Tag Archives | survival

Traditional Pocket Knife Types: (top) Trapper, (left to right) Congress, Canoe, Scout/Camper, Barlow, Peanut, Stockman, Muskrat

Why Carry A Knife?

A knifeless man is a lifeless manOld Nordic proverb So why carry a knife? I would argue there are three primary reasons for carrying a knife at all times: The simple need of a tool to separate matter; whether it be for one’s livelihood (agriculture, construction, etc.) or in the course of everyday living from […]

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Photo:  Brandon Jacobs

1 degree; Wilderness Fire Starting Considerations

NEXT TO KNOWING HOW TO DRESS WELL, FIRE IS ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT BUSH SKILLS THERE ARE, BECAUSE IT IS ONE OF THE FEW MEANS AVAILABLE TO MAKE UP MOST GREAT DEFICIENCIES. Master Woodsman Mors Kochanski’s excellent quote above sums it up.  Next to knowing how to dress well (reducing heat loss), fire is […]

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Survival TV Sucks!

Unless you have been living under a rock, it’s likely you’ve heard the news that Cody Lundin was fired from the Discovery Channel’s hit TV show, Dual Survival. This being the result of “differences over safety and health concerns…” Just in case you missed it, the details can be found on Lundin’s FaceBook Page. While I admit […]

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Front view of debris shelter before being stuffed with leaves and door.

Suggested Outdoor Skills To Learn First…

When it comes to Outdoor Living Skills, I’ve heard it asked many times over the years… “what should I learn first?” It needs to be stated at the beginning of this article that our society is more fast paced than ever. And while the extraordinary amount of information that is so readily available is fantastic, […]

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Instinctive Navigation: Keeping the ‘Dead’ out of Dead Reckoning by Patrick Farneman

As a child it amazed me the way my father could navigate in the woods.  It also amazed me that he could go the whole day without having to go to the bathroom, but that is another story!  We could head out on a trip, whether for a few hours or a few days, with […]

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Training applied in the field.  Magnesium scraped into the bill of a hat then put into a tinder bundle for fire as the sun is setting.  All we had was our knives and the one mag bar with striking insert to create a heat source suitable for a Northern Arizona Winter night that went down to the mid-teens..

My Survival Kit

MasterWoodsman.com® is a resource of information with a focus on skills, not gear.  In keeping with that premise, I want to share with you not just what I carry in my survival kit, but more importantly, the rationale behind what I carry and how I would use it. Therefore, let me also present to you […]

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primitive survival skills

Primitive Survival Skills in the 21st Century by Mark Warren

The physicality of satisfying our essential needs today is virtually effortless – like strolling through the aisles of a grocery store or turning a knob to heat an oven. So why turn back history and roam forest and field to dig up edible roots? Why twirl a stick in your hands to near exhaustion in […]

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My favorite pot, a 10cm Zebra I use for boiling water and cooking..

Collecting & Treating Water in the Backcountry

I made the video below 3 years ago.   Since that time, and for many years prior, nothing has changed for me in how I collect and treat water in the backcountry for biological pathogens.  And when I say collect, it is more than just dipping my bottle or pot in a creek, there is […]

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Faking it? Bear Grylls in Born Survivor

The Bushcraft Movement: what is it and why should you care?

Google News globally searches key words of interest for me.  For over a year now one of those words has been ‘bushcraft.’  Every couple of days or so there is a new article mentioning Bushcraft.  All but two of a 100+ news articles have been from the UK.  And each of those have been about […]

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Approximately 6 ounces collected from two hours of full sun on an 80 degree day with 60% humidity in the North Georgia Mountains on the Summer Solstice.

Your Guide To Survival Using A Trash Bag

When it comes to survival in the wilderness, a trash bag in your emergency kit could be a lifesaver for you and your family. This article is your guide to survival for it’s use as an environmental layer to your clothing and much more! “Your clothing is the most important survival tool you have. Dress properly […]

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Picture from MSN Article linked above.

Top Ten Survival Vacations

Saw this on Cody Lundin’s Blog and it was too interesting to see MSN’s take on Top Ten Survival Vacations not to repost here.  See link… TOP TEN SURVIVAL VACATIONS I have taken numerous “vacations” with some top instructors including several with Lundin, and I have to agree, Cody is absolutely one of the best! […]

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SAM_0030

That Fresnel Lens in Your Survival Kit

Today’s common Fresnel lens, and the one a Woodsman should carry, is a super-thin business card sized piece of plastic.  Based on the 1822 lens design by French physicist Augustin-Jean Fresnel, it was originally intended for lighthouses, hence it’s larger aperture, shorter focal length and much thinner design compared to conventional lenses. For a lighthouse, […]

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Tinder Bundle made from the inner bark of Tulip Tree (Yellow Poplar).  Click on photo to enlarge.

The Tinder Bundle

  For fire and its continuation (chain reaction) three components need to come together: heat, fuel and oxygen.  So many folks into Outdoor Living Skills focus on the ignition or heat source.  While obviously a critical component, the other two-thirds are equally important… So let’s put ugly on the table.  Can’t tell you how many […]

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Cody Lundin explains the dangers of hyperthermia and hypothermia in his lecture about survival Tuesday night in the Smith Student Center Ballroom. He is the co-host of the Discovery Channel show Dual Survival and he has authored of two books.

Cody Lundin Shares Survival Tips with SRU Student Newspaper

An interview from the Slippery Rock University Student Newspaper with Cody Lundin.  Heads-up on a couple bad words if the kiddies are listening.  More than anything, posting this for one of Lundin’s perspectives on ‘survival’ television;  AND, why we like and list proven survival schools at this site, including Cody’s. Kudos to Slippery Rock University […]

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A 50 Year Old Tale of Survival

This post comes to us from Edmonton Journal and recounts the tale of a man and woman that crash a bush plane in a bad storm and fortunately both survive until rescue. Bob Hill was in Whitehorse to report on a minerals conference half a century ago when he got wind of the greatest news […]

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INTRODUCTION TO MASTER WOODSMAN

Master Woodsman™ is a blog.  Why is that important to you?  Well, it’s fed by woodsmen for woodsmen.  Some pretty darn good ones too!  We write about the stuff you want to read.  The great outdoors and everything in it.  From the golden age of camping and living historical reenactments to modern wilderness survival and […]

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Schematic of the Harlton Hacienda

The Harlton Hacienda (Supershelter) By Kyle R. Ver Steeg II, M.D.

I recently took a winter course with Mors Kochanski at Karamat Wilderness Ways.  We covered many different shelter types, but one in particular caught my attention. One of the things that Mors Kochanski has done with wilderness shelters is to update them with modern materials.  A piece of plastic, a piece of nylon and a […]

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Cooking Salmon over the fire.

Mors Kochanski’s Wilderness Living Skills/Survival Course 2013 by Kyle R. Ver Steeg II, M.D.

My approach to the outdoors has always been to learn what is needed to be comfortable in a given environment.  With the advent of shows like Dual Survivor and others, there seems to have been a shift towards ‘Survival’ as a mentality towards the outdoors.  While the term ‘Survival’ creates great marketing opportunities, it tends […]

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“Lost Teenage Skier Credits Reality TV Survival Skills” ~ update with TV Show Credit

Don’t get your panties in wad over this article just yet, it probably isn’t going to go the way you think based on the title. If you haven’t seen the news recently, here is a link to an article and video from a local news report about a 17 year old lost skier from New […]

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