In this episode of "Primitive Camping & Bushcraft," we dive into essential gear for a successful primitive camping trip, covering cutting tools, cordage, shelters, metal containers, and fire-starting devices. Learn how to choose and use the right equipment to enhance your outdoor experience and ensure safety and comfort.
Introduction to Gear Essentials
Cutting Tools – Knives, Axes, and Saws
Cordage – Ropes and Paracord
Shelter – Tents and Tarps
Metal Containers – Pots and Water Bottles
Fire-Starting Devices
Conclusion
(upbeat music)
- Welcome back to the Primitive Camping
and Bushcraft Podcast.
My name is Chris Speir,
and I'm gonna be your guide
to mastering the great outdoors.
Our last episode, we explored
what primitive camping was all about.
So today, we're going to dive deep
into the gear
essentials that you're gonna need
for a successful primitive camping trip.
From cutting tools to shelter,
we're gonna cover
everything that you need to know.
So let's get started.
Gear selection is crucial
for any kind of camping trip,
especially for primitive camping
or bushcraft trips or stuff of the such.
And the right gear not
only enhances your experience,
but also ensures your
safety and your comfort
when you're in the great outdoors.
So today, we're gonna discuss
the essential gear categories
and their cutting tools,
cordage, shelter, metal containers,
and fire starting devices.
And before we get into the specifics,
remember that quality
and durability are key.
Now, there is certain
things and certain aspects
of quality and durability.
Just because you pay
$400 and something dollars
for a backpack does not mean
that it is a quality backpack.
I have gotten by with a $100 backpack
and it is just perfect for what I need
and it's perfect for a multi-day trip.
You don't have to spend four, five, $600
for a piece of gear
when something cheaper
can do the same thing.
And another aspect of that is
that you don't have to spend
so much money on gear
when something cheap is like,
if you're only gonna
use it a couple of times,
you may get out there and realize,
"Oh, why did I spend
this much money on this
and didn't even use it?"
And then on the next trip,
you might not even bring it.
So just making sure
that quality and durability
are the keys, it's not necessarily
monetarily is quality.
They don't really equate.
So you do want something that's durable.
You do want something that's gonna last
because you don't wanna
invest the money in something
and then it not hold up,
but for maybe one or two camping trips.
So you wanna invest in good gear
and it might be more expensive upfront
when you're investing in the good gear,
but on the other hand,
it is better to invest
in something that's gonna last upfront
than it is to buy
several items over and over.
And a good instance of this
is like with Harbor Freight.
When Harbor Freight come along,
you get tools for a cheap price.
And I know that I'm not only gonna use
a certain tool one or two times,
so I'll buy the cheaper one.
And if I needed it again,
I'll go back and do it again.
And you can use that same concept
with camping and bushcraft tools,
but it's real good to buy quality stuff,
stuff that is from a
reputable manufacturer
that you know is gonna
last you a good long time
or a lifetime.
It pays off in the long run
with reliability and performance.
So for a detailed
breakdown of recommendations,
check out my book,
"Premitive Camping and Bushcraft,"
and it's available on
Amazon and Barnes and Noble,
books a million anywhere online.
So first up, we're gonna
go through cutting tools.
Let's start off with cutting tools.
These are
indispensable in the wilderness.
I mean, literally, I put right in here
that the single most important item
you will ever carry
into the woods is a knife.
And a knife is gonna
let you do so many things.
A good knife, an axe, a saw,
they can all help you with tasks
such as building your
shelter, processing your firewood,
and preparing your food.
True, you can replicate a
knife in nature with a stone.
You can, but a good
quality full tang knife
is gonna be one of
the absolute best tools
that you can bring with you
when you're out and about in the woods.
So a sturdy full tang
knife is a must-have, really,
and you're gonna look for a blade length
of between four and five inches.
And when I say full tang,
it's like the whole body of the knife
is gonna be seven,
eight, nine inches long,
and then the handle is gonna be affixed
to the body of the knife.
Brands like MoreKnife and BPS,
and I mean, there's a couple
other knife brands out there
are all excellent options.
And they are, especially the MoreKnife.
I use the full tang MoreKnife Garbird
and it is a carbon steel version.
And I'm telling you, it is amazing.
I have run that thing through trees.
I have split logs.
I have, you know, I have pride with it.
I have pretty much
chopped down trees with it,
but it's hard to kill that knife.
And I'm telling you now,
that knife is an
amazing piece of equipment.
So a knife is your most versatile tool
for cutting, carving,
and food preparation.
And like I said a while ago,
you can actually make
a knife out of a stone
or something like that
while you're in the woods
and you can replicate a
knife, but it is very hard.
It's very hard to
beat having one with you.
You've always heard the
two is one, one is none,
you know, concept.
Always have a backup with you
whenever it comes to your knife
because knife blades do break.
They chip, they bend,
you know, they warp.
Depending on what kind of
material is made out of,
in my experience, a lot of
people have disagreed with me,
but I have found that carbon
steel knives are more brutal.
They are prone to chipping,
whereas a stainless steel
knife is prone to warping
and bending if you put it
under a lot of high stress.
And I've had people that
have argued me down over that.
And I'm like, dude, I got firsthand
experience with this.
I mean, how are you
going to argue with me?
Because I have experience.
You're going to tell me
that the knives that I broke
didn't break in the way that they did,
but, you know, the
internet is slammed full
of keyboard warriors that
absolutely love to argue
with everything that you say.
And what gets me is 99% of
them don't have any experience
in doing anything in
the great outdoors anyway.
So next up, we got an axe.
Now an axe or hatchet is
essential for chopping wood.
And, you know, you
don't have to have one.
A lot of people choose not to bring one.
Some people do choose
to bring one, you know?
And that's what I covered in the book
is talking about the weight of the axe
and the distance that
you're going to travel
is going to be like your determination
whether you want to bring one or not.
So if you bring a two and a half pound,
three pound or four pound axe with you,
then, you know, you
factor that into your gear load
and we're going to get into gear loads
and further future episodes, you know,
about total weights of your backpack
and all your gear and stuff like that.
But an axe or a machete are going to be
very important items
if you're going to be chopping wood.
Hatchet is lighter, a
little easier to carry,
but you don't get the full size benefits
of a hatchet that you
would from an axe, you know?
Like you can split some logs with it,
but you're not going to chop
down full size trees with it.
You'll be there all day long.
One of the ones that I use is the,
is it pronounced East Wing, S-Wing?
I've had it for a very long time.
It's got a 24, 26 inch handle
and they call it the camper's axe.
And I've used this thing,
it's made all one piece
construction, you know?
I mean, it's not really
going to split, you know,
12, 14 inch round logs,
but it will split wood.
It will chop trees, you
know, stuff like that.
So it is a very versatile piece of gear.
And you can pick up different axes
in different places for,
you know, the prices vary,
you know, where the
camper's axe is 40 or 50 bucks,
you know, then you can go and pick up,
what is it, Beavercraft or, you know,
all these other name brand things
that are upwards of the hundreds.
And it depends on what you want,
how often you're going to use it, you
know, stuff like that.
Sols are important
items to bring with you.
And I always choose to
bring a folding saw over an axe.
And it's, I've always done that
because I find more use out of a saw,
you can use it for
more things than an axe.
I have seen where people
have used the axe for, you know,
skinning their game,
skinning their fish, carving,
you know, stuff like that.
And you can't exactly
use that for a, with a saw,
but a saw is extremely
versatile when you're out there,
it allows you to cut
branches and small trees.
And it also lets you cut your wood up
into little small logs for
the fire, stuff like that.
And it allows you to
process your firework
extremely quickly and relatively safely
without having to
worry about cutting a leg
or something like that.
Now in the book,
Primitive Camping and Bushcraft,
I dove into the specifics of selecting
and using each one of these tools
and providing tips and
maintenance and, you know,
safe handling and stuff like that.
And it's a resource that
you'll all want to have on hand
whenever you're selecting your tools.
Now, one of the most critical items
that you will ever have is cordage.
And cordage is, you
know, hard, it can be done,
but it is harder to replicate in nature.
You know, you're not going to go out
and be able to make
paracord when you're out in woods.
And, but you can make natural rope,
you can make natural cordage,
you can make natural
stream, you can use vines,
you can weave together some stuff,
you can do the reverse wrap, you know,
all kinds of different
natural fibers and materials
from grass to barks and, you know, vines
and stuff like that.
But cordage is essential
for setting up shelters,
making traps and various other tasks.
And it's going to be
hard to make one that,
I mean, it's going to be hard to make one
that is small enough for like fishing
or it can be done, it has been done.
There's millions of
YouTube videos out there
that show it and
demonstrate it, it can be done.
I'm talking about for the average person
that is relatively new
to the great outdoors,
it's going to be a
difficult task for them to do.
If you have spent many
hours working on this
and training and making
your own cordage or rope,
it can be done and I'm
not going to say it can't.
I've done it on several trips,
I've made cordage for several videos,
I've used various materials,
I've used everything from
willow bark, grass, vines,
barks from various trees
and some lasted very well,
some were pretty robust and pretty
strong, some were not,
majority of them were not.
One of the ones that I
found here in South Mississippi
to be the strongest is from the palmetto,
not the leaves but
busting the fibers down
out of the stalks of the palmetto
and you can make nice little fine fibers
and it is very strong
and it's very robust.
Paracord is what
everybody's used to seeing.
Now you got a, it's
lightweight, it's strong,
it's very versatile, it is
great for making shelter,
for making
ridgelines, securing your gear,
even creating improvised tools.
Always carry at least 50
feet of paracord in your pack.
You know, that's a
lot of times it's cheap,
it's not very expensive, I think 50 feet,
you can get for like six
or seven dollars somewhere
and like even at Walmart,
you got to watch out though,
a lot of that
paracord, they call it 550 cord
and you look, especially the kind,
if you go to Home Depot and you look
at their paracord selection, it is only
rated for 120 pounds.
That's not true paracord.
True paracord is rated for 550 pounds,
that's why they call it 550 cord
and it's truly rated for 550 pounds.
Now there is some
1100 paracord out there,
you know, it's different.
You just have to look
at the specifications
of whichever one you bring.
Rope, a good length of durable rope
is useful for heavy duty tests.
Some kind of natural rope, you know,
you got, they got large braided cotton,
then they got the nylon,
something that doesn't stretch,
you know, Cecil and hemp,
there's all kinds of
natural ropes out there
that you can actually bring with you
that doesn't stretch and are real good
for five, 600 pounds,
you know, stuff like that.
They allow you to secure larger loads
and they assist you with climbing
and they create, help you
create a more permanent shelter.
Not that paracord wouldn't
create a permanent shelter,
but you know, some of these
larger ropes and everything do.
My absolute favorite cordage to bring
with me in the woods
is bank line, tarred
and twisted bank line.
I absolutely love, and I
highlighted the differences
between the tarred and twisted bank line
and paracord right here in this book.
And the tarred and twisted bank line,
you're gonna get more bang for the buck.
You can get a 380, how many is it?
It's, you know, you
get 100 feet of paracord
or a roll of number 36 bank line,
you know, for
comparatively the same price.
And you know, the bank lines,
you're gonna get 300 something feet in it
or something like that.
For nearly the same price
as 100 feet of paracord,
you can get 125 yards of bank line.
And the number designation
in this di is the diameter
of the line.
So number six, number 36
bank line, for example,
is perfect for outdoor tasks.
So what I like to use
is number 36 bank line.
And that stuff's
perfect for making bow drills,
is perfect for using as fishing stream.
It is three strands of
nylon that is braided together,
not braided, but twisted together.
And you could break those down.
You can actually use
it as fishing stream.
You can actually, and we use
that here in South Mississippi
for trot lines.
And we catch tons of
catfish on trot lines.
But, you know, not
overlooking the paracord
and the advantages inside the paracord,
you got five strands inside there
that you can actually, is
it five or seven strands?
But, you know, you can
effectively make 35 out of a five
foot piece of paracord.
You can tie the inner strands together
and have you 35 feet of
actual fishing stream, you know.
So, and bird, let's see, I
demonstrated it on a video,
making bird traps with
the Ojibwe bird snare
and use the inner
strands of paracord for that.
And so, but back to the bank line.
Bank line is an extremely
versatile cordage option.
It's tarred, it's
making it water resistant
and resistant for two abrasions.
It's perfect for
bushcraft task, like lashing
and knot tying, stuff like that.
And we're gonna go over
various uses of cordage
in more detail later on.
But, you know, I got it in the book.
I got tons.
I got a whole section
about cordage here, you know,
selecting your cordage when you go.
Now, moving on, shelter.
I got this one highlighted as shelter,
tents and tarps, okay.
Shelter is vital, is
extremely vital for protection
from the elements and
a good night's sleep.
And I can tell you now
I've done the natural shelters
and I have slept good, you know.
I've done natural shelters
where I didn't bring anything
and I used a, you
know, a lean two or a frame
and basically made debris huts
and I use nothing but leaves and sticks
to make this shelter.
And in the pouring
rain, I actually stayed dry
and it rained all night long.
You know, I posted a video
on making a natural shelter
and I slept in it and I stayed the night
and it started pouring rain.
I mean pouring down rain.
And I had some people
get on the comment section
and they're like,
yeah, that'll never work.
It's not thick enough.
You're gonna be wet all night.
And I'm like, no, I wasn't.
It rained all night long.
You wasn't there once again, you know.
And they're like, yeah, I teach survival.
I'm a survival instructor.
And I'm like, well, good for you.
I'm just camping.
You know.
But one of the most
versatile things to have with you
whenever you go for a shelter is a tarp.
Now a tarp is
versatile and very lightweight.
It can be set up in
various configurations
to suit different weather conditions.
You know, tarps are
ideal for minimalist campers.
I particularly love
bringing tarps with me
and I love using tarps as a shelter
and they're very lightweight.
They're easy to throw up.
You could throw up a
shelter and a moment's notice
you can have a piece of paracord
or a piece of bank line thrown out there,
make you a ridge line with that.
Throw your tarp on top of
it and you're good to go.
You know, tarps are ideal for
minimalistic campers
who want to reduce their pack weight
while they still have a reliable shelter.
Now, when we're talking
about reducing pack weight,
that's gonna go to the next one
where we talk about tents.
You know, a tent offers
more protection and comfort,
especially in harsh weather conditions.
So you want to choose a
tent that's easy to set up,
waterproof and
provides adequate ventilation.
You want to look for
tents that balance durability
with lightweight materials to avoid
overburdening your pack.
And so that's what I meant
with the tarp and the tent.
So tarps are lightweight
and they provide extreme shelter there.
Tents are extremely heavy, generally.
Some people do, you see all the time,
people bring tents
with them and, you know,
more power to them.
You know, I typically, a
lot of times with tents,
you're gonna camp in places
where you don't have room
to put up a tarp, you know,
but I mean, it can still be done.
My favorite way is a hammock.
Now, combining a hammock with a tarp,
you have the perfect
shelter set up, you have perfect.
And hammocks can be used, you know,
three, four seasons.
It depends on where your winter is.
Here in South Mississippi,
I could sleep in a hammock all year round
and not worry about
freezing to death, you know,
in the wintertime when
it gets a little cooler,
you can get an underquilt
and you can get a cheap
underquilt for $40 or $50.
And I fix it to the
bottom of your hammock
and I'm telling you, it's toasty.
And I've slept in 34 to
36 degree weather here
with just the underquilt and a hammock.
And I didn't sleep with a
cover because it was so warm.
You know, it got pretty
warm inside that hammock.
But hammocks camping
is a very viable option
for those who prefer
to sleep off the ground.
I don't prefer to sleep on the ground.
I don't prefer to bring
mattress pads and all that stuff.
It's just added weight to my pack
whenever I'm heading out into the woods.
But hammocks can be very comfortable
and they're great for
warmer weather, you know.
They ensure that you have a,
just ensure that you have a suitable tarp
to cover your hammock in case it rains.
That's, you know, only
one of the stipulations
and plus, you know, the
dew, you know, the humidity,
stuff like that can, you know,
get you kind of damp in the mornings.
You know, you got your
morning mists and stuff like that.
So make sure you have that with you.
But, you know, with all
these things, you know,
perimeter camping and bushcraft,
all that's listed here in this book.
And it is, talks about
it, lists every bit of it,
shows you
demonstrations of various different
shelter type
configurations that you can make
with your tarp and stuff like that.
So, but we're gonna move
on to metal containers.
Now next to your knife,
the metal containers
are essential to cooking,
boiling water and drinking.
And next to your knife,
I'm gonna argue that a metal container
is the single most important thing
that you can bring with you in the woods.
If you bring anything,
make sure you bring a knife
and a metal container.
If you can bring those two things,
you can survive without any other gear.
Because it's hard to
replicate a metal container
in the woods.
Unless you found like an aluminum can
or something like that, you know,
and human trash is everywhere,
it has infiltrated the entire world.
I've been miles and miles into the woods
and I've still found washed up beer cans
and bottles and stuff like that.
But that's for, we're gonna do an
improvisation type gear
show eventually.
And we're gonna talk
about what metal containers
and bottles can do for us.
But you know, metal
containers are essential
for you cooking and getting your water.
A metal pot is kind of
crucial for boiling water
and cooking food.
So you're gonna look for a lightweight,
durable pot with a lid.
Titanium and stainless
are excellent materials
for camping cookware.
Stainless steel gets
some hot spots in there
if you're cooking with it.
But you know, generally speaking,
the reason you're gonna be bringing
a metal container with
you is so that you can boil
your water and render it safe to drink.
And it doesn't matter
if it's filtered or not,
you can still boil it and kill all
the biological contaminants.
You know, a water bottle is,
I carry a 40 ounce clean
canteen single wall water bottle.
Make sure whatever
water bottle, water bottle,
(laughs) always tongue ties me.
But make sure you have a
single wall water bottle
with you whenever you
go out into the woods.
And the reason why is because
the double insulated
containers will explode
or crack whenever you
put them into the fire.
And you don't wanna do that.
You don't wanna ruin your container.
And you also don't
want a piece of hot metal
stuck in your head when
it blows up like a grenade.
So water bottles are dual purpose.
And we use them to cook food and to clean up
to render our water safe to drink.
And that makes them
invaluable on your gear list.
I mean, it really does
make them invaluable.
You know, brands like
Nalgene and clean canteen
offer reliable options.
Now Nalgene is more of a plastic.
And you know, I've seen a Nalgene metal
container somewhere.
I don't remember where,
but it was so expensive.
I just didn't want it.
But you know, clean canteen,
I found one of theirs
on the clearance aisle
at Walmart for $13.
And that's a decent price.
And you know, it is right up there
with some of the big wigs
stainless steel containers
that they use.
Another thing is like a
metal cup or mug here, you know,
like this metal mug I have.
(crunching)
And a metal cup or mug is useful
for drinking hot beverages
and can double as a small cooking vessel.
It's lightweight and
it's very easy to pack.
And you got ones that
are made out of titanium
or aluminum now.
And what it is, you
know, is the outdoors world
has changed so much that now
if you show somebody aluminum,
people fire up your comments.
Oh, don't cook an
aluminum, it'll kill you.
You know, and so let's, I
don't even want to go there.
I usually typically do stainless steel.
I've read years ago that
they blame a lot of Alzheimer's
and dementia to
aluminum containers and pots.
And now don't quote me on that.
I don't remember where
I read it, but you know,
I've always ever since then,
I've kind of steered
clear from the aluminum stuff.
But who knows, you know, who knows?
There's a million different things.
So fire starting
devices are extremely crucial
to your bushcraft and
outdoors experience.
You know, fire is, it
is essential for warmth
and you have to have
it to cook your food.
And sometimes you can use
it for signaling for help.
You know, if you make one
big enough and hot enough
and bright enough and smoky enough.
And, you know, here are some
reliable fire starting tools
that you should consider.
The Ferrocerium rod.
And I always carry a
Ferrocerium rod with me.
Ferro rods are dependable fire starters.
There's no doubt about it.
You're not going to
find a more dependable
fire starting device.
They're waterproof, they're durable,
and they produce 5,000 degree sparks.
So you can get almost
anything lit with a Ferro rod.
And, you know, you can even light tender
in a wet or damp condition,
depending on what kind of tender you got.
Just make sure you practice using it
before you take out on a trip, you know.
Make sure you get proficient
with actually striking your Ferro rod
and making it start fires for you.
And it's not hard to do.
You can learn how to do it.
And I'm instant, you can even get
the little small key chain ones
and start fires with that.
Practice with it, get proficient with it.
Try various tender types.
Try different tender sources.
And, you know, you
can get a fire started.
But one of the most common ways,
and I carry one of these with me
everywhere I go as
well, is the BIC lighter.
I don't use the off-rands.
BICs are the most
reliable fire starting device
in the grade outdoors.
And it's arguable that they are the most
amazing fire starting device in history.
Modern history, the
capability to have a fire
in your pocket at any
given time is just remarkable.
You know, before that it was matches.
I don't continually carry matches.
I don't carry matches with me at all
because, you know,
there's a dexterity thing.
If you're cold enough,
you're not gonna be able
to strike your match if you're too cold.
If they're damp, they're
not gonna light anyway.
And so, even if you got
the waterproof matches,
that's all fine and dandy and great.
You're gonna be better off
with a Faro rod or a lighter.
People will argue this
with me, that's fine.
And I will take your
argument to each their own.
But for me and for this
book, I have highly relied
on the Faro Serum rod
and the BIC lighter.
Now, waterproof
matches are a good option.
They have been used for
hundreds and hundreds of years.
You just have to store them in a
waterproof container
if you choose to bring them.
Whatever you choose to
bring, that is up to you,
not up to me.
I can only just say these
are the items that I have used
and based off of my
experience, this is what I like.
And you know what?
You may have a different experience
and say that these items
are the ones that you like.
So, for detailed
explanations about what items
to bring with you and stuff like that,
pick up a copy of the
Primitive Camping and Bushcraft book.
And it's available on all online outlets,
Barnes and Noble, Amazon,
Books A Million, Target,
Thrift Books, Indie
Books, all these book stores,
all these major book
outlets, it's available.
So, that's gonna wrap up today's episode
on essential gear for primitive camping.
Remember, having the
right equipment can make
or break your outdoor experience.
And you wanna invest in quality gear
and practice using it before you go out.
Do not just head out into the woods
with something you've never used before.
And because it's gonna be
hard to practice out there
and you know,
whenever you have to have it.
So, don't take it into the
woods and then practice it.
So, in our next episode, we're gonna dive
into fire starting techniques.
And then we're gonna demonstrate
different methods of fire.
We're gonna discuss
different methods of starting a fire
and getting your campfire
burning in any condition.
So, thank you for joining
me today in this adventure.
If you enjoyed this
episode, please subscribe
to the Primitive
Camping and Bushcraft podcast.
Go ahead and join the Primitive Camping
and Bushcraft group on Facebook.
And then go ahead and pick you up a copy
of Primitive Camping and Bushcraft,
the step-by-step guide
to surviving and thriving
in the great outdoors by me, Chris Spear.
And they're available online.
So, you can follow me on social media,
everywhere from, you
know, Instagram, Facebook,
TikTok, YouTube,
Pinterest, you know, you name it.
I'm on there and you get
all kinds of little tips,
updates and behind the
scenes content, stuff like that.
So, like I said, don't
forget to head over to Amazon,
pick up what we're
gonna be discussing about.
This whole podcast is
based off of this book.
And I'll see you on the
next video or the next podcast.
So, why I say that is
because all these podcasts
are gonna be shown for
members of my Facebook page
and members of my
YouTube page, our channel,
for subscription to watch the actual
video of this podcast.
So, head on over to
Spear Outdoors on YouTube
or Spear Outdoors on Facebook
and subscribe and you
get to see the entire video
in its entirety right
there on the membership page.
So, until the next time, God bless you
and I'll see you in the next
video and the next podcast.
(upbeat music)