Essential Bushcraft Skills

[Scythe13]

Okay everyone,

Since many of us are preparing to Bug Out, what skills does everyone think will be vital in the wilderness ok Great Britain?

You all know I'm on a steep learning cycle, and intent to cram about 10 years of experience into 2 years. So lets see what skills I have to get down and dirty with.

[00111001]

Grab the SAS survival guide if you don't already have a copy.

Learn that.

And the Ray Mears ones. All good stuff.

[NorthernRaider]

Mate slow down, you just cannot rush some things especially wilderness survival and bushcraft skills, I respectfully suggest you do a few survival courses like BCUK and LSG often do.

You need to focus primarily but not totally on fieldcraft such as Navigation using map and compass to 8 figure grid references, shelter building, cammoflage and concealment, field hygiene, first aid, camp cooking, patroling, obtaining water, identifying edible flora and fauna, evation techniques, obsticle crossing, fire lighting etc, Get the SAS survival guide and read it properly, but courses and lots of practise will help, as I said before LSG and the like have ran some good courses according to feedback.

[00111001]

What he said!

Plus practice. Lots and lots of practice. Those courses look good, but some are damned expensive. But then again, if it keeps you alive an kicking, and comfortable it's obviously worth it!

[Scythe13]

(20 January 2012, 09:49)NorthernRaider Wrote: You need to focus primarily but not totally on fieldcraft such as Navigation using map and compass to 8 figure grid references, shelter building, cammoflage and concealment, field hygiene, first aid, camp cooking, patroling, obtaining water, identifying edible flora and fauna, evation techniques, obsticle crossing, fire lighting etc, Get the SAS survival guide and read it properly, but courses and lots of practise will help, as I said before LSG and the like have ran some good courses according to feedback.

That's a pretty good list.

Things I can already do from the list:
Navigation using map and compass to 8 figure grid references
first aid
camp cooking
obtaining water (solar stills, boil catchment, streams/freeflowing water, leaf extraction, fluid recycling, etc)

Those are ones I'm good with.

Shelter building, depending on what's around, I should be okay with. I can build a log cabin, a frame, tin roof, bamboo roof and gutters, connifer Aframe, and even as far as an Earthship (if using urban reclaimed materials).

[uks]

Rushing thing's may make you a jack of all trades and a master at none. As someone who has been doing it for 20 years plus i still learning new skills. While learning new skills don't forget the lessons you have already learnt.

[NorthernRaider]

(20 January 2012, 09:57)Scythe13 Wrote:

(20 January 2012, 09:49)NorthernRaider Wrote: You need to focus primarily but not totally on fieldcraft such as Navigation using map and compass to 8 figure grid references, shelter building, cammoflage and concealment, field hygiene, first aid, camp cooking, patroling, obtaining water, identifying edible flora and fauna, evation techniques, obsticle crossing, fire lighting etc, Get the SAS survival guide and read it properly, but courses and lots of practise will help, as I said before LSG and the like have ran some good courses according to feedback.

That's a pretty good list.

Things I can already do from the list:
Navigation using map and compass to 8 figure grid references
first aid
camp cooking
obtaining water (solar stills, boil catchment, streams/freeflowing water, leaf extraction, fluid recycling, etc)

Those are ones I'm good with.

Shelter building, depending on what's around, I should be okay with. I can build a log cabin, a frame, tin roof, bamboo roof and gutters, connifer Aframe, and even as far as an Earthship (if using urban reclaimed materials).

Excellent now imagine you have your extended family with you, Ma , Paw, Cleetus, Brandine , Cousins, Grans, Baybees, etc and they are cold, wet, tired, hungry and pissed off.

---

Thinking back a lot of years I gained a heck of a lot of field and bushcraft skills in the army etc, I was almost smugly confident about my " expertise" !!!! Hah what a laugh, I've never called myself an expert at anything since after doing courses under the control of guys like Eddie McGee , I would say at best i was an advanced NOVICE !!!. Please guys Prepping and planning can be mastered easily by intelligent people like you lot, thinking laterally, planning logically, working out options, studying current events etc, BUT Fieldcraft and Bushcraft must never be hurried.

---

(20 January 2012, 10:16)uks Wrote: Rushing thing's may make you a jack of all trades and a master at none. As someone who has been doing it for 20 years plus i still learning new skills. While learning new skills don't forget the lessons you have already learnt.

Rushing Fieldcraft gives you wings, Angels wings.

[Scythe13]

I've been learning the theory behind starting a fire in the wet, in the snow, and how to get dry wood. Which is really helpful in the UK. I'll be putting that knowledge into practice next camping trip, same as other skills, like time telling and weather patterns/cloud reading.

[Skean Dhude]

Funny that I see bushcraft as less important. 99,99% of us are never far from civilisation and after an event there will be plenty of empty houses. Fill with dry wood and you can keep yourself warm. Navigation is fine but an AA map is better than moss on a tree and you can follow alongside the roads if you don't want to walk on them.

Collecting water is fine as well as identyfying food from the wild.

If I was prioritising that is what I would look at first.

[Preacher]

The ability to keep things dry is right up there on my list... I've opened waterproof rucksacks to find everything's wet, had rain get under map covers, had water bottles leak and when I have changed into dry gear, managed to put a hole in the pastic bag I put the wet clothing in, making everything in my pack damp!!

I am in the process of formulating a routine whereby I split my supplies between several containers. And Include a separately packaged, small emergency kit in each so that if A leak does develop anywhere, only a fraction of my gear gets soaked and it takes several simultaneous leaks to moisten my emergency supplies.