LATEST OUTDOOR GUIDES
Keep up to date with the latest guides, activities and resources from Pure Bushcraft. Explore new articles covering outdoor skills, survival, Scout activities, camping, navigation, knots, fire safety and practical skills.
Our latest posts are designed to help Scouts, youth groups, leaders and anyone interested in outdoor learning develop practical knowledge and confidence. From new activity ideas and survival skills to useful how-to guides, check back regularly for the latest resources.
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How to Look After Your Outdoor Equipment
Outdoor equipment doesn’t have to be expensive to be useful, but it does need looking after. A muddy pair of boots, a wet jacket or a camping stove left dirty after a trip can quickly become a problem the next time you need it. Learning to look after your own equipment is one of those…
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How to Pack a Day Bag for an Outdoor Adventure
A good day bag isn’t about carrying everything you own. It’s about taking the things you are likely to need and knowing where they are when you need them. Learning to pack your own bag is a useful outdoor skill because it gives you a little more responsibility for your own adventure. You start to…
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How to Choose the Right Outdoor Clothing for Children
What you wear outdoors can make a surprisingly big difference to how much you enjoy yourself. A sunny morning can turn into a cold, wet afternoon, and a pair of shoes that feel fine on a pavement might not be so comfortable after a few hours on a muddy woodland path. Choosing outdoor clothing isn’t…
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Understand Basic Outdoor Safety
Going outdoors should be an exciting experience. Whether you’re heading into a woodland, walking across the countryside, going camping or simply exploring a local park, a little knowledge about staying safe can make a big difference. Outdoor safety isn’t about being worried about everything that could possibly go wrong. It’s about knowing what to look…
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How to Stay Safe in Lightning While Camping
A thunderstorm can turn an enjoyable camping trip into a serious situation surprisingly quickly. The rain itself might not be the biggest problem. Lightning, sudden gusts of wind, falling branches and rapidly changing conditions can all make being outdoors hazardous. The good news is that you don’t need to be able to predict exactly where…
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How to Make an Improvised Crutch
If someone injures their leg while you’re outdoors, getting them back to safety can become a real problem, particularly if you’re some distance from a road or other help. In a minor injury, a temporary walking aid can sometimes make moving around easier. If the injury could be a fracture or is otherwise serious, however,…
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How to Whittle Tent Pegs
Making your own tent pegs is a simple campcraft skill that is surprisingly satisfying. You don’t need much equipment, and once you know what makes a good peg, you can make one to suit the ground and the shelter you’re putting up. A homemade wooden peg doesn’t need to look perfect. In fact, a roughly…
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How to Baton Wood Safely
Batoning is one of those bushcraft skills that looks fairly simple when you first see it. You put a knife into a piece of wood and use another piece of wood to tap the knife through it. In practice, there is a little more to it than that. The choice of wood, the knife you…
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How to Sharpen a Knife
A sharp knife is generally easier and more controlled to use than a blunt one, but sharpening is a skill in its own right. A blunt blade often encourages people to use more force, which can make slips more likely and makes simple camp tasks harder than they need to be. You don’t need complicated…
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How to Make a Smoke Signal
A column of smoke can be visible from much further away than a person, particularly in open countryside where there are few other sources of smoke. In an emergency, a controlled smoke signal can therefore be useful for attracting the attention of rescuers or other people who may be able to help. Smoke signalling is…
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