I’m not a big fan of using leaves as tinder, they’re often damp, take a bit of work to ignite and often don’t produce much heat. But as we’re based in an ancient broadleaf woodland, and they’re everywhere, I thought I’d do a short video igniting leaves with a match and then using them as […]
Fire lighting is a learnt skill, but once learnt you need to keep practicing. I frequently tell our students to get out and light a fire as often as possible, in as many different weather conditions as possible, different environments, different times of year, different times of day. This will all lead to increased competency. […]
Generally when I’m out practicing bushcraft I try to avoid using cordage if possible. So for example, I’ll build a shelter using a few simpe design principles and negate the need for string. But there are times when you do need to use cordage. An example here might be to make a platform to keep […]
Finding ember extenders in the winter can sometimes be tricky. Watch this video to find out about collecting clematis downy flower (or seed) heads in January. We talk about collecting clematis downy flower heads on our 2 Day & 5 Day Bushcraft Courses as well as the IOL Bushcraft Competency Course. You can see plenty of photos from all of […]
A couple of weeks ago I showed you how to make a mallet with a knife and saw, this week is about making a mallet with an axe. I prefer to make a mallet with an axe, it’s generally quicker and gives a more robust tool. If you’d like to try making a mallet this […]
A woodland mallet is a very useful, yet simple tool that we use regularly on our courses for all manner of tasks, from batoning with a knife and splitting with an axe, to simply knocking in pegs when we’re putting up a tarp. In this video I make a woodland mallet with a folding saw […]
