Traditional bushcraft gear

[Ranger]

Hey everybody! This is my first thread so I am going to jump right into it!

I am into traditional bushcraft as opposed to Gerber gear or buying a persons name essentially with gear. I like to make gear like I made fire kit from leather and pouh for magnifying glass, firesteel lanyard out of jute twine, and am looking for more to make myself and to buy!

The purpose of this thread is:
-a. Let me know what you prefer!
And
-b. Does anybody here sell it or make it themselves?

[Valantine]

I think many if not all on the forum prefer to make (from leather, canvas, metal or wood) or re-purpose ex army gear.
I certainly do both.
Recycle as much as possible

[Ranger]

I think many if not all on the forum prefer to make (from leather, canvas, metal or wood) or re-purpose ex army gear.
I certainly do both.
Recycle as much as possible

Yeah! I would love to see some pictures of gear too!

[OakAshandThorn]

I like to make my own kit if I have the means to do so myself, but in respect to the "traditional" aspect, I'm kind of in the middle. I like the look of canvas tarps, tents, rucksacks and so forth, but I cannot justify spending a fortune on something that is also heavier than a similar item made from more modern materials. Wool blankets are out of the question for me, the insulating value to weight ratio is just not as effective as modern synthetic or down sleeping bags.

As far as clothing, I like to combine the best of both worlds - wool blend socks, poly-cotton trousers, cotton-synthetic blend base layer, as well as one made from 100% merino wool, synthetic shirts for the summer (quicker drying than wool, without a doubt), fleece pullover midlayer, wool sweater midlayer, wool blend swacket (sweater jacket combo) midlayer, German army sympatex (equivalent to Goretex) flecktarn parka shell, Tilley T3 duck cotton bush hat for the warmer months, ushanka hat with rabbit fur lining (animal furs repel snow very well thanks to the natural lanolin oils, and I would argue they give a better insulating value to weight ratio than wool), goose down gloves, and synthetic insulated wool-lined gloves. I also have an Austrian army parka, which I believe is made from canvas or a poly cotton material, but I haven't used it in awhile mainly because it weighs twice as much as the German army parka.

I would say that if you are going to incorporate traditional gear into your kit, be mindful of the weight you'll be carrying, and try to get the best deal possible. Most of my clothing, for example, was bought on a closeout sale or is military surplus, so I didn't have to spend a fortune. I cringe when I see ads for Mackinaw virgin wool jacket and pants sets, directly targeted at the Bushcraft community, which can run up as high as $500 (I kid you not), especially when certain people online promote these products as the latest Bushcraft fashion hype. Be careful not to fall into that trap and spend wisely.

But as far as making my own "traditional" Bushcraft kit that isn't a great weight compromise, I'm slowly getting into leatherwork and made myself a fire kit pouch...

Nothing super special, more of an experiment than anything else, but I am pleased with how it turned out . I also recycled a Starbucks Christmas coffee bag made from cotton and linen into a tinder collection pouch - very light, and because it's a breathable fabric, wet tinders will dry out if I stuff the pouch in between my clothing layers.

I also tinker around with stone tool making, if that counts (though perhaps it would better fit the "primitive category"), as well as open-weave vine basket making (again, probably more into the "primitive" category), and some wood carving here and there, though my carving efforts are definitely outclassed by the gifted folks on this forum .

Just my half-pence worth .

[Ranger]

I like to make my own kit if I have the means to do so myself, but in respect to the "traditional" aspect, I'm kind of in the middle. I like the look of canvas tarps, tents, rucksacks and so forth, but I cannot justify spending a fortune on something that is also heavier than a similar item made from more modern materials. Wool blankets are out of the question for me, the insulating value to weight ratio is just not as effective as modern synthetic or down sleeping bags.

As far as clothing, I like to combine the best of both worlds - wool blend socks, poly-cotton trousers, cotton-synthetic blend base layer, as well as one made from 100% merino wool, synthetic shirts for the summer (quicker drying than wool, without a doubt), fleece pullover midlayer, wool sweater midlayer, wool blend swacket (sweater jacket combo) midlayer, German army sympatex (equivalent to Goretex) flecktarn parka shell, Tilley T3 duck cotton bush hat for the warmer months, ushanka hat with rabbit fur lining (animal furs repel snow very well thanks to the natural lanolin oils, and I would argue they give a better insulating value to weight ratio than wool), goose down gloves, and synthetic insulated wool-lined gloves. I also have an Austrian army parka, which I believe is made from canvas or a poly cotton material, but I haven't used it in awhile mainly because it weighs twice as much as the German army parka.

I would say that if you are going to incorporate traditional gear into your kit, be mindful of the weight you'll be carrying, and try to get the best deal possible. Most of my clothing, for example, was bought on a closeout sale or is military surplus, so I didn't have to spend a fortune. I cringe when I see ads for Mackinaw virgin wool jacket and pants sets, directly targeted at the Bushcraft community, which can run up as high as $500 (I kid you not), especially when certain people online promote these products as the latest Bushcraft fashion hype. Be careful not to fall into that trap and spend wisely.

But as far as making my own "traditional" Bushcraft kit that isn't a great weight compromise, I'm slowly getting into leatherwork and made myself a fire kit pouch...

Nothing super special, more of an experiment than anything else, but I am pleased with how it turned out . I also recycled a Starbucks Christmas coffee bag made from cotton and linen into a tinder collection pouch - very light, and because it's a breathable fabric, wet tinders will dry out if I stuff the pouch in between my clothing layers.

I also tinker around with stone tool making, if that counts (though perhaps it would better fit the "primitive category"), as well as open-weave vine basket making (again, probably more into the "primitive" category), and some wood carving here and there, though my carving efforts are definitely outclassed by the gifted folks on this forum .

Just my half-pence worth .

Hey thanks for the great info! I try not to spend too much money on stuff I can get cheaper, mostly because I don't have the money! But I like the bison bushcraft wool jacket! And I can make you a fire tinder pouch out of leather if you want!

[Ranger]

Also, primitive is great too! I love the concept of friction fire and using nature for building like vine basket making or using sweetgrass and bulrush like slaves used to

[OakAshandThorn]

Hey thanks for the great info! I try not to spend too much money on stuff I can get cheaper, mostly because I don't have the money! But I like the bison bushcraft wool jacket! And I can make you a fire tinder pouch out of leather if you want!

Thanks for the offer, but what I have suits me quite fine, and I'm starting to run out of room to put all my kit .

[Ranger]

Thanks for the offer, but what I have suits me quite fine, and I'm starting to run out of room to put all my kit .

What do you run in your kit? You mentioned canvas gear being heavy as a lot of traditional great is but what about oilskin? I had my heart set on a tarp but am having second thoughts on it

[Valantine]

I never meant anything like canvas tarps etc, they are way too heavy. I was on about the smaller items like ammo pouches re-used for a fire kit or snaring kit.
But there is nothing wrong with using a canvas tarp or baker tent as long as you're not far from the car and able to do more than one trip to it. I have seen others under canvas and it looks very appealing plus sparks don't burn through it

[Ranger]

I never meant anything like canvas tarps etc, they are way too heavy. I was on about the smaller items like ammo pouches re-used for a fire kit or snaring kit.
But there is nothing wrong with using a canvas tarp or baker tent as long as you're not far from the car and able to do more than one trip to it. I have seen others under canvas and it looks very appealing plus sparks don't burn through it

Oh I heard rumors about them catching on fire or being flammable. I guess they are just rumors though... So any places to buy them cheaper than $165 on Tentsmiths?