Posts by Chris J
I've picked up a hand chainsaw for the woods as it's cheap and an amazing bit of kit. UK law states the legal carry for a knife is less than 3 inches and must be a non-locking folding blade. Wi...
Is it safe to drink water from streams in Dartmoor using simple purification methods? I'm planning a trip and am looking to filter using a Millbank bag and then boil for four minutes to kill off a...
Is it possible (read, can I spend a restful night sleeping?) By using a quilt, bivi bag and ground sheet? Quilt I'm looking at is here, the idea being that I can take an ultralight bivi bag and gr...
I've been learning about collecting dead wood from trees which are easy enough to identify in summer (lack of leaves) but is there a way of identifying dead wood that also works in winter?
The tree kind of resembles an ash but has green buds, there are pinnate leaflets with rounded tips close up of leaflets edit This tree is located in Cambidgeshire in the United Kingdom
Reading the instructions here about making my own sleeping bag/top quilt and it got me thinking, if I can make a temporary seal on one end (Velcro, buttons, zips, etc) I could vary the amount of st...
I'm currently using a double fisherman's bend to tie my kit together but it's a bit fiddly to take apart. Is there a better knot for the task?
I'm looking to use a piece of paracord as a ridge/sag line in my hammock setup, to do this I want to be able to tie the two ends together in a fashion that will allow me to alter the length of the ...
I'm trying to visualise how to setup my first hammock and what kit I will need (excluding tarp and underlay) can you check my sketch below (excuse the simplistic style) and confirm that I have cove...
I'm contemplating using a hammock for my next trip, usually I'd keep my backpack and boots with me inside when I sleep to keep them dry. Is there room in a hammock for a backpack and boots? Or is ...
As part of my everyday carry gear, I'm looking at including a slingshot for taking game birds whilst hiking. However I've never used one, what should I be looking for in a catapult when purchasin...
On a survival course recently I was told the correct way to despatch a rabbit (as determined to reduce suffering) is to place a blow three times to the base of the skull with a stick - not smashing...
I'm looking to do some hiking and wild camping before the end of the British summer, I'm happy with the contents of my kit and the items I'm taking but I'm not sure how realistic it is to be carryi...
On a recent question that was closed as a duplicate (correctly) one of the comments was to use a foil blanket as a ground sheet instead of a tarpaulin in a bid to reduce the overall pack weight. Is...
My outdoor gear has been relegated to the garage but I want to keep it off the ground, I have a beam and paracord and am using a double fisherman's bend and a midshipman knot to keep it elevated bu...
I've recently got into hammock camping and roping it to a tree is a bit more complicated than it first sounds so please bear with me You need something to wrap around the tree to protect it from ...
A watertight container is what is required here. The best thing is metal but if we're without this you can use plastic bottles on the shoreline folded paper a hollowed out and charred piece of w...
After my first wild camping experience, I found that my hand torch was really inefficient in the evening compared to other people's head torches - what are the features that make a good head torch?
What do people use to carry tinder whilst hiking? I was thinking of using a tobacco tin but on a multiday hike I'm not sure it will fit enough or if it will keep dry. Tinder I would be using would...
Is it legal to tap trees on public land in the UK? I'm thinking of tapping sycamore trees in a local wood on an overnight trip in the spring. Also, am I correct in the assumption that the last we...
There are a few ways to tap a tree, before you tap you need to know when the sap is rising from the roots to the branches. I have read about use a knife to make a shallow cut under the bark, the...
How do I process the fruit of the wild service tree? I know the berries need to be subjected to frost before they can be dried and consumed. Can I harvest them early and stick them in the freez...
Reading online, I have found that there is no hard and set rule for knowing when to tap, but in the second half of March you should check trees on a regular basis (every day or so) by doing the fol...
