The Girl does a wintertime "No plastic No synthetics" overnight bushcraft challenge

[susannewilliams]

So the only thing I wore, had on me or used in any way that was synthetic were the soles of my boots.

Temps -8/-9c.

No tent, no sleeping bag, no fire by the shelter, no hot water bottle or hot rocks....

Gear:
Wool blanket, thin wool cloak with hood, reindeer skin, fur coat, fur hat. Flint and steel for fire. (Just steel. No fancy firestriker ferrocerrium rods) Candle lantern for light. No messing about.

All the gear I had was in my blanket roll.

Gotta say...toasty warm.

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[luresalive]

Superb, you live the life we dream of!

[f0rm4t]

Brilliant!
You've got some cojones Susanne! Did you do a vid of this one?
T^

[susannewilliams]

Hey, It was a great two days!

I am working on vid. My own camera jammed but sepp from waldhandwerk took some good footage. I am working on getting it.

Thanks for the asking. :-)

[OakAshandThorn]

Superb, you live the life we dream of!
+1 ;)

[FishyFolk]

Ah...of course you and Sepp woyuld get together. Looking forward to this one :-)

[Realearner]

You are so lucky, keep it up it makes me smile a lot.

[JonnyP]

You are so lucky, keep it up it makes me smile a lot.

What he said ^^

[susannewilliams]

Thank you guys. <3

[susannewilliams]

I tell you something else. Not bad to hang out in a string lounger in front of a camp fire wrapped up in a fur coat and woolen cloak. And later you can take that nice warm cozy bubble of warm air, and lay down on your raised bed, wrap up into a warm woolen blanket and never lose your nice warm air pocket.

Same when getting up. I really like this method. Do the same with my mountain serappe and jerven bag when I am not "going trad".

Although I do find myself going trad more and more often if I don't have any particularly strenuous trekkin or hiking goals, and am just out to spend some time in the woods.

Awesome get up for long distance horse riding too btw.

[susannewilliams]

Built a nice living room for my buddies... with a Bushcraft sofa and chairs... Cozy Girl style...


http://youtu.be/QdqiL80QyNQ

[susannewilliams]

Here are the pictures of the bed setup

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[Kernowek Scouser]

You are a mad woman Susanne!

I love your, posts, pics and videos, they are the perfect balm for the ache to get out and camp, afflicting this currently hobbled outdoors fan.

Good work that woman, thanks for sharing, T^

[susannewilliams]

You are a mad woman Susanne!

I love your, posts, pics and videos, they are the perfect balm for the ache to get out and camp, afflicting this currently hobbled outdoors fan.

Good work that woman, thanks for sharing, T^

Thank you! I promise to keep em coming... :-)

[susannewilliams]

The raised cot

It's a super modular method.

Whenever it gets down to -15C or so then you add a tent / tarp over the top and do a heated tent, or fill in the area under the cot with hot stones from the fire. Or you can put a lean to wall behind it and have a long fire in front.

I basically pretty much always start with this raised cot and then see what I need depending on conditions. It has never let me down, snow, mud, heat, snaykes, flooding, rain. None of it matters....

:-)

[BJ]

Great post, really informative. thank you. T^

[owen]

Excellent T^ just subscribed to your channel, keep the videos coming,

[susannewilliams]

Here is the full video of the event including a detailed description of how the bed works, how the hot stones can be put directly into the bed, a detailed look at the many uses of the jerven bag, and much much more. Thanks to my buddy Sepp Waldhandwerk for this great video!


http://youtu.be/E5pdkfk4Tf8

[susannewilliams]

We also show the use of a hand drill for making fire!

[Realearner]

What I want to know is when are you coming to the uk and setting up a course, well a play weekend?
Like the videos, been into your style since you first got on this forum, getting some good vibes.

[rawfish111]

What I want to know is when are you coming to the uk and setting up a course, well a play weekend?
Like the videos, been into your style since you first got on this forum, getting some good vibes.

+1 I know the wife would feel at more ease with a less 'blokey' setup. She enjoys a certain amount of Bushcraft but can be a little tentative

[susannewilliams]

What I want to know is when are you coming to the uk and setting up a course, well a play weekend?
Like the videos, been into your style since you first got on this forum, getting some good vibes.

Thanks!

Working on it, working on it. Probably later spring to early summer. We have a brilliant site in mid-wales we like to use, but I am open to location suggestions. :-)

[susannewilliams]

+1 I know the wife would feel at more ease with a less 'blokey' setup. She enjoys a certain amount of Bushcraft but can be a little tentative

Great! With us, it really is a very approachable thing. All about hanging out, getting comfy, building cool stuff, eating nice food, being warm, having good buddies around.

We do have a "girls only" course as well. Just because some of the lasses just can't get totally at ease with the lads around.

[Aragorn]

Can i ask were you got your blanket. Great post by the way :thumbup:

[susannewilliams]

Hmmm the blanket. It was at an army surplus place in the midlands I think. Kidderminster maybe. It's a proper thick blanket. :-)

[Aragorn]

Ok. Thanks sue, thought it may have been ebay, I've been watching a couple on there myself.

[susannewilliams]

This Swiss and Polish ones seem to be the best as far as I can tell

http://www.ebay.co.uk/sch/i.html?_trksid=p5197.m570.l1313&_nkw=wool+blanket+army&_sacat=0&_from=R40

[Aragorn]

Thanks sue

[Realearner]

How do you cut the long staves? As I only see you carry a knife, or is there an axe or hawk stashed. And what string is it you use? As for the furs, again where do they come from?

[susannewilliams]

Hi, the full length staves for the bed were cut with a bushcraft bucksaw. I just take the saw blade into the bush and construct the bucksaw.

Here an example - ENJOY! :-9


http://youtu.be/Cotj4qxyX4U

[Realearner]

Ah that's good, now I need to buy a blade so that when I next get to play (sometime soon I hope) I will have a go at that. Not sure my knots are unto much but my granny knot is good for most things ha ha.

[Tommy]

Hello Susanne

I just now stumbled upon this thread, a little late I'm afraid.

I think it is fantastic what you do. Since I'm not registered with Utube I have bookmarked your Utube channel instead of subscribing.

I really really really like your reindeer clothing, a lot! Did I emphasize that enough? :shocked:

[susannewilliams]

Hello Susanne

I just now stumbled upon this thread, a little late I'm afraid.

I think it is fantastic what you do. Since I'm not registered with Utube I have bookmarked your Utube channel instead of subscribing.

I really really really like your reindeer clothing, a lot! Did I emphasize that enough? :shocked:

Thank you!

I just really think that getting out from under the plastic bubble makes a huge difference to the intimacy with the land.

Also I slept warmer than I have in ages in such weather and I could have gone warmer still. Using wool and the reindeer pelt for the bed means that I could have put hot rocks directly under the reindeer skin. No plastic. :-)

(Of course for technical or alpine mountaineering and so it is is a different story, there you really WANT the bubble.)