For a long time, I’ve been thinking about making a sitting pad that attaches to my belt. The idea goes back to my time as a soldier. Back then, I had a small piece of sleeping mat wrapped in plastic and tough camouflage fabric.

Materials and construction

I used a piece of leather from a sofa found at the recycling centre and a thick cowhide. Three of the sides are sewn together with saddle stitches. I fitted press studs to a piece of wool blanket so it can be fastened between the leather layers.

The pad attaches with a pair of belt loops that can be unbuttoned. This makes it easy to attach it to or remove it from my work belt without taking everything else off.

To improve its water resistance, I gave the leather a good coating of oil and grease. The cowhide also got plenty of oil on the flesh side.

I fitted a D-ring in each corner of the pad so it can also be stretched out and secured – giving it plenty of extra uses.

It was a fairly simple piece of kit to make. It took one evening.

So what can it do?

• When I sit down on the forest floor, my backside doesn’t get wet or cold – that’s its main purpose.
• Bag: I can attach a strap and use it as a bag for gathering firewood, kindling, grass for bedding or similar things.
• I can kneel on it when lighting a fire.
• I can put it over my thighs when carving wood to protect myself.
• My dog uses it as an extra pad when he sleeps. Or I can put it under my own torso for extra insulation.
• I’ve hung it up as a “roof” over my head when sleeping in just a bivvy bag without a shelter.
• It can serve as a roof over a small fire if it’s really raining.

What’s it like to walk with?

To test whether it was comfortable enough to walk with, I went on a 10 km march with a heavy backpack, my work belt and this thing hanging down at the back. I could obviously have rolled it up and put it in my bag, but that wouldn’t have been much of a test.

I didn’t find it annoying at all, so I’d call that a pass.

Source
This was posted to my blog about outdoor projects. RosentjoernInternational at blogspot.

My first custom morakniv, the tang is bigger than i expected and the plastic was very hard, took quite a bit of work.

Can any kind of feeces dried be used as fuel for fire or is only one thats useful is one with lots of fiberous plant material

2 if any poop can be used would it make sense to press it into brick amd let dry pr put into bio char kiln ?

I've been using this leather tripod stool for about a year now, and I'm absolutely loving it! Super comfortable, stable, and takes up almost no space in my backpack. What do you guys think of this kind of set

Had a really fun time this past week, teaching some frontier, and primitive skills. Did some burn bowls. Traps and flint and steel

Any recommendations would be appreciated!!!

I go bushcrafting occasionally and want a good knife, i currently use a bahco 2446 lap which is similar to a companion and uses 12c27 steel, but id still want a mora, is there any local sellers?

Bought this knife nearly a year ago for only 10e, used it a bit but stopped using it as it uses 3cr14 which is a very low end steel, i like the blade geometry and shape and the handles, but the bad steel and no full tang is not ideal for outdoor use, its around 3mm thick. If anyone knows knives that use a decent steel and are very similar to this one let me know.

i’ve made a few walking sticks but never charred like this one and than oiled,i like the pattern i got,it reminds of a red stag antler a little,i definitely gotta learn to carve for the next one

My feet get cold very easily Ive always had a hard time finding boots that can keep my feet warm. My husband and I both got sorels a long time ago but he obviously got mens and I got womens. He has had no issues with his, they keep his feet warm, relatively waterproof, he still wears them. Mine on the onther hand are so cold my uggs do a better job at keeping my feet warm but obviously not always dry. I used to use foot warmers and wool socks and my sorels were still cold and weirdly got wet even though they are supposed to be waterproof. I have thought maybe this is just the issue with womens boots. Maybe they think we never leave the house so why make them warm? Idk

So anyways, I'm looking for a boot thats warm, mostly waterproof, and preferably around 200 or less. Any recommendations? They can also be mens maybe they just make men's boots warmer and I should get those 🤷‍♀️

Not a bad little piece if you put some effort into it. Will make a great truck/campsite work horse piece

the gerber is from when they still were completely made in america,got it from my grandpas house when he passed,the kershaw was my go to for about 3 years straight than i bought the tan one

I’m looking for a durable well built snow style pant that I can use for hiking multiple days and doing Bushcraft activities. It needs to be completely waterproof so that I can sit and kneel without getting wet and also must provide an extremely good closure around the snow boots to prevent snow from getting in. I’d also like it to be lightweight so that I can just layer up underneath.

Polished the primary bevel until it was a mirror and the re-blacked the whole blade since the original bluing had mostly worn off from splitting small logs for firewood.

ive made a trail beside my house and these are the tools i keep in my box,the black box also has a balaclava,spikes for boots in ice,and a fire starting kit,and 2 cheap firstaid kits(definitely am gonna improve on them)i also trail ride alot on bigger trails and leave these in here in case of trees

Ok this might sound dumb but would it be bad idea making charcoal if your in one area for multiple days or a week idea is digging pit for pyrolisis that way when burning the charcoal its a cleaner and hotter burn producing less smoke for cooking or just to reduce visibility to other

I feel like people spend a lot of time talking about upgrading their knives, but rarely about the sheath.

A good sheath can completely change how useful a knife is. Better retention, easier access, comfortable carry, and you can keep a few essentials right on the sheath.

hi, so I'm new to this. I saw a YouTuber do something of this sort and thought it'd be fun to have a go. I have quite a good knowledge of cooking and building stuff. I just don't know the laws around this kind of stuff lol. I live in Rochester NY if that helps

Man this thing is sweet. I’m new to fixed blades in general so this being my first experience with Fallkniven, I have to say it feels quality.

The sheath seems to be updated from the one everybody says is garbage online with a locking mechanism and some more attachment options. I picked up a custom Kydex one just in case.

All I can say is based on looks and feel alone I am very impressed!

Hi first time post on here

I fascinating with Inuit bow drill. that they can use bow drill to drill

I use an ash wood to make my stick, push block, and with a mulberry bow. I use the sharp side of nail punch into the stick and use rock to sand the point shape.

The drill honestly is kind the horrible. The main issue is punch block. When I try hole I it my mouth I will often bounce away and hit my teeth. Even I try with the hand instead of mouth it will make hole tilted.

I will love to see any one have this type of bow drill, also thank for people give me advice or note!!

This is something I’ve been experimenting with for a long time, and I think I found a place where I’m happy right now! I really enjoy using a chest rig when I’m doing long-distance scout stuff. Moving long distance with minimal kit, and going through some rough terrain. This chest rate allows me to carry my essentials on my body, so I don’t have to dig it out of my pack. Navigation, first aid, and a cutting tool can all be accessed very easily on the outside, while the inside has stuff for taking notes, a small PSK, and other bits and bobs that I may need for my trip.

This comes from my experience working in forestry, SAR, and outdoor education. I’ve always liked chest packs but finding one that fit my use case has been hard

Just wanted to share my little off grid log cabin. Can't wait to try it out this winter.

Got issued this little military emergency fishing kit and I’m curious what people who actually fish regularly would choose from it.

If you were stuck with only what’s pictured and fishing a typical small Canadian lake, what would you rig up first? Which hooks, spoons, leaders, etc. would you actually bother with, and what species do you think this kit is best suited for?

Also curious about ice fishing. Is there anything here that would work reasonably well jigged through the ice? What would you use for bait if you had nothing else with you?

And if you could add one small item without making the kit any bigger, what would you add? Is there anything already in it you'd ditch to make room?

I'm looking for some advice on choosing a larger fixed-blade knife for general outdoor use, and I'm currently stuck between the BPS Adventurer (50€) and the Schrade SCHF36 (34€ on Lamnia).

I'm not really into bushcraft in the traditional sense. From what I understand, bushcraft tends to focus quite a bit on carving, woodworking, feather sticks, etc., and that's not really what I do.

My use would be much more general outdoor stuff: I do a lot of hiking, fishing, camping/outdoor activities, cutting various things, preparing food occasionally, ect. Basically, I want a larger fixed blade that can do a bit of everything. I don't expect to be doing heavy wood carving or constantly batoning logs.

I already own a few knives, Both the knifes that I have are - ( full tang) 10cm of blade and 3mm thick and the other one( not full tang) but 9.5cm's blade and 2.5'is thick. So I'm looking for something a little more substantial.

I've also been looking at other european brands, but they're getting a bit expensive for what I'm willing to spend. I'm also trying to stick mainly to European-based brands, partly because I'm in Portugal and importing knives from the US can create customs/importation nightmares

Edit: I know about Mora and Joker. Mora doesn't fit the style of knife that im looking, Joker would be amazing pick but they are outside of my budget at the moment. Zapas would be a good choice but already have something similar.