I recently went for an impromptu camp out between two days of work in the Peak District, and with it being the type of adventure a lot of my clients do regularly I thought it might be fun to share some photos and compare notes.

Following along from the last blog on looking after your boots, I wanted to highlight a couple of quick things I do to my axes to care for them after returning from time in the woods.

This blast blog of photos hopes to give you an insight into how I look after my boots every once in while, when I'm home from the trail. 

During our recent Bushcraft and the Canoe Day we covered several knots and their applications. In general we keep things simple in bushcraft, knowing a few choice knots that can be widely applied is better than having a different knot for every conceivable situation. 

Continuing a look at my preparations for the upcoming canoeing events I'm co-running (see here if you'd like to get involved!) this article will centre around what goes into the larger 'portage pack'.

There are a few items that I consistently have with me no matter where I'm going, and a pocket first aid is one of them.

In terms of heading outdoors, it's a key piece of kit. Certainly if i'm taking a knife then my pocket cuts kit is the very next thing I pick up. The tiniest cuts can become a real issue if left open to the dirt and detritus of the outdoors...

With our canoe expedition launching next year I thought this to be a good time to refresh a key bit of equipment in my outdoor outfit: my personal buoyancy device. Until now I've typically borrowed PFD's from centres or friends when I've been out on the water, but given that this aspect of my outdoor pursuits in increasing in frequency I'm using it as a good excuse to finally buy my own! In this article I'll outline how I ready a PFD for backwoods travel, in unison with what I carry on my person.

The third and final knot in the series I use regularly to pitch my tarp when camping. In the last article we looked at anchoring one end of the ridgeline with the Evenk Hitch; this article with cover the knot at the other end- The Taut Tarp Hitch. These two hitches used alongside the slippery guyline hitch are all you need to secure a tight and evenly pitched tarp.