Paul Kirtley's Blog
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Paul Kirtley's Blog provides articles, videos and podcasts to help improve your wilderness bushcraft, survival skills and outdoor life.
Paul Kirtley's Blog
3w ago
Loch Morlich is a relatively small but scenic freshwater lake in the Cairngorms National Park, Scotland. I've visited this area many times and always enjoy a walk around the loch. In this edition of Wild Wanderings, I'd like to share some of the joy and significance of Loch Morlich with you...
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Paul Kirtley's Blog
1M ago
Discover the fascinating journey of Mattias Norberg, a leading Swedish expert in fire-making and wilderness survival, as he shares insights from over 25 years of teaching experience. Author of Konsten att Elda ("The Art of Fire"), Mattias has taught survival and firecraft techniques throughout Sweden, from advanced courses in the far north to plant courses in the south. In this podcast episode, we discuss Sweden's outdoor culture, traditional and modern fire skills, and unique techniques influenced by the Scandinavian environment. Don't miss this deep dive into the art of fire!
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Paul Kirtley's Blog
2M ago
Craig Caudill is Director and Lead Instructor of Nature Reliance School, based in Kentucky, USA. Craig has taught backcountry skills for many years. He's also a seasoned writer, to date being the author of eight books on backcountry skills and knowledge. It was great to finally record an episode of my podcast with Craig as guest, to learn more about his background and teachings. Craig and I actually share some similar philosophies and it was great to riff on these a bit in this episode too...
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Paul Kirtley's Blog
2M ago
Wood sage is the most common name for the plant Teucrium scorodonia. It is also often referred to as woodland germander or sage-leaved germander. Less commonly used names include large-leaved germander, hind heal, garlic sage, and ambroise. It's not a "true" sage, though, and should not be confused for one, or for other lookalike plants, for several reasons, including the potential for liver damage if consumed...
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Paul Kirtley's Blog
3M ago
In this post I highlight essential bushcraft axe skills for safe and efficient backcountry firewood splitting when you have no chopping block. In the embedded video I demonstrate three essential backcountry axe techniques using popular Gransfors Bruk and Hultafors (Hults Bruk) axes in the very common lengths of "half-axe" and "three-quarter axe". Despite the similarities between the various aspects of these axes, there are variations in technique required to get the most out of them. I also discuss material selection, material processing and species of wood. All of these have a bearing on how ..read more
Paul Kirtley's Blog
10M ago
This podcast is long overdue. My guest is John Rhyder, naturalist, writer and highly experienced bushcraft educator. Indeed he was the instructor on the first formal bushcraft course I took many, many years ago. John is an innovator in the field of bushcraft and nature education, and continues to push his own knowledge too. In particular, John is passionate about wildlife tracking; he is currently the only person in northern Europe certified as Senior Tracker under the Cybertracker system. There is much to savour in this conversation....
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Paul Kirtley's Blog
1y ago
In this episode of #AskPaulKirtley I answer questions about why my podcasts play too fast, some thread for fixing gear and for use as fishing line, the expected lifespan of a Bahco Laplander saw and when to upgrade from a Gransfors Bruk Small Forest Axe?
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Paul Kirtley's Blog
1y ago
In this article we examine common questions about ferro rods. These simple devices have become a mainstay of outdoor fire-lighting, especially in bushcraft, and a key component of many modern survival kits. Yet, ferro rods are not all made equal. We need to be selective about the ferro rods - and associated strikers - we choose to rely on. In this article - and embedded video - I share some insights gleaned from many years of experience relying on ferro rods in the wilderness, along with countless interactions with my students when they learn ferro rod techniques. Foremost I try to share the q ..read more
Paul Kirtley's Blog
1y ago
In this episode of #AskPaulKirtley I answer your questions about collaborations with other bushcrafters, the place for larger knives, machetes and parangs, alternative knots to square lashings and what are the best materials to look for in a firesteel or ferro rod?
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Paul Kirtley's Blog
1y ago
In the bushcraft world, we tend to like muted, natural colours. These mirror the colours of our local natural environment, typically shades of green and brown. I think there's a strong argument for important pieces of equipment being brightly coloured. The items of equipment I particularly have in mind are critical on-person items. These are both important and typically small, thus relatively easy to mislay or lose outright. I expand on this idea in this article, which also contains a video with me discussing particular pieces of equipment...
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