic cordage will be the way to go!
Among the most basic and safest knots to use with synthetic cordage are the two half hitch, the taut line hitch and the square knot.
IMPROVISED SHELTERS
These types of shelter are temporary in-nature and are not affixed to the ground. They are primarily erected (tents) or built (tarp and natural materials) for outdoor use and wilderness survival, respectively.
Below are a few basic steps to build a shelter from natural materials in the wild...
FIRECRAFTING
Firecrafting is the art of making, growing, sustaining and extinguishing a fire correctly; strictly by use of natural materials found within the immediate environment.
The ingredients needed to make a fire are: a fire source, fuel and oxygen.
Some of the most primitive methods of making a fire involves a hand drill, a bow drill and a fire plough (rubbing two sticks together methods). These methods consume much time and needed energy. Therefore, we suggest you use a flint / steel fire-starter or other fire-starter method using tinder and kindling, respectively.
Shown below are some viable natural materials for tinder including: an abandoned squirrel's nest or bird's nest, pine straw, dried grasses and birch tree bark.
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Illustrated above are some fire-building methods known among most survivalists. Each method has its own advantages and disadvantages and is specific when considering weather conditions, temperature and usage (cooking, signaling, night-time warmth).