Bushcraft camping is all about wilderness survival skills and learning how to thrive in nature. 🏕
If you want to dive into the bushcraft world but don't know where to start, here are some super helpful tips on how to camp in the wild — like how to pack your backpack properly, build tarp shelters, start a fire in any situation, or quickly dry up your boots.
1. Know your basics with the "five Cs of survivability."
In his excellent book Bushcraft 101: A Field Guide to the Art of Wilderness Survival, survival expert Dave Canterbury goes through the "five Cs of survivability": cutting tools, cover elements, combustion devices, containers, and cordages.
"Within these five base elements are all the tools and knowledge you need to be prepared for emergencies as well as to become independent of the trappings of the urban jungle," Canterbury writes. "These items are the hardest to reproduce from natural material, take the largest amount of skill to reproduce, and control the conditions that most directly affect your body's core temperature."
2. Learn how to properly pack your backpack for easy access to the most important items — and so you don't forget anything essential.
Rain gear should be at the top, then sunscreen, a compass, and maps in an outer pocket, so you can access them quickly if need be.
3. And test your kit on a short trip to make sure you're not overpacking.
"When experimenting with your kit, take a trip to the woods for a night, and when you return, reassess what you did not use," writes Dave Canterbury in Bushcraft 101: A Field Guide to the Art of Wilderness Survival. "Unless circumstances dictate otherwise, leave it out the next time. If you find you need it, you can add again later."
4. Teach yourself different types of knots that'll come in handy whether you're setting up a tent, tying up a hammock, or performing first aid.
Here is more info on different types of knots and their uses for camping.
5. And learn how to coil cordage so it doesn't get tangled.
For more on this and other wilderness survival tips, check out this super useful video from TA Outdoors.
Cordages are one of the five Cs mentioned above as necessary tools for survival.
But if you don't prep your loose cordage correctly, it can get tangled up, which can make you lose precious time (and light) when setting up camp. The technique demonstrated above is the most convenient and tidiest way to coil cordage. Watch more here.
6. If you're not sure how much daylight there is left in the day, use this cool trick to measure it with your hand.
You don't want to be stuck in the dark before you set up camp.
7. Memorize the methods for building a campfire.
8. If the ground is too wet to start a fire, you can make a portable stove out of a can.
Just make one cut along the length of the tin can, and then two more cuts, one at the top and one at the bottom of the first one. Open the can along the cuts and place twigs and kindling in the opening, start your fire, and get cooking! Watch more here.
9. And you can use the can as a candle holder too.
The open panels will protect the flame from the wind.
10. Get familiar with different types of wood so you know which one to use to start a fire.
11. In a pinch, you can use hand sanitizer to help ignite a fire.
Alcohol-based hand sanitizers are highly flammable — which can come in handy if you want to start a fire. Here's how to use gel as an igniter.
12. Learn about different methods to cook in the wild –like cooking on a rock.
This video shows you how to cook on a rock.
13. Use pine needles as mosquito repellent.
You can crush some pine needles in your hands and rub the oil on your clothes, or you can also burn some pine needles in your campfire to keep mosquitoes at bay. Watch more here.
14. Learn about all the ways to make shelters using tarp.
Here's a helpful guide that details how to build tarp shelters.
15. Flip the battery upside down in your headlamp when you're not using it, so it doesn't accidentally turn on when it's in your bag and run out of power.
Headlamps are a necessary camping tool and there is nothing more frustrating than realizing your lamp got switched on while bumping around in your bag and is now out of power. To avoid this inconvenience, flip the battery upside down when you pack your lamp for the day. All you'll have to do is flip it back the right way when you need it in the evening. Watch more here.
16. If your shoes got wet, place hot stones in them to dry them up.
Just put a few stones on the embers to heat them up, then carefully place them inside your boots using sticks to move them so you don't burn yourself. That way your boots will warm up from the inside and the outside and will dry up faster. More here.
17. Learn how to recognize animal tracks so you know what wildlife you're surrounded with.
18. And use a zipper as a makeshift fishing hook.
This also works with ring-tabs from discarded cans. Watch more here.
19. Learn about the plants you can (and cannot) eat in the wild.
Foraging and Feasting : A Field Guide and Wild Food Cookbook by Dina Falconi is a great guide to foraging in the wild.
