BUSHCRAFT ESSENTIALS
Lets take a look at the very basics, what you need for a trip into the back-country. This kit list is the bare essentials, but it is what I would recommend to bring. Feel free to add other items to this list when packing, but remember if you are planning a walk in trip to avoid the 'Just in case' Scenario. Only bring reliable equipment, and dont be tempted to bring spare equipment just in case, unless absolutely necessary. Light weight is the way to go, so keep that thought in the back of your mind.​ Each Item has an affiliate link to Amazon, where by we will take a small comission form each purchase, while its a small ammount it helps keep our site going, and we appreciate your custom. You may even find a better deal if you shop around.
1. Rucksack / Bergen
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This is one of the most important pieces of kit and is worth spending some money on. The most popular size of bushcraft pack is the Karrimore sabre 45ltr, available online from Amazon, and holds everything you need easily and is not too big to carry over long distances. It has a modular side pouch systen which allows you to add and remove the standard issue bergen pouches used by the british army. A cheap alternative is to pick up a british army patrol bergen 45 ltr.
2. Rucksack Dry liner / Ortlieb dry bag​
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Fit a dry bad inside your bergen or rucksack to keep your entire contents dry and sealed from the elements. Further divide and seal portions of your kit inside smaller dry bags. No matter what the elements throw at you, your kit will remain dry and operational. I recommend 'Seal line', 'Ortlib' or 'Exped' canoe bags, as I have tried and tested them over and over and found them very durable and make a good seal, although you can purchase similar makes that will do the same job.
​3. Sleeping bag / Down or Hollow fibre
Sleeping bag - Down bags compact more than hollow fibre bags and take up less space. as long as its kept dry and you air your bag every day you wont have any problems, it is the best for warmth to weight and size ratio, so if you choose this option, store it in a dry bag. its your primary means of keeping warm at night. Hollow fibre keeps lofted better in cold damp conditions and will dry out more quickly, A 3-4 season sleeping bag is sufficent for most conditions (see Bivvi bag)
4. Bivi bag
The Bivi bag is a piece of kit I bring even if I have a tent or hammock system packed. It simply adds extra protection keeping my sleeping bag dry, and also traps an extra layer of air between the inner bivi and my sleeping bag, effectively increasing the sleeping bags temperature rating. The bivi bag can be used instead of a tent on its own, but is much more effective with with a tarp overhead. You should place your carry mat inside your bivi bag to prevent heat loss by conduction to the ground.
6. Carry mat / closed cell / inflatable
Even with the state of the art sleeping bag, carry mats are a must, and prevent heat loss via heat conduction to the ground. The closed cell traditional camping mat is a bulletproof option that is very cheap to buy and will give good protection, the down side is that closed cell mats can be very bulky to pack. Self inflating mats are fantastic for protecting from the elements, with some varietys packing down very small. most come with a repair kit should it get damaged.
'Exped' make a very durable range of mats.
7. Cook system / billy tins / trangia
Your cook system should be complete with everything you need packed inside, including a small drying cloth, compact tin opener, salt and pepper,sugar,coffee and a spoon. One of the best systems available is the Trangia alcohol burner or gas conversion burner. The trangia packs down well and gives you plenty of pots and an optional kettle to cook your food and brew your tea or coffee in. It can be a little bulky, but is very compact, if you want something more basic why not take a look at a simple billy for water boiling and basic food preparation, the most common sizes used are the 10cm, 12cm and 14cm and being made of stainless steel its very durable. This type of system is more suited for fire suspension although can easily be used with your own burner system, which you will need to purchase seperate. I have included links to Amazon for some cooksets and some seperate burners, generally the more simple the less can go wrong with it. The other question is your fuel type; propane gas, liquid fuel such as methelyted spirits, open fire or a wood gasificaton stove. The simple answer here is, decide where your camping and how much weight you can afford to take, and finally wether you are permitted to have an open fire in the area your staying in. Its worth having a few options to choose from, so you can easily choose the right option for your trip.
If your on a canoeing trip, a trangia makes a great companion, where as if your on a walking woodland trip where fires are permitted and weight needs to be kept to a minimum you may opt for open fire and billy set up or a more compact wood gasification stove, with the bonus of picking up your fuel on the way and use as and when you need it. Try a few and find which works best for you.
8. Water purification
Water purification is very important if you do not have a reliable water source to collect clean water from. Water purification tablets generally remove most pathogens, but will not remove heavy metals from the water.
The best water purification system is the filtration type, make sure to read the instructions and check it has the capability of removing metals from the water.
A millbank bag is recommended to remove most of the nastiy stuff out of water prior to boiling. follow by either boiling for 7-8 minutes or chemical purification or both. ​
9. Water bottle / MSR dromedary - water carrier
Water is one of the most important resources when in the back country. Making provision for carrying water can be a logistical problem as water is heavy to carry, and the containers often take up valuable space even when empty. I recomend carrying at least x2 containers such as the british army standard issue water bottle or a sigg flask filled with water until you locate a suitable water source. I would also recommend the MSR Dromedary for holding larger volumes of water, as it weighs and packs down to practically nothing. The Dromedary can be filled later, once you have a suitable camp location and have a location for a suitable water source, this greatly reduces the weight carried and saves space in your pack.
10. Kitchen sink
Simply your toothbrush, toothpaste, liquid soap and a small towel and face cloth and a razor for shaving and a pocket mirror.
The Summit kitchen sink (collapsable container) is highly recomended and can be used to wash in. It fits easily into your pack or inside a Zebra Billy can and holds 10 litres.
11. Toilet bag - including wash kit in seperate bag
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The toilet bag is simple, and contains your basic toilet equipment consisting of :- a trowel (optional), toilet paper, sanitary hand gel, a lighter. Its fairly simple and self-explanitory. (Burn toilet paper with lighter to help dispose of paper, as toilet paper does not rot away easily, you can assist burning with a drop of hand sanitiser, as it will contain alcohol.) Extinguish any flames with water before covering over. Remember to keep your toilet area away from running river water or source water you are collecting from.​ Try and keep a general area designated to your toilet duties and mark it out.
Seperate wask kit containing tooth paste, contact lenses, medication, nail clippers, soap, small hand cloth - towel.
12. Field guides / plant identification (pocket size) / optional
A Field guide on wild foods is important to identify plants that are edible, however if in doubt leave it out. Remember that for every edible species, there is usually an almost identical poisonous species growing near by. Learn to identify the edible species and the poisonous ones, each time you go out. It is advisable to seek out a course on wild food, You can teach yourself alot from practice, but when it comes to eating wild plants trial and error is not the way forward!. ​
* Forraging - Only eat wild food if you are sure its edible, look for poisonous look alikes, and learn the differences. ​
** Mushrooms - Never eat a mushroom unless you are experienced in the identification of mushrooms and 100% it is edible.
13. Clothing - including spare clothing in sealed plastic bag​
Clothing for your duration, including wool socks, spare underwear, t-shirts, thermals, fleece, waterproofs.
Dont forget to pack an entire set of spare clothes, sealed in a plastic bag, incase you and your pack are completely soaked and you need to change your clothes to avoid hypothermia. Dry clothes are vital, so dry out any damp or wet clothing as soon as you can. Remember when you are ready for bed a spare pair of light weight trainers are handy to change into so your feet can rest and your work boots can dry out. Stow your boots upside down under your tarpaulin on 2 sticks to keep them dry.
14. Bushcraft Knife / fixed blade
Your main go to knife for bushcraft. It should be strong and able to withstand the elements. It dosnt need to be fancy, but it needs to be well made and reliable. I would recomend a Swedish Moira style knife, or similar.
A sharpening stone for keeping your knife in shape is also a must.
17. Folding saw / Bacho
This little beauty is your best buddy when cutting through small and medium sized branches and small logs. The folding saw can be safely carried with you on your belt loop for easy access, Its blade is made of High-quality Sandvik steel with a slick Non-stick coating helps blade glide thorough even the most difficult materials. The saws toothing cuts in both directions and has a safety blade locking mechanism for both the open and closed positions.
18. Torch / led variety
Choose a good quality torch for night time activities. With modern technology these days, torches have become more compact and more bright with a longer battery life. LED torches now offer super bright options with some reaching a stagering 1500 lumens or higher. My choice is the maglight tactical range delivering 175 lumens, which is more than enough. Click here for the Maglite site
​* Remember to pack spare batteries for your torch in a waterproof bag.
19. Fire steel or flint and steel / Lighter / Tinder material
Pack a few ignition devices, remember to keep a waterproof container or stormproof matches in case of an emergency, divide up your dry tinder material into several sealed bags and store a few as backup incase some tinder gets wet. Keep your tinder and steel somewhere handy where you can find it easily.
20. First aid Kit / Small portable / Field kit for larger groups​
The first aid kit is the only piece if kit we take with us that we hope we never have to use. Check your first aid kit regularly to make sure that nothing is missing or out of date. A larger first aid kit can be taken if larger groups are traveling together. Make sure you take a look at our Blog spot on First aid there you will find a full list of components to bring. This kit is a very basic starter kit which covers the basics
21. Map and compass / Notebook and pencil
Always carry a compass and a map of the area, when travelling. Choose a good compass such as a Silva compass.
This plastic orienteering type of compass, has a magnyfing glass to help read icons on the map and it has measurements and angles printed on it to help with accurate measurement of distance which is important when planning a route schedule, and actions on. Maps at either 25000 or 50000 for greater coverage, pack both if you need to. The Notebook and paper to take down phone numbers, or work out calculations.
22. Monocular / Binocular
I like to pack a monocular or small set of binoculars, this can be useful for hunting and spotting game, its good for watching wildlife and great to generally spot potential routes or hazards from a distance. Dont pack anything too bulky or too expensive, it will most likely get a little abuse in your pack, a sturdy cover will help keep it protected. Optional item
24. Survival Tin
Never leave home without it. Made into a standard piece of survival kit by Lofty Wiseman the survival kit had alot of useful things inside, Its your last line of defence should everything go pear shaped! Keep it sealed and keep it safe to prevent water entering the contents. Like a first aid kit, check the contents from time to time replacing items that have become perished or unworkable. You will find a list of survival tin contents on our website, and how to make your own.
25. Tent / Hammock sleep system for hard conditions - optional
You may choose to pack a tent or Hammock for added protection from the elements, pack depending on what kind of journey you are planning, hammocks are becoming ever more popular, but take a little getting used to. What ever your choice, always take a few days close to home or in your back yard to iron out any wrinkles in your setup. Being familliar with pitching and taking down your tent / hammoch will be a great advantage in bad weather conditions or at dusk when the light is beating you. Take a look at DD Hammocks or Vango banshee 2 or 3 man tent.
26. Food / Rations
Pack your food for your trip, planning out your meals for each day. Fortify your food with wild berries and nuts and game, as you go, to make your rations last longer, or to make them more edible!
Light weight rations are easier to carry and are generally more compact. Try and choose a balanced menu for each meal. Sweets are a great morale booster and a good pick me up when things go tough. Pack a few treats!
