Three for Thursday: #Norsevember #Survival

I’ve always been fascinated by bushcraft, living (not just surviving but thriving) off the land. I love to build lean-tos, traditional woodland shelters, and, when I was a younger man, I did a lot of winter camping. I was never keen on lugging a tent about, preferring to utilize my natural surroundings.

So, with Norsevember upon us, I was thinking about what items would be most essential for a man (or woman) who was headed out into the bush. So whether you’re talking 1000 years ago or tomorrow, what do I view as essential gear, if I can only snatch three items?

THREE
FIRE

Fire is essential so you absolutely HAVE to have some means of building one, be it through a lighter, matches, or, a ferro rod, or, better yet, all of the above. I carry a fire source with me AT ALL TIMES. Just in case.

TWO
HATCHET

A good hatchet is a versatile tool and just generally an all around handy thing to have in the wild. From building a shelter to chopping and splitting wood to hacking up game or brush, this is something I lean on heavily. I am always shocked when I don’t see this on an essential gear list.

ONE
KNIFE

So, I carry on my person AT ALL TIMES, not one, but two knives: an Old Timer three blade pocket knife and a 9 inch Old Timer Cave Bear lock blade. I don’t know about you, but I use a knife nearly every single day in some way or another.