“One of the most maddening things about a finishing up a woodcarving project is the wait for it to cure out. Will it crack? Will it stay intact? Who knows?”
Read moreInstructor Corps Pro Tip 4/30 - Ranger Bands on Fire
“They won’t catch a spark, but if you have an open flame, they’ll burn easily. Lighting one is like starting a mini tire fire. Even the small ones will burn for 10-15mins in all conditions, including rain and high winds, and they're virtually impossible to put out.”
Read moreInstructor Corps Pro Tip 4/23 - Why We Baton
“While processing firewood this way is more work on the front end than just gathering it up and trying to burn it, the rewards are well worth it. You’ll be blessed with fires that are easier to start, less likely to die, don’t smoke as much, and put off more heat.”
Read moreInstructor Corps Pro Tip 4/9 - The Possum's Dump Pouch
“But you only have so many pockets, and your pack is usually full of stuff already. So like any good marsupial, you need a pouch. The solution to this is to carry a military mag dump pouch (or a carpenter's nail pouch) with you so you can easily collect resources as you go.”
Read moreInstructor Corps Pro Tip 3/12 - Counting Your Pace
“There is no ‘hack’ to getting your pace count right. There are best practices, followed by lots of practicing. Go out and find a place to lay out a 100-meter course, and get to it. What if you’re not military or SAR? Is this relevant to you? Absolutely.”
Read moreInstructor Corps Pro Tip 3/5 - Conditioning an Axe Handle
“When you upgrade to an heirloom-quality axe, you’ll soon learn that there’s a maintenance schedule that comes with it. It’s not like the old Home Depot fiberglass-handle clunker that you could just throw in the toolshed and take a file to every now and then.”
Read moreInstructor Corps Pro Tip 1/29 - Reflector Wall
“Regardless of what shelter I set up, one of the first things I would do to try and give myself an edge in the battle against freezing to death would be to build a reflector wall.”
Read moreInstructor Corps Pro Tip 1/22 - The Case for Rest
“While getting proper rest may not seem important, consider the consequences if you don’t. One night probably won’t affect you too much. You won’t be at your best, but you’ll be alright. But more than one night in harsh conditions with little or no sleep, and things start to unravel…”
Read moreInstructor Corps Pro Tip 1/15 - Carving with a Hatchet
“One very common question we get (usually from those new to the bushcraft world) is, how do you carve with a hatchet? And if you’ve never seen it done, I can see how this wouldn’t make sense.”
Read moreInstructor Corps Pro Tip 1/8 - Brown Baggin' Your Carving Projects?
“One of the most maddening things about a finishing up a woodcarving project is the wait for it to cure out. Will it crack? Will it stay intact? Who knows?”
Read moreInstructor Corps Pro Tip 1/1 - The Overlooked Candle
“…if you’re wondering where I got the one on the right in the photo… I definitely didn’t snatch it from a candlelight Christmas Eve service, if that’s what you think. The Possum Mentality never sleeps.”
Read moreInstructor Corps Pro Tip 11/27 - Bushcraft Knife Sharpener
“But the Achilles heel of any knife is this: It gets dull. It doesn’t matter whether the blade you’re carrying is carbon, stainless, laminated, Gerber mystery metal, or a space-age super steel, it’s going to lose its edge eventually if you use it.”
Read moreInstructor Corps Pro Tip 11/20 - Situational Awareness for Tracking
“Of all the casualties of the smartphone age, three of the most important, and the most tragic, losses are awareness, attention, and focus.”
Read moreInstructor Corps Pro Tip 11/13 - The Kochanski SuperShelter
“We always say that we don’t do “hacks,” and we don’t. But this is the one thing we’ve come across that truly hacks the system – it allows you to bend the laws of the woods like Neo bends space and time in the Matrix. There is no downside, and there are no compromises. Interested? Then allow us to enlighten you about the Kochanski SuperShelter.”
Read moreInstructor Corps Pro Tip 10/23 - The Original Pocket Multi-Tool
“Today we’re going to talk about the granddaddy of all pocket multi-tools, and one that still puts most of today’s offerings to shame. We’re talking, of course, about the legendary P-38 can opener.”
Read moreInstructor Corps Pro Tip 10/9 - 4 Tips for Axe Safety
“If you follow these four tips, we estimate the chances of lopping your foot off are gonna decrease by approximately 937%. Maybe not. But at least you’ll know better. Whether you do better or not is up to you. Speaking from experience, bad habits are hard to break!”
Read moreInstructor Corps Pro Tip 10/2 - Char Cloth
“One of the oldest and most time-tested of all tinders is char cloth. It’s simply cotton cloth (or nearly any other woven plant fiber, really – you can use linen, jute twine, burlap, etc.), that’s undergone the process of pyrolysis.”
Read more