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More wild camping

Joecole

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We wild campers and preppers on this forum have a great deal to learn from each other here and basically it comes down to the sharing of knowledge. I am by nature a wild camper and as a virtue of my military training (24 years) a survivalist (prepper) so to survive what do we need to know? What are the priorities? So in no particular order |FIRE, SHELTER, WATER..... those are the basics of life. Well for me the most important is a shelter and for me that is the composting effect, if you lay down a deep bed of green material then after a few hours the pile will start to break down and generate heat so even with a minimum of cover you can stay warm ( just pull the vegetation over you) the second is water and I know many ways of procuring water ( dig a hole in the ground then all of you pee in it, place any receptacle in the centre of the hole and place any sort of plastic sheet over the top and seal the edges then put a stone or any heavy object over the plastic and directly over the receptacle. Condensation will form on the plastic and will drip into the receptacle. FIRE so many ways to make it
 
Hi Joe
You are quite right. Its a massive difference just a few simple skills and basic knowledge would make should I suddenly find myself
stranded on that desert island.
The first time I ever slept in a debris shelter I was amazed just how warm and comfortable it was.
A few logs and branches with some greenery and I had a shelter that would protect me for as long as necessary.
As you mentioned collect condensation or find a water source and that's given me 3 days
Forage food and my days start to increase.
Get a fire going and find something to cook and I can have a short holiday whilst the rescue party finds me.
I think the real challenge is long term as it then comes down to mental attitude and most of that will be how confident you feel that you can cope with the extra problems that will arise.
This is where someone experienced as yourself would cope a lot quicker and a lot easier than a less experienced person such as myself.
But I am picking up new bits of wisdom and things to try as I read this forum.
Clive
 
Hi Joe
You are quite right. Its a massive difference just a few simple skills and basic knowledge would make should I suddenly find myself
stranded on that desert island.
The first time I ever slept in a debris shelter I was amazed just how warm and comfortable it was.
A few logs and branches with some greenery and I had a shelter that would protect me for as long as necessary.
As you mentioned collect condensation or find a water source and that's given me 3 days
Forage food and my days start to increase.
Get a fire going and find something to cook and I can have a short holiday whilst the rescue party finds me.
I think the real challenge is long term as it then comes down to mental attitude and most of that will be how confident you feel that you can cope with the extra problems that will arise.
This is where someone experienced as yourself would cope a lot quicker and a lot easier than a less experienced person such as myself.
But I am picking up new bits of wisdom and things to try as I read this forum.
Clive
I think the mental attitude is probably the most important aspect of survival Clive, I'm lucky in that I have 24 years of military training to fall back on plus a lifetime spent in the woods. The biggest problem in this modern world is that people in general are inclined to think that they need far more kit than they really need.
 
In this country the "United Kingdom" you do not have to travel far to find discarded rubbish (Sadly)....be it in the woods.......on the beach........that can be used to aid and assist outright survival.
Using natural materials and making your own tools is far more of a challenge of course.

When it comes to "Wild Camping" in its purest form............. I think most guys will surround themselves with all the kit they feel makes their time outdoors more efficient and comfortable.
I personally do not think to have too much kit is a downfall.....because I am a self-confessed "Kit Tart" anyway :rofl:...........everything I have bought will hopefully be passed down to my Grandchildren when I pop my clogs:D..........and I hope they will make use of......and enjoy it as much as I have.

What few skills I have I will also pass on to them when they get a little older.

Sharing and passing on knowledge is always a great thing to give and receive :thumbsup:
 
Joe
You are definitely right about the amount of kit.
More can certainly be useful and give you more options ( I am guilty) but the down side is you have to carry, maintain and keep track of it.
I suppose worst case scenario could be you rely too much on one specialised piece of kit and you lose it at the worst moment.
I have done plenty wild camping with all the kit and that’s fairly easy and enjoyable. What I have not done much of is sleeping under a hedge type bush craft and having to rely more on my wits.

So here is a scenario:-
Joe decides to see how I would adapt to “less kit and more reality” and just how much I could cope if I really had to.
Joe says he is going to dump me in the middle of my wood and expects me to survive. For varying amounts of time.

Joe is not too cruel and I am allowed to dress up in appropriate clothing.
I think straight away this is a big game changer as it already improves my chance of surviving. I don’t know what time I will be dropped off so if its middle of the night and I can’t see properly I might have to tuff it out till daybreak with minimum shelter. So good clothing will help keep me warm and dry

So for 1 night I should survive with No extra kit.

Joe is now increasing the time scale and allows me kit but will penalise me for any excess things. I have to decide what I need for my abilities to give me a realistic chance depending on length of time. Joe is expecting to penalising me for extra kit but then realises I have an advantage as I know what is in my wood.

So Joe pulls a fast one I am suddenly dropped off for 3 days with no warning and no kit. It would be a harsh survival situation but I could probably survive 3 days with no kit.
Reason being. There is plenty of wood to build a very good shelter. So if I can keep warm I might survive even without a fire if the weather was with me. I know there is water in the wood as I have spotted hollows in trees etc where the water collects. It might be unpleasant but it would keep me alive those 3 days. Otherwise there is always morning dew or go down to the boggier parts of the wood. So with just shelter and water my chances are good.

3 days with minimum kit:- I think personally I would take a Ferro rod. This gives me a good chance of getting a fire going. Friction lighting I struggle with and if it’s particularly wet I think I would not succeed. As before I can build shelter and source water but a fire would improve my chances and it would really lift my spirit. For food I know depending on the time of year there are wild blackberries and raspberries. There are lots of different Fungus in the wood but I don’t know the correct ones so need to avoid. There are nettles and other plants I recognise so I have some food and my chances have improved.

Now Joe starts to test me. He states it’s over 3 days but nothing too long.
This is where I would start to go out of my comfort zone as I now need to think longer term than “3 days without water” which most people could survive.
I think I now need a tool as well as the ferro rod because I will need to manufacture things to make life easier. I choose a small axe. I like axes I am comfortable handling one and it can for most applications be a substitute for a knife but also gives you more options. I do know there is lots of flint in my wood so if I need more delicate cutting I can use flint.
I would like a vessel to hold water so I would have to carve some primitive bowl. I also know there is usually some beer cans thrown away by the local youths in the hedges around the perimeter so if I can find one I can boil water so pine needle tea etc is on the menu. If I cant find a can I need to come up with something clever.
Berries and nettles will only go so far so I need to start thinking of more food options that can sustain me better. But as I now have a fire I can increase my options. There are small rodents, rabbits, deer and squirrel as well as the usual birds and occasional pheasants. So I will need to come up with some way of trapping them. I know the main rides that the animals use so know where to concentrate my efforts. Never trapped an animal before but I would set a few traps and see how they go but also go hunting to see if I can find nests etc. (Woodlice and worms on stand by)

If all else fails after 5 days I might have to resort to my extreme contingency plan which involves the horse riders who chew up my footpaths and the ramblers who can’t read maps.

I have yet to try it but it’s a plan starting to form.

How am I doing so far or am I way off track?
Clive
 
Joe
You are definitely right about the amount of kit.
More can certainly be useful and give you more options ( I am guilty) but the down side is you have to carry, maintain and keep track of it.
I suppose worst case scenario could be you rely too much on one specialised piece of kit and you lose it at the worst moment.
I have done plenty wild camping with all the kit and that’s fairly easy and enjoyable. What I have not done much of is sleeping under a hedge type bush craft and having to rely more on my wits.

So here is a scenario:-
Joe decides to see how I would adapt to “less kit and more reality” and just how much I could cope if I really had to.
Joe says he is going to dump me in the middle of my wood and expects me to survive. For varying amounts of time.

Joe is not too cruel and I am allowed to dress up in appropriate clothing.
I think straight away this is a big game changer as it already improves my chance of surviving. I don’t know what time I will be dropped off so if its middle of the night and I can’t see properly I might have to tuff it out till daybreak with minimum shelter. So good clothing will help keep me warm and dry

So for 1 night I should survive with No extra kit.

Joe is now increasing the time scale and allows me kit but will penalise me for any excess things. I have to decide what I need for my abilities to give me a realistic chance depending on length of time. Joe is expecting to penalising me for extra kit but then realises I have an advantage as I know what is in my wood.

So Joe pulls a fast one I am suddenly dropped off for 3 days with no warning and no kit. It would be a harsh survival situation but I could probably survive 3 days with no kit.
Reason being. There is plenty of wood to build a very good shelter. So if I can keep warm I might survive even without a fire if the weather was with me. I know there is water in the wood as I have spotted hollows in trees etc where the water collects. It might be unpleasant but it would keep me alive those 3 days. Otherwise there is always morning dew or go down to the boggier parts of the wood. So with just shelter and water my chances are good.

3 days with minimum kit:- I think personally I would take a Ferro rod. This gives me a good chance of getting a fire going. Friction lighting I struggle with and if it’s particularly wet I think I would not succeed. As before I can build shelter and source water but a fire would improve my chances and it would really lift my spirit. For food I know depending on the time of year there are wild blackberries and raspberries. There are lots of different Fungus in the wood but I don’t know the correct ones so need to avoid. There are nettles and other plants I recognise so I have some food and my chances have improved.

Now Joe starts to test me. He states it’s over 3 days but nothing too long.
This is where I would start to go out of my comfort zone as I now need to think longer term than “3 days without water” which most people could survive.
I think I now need a tool as well as the ferro rod because I will need to manufacture things to make life easier. I choose a small axe. I like axes I am comfortable handling one and it can for most applications be a substitute for a knife but also gives you more options. I do know there is lots of flint in my wood so if I need more delicate cutting I can use flint.
I would like a vessel to hold water so I would have to carve some primitive bowl. I also know there is usually some beer cans thrown away by the local youths in the hedges around the perimeter so if I can find one I can boil water so pine needle tea etc is on the menu. If I cant find a can I need to come up with something clever.
Berries and nettles will only go so far so I need to start thinking of more food options that can sustain me better. But as I now have a fire I can increase my options. There are small rodents, rabbits, deer and squirrel as well as the usual birds and occasional pheasants. So I will need to come up with some way of trapping them. I know the main rides that the animals use so know where to concentrate my efforts. Never trapped an animal before but I would set a few traps and see how they go but also go hunting to see if I can find nests etc. (Woodlice and worms on stand by)

If all else fails after 5 days I might have to resort to my extreme contingency plan which involves the horse riders who chew up my footpaths and the ramblers who can’t read maps.

I have yet to try it but it’s a plan starting to form.

How am I doing so far or am I way off track?
Clive
Your right on track Clive except for one point.......I'm not going to dump you in your wood:ld-angelic: it's going to be a place of my choosing:lol::lol::lol:
 
Hmmm to you to, yes I have a lot of kit when I go camping but going on the wild side which I don't do very much of these days its with just what I can stick in my pack:p
 
Joe
This then starts to make it much more uncertain.
Get dropped in a place you don't know anything about and with bare minimum kit survive for days unknown.
I now need to assume shelter might be a problem and take something in case I cant find materials or natural shelter.
Water is not a certainty so I need to think can I generate it. If the shelter I take is a tarp that can be utilised for rain water run off and morning dew etc.
Food if not forage able needs catching. If its sparse with my limited experience I am now starting to get to a point where I am in trouble.
However if I am allowed enough water for a few days and a bit of food so I can walk out of trouble or gain some breathing space then the situation starts becoming more controllable.
Its an interesting idea of thinking just what are your limits.
If you know them then as soon as you start adding token bits of kit your situation gets better and you become more confident and comfortable .
I guess it is then a matter of what comfort level you want.
Clive
 
Joe
This then starts to make it much more uncertain.
Get dropped in a place you don't know anything about and with bare minimum kit survive for days unknown.
I now need to assume shelter might be a problem and take something in case I cant find materials or natural shelter.
Water is not a certainty so I need to think can I generate it. If the shelter I take is a tarp that can be utilised for rain water run off and morning dew etc.
Food if not forage able needs catching. If its sparse with my limited experience I am now starting to get to a point where I am in trouble.
However if I am allowed enough water for a few days and a bit of food so I can walk out of trouble or gain some breathing space then the situation starts becoming more controllable.
Its an interesting idea of thinking just what are your limits.
If you know them then as soon as you start adding token bits of kit your situation gets better and you become more confident and comfortable .
I guess it is then a matter of what comfort level you want.
Clive
In the military particularly in Germany Clive we usually paraded at 8am. On this particular day we all got stripped naked and were searched. back into uniform then into a truck you couldn't see out of then driven into a forest about two hours away then given a piece of map usually about inches by 3 inches and told to get to an RV about 30 miles (50 kilometres away) in 7 days with just what we had in our pockets ( We intentionally used flat bootlaces in those days which were actually flattened tubes, you could fold up a 50 D mark note and slide it into your lace) so yes you can survive with only what you have in your pockets. We got wise to things and always had enough things in your pockets and boots
 
Great example Joe.
As you mentioned "Always had enough things in your pockets and boots " just in case.
As my cubs and scouts would say "Be prepared"
Clive
 
Great example Joe.
As you mentioned "Always had enough things in your pockets and boots " just in case.
As my cubs and scouts would say "Be prepared"
Clive
Morning Clive, yep its surprising how many seemingly mundane things people carry in their pockets that actually can be very useful. I have dogs so always have poo bags with me, its a very good water carrier at a push
 
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