Tag Archives: BushcraftUSA

BushClassUSA, Bushcraft, Camping, Hiking, survival

BushClassUSA Assignment: Make A Personal Survival Kit

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This BushClassUSA Assignment was to make a personal survival kit that would fit into a cargo pocket and reflect the needs of water, shelter, fire, signaling, travel, and sustenance.

Here’s my PSK.  The bag/pouch is a repurposed first-aid kit received as a safety award from work.  It’s fits into a cargo pocket nicely but can also be clipped onto a belt loop as well.

My mora triflex for scale.  Note the REI signal whistle clipped to the bag.

The outer pocket contains a small mirror inside a zip-lock baggie.

Once opened the bag will lay flat.  There is a zippered compartment on the right and a mesh one on the left.  In the center there is a small stretch band.

Contents on the left side and center:  One imitation SAK, 2 glowsticks, 1 lighter, 20 ft. OD Green Paracord, and one altoids tin sealed with orange tape.  More on it later.

Contents on the right side: 1 bandana, 1 small flashlight, 1 1gal. zip-lock bag, 1 mylar emergency blanket in its own sealed baggie.

Now to the altoids tin.  Taped to the top there are 5 waterproof matches, 5 lead sinker weights, one magnetized sewing needle, and two safety pins with 5 fishing hooks attached to each.

Here are the contents of the tin:

Top Row:  1 safety pin, 1 alcohol swab, 2 band-aids, 2 packets of water purification tablets, 1 packet containing 4 ibuprofin, 2 tylenol, and 1 benedryl, 5ft. of snare wire, 1 sewing bobbin full of 10lb test fishing line, 1 wire saw.

Bottom Row: 1 piece of aluminum foil (approx. 10in square), 1 pencil, 1 sheet of paper, 2 button compasses, 3 extra batteries for the flashlight, 1 birthday candle, 1 small firesteel with striker, one piece of charcloth.
Overall I’m pretty satisfied with this kit.  I feel like it covers the basic needs and it’s small and light enough to carry without being annoying.

Some changes that will be made when possible is to exchange the OD green paracord and blue bandana for their orange variety, exchange the picture hanging wire for some proper snare wire, upgrade the wire saw, switch out the mirror with a signal mirror, and exchange the paper and pencil with the write in the rain paper.

BushClassUSA, Bushcraft

BushClassUSA Assignment – Make a Shelter Ridge-Line

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This BushClassUSA Assignment at BushcraftUSA was to make a ridge-line for my shelter kit from either twisted or braided material with a fixed eye at one end.

I chose to use paracord and the reverse two-strand twist method with a whipped eye.  Starting with a forty foot piece the finished ridge-line measured 21 and 1/2 feet long.

This one was a challenge to finish.  My Hands are killing me!

 

 

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BushClassUSA, Bushcraft

Family Bushcraft Day

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We spent the day today practicing new skills and doing assignments for BushClassUSA at BushcraftUSA.

Shawna, Veronica, and Gary knocked out the four basic bushcraft knots, two strand twist with man-made materials, whipping cordage and tools, and improvised a cooking implement assignments.

They made paracord rope, whipped their knives and axes, and made supercat alcohol stoves.

All and all it was a fun but busy day!

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Bushcraft, Carving

BushcraftUSA 2011 Spoon Contest Entry

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BushcraftUSA 2011 Spoon Contest Entry
BushcraftUSA 2011 Spoon Contest Entry

 

A couple weeks ago I made this spoon and entered it in the BushcraftUSA Spoon Competition IV at the BushcraftUSA forums.

The competition closed today and the votes were tallied. There were twenty entries total and bragging rights were claimed by Werewolf Ron with 25% of the vote.

Although I didn’t win, it was fun to participate and a good reason to practice some skills.

My spoon was made from a piece of Aspen carved with a Mora Triflex, Mora spoon knife, and lots of sandpaper.  Finished with several coats of Mineral Oil.

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