Learn how to choose, use and care for essential camping and outdoor tools and equipment, including axes, knives, rope saws, maintenance and tool safety.
Cooking outdoors is part of the enjoyment of camping, but using a stove in the wrong place can turn an ordinary meal into a life-threatening situation. Carbon monoxide is a poisonous gas produced when fuels such as gas, petrol, charcoal, wood and other carbon-based materials burn without enough oxygen. It has no colour, smell or…
Outdoor equipment doesn’t have to be expensive to be useful, but it does need looking after. A muddy pair of boots, a wet jacket or a camping stove left dirty after a trip can quickly become a problem the next time you need it. Learning to look after your own equipment is one of those…
Making your own tent pegs is a simple campcraft skill that is surprisingly satisfying. You don’t need much equipment, and once you know what makes a good peg, you can make one to suit the ground and the shelter you’re putting up. A homemade wooden peg doesn’t need to look perfect. In fact, a roughly…
Batoning is one of those bushcraft skills that looks fairly simple when you first see it. You put a knife into a piece of wood and use another piece of wood to tap the knife through it. In practice, there is a little more to it than that. The choice of wood, the knife you…
A sharp knife is generally easier and more controlled to use than a blunt one, but sharpening is a skill in its own right. A blunt blade often encourages people to use more force, which can make slips more likely and makes simple camp tasks harder than they need to be. You don’t need complicated…
A fire-lighting kit doesn’t need to be complicated and it doesn’t need to have too much equipment. In fact, one of the best kits is small enough to keep in a pocket or a corner of your rucksack and contains a few different ways of getting a fire started rather than relying on one single…
Putting up a tent is usually straightforward when the weather is calm, but strong wind can turn a simple job into a terrible battle. Poles blow around, fabric catches the wind like a sail and anything you put down seems to disappear across the campsite just when you need it. The key is to work…
Outdoor skills can seem like a huge subject when you first start learning. There are maps and compasses, fires, shelters, knots, navigation, cooking, first aid, weather, water and plenty more besides. You don’t need to learn everything at once. In fact, trying to do so can make it harder to remember what you’ve learned. A…
A short hike does not require a huge backpack full of specialist equipment. But “short” does not necessarily mean “risk-free”. A two-hour walk can still involve rain, cold weather, muddy ground, navigation problems, a twisted ankle or simply taking longer than expected. The right things to take on a short hike depend on the length,…
Affiliate disclosure:Â This article contains affiliate links. If you purchase something through one of our links, we may earn a commission at no additional cost to you. What Are Emergency Equipment Priorities? Emergency equipment priorities are about knowing which items are most important when something goes wrong outdoors. It is easy to focus on carrying lots…
