Getting started in Bushcraft: Tools for bushcraft

Description

In this video i take a look at the fundamental tools of bushcraft & offer some advice on what to look out for when choosing your own. I wont be looking at detailed kit reviews of each, but rather a rang of features that make certain tools more appropriate for use within bushcraft, for the specific's of each item please follow the links below.

Mora Companion: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JTv77JHrx6U&list=PLhI7SRLHyPewSn6Dig2WbIBOM87TUhrZ2&index=2

Gransfors had Hatchet https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LxrYvSLNW1Y

Bahco Saw: http://youtu.be/b1I8t-77x_o?list=PLhI7SRLHyPewSn6Dig2WbIBOM87TUhrZ2

Ridgeline Backpack https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=06ZnXNcG3WU&list=PLhI7SRLHyPewSn6Dig2WbIBOM87TUhrZ2&index=18

Tags: Bushcraft,survival,camping,how to,tools,bush craft,outdoors,getting started,Survival Skills (TV Genre),beginners,knife,axe,saw,Tool (Literature Subject),Away,Wood

Video Transcription

alright guys so this is the second installment on my getting started in bushcraft series and today what I'm going to be looking at is the correct tools for the job now I've chosen to do this as a second video because even though I've already said in the previous video in this series that tools aren't your tools and gears and gadgets are not bushcraft they're not essential to your bushcraft there were a certain few tools which will make your learning process significantly easier and you know the tools I'm going to show you today and things you're going to want pretty much throughout your bushcraft experience unless you really really want to dig deep into the bushcraft experience and kind of start using your primitive skills like flint knapping etc so the tools that we're going to use I'm going to look at today and the fundamental tools that we're going to be using throughout us kind of Bosch craft experience so let's have a closer look at the tools we're going to need so I'm going to start structure angle structure this there's three main key working tools that we're going to look at and then there's a couple of other things which aren't necessarily working tools but things I think are fundamental to the practice of learning bushcraft particularly in those initial stages so the first thing that we're going to need is a cutting tool and of course the favorite cutting tool and the most appropriate cutting tool is a knife but there's a few things to look out for when you choose your knife I'm not going to go over not going to go into massive detail discs but I'm just going to give you a few of the key features that are quite important to look out for so the first thing is a style of knife avoid folding knives when you're starting out or following nice brilliant little penknife little Swiss Army knife absolutely fantastic you know got and get you get yourself on that the brilliant little tools but in terms of doing the more in-depth Bush cookout for activities a fixed blade knife is really important for a few reasons the main reason being the the folding blade has a hinge usually at this point here and the problem with that is it creates a weak point for heavier tasks such as turning wood or carving carving tasks and a few other things as well which I can't quite think of right now but there are a number of reasons why you know that stress point is a bit of an issue the other problem is even if it's a lock blade knife there's a risk of that blade over time that that lock point can weaken and eventually close shut on to your fingers so go for a fixed blade knife and what that means is the blade turns into a Tang which sits into the handle and holds it open at all times so it's a single piece of metal running throughout throughout the blade throughout the knife itself and you want a decent fixed handle on it this one's on my car to handle which is cut type of a it's a man-made compound made from various different materials get wood handles you get bone ones get plastic ones you get rubber ones you know all these are fine you know the handle usually comes down to aesthetic when it comes to the material that it's made out of a few different types of handle are suited to different climates that's kind of down to you to decide and one example is this knife is a full time blade which means that there's metal running through the top of the handle if I was somewhere like the Arctic I wouldn't use this it's really really cold my hands going to get cold using it there's a risk that my skin could stick directly to if I wasn't wearing gloves but that's a whole different different subject and you know the handle is mainly down to aesthetics and the shape however is quite important now this is quite a round handle which is something that I would generally stay away from but II and this is instance it's not too bad it's a nice shape it's got a nice swell in the middle of it and but you want to avoid anything that's perfectly round this one's kind of it's not round perfectly you know it's kind of a fat oval shape a perfectly round handle going to cause your problems going to cause blisters the other thing that'll cause your problems and blisters are the knives which have finger holes sort of pre carved into them the problem with that is I mean this one's got one little one which isn't isn't a big issue actually quite like that on this one but if it had them all the way along it I'm restricted to holding the knife in that one way because if I try and turn it round

and all those finger grooves are going to be digging into my hand if I'm using it for a long period of time it's going to start to blister it's actually handle pick one that suits you you don't want the handle to be really long you know it needs to be sitting in your hand comfortably you don't want a big gap underneath it because that's going to cause a knife to rock up and down when you're using it and but pretty much you know it handles a suture most part a one-size-fits-all kind of deal the blade shape is really important in your knife so most important thing is don't get a knife which has a cutting edge on the top that isn't a tool that's that's a knife design foot for weapons you know that's what they are and and also well in bushcraft it's also important a lot to put your hands or your fingers on the top of that or to even whack it with a stick for patterning and different things like to get a little bit of extra pressure so a flat spine on the knife is really important blade shape is really important as well my recommendation would be seriously to go for this drop point style quite a lot of knives have like a rolled end which is totally round some of them have a flat a flat bit I find them to be really restrictive and what you can do of course you still got the cutting edge on them but that lack of a point actually does restrict certain things so I like having a point particularly for activities like bold or fire lighting because that point allows you to dig into the wood and take a little a little notch out of it can be used for drilling holes for various things drop point really important another thing to avoid is quite a lot of knives that are available on the market at the moment have a smooth cutting edge and then a serrated edge at one side don't bother with that if you want the serrated knife go out and buy a serrated knife if you want a smooth cutting knife get a smooth cutting knife serrated edges be

they do have their advantages but for the most part is totally useless get a knife which is suited to a you know to its real purpose don't be getting stuff with loads of gadgetry on it gadgetry if a now using gadgetry and things like that to sell itself it's probably not a very good quality knife the knife quality should speak for itself you shouldn't be spending a lot of money to buy a particular brand just because you know it's got that brand name slapped on it you shouldn't ban it because it's got some of these name slapped on it that isn't a isn't a good a good indication of how well the blades going to perform I mean there are certain brands out there which are well known to be very very good but the you know the well known for being good because they are good they're not using their name to sell them now when you get your first knife don't go out and buy something massively expensive you don't need to you know you're nice a very very personal tool and once you've learned how to use it stuff it is nice to go out and get something custom-made that you know kind of has your signature on it but to start with you don't need to do that I mean you can there's no one saying you can't but it's not a necessity you know it doesn't make you any better you know the quality of the knife only goes so far the rest of it is down to how you use it and there's a couple that I would recommend I'll put links to them in the bottom description this video and one of them the main one or my very favourite knives I still use it now is the more a companion and there's halter for do a very similar one and there's a few other brands out there which make you similar knives I'm not I'm not massively into my knife brands but I'll put a few down in the bottom there for you now before I forget last thing to look out for is what is the blade of your handle made out of this is actually sorry what is the blade of your knife made out of this is quite important but it's down to personal choice a lot of people like stainless steel it's really nice it's easy to maintain it's a fraction softer which means that it does lose this edge a little bit slower but it's much easy to put that edge back on it it's stainless so it doesn't rust it doesn't dirty up too easily and it's generally I found a little bit cheaper personally I prefer carbon steel I know a lot of people prefer the stainless steel that's cool it's personal choice I prefer carbon steel I find it a little bit harder a little bit more hard wearing a little bit more difficult to maintain if you are going to use carbon steel just be aware that it rusts up much easier and with moisture so it just just take that bit more maintenance by quite like that because it means I have to stay on top of my knife maintenance that's a really important thing

you know once you've got your knife before you ever use it learn how to maintain it lightly to keep that edge on it you know learn how to strop it learn how to sharpen it again the knowledge is key once you've learned how to maintain it then when I use it there's a lot of different cuts that we use in bushcraft I've done a video on the key and fundamental sort of basic cuts I'll link that down the bottom and yeah again knowledge is key so let's have a look at the second tool that we need alright so the second tool is one that actually in conjunction with a knife is really really useful it will open up a lot of things to you and it's a pretty basic tool to be honest but even though it only pretty much does one task when used with a knife it can open up a lot of possibilities for you I'm not going to go into details of that now that's for you to work out that tool is this it's a saw and can be any kind of saw you mean the fold and saws like this one a popular for a number of reasons but it doesn't have to be like this doesn't have to be this kind of saw you know make your own choices I'm going to talk you through why the folders are you know really popular and then I'll talk about the other types of swords are available as well and a folding saw is really popular because the blade locks in place so it's not going to open up in your bag I mean saws more southern knives if it opens up in your bag it's going to absolutely wreck you get because they snuck bits of fabric and all kinds snug on the teeth it scratches things up in a folding saw like this one that those teeth nicely fasten away is nice and safe and also it packs up much smaller this is the backhoe folding saw it's the most common one a lot of people buy it because it looks nice I've bought it because it's a decent piece of kit you know I'm not going to go into details of the actual brand itself or you know it's a folding saw they read there there's a range of prices on these things from the the quite cheap to the absolutely extortionate ly expensive this is I would say it's kind of a mid-range one and it's perfect for the job I don't think I'll ever need another another type and I've picked this one because the blades are interchangeable the blade steel doesn't Bend too easily so even if it does wait does Bend but it doesn't get it doesn't stay bent and so you know I can I can give this quite a lot of abuse in it or you know it'd still be a working tool at the end of the day some of the cheaper ones which I've started out with do you know what the the brilliant tool so starting out but after a lot of prolonged use and extensive use what kept happening was the blades were bending and staying stuck in stock stock bent and then you know rendering the tool completely useless but there's not a problem in going out and getting one of them but for you know 10 pounds extra you can go out and get something which gonna last you a lot longer that will be my recommendation you know don't break the bank with it some of the sorts some of the folders out there absolutely ridiculously expensive there's absolutely no need to pay that much money for one you know that it's just it's just money spinning these ones are brilliant and they look kind of nice as well but a couple of things to look out for if you're going to get a fall in soil make sure that the blade locks in place some of them the blade just opens up but these ones the blade locks when it's open and it locks when it's shot as well so you can't open it without pressing the the unlock button I prefer one with a thinner blade on it just because it's less likely to stick in the handle this is this is quite a nice length of blade for me some people for a longer one totally fine I understand why people like that I just prefer the short one and a slightly curved rubberized handle is really useful as well some of them have like there's all bits going on down the side and after you know you use them a lot that blister up just trying to avoid stuff like that got a nice smooth handle and something that I find really important is and this is just because it's me is you know a little holder back for a little lanyard like this because I'm forever putting this thing down and because the color of it it just gets lost so if you've got a tool where you in you in your campsite which you will you should have you can just hang it up and you're not going to lose it the same and that's pretty much all of us to say on the saw bowling saw is ideal doesn't have to be a falling song I started out I used to take a bow saw route with me which whilst it was bulky it kind of did the same job and bow sauce fantastic they just are really bulky to carry around with you a lot cheaper generally that's the sense and they do get through the wood differently faster however my recommendation will get the get the falling saw and then use your knowledge and experience to them work towards carrying a bow saw because with the correct level of knowledge you don't need to take the whole bow saw you can just take out the blade with you and learn how to make the handle yourself it's really simple one should once you know how but yeah the following saw reversed I'll break it goes hand in hand with a knife really nicely and you know really good for you so I recommend getting something like that so the third working tool we're going to look at isn't an absolute necessity you know you can get by without one of these but personal preference I really like to have one with me again just let the saw it just kind of opens up more kind of possibilities with what you can do out about and it adds just a little bit of level of versatility for very little actual weight and bulk that's all is just an axe a small hatchet or do you don't need a massive felling axe unless you going out for weeks and weeks on end but obviously we just starting out if you're going out for weeks and weeks and that's just a daft idea so to get yourself a small hatchet doesn't have to be anything really expensive but what I will recommend is spending that little bit of extra money on your axe is kind of a good idea yeah have to I mean there's some decent ones available out there for less money but there's a couple of things that mean you know if you get a decent one you're never going to have to replace it some of the modern ones you know there's nothing wrong with them they're really good but over time they are going to break and once they've broken you know you're gonna have to get a new one that are effectively disposable these ones a decent one I'll last you forever I'm not I'm not saying go out and get you know this expensive type of Brandes grantors Brooks I love them I personally think the best that you can get but I'm not saying you have to go

and get that other people are going to disagree with me that's totally fine you know everyone has their own personal preferences and but there's a few key things I would look out for in an axe and the main thing would be I would say get one with a wooden handle make sure it's a Hickory handle because that lends itself to being a tool handle really well but the main thing with a wooden handle is if it breaks when you're out in the field you can make a new one you know the wooden handles come out the head much more easier than the plastic or metal handles they're usually riveted or glued in and if that handle bends or breaks when you're out about you can have a really bad time getting out of the wooden one you just knock the rest their head out with a bit of knowledge and practice you gather self and you handle up no problem stick it in the head you've got on your axe handle no problem so wooden handle is what I recommend I recommend getting one with that comes with a sheath of some kind a lot of the sort of cheaper axes come with just a rubber strip over the blade which is all well and good but that strip has a tendency to come off in your pack and you know if you want more than nice head on it you need you know and it doesn't come with one you need an experience you need experience of leather working which is you know a skill on its own so I've gone for ones that have been built in I bench that into leather working a little bit but you know it's just easy to get it you know somebody else has made it for you over time practice leather working it's a big part of bushcraft these days you know it's a new skill but you're not going to start out with that skill is what I'm saying make sure that you know the thing actually fastens onto the blade you don't want one that can just slide off seen you packing it slides off it's going to write your stuff up the grind of the handle I recommend convex but convex grind from personal experience the convex grind whilst is more difficult to maintain it holds its edge much better means you have to sharpen it less and whereas the you know the flat grind ones they doll up really quickly after just a few cuts in expert from my experience you know that could be just experience of bad axes but you know I've kind of taught myself to go for the convex grind make sure their heads fastened in nice and securely at the top

again stainless steel or carbon steel is ideal for it make sure the handle isn't straight some people like the straight handles I prefer the curved one get more versatility you want a bit of a this bit here is called the beard you want a bit of a beard because and you can use it like a knife and you can even practice it in your knife tools and axe it's a really useful skill and lanyard thing again not not essential but it's a handy little thing to have there I tend not to use them and make sure the handle isn't too smooth a lot of our axe handles particularly the fab glass handles are very very smooth especially when they're not rubberized and that means when your hands are sweating it's going to move around a lot and this is a swinging tool so it's going to be a little bit more dangerous if that handle is slipping around there for you but that's all there is to an axe you know again just like the knife it becomes a kind of personal preference to what you want and you know find what works best for you just don't go out and buy loads of them you know with your knife and your axe in particular if you're going to go and buy one especially if you're spending a bit of money on one that you don't wanna replace don't try it go to a shop and buy don't buy online go on actually try it out in a shop feel its weight in your hand see if you like it in a shop you can pick a nice grain out no little things give a little personal touches like that now this is only a small hatchet and it's sort of ideal for most bushcraft particularly just day trips and things like that can be started wearing my pack really nicely but occasionally particularly when you camp and you're gonna want something a little bit bigger

it just means splitting wood you know processing wood and stuff down is but it's just that bit easier and that's just got a slightly longer handler slightly larger head I would avoid an axe which has a really wide head on it the design for splitting for the most part they look cool and the feel cool in your hand but a nice slim blade is ideal for splitting wood a little bit tricky to split wood but it'll still do it however it lends itself to more activities such as carving and finer work also they weigh significantly less so unless you're going out specifically for an axe that is just for splitting don't buy one that has a wide splitting head on it you can do less with them they're not as versatile and what you're looking for in your tools is versatility so those are the main working tools we've looked up there now one of the thing that I'm going to suggest is quite an important thing particularly when you're setting out but even as you get more knowledgeable in your bushcraft it's something that I keep just wrapped up in a little plastic bag here and what it is it's just a little notebook a notebook is an often overlooked but actually really quite important and useful little tool for you I carry it with a soft B pencil because that works more effectively in the rain and what a little notebook is really useful I mean for me I put down what videos and stuff I'm going to be filming in there but the really really handy for various things such as like navigating and stuff we're not going to detail that now but the reason I'm recommending it for people just starting out even if you don't know heart and navigate yet is you can you could take notes in it which means that it kind of makes that learning process a bit easier if you're in a new piece of woodland and you find something interesting you can take a note of it take note of where you saw it if you don't know what it is you can do a little bit of sketch take a picture with your phone or whatever mark it all down measurements and things like that it's just a really really handy thing and keeping a journal it's quite an important skill as well it just it just really helps that learning process I'm not going to go into too much detail with this because what you want to put in that is really up to you just try and keep a log of the things that you've been doing the things you've been learning the place you've been things you've seen so that's just a little note book and you can get right now the work anywhere the ones are really useful and I tend not to use them I find them a bit expensive I just get this wrapped up in a paper bag and I take my notes from underneath my tarpaulin later on in the day as on what I need to so that's just a little note book and as I said I keep it wrapped up in a little paper bag just to keep it dry now the other thing you're going to want obviously is a pack of some kind so doesn't have to be anything overly fancy but you're going to need a backpack with you for keeping your stuff in you're going to your food and water in there and of course really importantly you're going to want to keep your your tools and stuff in there it's not appropriate to just go wandering on the streets with a big knife on your belt or an axe in your hand so a good sturdy pack is going to last you a long time it's a really really important piece of kit so that's the main fundamental bits and pieces you're going to need for getting start in bushcraft and go out and get the stuff that's going to last you a while don't go out and buy stuff that's right and gadgetry all that's going to happen is it's going to break on you and you're going to have to replace it you're going to expend ended up spending more money so I hope this has been useful for you the next video that we're going to be doing is going to be looking at methods of violating not going to go into too much detail and do instructions on how to do each particular type of firelight and I'm just going to give some examples and how to think about ways to make a fire for yourself thanks very much guys