I was watching DJ from Bear Essentials and he reminded me that one of my bucket list projects was to build a traditional A-Frame with only primitive materials. However being on disability I’m going to allow a chainsaw, Haha. Being in Australia materials will differ from the Northern Hemisphere (Very few straight timbers) and the ground is generally too hard to dig by hand for a sunken floor. So Ive been going through the following clips trying to come up with a design to suit conditions here. However the East Coast Ive found usually has straighter regrowth timbers, that would look similar to European and US species. So it will be a combination of supports from Bushcraft GR with fireplace from Bear Essentials, super shelter walls from TA Outdoors, etc etc.

Bear Essentials

Bushcraft GR

Bushcraft Tools

TA Outdoors

Luxon Bushcraft

Alone in the Forest

Adam Arrow Outdoors

Clay Hayes

Life In the Forest

Survival lilly

Life of Mike (Post Burning Tutorial)

Ive just been sitting here with my leg up, scamming free wifi off the local hardware store and trying to catch up on my youtube and came across a new channel I quite like that I wanted to pass on. Outpour Outdoors. I really like the guys attitude and content to bushcraft. Hes not trying to sell anything.Just out there enjoying life.

Two of my favorite posts.

This is as far as I have gone with the bedroll until the woolen blanket arrives.

Ive used a Platatac gonk mattress inside the oilcloth.

Rolled up without the blanket

Closeup of the paracord soft shackle used for joining the eyelets.

The one thing I didn’t notice when first seeing this concept was there is no eyelet on this side for trying up the second side of the foot boot.

After purchasing the blanket I may have to modify this section with another eyelet. Tentsmiths did supply a small piece of extra material for patching.

I prefer the soft shackles to using toggles.

(I haven’t been getting much done recently. I’m on my fourth course of antibiotics to get rid of this persisting cough, which keeps me up all night. Leaving me with no energy to train or do rehab. A big thx to Darrin and Sage for helping to drag in the tarps and model the poncho for me. In-between me trying not to puke every 50 feet and coughing my ring-hole up.)

Poncho

I’m amazed the Tentsmiths poncho isn’t more popular on you-tube. Fits over the Swagman roll perfectly. Ill try and do a full review when I can get over this bug.

9×9 Tarp

We hiked in about 300 meters through the reserve with me coughing and trying not to puke. I was determined to get a post up. We only managed two variations and I was worn out.

What I didn’t like about the Holden was while setting up all the weight was on the front attachment point requiring a truckers knot to lift it up. I much preferred the Diamond where the front was placed into position and the weight was taken off the rest of the tarp. The Holden would have worked better using nylon I believe.

When I get a chance Ill be setting up the Method 2 Diamond and taking the extra time to attach cordage from the center tie to life the middle up.

A mates daughter made me a fox whistle out of two shotgun shell cases.

Ive been seeing lots of urban foxes and Id like to try and get some pictures of them.

I forgot to add the Slippery Hitch to the knots to learn list. There are only two uses I can really think of for this knot in bushcraft. One is for throwing rope over branches to set up food bags in trees or to throw a weight into a tree for setting up a parachute or tipi for example. The other use which really interests me is from Kevin the Wandering Woodchuck for setting up plow point shelters by doubling the cordage.

At 5:40

Brushing up on my tarp configurations for doing pictures of the Tentsmiths 9×9 and came across a Holden Shelter of Half Pyramid by H.J Holden in 1911. Very similar to a method 2 Pyramid shelter.

The method 1 Pyramid being tied from the point of a tarp. Method 2 from the middle and the second point of tension being the opposing point before the sides are pegged. With the Holden the 2 furthest most corners are pegged first before tensioning the middle of the tarp.

Id like to see which has more room using the same size tarp and whether your sleeping bag has more room sideways to the entrance or longitudinal.

H.J.Holden 1911

http://www.elbtipi.com/tent.htm

Diamond Fly Version 1

Diamond Fly Version 2

Holden Shelter