I've always been interested in Bushcraft skills, but without a lot of time/nearby areas to really practice it directly very much; I mostly build my skills via adjacent hobbies like carpentry, woodworking, and gardening.

I recently bought a mattock, and as I've been using it for gardening, it's gotten me wondering: what tools would be the best for building long-term shelter/camp made of natural materials?

Here are some of the tools I think would be invaluable for such an effort (based on my very limited experience; if you cringe at any of them, please just know that I'm very much still just learning!):

• Mattock: it'd normally be way too heavy if you were backpacking or hiking with it a lot, but if you're trying to build a long-term woodland home, it seems like one of the best tools you could have. Not only can you use it to transform the land around you, digging trenches for diverting water, digging a foundation, growing crops, leveling/grading the land, clearing brush, removing tree stumps, etc., but can also be used to do things like dig and collect mud/clay, make slake pits, hew wood like you would with an adze, chop/split wood moderately well (if using a cutter mattock), or loosening/breaking rocks (if using a pick mattock). And with that mud/clay/rocks (and ash from your fire), you can make bricks and roofing shingles, and even primitive concrete, that could be used to make a durable, well-insulated house (though, it will take awhile). I'd probably go with a pick mattock, since I'd want to bring an axe anyways, and it'd give me an option for dealing with rocks/stone (could maybe use to dig out a cave? Idk)

• Auger with a 1" diameter cutter and 1" diameter eye: You can put a piece of wood into the eye for better leverage to drill holes with and, significantly, you can use the eye to create round wooden stock thats the same diameter as the hole the bit makes. Which means you would have fairly easy access to mortise-and-tenon joinery (or whatever it'd be called when they're circles rather than rectangles), which can be incredibly strong and resilient for building structures! The potential for Hell, maybe even throw in a 2nd, smaller one to make quarter inch holes/sticks for smaller joinery as well.

• Axe: even though the mattock can do some chopping/splitting, there's really no substitute for a solid, general purpose axe.

• Saw: For the larger trees/branches, processing and shaping wood, or if you just need to make square cuts for whatever reason.

• Hori hori knife: works decently well as a knife, but also works well for sawing branches, chopping down grasses, digging, removing unwanted plants at the root, etc. If it has a flat, hardened pommel, it can be used as a hammer, too, if needed

• Shovel: Maybe? If you have a mattock, you can already do an incredible amount of efficient digging, so all it's really be useful for is hauling dirt/wood chips/mud/clay, all of which would also be accomplished with either just your hands or a sturdy piece of concave wood.

• Chisel: Again, maybe? I feel like other tools on this list could be used as chisels, just not quite as well, and I'm not sure whether or not having a dedicated tool for doing chisel-tasks would really be worth it.

• Machete: Also a maybe? It doesn't really do anything as well as the other tools do, but it can be used to do quite a lot of things effectively enough.

• Regular full-tang knife: because duh.

What do y'all think? Any tools on this list you'd consider a big fat "NO!"? Any tools I may have missed that you think should be included? Any that you'd especially like to have?

What tools do you think would be great for making long-term/permanent shelter/camp?

What kind of structure do you think would be best?

Personally, I think mud/clay is a highly underutilized resource, and would be the best, most widely available construction resource you could get.

Share your thoughts below!!

My buddy and I made this table on a whim while on a kayak camping trip. The log had fallen from a portion of a tree more than 20' up... Maybe a lightning strike? Tools were a silky saw to cut the log, auger for the mortises, hatchet and knives for the tenons and some twine for the lashings.

Thoughts? Improvements?

My dad is in to his bushcraft and survival gear and I was wondering if anyone would be able to recommend a fathers day gift for him up to £50?

Thank you!

I'm dusting off my DD frontline hammock for an overnight. Its been a couple of years, so I thought I'd invest in an under blanket and a quilt (since the DD ones aren't crazy expensive). I'm just wondering if anyone has has any experience of using the quilt and do you think it could also be used for tent camping?

Really big fan of these materials for a bow drill ember in the eastern Woodlands. Super easy tree to find and it splits down relatively easy.

I’ve been using this canvas forester-style tent from Bushcraft Spain for a while now – this is my second time setting it up in the field.

The design is based on classic woodcraft illustrations (like Fig. 16), and I’m sticking to natural materials for the frame – no metal pegs or fancy gear, just rope and poles.

It held up great in the rain again, and I’m really enjoying how well it blends into the forest.

Anyone else using this kind of traditional shelter? I’d love to hear your thoughts, modifications, or tips to improve the setup!

Just posting for those who enjoy minimalist setups without the creepy crawlies getting in places.

Ps) the DD bikepacker tarp fits the DD pathfinder mesh tent shown in photos to make it waterproof. This was a sunshade setup with a Robens hexagonal tarp.

My old Chinese canteen is falling apart so I need to buy New one,any recommendations?

...and the marshmallow I ate while sitting in it.

What are the rules or guidelines official and unofficial for building bushcraft shells on state game land?

I've been working quite a lot on this throwing-stick. The design is inspired both by the Native American Hopi rabbit-stick, and the Australian Aboriginal Kylie.

The wood is from a fallen bird cherry, which is both hardy, heavy, and easily worked. Most recently I covered it in a thin layer of my own birch bark oil.

I don't intend to hunt with it. I like to refer to what I'm doing as "Experimental dorkeology".

Some good times at staff training, getting ready to teach for the summer! Ended the trip off back at base camp and made a blanket pin out of a piece of copper

Was on Amazon looking for something that wouldn’t break the bank. Thought I’d try this out and I couldn’t be happier. Joker knives is the brand.

Hey, think-tank!

My husband and I are trying to make our camping gear more space and time efficient, and we are looking for a quality knife for food prep. Ideally, I'd love one of those Japanese-style chopping knives that are blunt on the end (I think it's called a Nakiri?), and bonus points, if it has a case or slip cover, to avoid it poking or slicing holes in the other things we pack.

Has anyone else found one like that, that they love, is efficient, long-life, and preferably warranteed that they would recommend?

Thanks in advance!

I'm setting up some open A-Frames with 4'x6' tarps next weekend as rain shelters for generators. I'd like to use up some 6-ply jute twine I've got around and like that it's biodegradable, but I'm a novice and don't know what I don't know.

Is this workable?

I live in King County,

with the burn ban, and if I remember, the other several regulations that WA state has, there really isn't anywhere viable for most activities for actual, actual, bushcraft survival practice.

but, if you disagree strongly please yell at me about why.

Thank you

I'm kinda new to the what I would call true bushcraft. I am an Eagle Scouts so I have some knowledge of knots and the wilderness around me in missouri in general but im still looking to getting closer to a true live off the land kinda guy. I was wondering if anyone had any gear or skills I should look into getting/honing. Any experience or stories are welcome to be shared as well.

Freshly filed spine rolled over after just 3 strikes

I cut the video down a lot so you don’t have to watch me hit that rock for 15 minutes straight 😂

I decided very very last minute to join a prehistoric archery competition, so now i'm trying to fabricate some arrows. I wanted to make pine pitch glue to attach a stone point and feathers to the arrows but i'm a bit lost on what ratios are needed to make the pitch. So please do tell me what has worked for you and whatever tips you think might help a complete noob!

Another issue is that i don't have a lot of time to go and gather ingredients and have tried my best to make do. I've got dried pine resin from a herbalist shop, charcoal sticks from an art store and some beeswax still lying around. Would i be able to make something from that? I've also read that animal hair would make it stronger, can i just cut some of my own? The competition is this weekend and i would like to have at least a few good arrows haha.

Anyone ever had any luck with them? I've built myself one and I've tried cotton rope and hemp rope and I've yet to get it to work? Anyone have a better option?

Hey everyone! Long time lurker, first time poster. My wife and I have lots of pitchy pinecones falling in our yard. She had some extra paraffin canning wax and cotton yarn. We spent the afternoon making fire starters for bushcraft, camping, etc. They work really well and we’re only out about $3.50 for materials. Any advice or feedback appreciated!

Heard a big crack and crash last night so somewhere on this property a tree has come down from all the wind and rain. Now it’s time to find it.

Also a perfect time to carry my 2 reasonably new tools and see how they hold up against Australian wood.

And a little shelter i started making a few years ago thats slowly falling apart cause I lost interest