Tag Archives: Philosophy

Interested in Finnish bushcraft?

When I moved to Finland, I was happy to find that bushcraft, woodcraft, knife making and other traditional skills have a long history here and are still alive and well today. Since sharing a few blogs and other websites with you almost a year ago, I have learned of several more and some significant changes to others. This post is intended to be an updated list of bushcraft/outdoor-related blogs and websites in Finland (most of which are in English). If you know of any others, please let me know! By the way, please also give the “in Finnish” blogs a chance, even if you don’t speak Finnish. Remember, a picture is worth a thousand words. 🙂

Blogs

Blacksmiths/Knife makers

Forum

  • Bushcraft Finland: This is the main (and only, as far as I know) forum for bushcraft in Finland. It was recently moved to a new server/provider and is now advertisement-free. It also has a great new appearance and layout. Both English and Finnish speakers are welcome.

Other

Last, and definitely not least, I want to point you in the direction of some videos from yesteryear showing a variety of Finnish crafts and old-timey ways (click one of the “Isien Työt”s on the left-hand side and then scroll down and click “Katso nyt” to watch a video).

Enjoy!

Altoid tin survival kits: yea or nay?

A seemingly popular item with many a bushcrafter, camper, hiker etc. these days is the Altoid tin or pocket survival kit. These small kits contain many useful and essential items which can come in handy should you get in trouble in the wilderness. At least this is the theory behind them.

(Not my image – Linked from Field & Stream)

I personally don’t have any kits like this. It’s not that I don’t see their theoretical usefulness, but whenever there’s at least a chance that I’d get caught in a wilderness survival situation, I will have with me (at a minimum) my belt pouch, which in my opinion contains more rugged and practical items:

(FYI: For those of you who have not seen this setup before, there are matches and a small ferro rod in the birch bark case, a needle in the pouch with the small fishing kit and several tools in the knock-off Swisscard (tweezers, toothpick, small blade, screwdriver, file, mirror etc.), in addition to the items which can be clearly been seen in the picture.)

Truth be told, I’d probably have my shoulder bag as well, which would make an Altoids tin survival kit even less needed. “But Weekend Woodsman, what if you lose all your gear, what then? Wouldn’t it be good to have a last-ditch kit tucked away in your pocket?” Well, my belt pouch is my last-ditch kit, and if either my thick leather belt, pants or the pouch belt straps are ever damaged heavily enough that the pouch is separated from me, I’m probably in the kind of situation where I’m going to need something a lot more substantial than a tiny pocket survival kit.

Since Altoids tin survival kits are mainly intended for wilderness survival, as they contain items for fire starting, signaling, water purification etc., I don’t see how useful they’d be if carried in a pocket in the city. How about in the car? What if I break down in the middle of winter on a back road? That’s what the emergency kit in the car is for, which contains food, blankets, flashlights, firestarters etc. etc. etc. In other words, for me personally, I just don’t see the need to have a small pocket survival kit.

Please don’t see this post as a serious criticism of these kits and the people who use them. I don’t claim to be any kind of expert or anything, so if you are a fan of Altoid tin survival kits, please take this post as a challenge, rather than taking offense. 🙂 Tell me your thoughts on them and convince me why I’m making a mistake and should have one!

Something worth learning

On our daily walks around the neighborhood, the Woodsboy likes to point out the different plants I’ve been teaching him about. His favorite is yarrow. He also knows dandelion, mugwort and stinging nettles. He knows blueberries, raspberries, wild strawberries, lingonberries and, most recently, blackberries. His tree repertoire includes pine, spruce and birch. I can’t remember back to when I was three-and-a-half years old, but I’m pretty sure I wasn’t able to identify that many plants, berries and trees.

Now, I’m not telling you this to boast about my son like some parents do. All little kids soak up information like a sponge. It’s amazing. What prompted me to write this blog post was one recent occasion when he started naming one plant after another to me and then singing “Mugwort, mugwort, yarrow! Mugwort, mugwort, yarrow!” as we continued along. His enthusiasm and excitement about a part of my hobby (or passion, you could say) made me feel proud and pleased. Rather than memorizing Pokemon characters (or whatever the latest incarnation is), he was learning about something real. Something of substance. Nothing amazing, but still, something worth learning.

In a world where kids are constantly bombarded with loud, flashy cartoons, video games and amazing toys, a lot of things worth learning are often left by the wayside. Valuable things which used to be part of our daily lives in a simpler and less artificial time (don’t even get me started about morals and ethics). I think the lack of knowledge and appreciation for the natural world seen so often today is sad, which is one reason why I am trying to learn all I can and pass that on to the Woodsboy now that he’s old enough to begin understanding some of it. Although I have always enjoyed camping, hiking, bushcraft and being in nature, the bulk of what I know and have done is from relatively recent times, just the past 5 years or so. My wish is for it to be second nature to the Woodsboy.

As we walk along the paths each day, I’m delighted when he asks, “What’s this plant, Daddy?” and then embarrassed if I don’t know the answer! I can only hope that he maintains this interest, because there’s so much more I want to teach him about the outdoors and about life. So many things I’ve learned and have yet to learn that I think would enrich his life and serve him well. His curiosity gives me hope that his knowledge and experience will far surpass mine one day, and that I’ll have to ask, “What’s this plant, son?”.

An improved belt pouch setup

Upon contemplating the gear I carry (something one or two of you out there might relate to ;)) I realized that my belt pouch wasn’t as well optimized as it could be. It contained a few frequently used items, a few “survival” items (I’m not fond of that word, but it’s what they are) and other possibles. It didn’t contain enough items to be called a “survival kit”, but it was more than just one or two things which could be thrown into a pocket.

So I decided to swap my belt pouch for a larger canvas pouch (15 cm x 10 cm x 6 cm, or 6″ x 4″ x 2.5″) made of very thick and rugged canvas which I had been using to hold several small items in my shoulder bag. I believe this is a South African Defense Force magazine pouch from the 70s.

Rather than add new items to my kit, I just transferred a few existing items from my shoulder bag to the new belt pouch. The new setup gives me a lot more functionality if I somehow lose everything except the pouch or if I intentionally only bring the pouch with me. I should mention that my belt pouch and knife never leave my belt when in the field except at night when I’m sleeping, so it’s something I always have on my person, whereas my backpack and, to a lesser extent, shoulder bag usually come off.

My previous belt pouch contained:

  • Matches in case
  • Twine
  • Compass
  • Whistle
  • Mini fishing kit
  • Flashlight
  • Swisscard
  • Sewing needle

The new belt pouch contains the above items, plus:

  • Metal canteen cup (fits inside like they were made for each other)
  • Small spoon
  • Space blanket
  • Swiss army knife
  • Mini ferro rod (this was not in my shoulder bag previously; it is located inside the match case)
  • Bandana

The additional items allow me to cook and to purify water (canteen cup and spoon), have emergency shelter (space blanket), have additional tools (Swiss army knife), have another means of starting fire (mini ferro rod) and more (bandana, many uses).

To me, this new setup validates my use of a belt pouch in the first place, as it now has a clear and designated role as more of a survival kit and possibles pouch. Some of you might be thinking that a first-aid kit is “missing” from this pouch, but honestly the pouch is just too small for me to also add any meaningful first-aid items, except maybe pain killers/antibiotics. In a pinch, the bandana can be used as a tourniquet. In any case, I have a first-aid kit in my shoulder bag, which I bring 99.999% of the time.

And yes, I do think about this stuff too much. 😉

EDIT: In the comment section below, Ross Gilmore commented about how this particular pouch is deep and can therefore make it tricky/annoying to remove things from the bottom without unpacking everything first. Here’s my response: “I know what you mean about it being deep, but I’ve found a solution to this. All the little bits and pieces (except the spoon, SAK and bandana, which are immediately accessible) fit in a firm plastic bag inside the cup. If I want to access something at the bottom of the plastic bag (where I intentionally put less-frequently used items), I can quickly pull the bag out, along with almost all of the pouch’s contents. If I want to remove something from the top of the plastic bag, I just open the pouch. If I want to remove the cup, I can pull it (and almost everything else) out, and then put the plastic bag full of stuff back into the pouch. 😀 Having several “containers within containers” makes it extremely easy and quick to access anything in the kit. This arrangement prevents there from being little bits and pieces all the way at the bottom of the pouch.”

What’s the point of practicing primitive skills?

If you’ve been reading my blog for a while, you know that I don’t focus on primitive skills, but I do like to share the bits that I learn as I go along. By “primitive skills” I mean the use of materials found in the natural environment for the purpose of making life in that environment possible and/or enjoyable. Examples might include the making of natural cordage from willow bark, fire by friction, lean-to shelters made of sapling poles thatched with branches, birch bark containers, the knowledge of edible plants, lichens etc. In other words, ancient survival skills (in fact, there are still groups of people living today who use these skills on a day-to-day basis, so they are not strictly “ancient”). The focus of this blog post will be my personal reasons for learning about and practicing primitive skills, some tending to be more romantic and some more practical.

Primitive skills are useful. The more things you know how to make or utilize, the less critical a forgotten item becomes. Of course, only “primitive” items can be created in this way (you’re not going to build a radio out of a coconut), but the necessities can be had.

Primitive skills are valuable. Should a person with primitive skills become stranded or lost in the wilderness, they will have much better chances of surviving the situation because they will know how to use the products of nature to protect against her perils. Granted, your average ordinary person will most likely not end up being stranded in the wilderness within their lifetime, so primitive skills might be less important to them. It’s a different story for those of us who do go there on a regular basis, though.

Primitive skills are meaningful. I can’t explain why, but I feel a certain sense of connection to the earth, my ancient ancestors and primitive peoples of every age when I make something out of bark or wood, eat wild plants, berries and lichens or use some other primitive knowledge or skill. If only temporarily, it helps me to escape the hectic modern world full of digital this and plastic that and to exist out of time.

Primitive skills make me feel more accomplished and independent. Each time I learn a new edible plant, a new aspect of a lichen or a new way to utilize this wood or that stone, I feel like I am boosting my personal self-sufficiency. Each and every time it gives me a sense of fulfillment and accomplishment, sometimes large and sometimes small. As I learn, I feel less like a child who is dependent on the modern world for my wants and needs.

I’ll admit that primitive skills are not always compatible with modern outdoor pursuits. It can be ridiculously time-consuming (and often unfeasible) to build a natural shelter every day or to boil water with hot rocks in birch bark containers etc. while on a two-week backpacking trip where you are trying to cover a lot of ground. The same kinds of examples can be given for other activities. This is why, like a few other contemporary bloggers, I see primitive skills as “tools in a toolbox”. I collect them as I go along and enjoy using them from time to time when needed or desired. I personally find them to be a fantastic supplement to modern gear, materials and methods, rather than a replacement.

Footwear for the northern woods

Unfortunately, I haven’t been able to get out to the woods lately due to family obligations and mild illness. It really is a shame, because the daytime temperatures sporadically touch +10*C/+50*F and some days have been really sunny (by the way, this might still sound cold to some of you, but I can assure you that after many months of northern winter, it feels almost like a hot summer day). Most of the snow cover is gone now, and what’s left is melting very quickly. Thanks to the much longer spring days, it is now feasible for me to take afternoon/evening trips to the forest after work, which I just don’t do in the winter because it gets dark so early.

So I thought I’d talk to you today about a very important aspect of outdoor clothing: Footwear. The more you travel on foot, the more important boots/shoes become. Anyone who has done a significant amount of hiking or walking in uncomfortable boots or shoes is likely to still curse them to this day. I go to the forest pretty frequently, all year round, so my footwear has to be capable of handling terrain ranging from ice and snow in winter, rocks and underbrush in summer and slush and mud in the spring and autumn. Obviously, no single item is going to cover all these conditions, so I have settled on three pair of boots which I alternate between as the seasons change. I will also wear camp shoes, gaiters and snowshoes as appropriate. Let me say at this point that these are just my personal preferences, and not the way that it “should” or “must” be done. I have my own reasons for doing things my way (personal experience and preference), which probably differs from plenty of other people out there.

(Linked image, not my photo)

I’ll start with the boots I wear roughly from May through September, i.e. my “summer boots”. For the past 3 years or so, I have been wearing a pair of Swedish military surplus combat boots on my regular trips to the forest. I realize that this might make some of you scratch your heads, but believe me, they work (and work well). I wore them while covering some pretty rocky and uneven terrain on my trip to Lapland last year, and they worked flawlessly, so they have more than proven themselves to me. I got them from a military-surplus store which was just giving them away for free. The old-school leather boots are marked 1968 and were not previously used, as far as I can tell. They are very rugged and provide great heel support and toe protection. After fitting them with insoles and breaking them in, I was surprised to find that they are as comfortable and effective as “modern” hiking boots. Being leather, they breathe and flex well, and are quite water-resistant if regularly shined or waterproofed. In my experience, they are more than enough for traversing rocky, shrubby, sandy etc. ground in the drier summer months.

(Linked image, not my photo)

When I’m taking a break during a longer hiking trip or just hanging around camp, I will usually take off my boots to give both them and my feet a chance to rest and air out. This is when I will slip on a pair of lightweight, breathable camp shoes similar to those shown above. After a day of hiking, these things feel great. 🙂 I believe they were under 5 Euros.

(Linked image, not my photo)

In the spring and autumn, my boot of choice is a waterproof fabric-lined rubber boot with a high top (my “wet-weather boots”). Mine also happen to be Swedish military surplus (fireman’s boots in this case), but were made in Canada. I bought them from the same military surplus shop for 35 Euros. They provide protection against the mud, slush and generally wetter conditions of these seasons, which is critical for keeping feet dry and comfortable. There is enough room inside to wear several pair of socks, depending on how cold it is, and they are also fitted with removable insoles which provide insulation on the bottom (the linked picture above shows felt liners, which I did not get when I purchased my boots). Another nice feature of these boots is that they feature laces which allow the top of the boot to be closed off snugly against my leg, preventing snow and other stuff from falling inside. With the right combination of socks, they can be comfortably worn down to about freezing or a little below.

I have recently also taken to wearing Swiss military surplus gaiters over these boots (as well as over my winter boots discussed below), because they provide me with extra water-resistance almost up to my knees and help to keep my pants legs from coming out. These gaiters cost 5 Euros here in Finland.

(Linked image, not my photo)

From roughly November to March (basically, in below-freezing temperatures), I like to wear a good solid pair of Nokian winter boots made in Finland (no, it’s not the same company that made your telephone 😉 ). They cost about 45 – 50 Euros and were purchased from a department store. I have worn these thickly lined boots down to -30*C/-22*F with two pair of socks. So far, this is the coldest temperature I have experienced when doing outdoor activities (though I have taken hour-long walks around the neighborhood at -40*C/-40*F). The boots were warm enough while being active and only slightly cool while stationary for a longer period at -30*C/-22*F. For use in snowy and icy environments, they’re great. I don’t anticipate needing boots capable of handling temperatures lower than this, as they aren’t all that frequent here (maybe only a week or two in February). If I do ever feel possessed to head out to Siberia or northern Canada, however, I’ll probably pick up a pair of boot liners. 🙂

(Linked image, not my photo)

The last, but definitely not least, type of footwear I use here in the north woods is the snowshoe. Mine happen to be US military surplus, made in Canada in 1979. I bought them for about 70 Euros. They have a painted magnesium frame with plastic-coated steel wire webbing and are styled after Native American snowshoes (Michigan pattern?). These shoes are tremendously important for mobility in deep snow, especially in dense forests. Regardless of the depth of the snow, I only sink in about 15 cm/6 inches. Skis might be faster, but in my opinion snowshoes are more versatile.

Keep in mind that there are plenty of alternatives to my choices and way of doing things. My methods have evolved organically over time as I gained experience in different seasons and conditions.

Stay tuned to The Weekend Woodsman! Coming up: more thoughts on bushcraft, trip reports, gear lists and a little teaser on my upcoming trip to Lapland.

“Two is one, one is none”

I’ve been hearing and reading this quote a lot recently. As far as I can tell, it originated in the US military (marine corps?). It stresses the idea that it’s good to have some redundancy to your gear, especially when it comes to items which are frequently used or required for safety/survival. If you have a knife on your belt and one in your pack, for example, you’d still have one knife should you somehow lose either your pack or belt. If you only have one knife, and it gets separated from you, you’re out of luck. I decided to take a look at my gear to see how it measures up (by the way, a review of what I carry in my backpack is coming soon…promise!).

I identified the following redundancies in my gear (only important or semi-important items taken into account here). I carry:

  • 2 knives (one fixed blade and one small SAK)
  • 4 fire-starting tools (matches in two places and ferro rod and flint and steel kit in other places)
  • 2 map compasses (almost identical)
  • 2 bundles of cord and twine (twine and paracord in one place, just twine in another place)
  • 2 flashlights (one LED headlamp and one bright LED keychain flashlight)
  • 2 canteens (second is brought on longer trips)
  • 3 pots/kettles (cooking pot and kettle in backpack, canteen cup in shoulder bag)
  • 2 basic shelters (2 poncho tent halves) (3 shelters if you include the Mylar space blanket)
  • 2 soaps
  • 2 small rolls of toilet paper

As I said above, this list is not exhaustive, but I don’t think there are too many other items which are doubled up (or tripled etc.). As you can see, my backup items are often smaller/lighter than the main item, and almost as functional, so they don’t add a huge amount of bulk or weight. The backup items are not always exactly the same the original, nor do they always need to be (i.e. I don’t feel the need to carry two fixed-blade knives etc.).

While doing this check, I noticed one glaring redundancy omission: first-aid kits. I have one in my shoulder bag, which is almost always with me, but I think it would make a lot of sense to have a second first-aid kit in my backpack as well, in case I lose my shoulder bag somehow. So before my next outing, I will put together another first-aid kit and include it in a small dry bag in my backpack which already contains a few other items. Another change will be to move my Swiss army knife from my belt pouch to my shoulder bag so that both my knives are not attached to my belt.

Do you have redundancies built into your kit? I highly recommend making sure that you do!

EDIT: Please check out the comments and my responses below, as they provide some more insight into why I think some gear redundancy can be crucial.