Reflections

I have to warn my readers, this post is not going to focus on bushcraft. In fact this blog will not focus on the outdoors at all. This blog post is going to be a summary of what this blog has taught me over a 10 week period.  This will most likely be my last blog post on this user channel. I set out to write seven blog posts in seven to ten weeks or so as part of a personal branding project. I am happy to announce I accomplished this task.

As I have mentioned in my first post, I am a business professional. More specifically, I am a marketer. Truthfully, the purpose of this blog (for me) was about learning the importance of branding and learning how to integrate multiple social media platforms to market a brand. The use of outdoors content allowed me to write about something that would not bore me to death and would also focus on something I am passionate about.

I would like to thank you for reading this blog and investing your time with me. I appreciate the comments and feedback, and I hope that I was able to teach you a thing or two about getting into bushcraft. I would like to express to you, my readers, what this blog has taught me and what I wish I could have done differently. During this time frame the most significant things I learned about were the importance of brand image consistency, content creation and driving/monitoring traffic.

• Brand Image Consistency: This blog has the same logo, and profile picture across all 3 platforms.This way people can associate the "Beardless Caveman" brand to an image and style. Additionally, all of my platforms link to each other and have a relatively easy flow between them. 
• Content Creation: Possibly the toughest part of this blog project was generating consistent content that would capture a readers attention. It is a time consuming task that is not as easy as you might think it is. Captivating content is what keeps readers and brand participants drawn in, and if you are not producing it, they will not remain loyal.
• Driving/Monitoring Traffic: Bringing people from the outside communities to an American bushcrafting blog (where bushcraft is essentially non-existent) is wicked tough. It required several tweets and updates on my all social media channels.

My biggest regret with this project was simply being spread too thin. With all of the projects and things I balance between my two jobs, full course load, personal life and still finding time to sleep, it was hard to dedicate as much time to this project as I would have ideally liked.

In conclusion I thank you for the time and interest you have dedicated into reading my blog. I hope I was able to shed a little light into the world of outdoors bushcrafting and survival. Please remember to conserve wildlife where ever and whenever possible!

Firecraft: The Standard Bow Drill

Fire is one of the most valuable assets a human can possess in any wilderness scenario. Fire keeps you warm, provides light, cooks food, keeps away bugs, signals help and prevents unwanted visitors (larger predatory animals). Realizing the importance of this element, I spent last summer learning how to start fire's using multiple different techniques. Of all the techniques I practiced, the most efficient method of starting a fire (except for a good old fashion match or lighter) is using what is called a bow drill. The bow drill consists of a bow, spindle, handhold, and flat board.

• Bow: A curved branch with cordage tied to each end (I told you the para cord will com in handy)
• Spindle: The spindle should be a straight piece of wood, cylindrical in shape roughly 6-8 inches long and 1inch in diameter slightly pointed on one end and flat (maybe a slight bevel) on the other end.
• Handhold: This is a piece of wood that you will apply downward pressure on the spindle with
• Flatboard: This should be a flat piece of wood the same species as your spindle, with a shallow hole carved into it 1 inch in diameter and 1/8th of an inch deep. Then take a small v shaped notch out of the hole.

Now if have these items assembled, please watch the following video for the proper technique, by the great Ray Mears.

I have personally created fire this way on multiple occasions just for the shear fun of it. Bow drills take some time and practice to get the technique down. However once you do it is a rewarding experience and I can guarantee you will never take another match for granted.

Multi-Tool Madness!

So this past week I have been stuck in the "great indoors". School, work and Mothers Day prevented me from getting out into the woods, however my mom was happy to have me home all day, so it was worth it. I digress. While stuck inside this week pouring over books and straining my eye's in front of a computer screen, I was struggling to come up with a clever or insightful topic to write about for the blog. It wasn't until I finalized my social media marketing class presentation that it dawned on me.

My presentation was over a company that produces one of my favorite every-day-carry (EDC) items, my Leatherman. Leatherman produces multi-tools, which are pretty much pocket knives on steroids. My personal Leatherman is the Wave and has 17 tools on it. This post is going to show how a multi-tool (my personal one) is useful in bushcrafting or survival scenarios.

• Plain Knife: This knife is too small for wood prep, however the edge is one of my sharpest making it excellent for processing wild game
• Serrated Knife: Cutting rope and cordage for shelter making can be a pain in the rear end on a plain edge knife, the serrated edge allows more traction for easier cuts through flexible material 
• Saw: Cutting precise clean lengths of flexible greenwood for shelter making. Game processing
• Pliers: I like to carry fishing line and a few hooks in my hat. Needle nose pliers are always handy when fishing. Additionally they can help tie tighter knots while shelter making.
• Scissors: Cutting cord, game processing, first aid (not primary recommendation due to lack of sterilization)
• Can Opener: If you have packed canned non perishables or sea rations, the can opener is a God send   so you can keep your knife sharp.

Just from the few examples listed above. It is evident that a good multi-tool can be a valuable asset to your outdoors kit.

Bow To Your Sensei: Ray Mears

If you were to ask the typical American who the most knowledgeable and skillful survivalist is, you would most likely be given back 4 names.

• Bear Grylls (Man vs. Wild)
• Les Stroud (Survivorman)
• David Canterbury or Cody Lundin (Dual Survival)

I will whole heartedly agree that these individuals possess a wealth of skill and knowledge that would surpass me and the average bushcrafter hobbiest by miles. However, I will disagree that any of those men are the best at taming mother nature. This is simply because none of these men hold a candle to the great Ray Mears. 

Ray Mears is a largely popular TV personality in the U.K. He is the leader of Woodlore (a prestigious bushcrafting academy), hosted a wide variety of bushcrafting/survival shows, and even trained military personnel on how to stay alive in the wild. Watching Ray work in the woods, to me, is like watching Van Gogh or Monet paint. This guy knows his stuff. Please enjoy the video below of the wonderful work of Ray Mears!

Cattails: Nature's Duct Tape

I was doing a small amount of testing this week with what I believe is nature's miracle plant. The good old Tyfa Latifolia, or in simple English, Cattails. I was on a walk and decided to cut some dead shoots and use them back at my place for some testing and creative brainstorming. Cattails right now are out of season, but are still "around". This means the fully grown ones are standing dead and newer ones will begin to grow soon. The mature Cattail can be identified by the green long stem shoot with a brown "corn dog" looking mass of fluff on the top of the plant. There are literally hundreds if not thousands of uses for the mighty cattail and you could probably write an entire book on it, however the key elements for basic survival are outlined below.

Fire: The fluffy seed pod on the top of a cattail is an outstanding fire starting material. One small spark and it ignites like wildfire and burns for a decent amount of time (if used correctly). If you need dry kindling in a wet Michigan spring thaw the cattail is your ally.

Food: The cattail is more than a pyromaniacs bff, when in season cattails can provide a crazy amount of edible calories per plant. Let's first identify the edible sections.

• Roots: The underground "roots" are packed with carbohydrates, and have a rather starchy taste (very potato-esque). 
• Shoot: When cattails are young and tender, the base of the leaves and shoot can be eaten like any regular vegetable and have a taste similar to a cucumber. This section is also rich in carbohydrates, protein and vitamins
• Seed Pod: I have never done this because it straight up weirds me out but I have read that the seed pod on young plants can be boiled and eaten like corn on the cob...  no thanks, I'll stick with roots and shoots. 

Shelter: The fluffy seed pod section can be used as a liner of insulation for gloves, shirts, shoes etc. in cases of extreme cold and lack of proper cold weather clothes. Essentially that seed pod can give you that warm fuzzy feeling only nature can provide :)

So if you ever find yourself in a pinch out in the great wilderness, the cattail is your best friend!

Utility Belts Aren't Just For Batman: The Bushcrafters Kit

Like many trades or hobbies, there is a usually a list of basic equipment needed to get started. Bushcraft is no different. The biggest question is: "What should I pack?". The answer to this question can be highly debated between practicing bushcrafters, however I have come to a solid conclusion: there is no "standard bushcraft kit". Essentially you need to find a system that works for you. I will start out by giving some thoughts to consider when making your bushcrafting kit, but, make no mistake, this is not the end-all-be-all definitive bushcrafting kit.

Missing: 5.11 Tactical Nylon Belt,

1L Nalgene or Aluminum Bottle

Tilly Brimmed Hat

Bushcrafting by it's very nature is minimalistic. My whole setup fits onto my "utility belt". When I created my setup, I used 6 basic items to gauge whether I should use it or not: Fire, Shelter, Food, Water, Warmth and Protection. If it can help provide one or more of those items I would take it. Then after a process of trial and error I found a set of items that works for me. My kit is as imaged (courtesy of Alphonse Photography) to the left:

• Belt: 5.11 Nylon Tactical Belt
• Hat: Tilly Canvas Full Brimmed Hat
• Hatchet: Truper w/ Hickory Handle
• Knife: Ka-Bar Hunter
• Container: 1L Nalgene or Aluminum water bottle
• Fire-steel: Light My Fire 3000 strikes
• Cordage: 24 feet para-cord in a bracelet

Here are my reasons for picking most of these items. 

• Belt: light weight & will hold all of my gear & won't rot. 
• Hat: Keeps my head warm & dry
• Hatchet: Split firewood, shelter making
• Knife: wild game & food processing, shelter & fire making
• Container: holds water, cook with
• Fire-steel: lights fire quickly for warmth, saves calories
• Cordage: shelter and fire making, game processing

For my kit, the hatchet and knife are two of my most important tools. If you chose use either of these (and I highly suggest you do) they should hold up to a torture test. My torture test is all wood preparation: Splitting, batoning, and cross cutting. Below are images of my torture test.

Splitting: Take your hatchet and drive it through a log (like a boss)

Batoning: Take a fresh wet thin & heavy log as a "baton" and use it to drive your knife through a seasoned log

Cross Cutting: Use previous "baton" and cut another log in half against the grain.






If your tools don't break after this torture test, then congratulations you have quality tools that will withstand the rigorous tasks involved in bushcraft!

Split like a champ

That wear is just character!

An Introduction to Bushcraft: The Forgotten Art

The forest holds a special place in my heart. Its beauty and provision paired with its power and unforgiving nature can make the wilderness a powerful friend or a bitter enemy. This is where knowledge and respect for all things wild become critical variables. This is where bushcraft becomes a necessity.

Let me start by saying bushcraft is not survival. Survival implies unintentionally exposing yourself to the elements of nature through a series of unfortunate events that leads to a negative, cruel and ill-prepared wilderness experience. Bushcraft is just the opposite. Bushcraft is intentionally exposing yourself to the elements of nature, prepared and armed with knowledge for the sole purpose of learning, meditating, relaxing and growing. It is an art and skill set that is unfortunately increasingly hard to find in our sleek, modern and fast paced society.

Allow me to give you a little background on myself. I am a clean cut young professional in a highly competitive business climate. I attend college and work in a thriving and bustling urban environment, however I was raised and still reside in the country or "the sticks". I was taught from a young age the basics of survival, utilizing the provisions of nature and respecting the natural balance of the wild from my father. In a nutshell, I am an educated, intelligent, clean cut bushman. I am a beardless caveman

In mathematics, the term "Constant" refers to a value that does not change. Bushcraft is my constant. It's relieving to me to know that no matter how stressful, hectic or chaotic my busy urban life can get, Bushcraft never changes. A spark starts a fire, a fire provides warmth. A blade builds a shelter, a shelter provides safety. A plant that is edible provides me with strength. A stream gives me water and keeps me refreshed. These basic elements of bushcraft are my constants, they provide a clear understanding of how simple life really can be. This blog will take you into the art of bushcraft and give you an understanding of its basic elements.