Bushcraft skills

◦ Start here

Start here

What Is Bushcraft?

The definition, where the word comes from, and how bushcraft differs from survival and camping.

Core Bushcraft Skills

The five skills that matter: fire, shelter, water, navigation, and knife work, in the order worth learning them.

Essential Bushcraft Gear

Seven categories that actually matter in the field, what to buy first, and what to skip entirely.

Bushcraft Starter Kit

One recommendation per category for a complete first kit, with a realistic total cost.

What Is a Bushcraft Knife?

Blade length, grind, tang, and steel, and what separates a bushcraft knife from a survival knife.

◦ Fire, shelter and water

Fire, shelter and water

How to Build a Campfire

The fuel ladder from tinder to logs, lay types, and how to keep a fire going in poor conditions.

How to Use a Ferro Rod

Strike angle, technique, using a knife spine, and the mistakes that stop beginners getting a fire lit.

How to Make a Feather Stick

Turning a damp stick into dry tinder with nothing but a knife.

How to Start a Bow Drill Fire

Friction fire from scratch: the set, the wood choices, and why most attempts fail.

Bushcraft Shelter Guide

Lean-to, A-frame, and debris hut: when to use each and how to pick a site.

How to Set Up a Tarp Shelter

Three tarp configurations that work in rain and wind, step by step.

How to Purify Water in the Wild

Filtering, boiling, and chemical treatment, and which risks each one actually removes.

How to Choose a Campsite

Ground, water, wind, and widowmakers: what to check before you pitch.

◦ Wood, cordage and food

Wood, cordage and food

How to Baton Wood

Splitting with a knife safely, when it is the right call, and when to reach for an axe.

How to Sharpen a Bushcraft Knife

Scandi and flat grinds, stones, stropping, and keeping an edge in the field.

Bushcraft Knots

Six knots that cover ridgelines, guy lines, lashings, and repairs.

Campfire Cooking for Beginners

Coals over flame, simple methods, and the kit that earns its weight.

Foraging for Beginners

Starting safely with a small number of unmistakable plants.

Winter Bushcraft

Cold-weather fire, shelter, and water, and the mistakes that turn serious fast.

◦ Where you can camp

Where you can camp

BLM Land Camping Rules

The 14-day limit, state exceptions, dry camping, and how to find legal Bureau of Land Management sites.

Dispersed Camping Guide

What dispersed camping is, where it is allowed, and how to do it without leaving a trace.

National Forest Camping Guide

Rules, stay limits, and finding dispersed sites on national forest land.

National Forest Camping

How national forest camping differs from BLM and park land.

Free Camping Near You

How to find free camping anywhere in the country, plus state by state guides.

Legal Camping Near Me

Working out what is legal near you without guessing.

Primitive Camping Near Me

Finding genuinely primitive sites with no facilities.

Camping Near Me

A practical method for finding nearby camping on public land.

Camping Without a Permit

Where a permit is required, where it is not, and how to check.

◦ Free camping by state

Free camping by state

Free and dispersed camping across Arizona public land.

Free and dispersed camping across California public land.

Free and dispersed camping across Colorado public land.

Free and dispersed camping across Idaho public land.

Free and dispersed camping across Montana public land.

Free and dispersed camping across New Mexico public land.

Free and dispersed camping across Oregon public land.

Free and dispersed camping across Texas public land.

Free and dispersed camping across Utah public land.

Free and dispersed camping across Washington public land.

Free and dispersed camping across Wyoming public land.