3 days solo bushcraft trip - new homemade axe, canvas tarp, roast over camp fire, reindeer skin etc.

3 days under a canvas tarp, sleeping on reindeer skin and spruce branches, making a roast over the camp fire, building a fire reflector etc. Open the full video description for more information.

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Date: January 2025

Day: 08°C (46.4°F)
Night: 02°C (35.6°F)

Hours of daylight = 8

Location: Scandinavia, west Denmark - sea, spruce/pine and hardwood forrest. Some of the most remote in Denmark, but limited how remote it can get. A lot of birds and deers etc. No bears, only a few wolves.

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Consuming: Water, spruce tea, roast (pork), soup (onions, potato, garlic, bacon).

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A few questions:

1. Who made the tarp?
Tschum in Germany. I am using an early prototype - here is the final version https://tschum.de/en/tarp156x300.html

2. What type of axe are you using? Weight? Dimensions?
Homemade. C45 steel and ash handle. Made it just before this trip. Karelian axe - a classic design from the Karelian people in Finland and west Russia. 900 grams (including the handle), 8cm cutting edge, 60cm handle, 16.5cm from pole to cutting edge. Will make a video showing how I make similar axe at some point in the future.

3. What type of knife are you using?
A classic nordic knife, offen referred to by the finnish name "Puukko". Homemade - spring steel and birch burl handle. Here is how I made it    • Making nordic bushcraft knife - blacksmith...  

4. How long does it take to cook a pork roast over a fire like that?
2-3 hours.

5. Why do you sometimes hit with the side of the axe instead of the poll?
Keeps the cutting edge away from your face and the larger surface area makes you less likely to miss. I usually only use the side of the axe in the beginning (when things can be unstable and or I don't need to hit hard).

6. What is you're kuksa/drinking cop made from?
Birch burl. Homemade.

7. Can I buy an axe, knife etc. from you?
No.

8. Who made the cooking pot?
It is a modified 2L Pathfinder Bushpot. Only the handle is homemade.

9. Do you hunt?
No - all food is from a local store. I only fish.

10. What did you use for sharpening after the stone?
Leather and sharpening compound on a wooden stick.

11. How long was the trip? And how did you get there?
4 days in the forrest and 3 days visiting DonVonGun's hot tent camp    • Hot-tent . Setup and enjoying . -12C outsi...   I did get there by train and cargo bike (SCO Short John from 1960's).

12. Why make the wall next to the fire?
Reflects heat and light back towards the tarp and protects the fire from wind.

13. Why bother making kindling and featherstiks for lightening the camp fire?
Most branches was soaked and in general was the forest damp.

14. Why no snow?
No garanti for snow here in Denmark but we usually get some.

15. Will you do more blacksmithing videos?
Yes.

16. Where and how do you live?
I live in a hot tent in a nature reserve in Northvest Denmark. Bought a tiny part of the naturereserve a few years ago and have been living here since when I am not traveling/doing bushcraft trips. It is just a homemade 4-6P lavvu made from spruce poles, tarps and nails. I just use the same gear at home as in the bushcraft trips videos - the small russian wood stove, the reindeer skin and the sleeping bag etc. The latest blacksmithing videos is made on the property.

17. Why add the spruce branches under the reindeer skin?
It ads warmth and padding. Also protects the skin from the wet ground. A reindeer skin ang skin in general losses a lot of tear strength if it gets soaked.

18. What if I want to do similar bushcraft but it is illegal on public land in my country?
You have a few options. 1. Ask land owners for permission. 2. Buy you're own land. 3. Look up the laws for public land in you're area and read the actual law text... Maybe you have some options you didn't know. 4. Travel to other contries with different laws for the wilderness experience. I personally do all 4 options.

19. What if I have a question that is not included in this video description?
Consider leaving a comment - I read all comments made within the first few days of a new uploade. If I don't see it - maybe someone else knows and is kind to answer. After the first few days do I update the video description with answer to some of the most asked questions.

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Some of the gear used in the video:

Tarp = Tschum
Cuting tools = homemade
Boots = Lundhags Forest
Pants = Klättermusen Gere 02
Anorak = Fjallraven Vardag
Sweater = handmade by local (not selling)
Binoculars = Celestron Outland 10x25
Backpack = Eberlestock Mainframe f1
Sleeping bag = Carinthia Defence 4
Sharpening stone = Gränsfors Bruks
Cooking pot = modified Pathfinder Bushpot 2L
Raindeer skin = unknown, from Sapmi

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Video gear:

Nikon Z30
Nikon 40mm 2
Nikon 50-250mm 4.5-6.3
Røde videomic NTG
Macbook 2011
iMovie