Posts Tagged ‘wilderness survival’

Reasons Why You Should Take a Bushcraft Course

Bushcraft courses provide a fast, efficient and safe way to learn essential wilderness skills that would have been second nature to our ancestors…

Bushcraft consists of a very wide selection of abilities. At the center of this subject is an awareness of nature. This understanding of the natural world informs a sensibility and skill base that makes it possible to live – not just survive – in a natural environment.

Somebody capable in the skills of bushcraft doesn’t need loads of apparatus. In fact , the opposite is correct. Since these wilderness abilities are based on an awareness of which natural resources in a particular environment can offer for our basic human needs , the true exponent of bush skills wants nothing apart from nature.

Hence the ability these skills provide is carried in your mind and your muscles. It weighs nothing. The practice of wilderness bushcraft is one that encompasses the provision of shelter, fire, food, water and tools as well as wayfinding, or the practice of navigating by natures signs.

While the expert practitioner of wilderness skills in their most refined form wants nothing but nature, tools and clothing have been important to man for millennia. Today we’ve got the luxury of choosing whether we make our own implements or purchase them, and most of us take the selection of trading for them.

The flexible exponent of modern wilderness bushcraft selects tools that make the best of their skill-set. The most commonly useful tool is a modest fixed-blade knife that’s easily maintained and can be put to numerous uses. Other cutting tools that might be chosen, dependent on the environment are an axe, a saw or a machete or parang.

If these skills are a part of our natural heritage as homo sapiens living in wild lands, why do we need to be taught these abilities on a course? Well the answer’s pretty obvious – most humans live in urban or suburban environments, far removed from living close to nature, not to mention depending upon it for day to day survival.

Bushcraft courses supply a systematic training in a selection of talents that would’ve been handed on from generation to generation. These days such skills are often taught in a way that suits our modern understanding of the planet and dovetails with systematic information re such subjects as pathogenic organisms and water purification.

While it is possible to learn lots of the skills of woodcraft and camping from books, getting them to a high enough standard to depend on them would take a substantial period of trying, failing and trying again.

The safest way of learning things such as edible wild plants and fungi is from a professional instructor; the most highly effective technique of learning fire lighting abilities, particularly friction fire lighting techniques is from a reputable bushcraft training provider.

Taking a course expedites the educational process. You are reaping rewards from the experience of others and removing the frustration – and possible danger – of getting things wrong. Each generation of our ancestors didn’t learn each and every single skill or piece of knowledge from scratch by trial & error; they learned their skills and knowledge from knowledgeable practitioners. This remains to this day the right way to learn and the most efficient way for most folks to access such knowledgeable folk is to enrol in a course in relevant wilderness skills.

Paul Kirtley teaches bushcraft skills. He’s impassioned about nature, the great outdoors and remote travel. This is something that comes across extremely clearly during the programs at his bushcraft school.

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You Can Master The Art Of Fire Starting

Although once an essential skill, the ability to start a fire without matches or modern devices like cigarette lighters is all but lost. Nevertheless, anyone can learn how to do this and successfully start a fire in any weather.

Fuel, oxygen and heat are the essential elements for fire. In this article, we’ll especially consider your options for generating sufficient heat to ignite wood, since that is the most likely fuel you would be relying on in a survival situation.

The American Indians used friction to generate that heat – well actually to generate a small hot coal. They did this by rubbing wood or other dry woody kinds of materials together. The most common approach to doing this is with the use of a bow and drill or even just a drill, made out of wood. By spinning the wooden drill very quickly against another piece of wood, this tiny hot coal can be generated. It is exhilarating to learn to start a fire this way, but everyone who has will tell you this is the hardest way to start a fire. For that reason, they usually carry a better method with them. Perhaps this is the most important lesson to learn about fire starting.

What would a better method be? My first choice is a fire steel, also known as a ferro rod. A good quality rod will produce not just one spark, but a whole shower of them. What’s more, it will work even when it’s wet, which is a huge advantage for the survivalist. You can find just about every size and style of fire steel, you just need to pick the one that’s most comfortable for you to use.

Keep in mind that you’ll only have consistent results if you light tinder first, and then use that to ignite the wood. Dry grass, bark shavings and dead tree moss make excellent tinder. You might want to carry tinder with you when you’re on your outdoor trips. Whatever method you choose, the only way to be sure you’ll be able to start a fire when you really need to is by practicing. With persistence, you can master the art of fire starting.

Griz Garzo writes on wilderness survival and primitive skills from his mountain home in the northwestern United States.

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Emergency Preparedness Starts At Home

It is considered a responsible decision for families and singles to create a emergency checklist. Many know this is a good idea, but very rarely is it done. This is largely because it can be a bit overwhelming in trying to understand how to do this and what needs to be put in an emergency preparedness kit and checklist.

The first principal is to construct what is called a survivalist supply kit. This pack needs to contain things that would be important or advantageous to have while a disaster is taking place, or immediately following it. It is vital that the packaging item is portable. A few good ideas could be either a container which has handles and is made from plastic, or a big backpack.

After you have chosen a container for your pack, you need to gather the different items that it requires. The first item that you will need surrounds information. A written document or list that has your family’s information, like contact numbers and family doctors, is vital. If your family has children than it would be a good tip to have their names and ages written down.

First aid items and supplies are mandatory. Accidents can and do happen during emergencies, especially drastic ones such as floods, avalanches, or earthquakes. If you or a loved one is taking a prescribed medication, they should be included in the kit as well, along with any additional aid, such as glasses or hearing devices.

Water is a necessary and important item, and since it is vital for life it needs to be with your kit, or close by it. Remember that one individual will need one gallon for one day. Along with nonperishable food, such as granola bars and canned meat, it may be a great suggestion to include a standard can opener as well.

Aside from rain gear and good footwear, extra or backup clothes need to be with your pack, too. Other items, like a flashlight, sleeping bag, blanket, and battery powered radio and extra batteries are important, as well. Two other items often overlooked in a survival bag are duplicate car and house keys, as well as a moderate supply of money. Both these items need to be in your emergency kit. If young children or infants reside in the home, think about having their required necessities in the kit, as well.

An escape plan is very important, for a lot of the time an accident in a disaster will occur without them. In order to create this plan, just draw and map out the essential floor plan of your home, paying close attention to basic areas of interest. These can include doors, windows, and staircases.

Try to reference other appliances, too, that could become dangerous in a disaster, such as stoves or refrigerators. Your emergency kit must be noted in this escape plan, too. There also needs to be a minimum of two different escape routes from every room in your home. A meeting zone should also be established for all members of your household to meet at once they have safely existed the building.

Adhering to an emergency preparedness checklist can be very advantageous for your family, and even possibly save their lives. No matter if you live alone or have a big family, it is very important that you follow the above suggestions so that you can be more prepared if a disaster occurs.

If you should ever discover yourself in an emergency, you may have to rely on a survival gun or survival knife in order to make it through the emergency. That’s why knowing how to choose one and using one is so important. Discover these survival skills if you don’t already know them!

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