Wild Camping Alone In a 40 Year Old Cold-War Era Canvas Tent (London UK)

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Wild Camping is definitely something special that I think everyone at some point, need to experience in their lives! We are so disconnected from nature that it is a known fact that we have misaligned our natural body clocks that it takes a good Four day camping trip, (without electronic gadjects) to be able to reset the body clock back in tune with our natural cycles!

Hence, why I wild camp – A LOT! … I’m hooked …

Join me in the below video where I have a solo overnighter in a small semi-urban woodland just outside of London UK, it rained, I cooked up some Steak on the camp fire, I practiced with the Slingshot ”Tirador” I brought back from a trip to the Pilippines, drank a couple Craft IPA beers, fixing a wound with my med kit, enjoyed the peace and generally being outdoors and most importantly … away from the four walled jail! There’s even a Female stag beetle (Endangered species, UK).

Thanks, by the way, anyone subscribed before the 250 mark will be part of the entry for the 250 subscriber Give Away draw! Camping gear and two prizes are on offer …

Cheers
Bushman AOD

 

 

I’m a Self Proclaimed Dendrophile

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Here’s a few photo’s from a recent wood recce I went on, this is one third (or part) of three large woodlands which merge together and although having public access throughout, they can be quite secluded in some spots so there is good amounts of wildlife to be seen …. (which sometimes is spoiled by dogs off their leads!)

I subsequently had an overnight wildcamping session here about a week or two later where it rained down on me for a good 10+ Hours non-stop! But I was a very happy man …
Two noteable creatures spotted and heard which aren’t as common especially nearer to London were a Muntjac Deer and I woke up to Owls (probably tawny owls) hooting in the morning for a few minutes.

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Beautiful Woods: just next to one of the common public trails
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Had to drop the rucksack for a few photo’s and take a look around for fungi
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These woods consist mainly of: Beech, Birch, Common Oak, Hazel and random Hawthorn, Yew and others.
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I set up the Polish Army Surplus canvas Lavvu tent as it was due to rain and as a chill-back / resting spot to brew tea and watch wildlife

Any videos of these events will be edited and uploaded to the youtube channel, thanks for stopping by, feel free to comment as comments are open to anyone even if you dont have an account!

Cheers
BushmanAOD

 

 

Stealth Wild Camping: Polish Lavvu Poncho Tent Alternative Setup

~ Bushman All-OutDoors ~ 2 Comments

I’ve been pondering alternative ways to setup my Military Surplus Polish Army ”Palatka” Poncho Tent for many months now spanning almost a year.
A couple weeks back I had an idea whilst about to fall asleep during a hammock camp session where I used on poncho as a tarp cover over my hammock.
This makes a great Low-Profile Stealth setup for anyone interested in Urban or Semi-Urban wild camping!

polish army surplus poncho lavvu shelter
polish army surplus poncho lavvu shelter single stealth setup

Viewed from around 5-6 meters away (Above)

polish army surplus poncho lavvu shelter
polish army surplus poncho lavvu shelter side view

I attached the shelter to the Ridgeline (the rope tied from both trees for the upper structure strength) using Prusik knots made with paracord (seen in Below photo)

Side profile is very stealthy of Polish Army Surplus poncho stealth shelter

For the Walk-Around of the whole setup and inside views, please refer to the below video:

Thanks for viewing, please feel free to share so as long as credit is given to this blog for my efforts.

Cheers from the London outskirts
Bushman AOD

Tasting A South Korean MRE / Army-Style Ration FIELD TEST

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It’s been a while, I know – Welcome back and sorry to my usual followers (the whole 2 of you … jokes) for not posting in a while.
This video is of a South Korean Civilain Army Copy Ration I imported from Korea, the taste was great and I did have a few of these rations before making the review video. The course was a Dehydrated Beef Bibimbap (Rice) which was great in flavour and quite authentic, I have been to Korea before and the dish I ate there reminds me quite a bit of this one.

MRE means ”Meal-Ready-To-Eat”, in this case the meal is not a true MRE as it still needs some kind of cooking process, real military MRE’s are designed to be eaten cold (Pre-cooked) in the case that there is not enough time to warm food rations up during military operations and battle)

Thanks for joining me on this one, I still have 3 rations which have been filmed (all Genuine Military rations) Which need editing and uploading and still about 5 more in stock awaiting their turn (both one meal [8hr+] and 3 meal [24 hour] rations).
At time of posting this article, my Military Ration Playlist has 6 Foreign MRE Ration videos for your enjoyment.

DETAILS:
Meal: Korean Beef Bibimbap – Menu #2
Kcal: 457 Dry Weight: 120g
Water needed for rehydration: 250ml
Other Requirements: Empty Stomach + Spoon etc

Video: South Korean MRE Ration (10 mins video, with sneak peek of one of my recent wildcam sessions in an Ancient Oak Woodland – it was a beautiful little trip):

CLICK HERE FOR VIDEO > > https://youtu.be/lDCAZz7GTSc

 

 

First Wild Camping / Bushcraft Session With The Family

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I have been wild camping and practicing Bushcraft on daytrips and overnighters now for almost a year, it was about time that my family came with me for an overnighter, especially to see how everyone copes with being outdoors with bare essentials …

polish army lavvu split configuration
Wild Camping Polish Army Palatka Lavvu Split Configuration Canvas

We brought the trusty Polish Army ”Lavvu” Palatka tent with the idea to divide it in two and re-connect it in the middle using a groundsheet tarp, I have never done this before but it worked relatively well! This is not my idea but most people use canvas to re-connect the two ponchos! The site was a mini meadow situated under / between three large Oak Trees on the oputskirts of an Ancient Woodland …

Wild Camping bushfire cooking dinner
Zebra Billy Can Lixada pot, campfire cooking Lamb Stew and Sweet Potatoes in the coals

Dinner was a Lamb and Vegetable Stew which was slow cooked and tasted GREAT! We also threw in a Sweet Potato each into the coals and ate them directly from under their charred skin.

Making Bushcraft Char Cloth
Made Char Cloth for Bushcraft Fire Lighting

I finally got around to making Char Cloth, this is a form of Bushcraft-y fire lighting tinder, I will write more on the subject in the future. I made this in the fire right after we served our dinner.

Crazy twisted cracks in wood elder sambucus nigra
How are these Crazy Twisted Cracks in this Elder ‘Sambucus nigra’

The following morning I was up first, as usual! haha, my youngest boy quickly woke up and wanted to know what I was doing, so we both went on a 20 minute look around the woodland (this is the woodland which I discovered late last 2018 and started Wild Camping in there around November / December) I was having a fresh look around as I have never seen it in Spring! Above is a dead Elder tree which was sporting some unusual corkscrew cracks running along it’s trunk!

hammock camping wild camping
Dad needs a rest! HE BROUGHT THE HAMMOCK! JUMP ON HIMMMMM

I love my Polish Army Lavvu tent (known in Poland as a ”Palatka” tent or Poncho), but I cannot emphasize on how stress releiving it is to swing in a hammock in the woods! …. It is special, my kind of therapy ….

I hope you enjoyed this little update, I will possibly put some of the footage of this trip on my channel and also share it here.

Thanks and have a great week ahead!
Bushman AOD

 

Field Testing a US Army MRE (Meal-Ready-To-Eat) Ration

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As some of you may know, I’ve been interested in MRE Rations for the last few months, Starting off with the Polish Army one, then Lithuanian, Spanish and now the USA. I have currently around 6 more from around the world waiting their chance at my stomach!

This was my fourth Ration documented on video, I have already enjoyed a French 24 hour Ration one weekend with the family as they were curious as to how they are … and it made for a fun day out! We still kept up the BushmanAOD tradition of field testing it outdoors – we went to one of my wild camping locations , set up a tarp and ground sheets, then had a great time preparing and sharing the contents … Of course I already replaced the French ration with a new one for the channel and blog! Don’t sweat 🙂

Enjoy:

Foraging Recipe: Stinging Nettle Seed x Eldeflower Smoothie

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I made an awesome smoothie today after foraging a small batch of Stinging Nettle Seeds, remembering I had some leftover Elderflower Water (Steeped Elderflower head/s in water), I decided to make a smoothie for the family ..

Foraged Elderflower Nettle Smoothie
Elderflower, Nettle, Avocado, Banana etc Smoothie – Foraged Smoothies

Ingredients:

  • Half or Whole Avocado
  • 1-2 Bananas depending on amount of servings (1 Banana for 2 adults or 3 kids),
  • Ginger Cordial (optional)
  • Elderflower Water (An Elderflower head steeped in water overnight in your fridge)
  • Cloudy Apple Juice
  • Stinging Nettle Seeds (Fresh but dry)
  • Spirulina Powder
  • Half Courgette (Zucchini) or Cucumber as alternative

Method:

  1. Break up the banana into pieces, throw in blender
  2. using a Table spoon, scoop out the acvocado and add in as well
  3. Add in a little ginger cordial, mine is very strong so I used about a tea spoon to spice it up a bit
  4. level or more teaspoon ful of Spirulina Powder
  5. using a potato peeler, remove the skin from the courgette (zucchini / marrow), chop up into chunks and throw in there as well
  6. try palm rubbing the nettle seeds to break them up off of their stems, add in to mixture
  7. I used a measuring cup and added about 40% Apple Juice with 60% Elderflower Water (One cup full of both mixed in that ratio)
  8. All went in, blended till smooth and enjoyed
  9. Spirulina powder taints it with a weird colour, but the taste was phenomenal – also, theres no need to add honey or any other sweetener!!

This is an excellent smootie that can really be tweaked depening on what is available in your home or fridge!

Thanks for joining me on this one
regards
BushmanAOD

Taste Testing Army MRE Rations: Spanish Armed Forces ICR (Video Review)

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It’s Military ration time again, this time I’m swinging away from Eastern Europe and going Mediterranean! I got the ‘Fuerzas Armadas Racion Individual De Combate’ or Spanish Armed Forces Individual Combat Ration – Lunch / Comida ”A”5 – that’s menu #5 on the lunch list!

Spanish MRE Ration ICR
Spanish Armed Forces | Individual Combat Ration – Lunch Menu ”A” 5 (MRE)

Menu and Accesories List As Per The Info. Booklet Inside The MRE (Meal Ready-To-Eat)

Food Menu:

  1. 1x Bag of Chicken & Pasta Instant Soup 13g
  2. 1x Tin of Tuna Salad (Country Style) 195g
  3. 1x Tin Cooked Lean Pork 200g
  4. 1x Tube of Apple Cream

Accessories:

  1. 2x Water Purification Tablets
  2. 3x Solid combustible Tablets (For heating the food on the Esbit stove)
  3. 4x Bags Of Defatigant Isotonic Powder with Vitamin C 5g
  4. 1x Chewing Gum
  5. 1x Envelope of Matches (20 Matches)
  6. 1x Stove For Warming
  7. 1x Bag Cellulose Paper (10 Sheets)
  8. 1x Fluoride Toothpaste
  9. 1x Instant Hand Disinfectant
  10. 1x Info. Label

Video of the Review – Filmed Outdoors at my first Wild Camp location:

In conclusion, this was a very tasty and satisfying MRE / Ration! Albeit a little bit over the top with salt (it had a stock chicken and pasta soup which together with the salty lean pork main was a bit too much for me). I made the mistake of not reading the information booklet thoroughly, it has an ”Instructions” section which I thought was only for the Esbit Stove and Water Purification tablets etc. but it also gave instructions for the Isotonic drink powder.
My mistake was using two of the Isotonic sachets to make a +-300ml drink and it was very bland and almost tasteless, although being correct that the dosage of four sachets should be split into two, I made it with too much water.
Had the drink been a little bit more sweet and tangy, this would have offset the saltiness from the main and soup.

Interesting facts about Spanish Field Rations and Military Procedure is that, according to commenters from the Spanish Armed Forces, troops are issued with a hard-tack biscuit / cracker ration at the beginning of the day. This ration is kept aside and ONLY used IF there is no fresh bread supplied from a field kitchen, according to them, the supply of Fresh Bread is a high priority for troops in the field and deployment hence why the rations lack packed crackers / biscuits such as those in French and Eastern European rations.

I noticed the lack of Coffee or Tea, I expect the Spanish prefer Coffee and I suspect that the same field kitchen would probably be supplying fresh Coffe as well however, this is just my personal speculation.

I have since received two MRE / Rations, one 24 hour from Southern Europe and another 24 hour from a Eurasian country! … With 3 others on the way from other parts of the world so swing by, hit follow and keep an eye out for those.

Cheers
BushmanAOD

Surviving The Cold: Porfiry Ivanov – mini documentary

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I found this particular interesting mini documentary about body temperature / range, cold weather and survival. It seems to me that we have become so disconnected with our natural world that we ourselves create to an extent, our own misery, ailments and illness … this resonates with my own observations and understandings of the natural world … no ”scientist” can come along and try to convince me otherwise!

I have lived in many extreme climates from the African Arid bushland (Temperature ranges from around -4 degrees centigrade through 35-40+) , to the deserts of the Middle East (Highs of 50+ Degrees centigrade), spent time in the high humid climate of S.Eastern Asia (+40 degrees with very high humidity levels) and now living in the temperate climate of England (Temperature range from +- -10 degrees through +30 as I am near the ”micro climate” of London and it’s surroundings.

The Only Thing I UNDERstand Is Nature …

I hope you find this interesting as I did, thanks for stopping by the blog, commenting is free to anyone you dont need to have a wordpress account, just post as a guest!

Cheers,
Bushman AOD

Off Grid Festival 2019 – Devon

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I attended this festival in 2018, it is an extremely fun, family-freindly event, great for kids and mainly getting away from the city / towns to re-set your body clock! There are so many free workshops, kids events and entertainment that once you have bought your ticket is it purely up to you to spend money at the market and on food if you need to …

We had a great time and I highly recommend this event, it is relatively new and speaking with some of the volunteers last year, they usually don’t make enough money on ticket sales to cover the land rental, but, because it is a positive change movement they are keeping on with it until it can be self supportive … Hats off!

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The new location (from 2018) has STUNNING views of Appledore / Instow and the estuary with the sand dunes and beaces – the event is in Tapeley park, Instow Devon.

Another World Is Possible …

Site: https://offgrid-festival.co.uk/

Tickets: https://offgrid-festival.co.uk/buy-tickets/