How to use a firesteel

Today you can get a ferrocerium rod or a magnesium bar at pretty much any outdoors or sporting-goods store. And if you cant find it there you won't have any problem finding one at ebay or amazon.

You can dip it in water and immediately strike spark of it, a truly magnificent piece of kit. But still I see lots of people shocked when they see me starting a fire with sparks from a piece of metal i one hand and the back of a knife in the other hand. And I also see a lot of people doing it wrong.

To start and maintain a fire you need to fulfill three needs. You will need heat witch is the firesteels main job for starting the fire and the embers to keep it going. Then you will need a combustible material, this you can bring with you or you can find it along your route. And last but not least you need oxygen to have a fire but I am going to assume that you already have this. If you didn't have this you would have way bigger problems other than not being able to start a fire!

So lets start with the heat part: To strike the firesteel you will need a sharp corner on the back of your knife or a dedicated striker made for this purpose. Place the tip of the firesteel on the combustible material and scrape the firesteel with the corner. The friction from the scraping ignites the metal scrapings and throws a shower of sparks onto your tinder and hopefully set it alight. NEVER USE THE EDGE OF YOUR KNIFE TO SCRAPE!!! This will dull the blade that might have to save your life in an emergency situation!

Moving on to the combustible materials.

My all time favorite tinder for firelighting here in Norway is without a doubt birchbark! This wonderful material has a lot of oils in it and burns really well and is by far the natural firestarter that is the easiest to ignite. It is really rare that I do not manage to get a fire going with this at hand. In the norwegian woods it is really damp most of the time (at least where I live) so the bark will be really damp as well, I normally gather it as I'm going towards my campsites and keep it in my pocket as close to the body as I can. This will dry it out efficiently.

If you prefer man made/ processed tinder, then cotton balls dipped in petroleum jelly is a really good option as the part with the dry cotton will ignite with no effort and the jelly will keep it burning for a long time.


With this information you should be able to get a fire going with a firesteel and you can enjoy a warm, good fire without matches the next time you are out and about!


See You Soon! :)

What is the best survival knife?

This is a question that will never truly be answered because everyone has their own opinion, but I will give you my brutal and honest opinion anyway.

First of all I would just like to say that there is no perfect survival knife, A knife will get dull, it can break, you can lose it or it might chip. So you can not trust a knife blindly and the knives you carry with you when you are outdoors or that you have in your car should be sharp, solid knives that will keep an edge for a long time and that can be sharpened easy in the field eigther by a steel or a natural stone that might be used in an emergency.

My totally honest answer would be that the best survival knife you can have is the one that is in your pocket or on your belt when you are actually in an emergency situation so having a cheap, poor knife on you because you are just going for a short walk in the woods will have to do since you do not have any choice. That is why I always have a razor sharp quality knife with me at all times when I'm in the wild instead of carrying cheapo knives from time to time. You never know what might happen.

Then to actually specify what type of knife that is ideal seen from my point of view.
A knife is an extremely effective tool that can be used for a lot of different uses and to do all of these good it needs to fulfill some requirements. These are sharpness, robustness, thickness, ability to retain a sharp edge, a comfortable handle that fits your hand and a good secure sheath and ease of sharpening. I prefer a knife with about a 4-5'' blade as this is less prone to break since you won't have to much leverage. I also prefer scandi or flat grinds for edge retention and ease of sharpening.
So my recommended knives are: Any of the Helle knives , Ontario RAT 3, handmade bushcraft knives, Mora knives, Condor Bushlore and Fallkniven F1!

Review: Condor Bushlore bushcraft knife

Hi everyone

Today I will be giving you a written review of my Condor Bushlore Knife.

Practice makes perfect

No matter how good you are in bushcraft or survival theory, a lot of the knowledge will be practically useless unless you are practicing the skills regularly. And bushcraft is all about being outside enjoying what nature has to show and to give.

You should find an area close to your home where you can spend time outside as often as possible. Not only when the weather is good because some skills are needed the most when the weather is against you like shelterbuilding and firemaking. But bear in mind that you will need permission to build shelters and make fires unless you are in an actual emergency situation.

I'm blessed in having a forest within 5 minutes walk from my apartment where I can just pack some equipment, food and water and spend time there as often as I like due to Norwegian law that says all outside properties that is not part of agriculture is free for everyone to stay in. There I can practice skill, make an outside meal, camp or simply just have a walk and sit next to the lake for a while.

The more time you spend outside, the more comfortable you will be there. So get out and practice skill as often as possible.

See you soon!

Bushcraft kit

Everyone that is into bushcraft and survival are just like me, we obsess over kits! And for good reason, because a well constructed kit made out from quality gear can make your life a whole lot easier for both when you are out practicing bushcraft and for when you are lost and have to survive. In this article I will show you my kit and what the different items are used for. For the most part i like items that can be used for multiple uses as this reduces weight on your back and gives you more options.

So here are my items:

Backpack: A good and versatile pack is what makes you able to carry all your life giving equipment. It should be just big enough for your equipment because if it is too big it will rattle around and wear you out much faster than necessary.

Axe and saw: Out here in the Norwegian woods especially during winter the axe is one of the most important pieces of kit that you can carry. This will enable you to get into the dry wood inside the stems of dead standing trees, lets you cut wood that is large enough to keep you warm all night even during sub-zero temperatures and it also enables you to build strong and sturdy lean-to shelters. The axe should be super-sharp and kept like this. During the warmer, but still wet months a folding saw will suffice as you can cut wood of a smaller diameter and use your knife and a baton to split it.

Knife: I already wrote an article about the importance of a good knife here. This piece of kit should never be undervalued and should be on your hip or around your neck at all times as long as you are out in the wild.

Cordage: With cordage and a knife you can make just about anything you will need to live comfortably out in the wilderness. 550 paracord is my personal favourite, but any cord is way better than no cord. With this you have bowstring for fire and hunting, you can make nets, shelter and much much more.

Billy Can: This is THE bushcraft cooking pot! It is a simple tin with a lid and a handle made out of metal and can be used for transporting and boiling water to make it safe, you can make dinner, transport fire and use it when gathering. A truly versatile piece of kit. In the billy can I keep my firesteel, instant coffee, a spork and also collect tinder in it sometimes.

Hammock: As long as you have trees nearby, the most comfortable way to sleep out in the wild is by sleeping in a hammock. It gets you of the ground, can be used for collecting, fish traps and the cordage on it can be used for other things as well.

Tarp: There are as many ways on setting up a tarp as there is people, it can be a roof over your hammock, reflect heat, serve as a groundsheet, collect water and so on. It does not take a lot of space so always try to have one with you in your backpack.

Hat: You loose a lot of heat from you head when it is cold outside so then you need a warm hat, during summer you need something to protect your head and eyes from the sun and rain. It can also be used to collect things in.

Ferrocerium rod: The firesteel is a brilliant piece of kit and one of few that only has one function, it helps you make fire and will throw sparks no matter how the weather is like. It is good to have matches and knowledge of what rocks you can use and how to make friction fire but when the weather is against you this little piece of kit still work. I carry one on my body and one in my pack so that I am never without it when in in then woods.

Small first aid kit: In this I have equipment that can be used for small cuts, bleeds, strains and sprains, scalpel and painkillers to help the head to work properly when migrenes sets in.

Waterbottle: I use a camelback waterbottle made out of plastic. It has a wide top so that it can be used for gathering and since I have the billy can and the knowledge to stoneboil water it does not have to be fireproof.

Parts of my bushcraft kit

Pen and paper: This is brilliant for taking down all sorts of notes as you try new things or observe something. You can write down new local woods that works for friction fire, take notes on how a footprint changes during different weather and over time and so on.

Binoculars: Great for studying nature and wildlife, like sitting for a couple of hours regularly scanning your surroundings and the lens can be used for starting a fire in an emergency.


I probably forgot something while writing this list. I did not include special equipment like hunting weapons, fishing equipment and things like this since this is something I put in my pack when I'm going places where this will be used. A map and compass are a necessity if you are in a new place and belongs in your pack then.

I also carry a cup and some snare wire in my pockets.

If there is something I forgot or should add, please comment :)

See you soon!

Importance of a good knife

A VERY small selection of my bushcraft knives

The number one piece of equipment needed in bushcraft is a cutting edge, and in these modern times that is a good, reliable and razor sharp knife. When out in the woods you should always carry a a solid fixed blade knife that is razor sharp including the means to keep it so. I don't personally like to carry a folding knife as my main bushcraft knife as it has moving parts witch is just one more thing that could fail, leaving you without a knife when you really need it. But a folding knife is a real good item to keep on you as a spare knife and a knife that is always on you in case of an emergency.

There is a number of things you will need your bushcraft knife for. You will be using it to make different tools and utensils for your camp including feathersticks. It will be used for splitting wood that is wet on the outside so that you can get in to the dry combustible wood on the inside, to do this you will use a baton to hammer the knife throu the log. You will also be using it for food preparation, shelter building and a million other uses.

When choosing a knife for buscraft use you must put some thought into it and be careful not to step into the trap that is choosing a knife for its looks and name. You are looking for a knife that is sturdy that can be used for hard and though work for a long period of time. It will need to be able to keep a sharp edge for a long time and be easy to resharpen when necessary, carbon steel knives normally holds all these qualities and then some and should therefore be your natural choice of steel for your bushcraft and survival knife. Most people would say that this is a disadvantage because the knife will be able to rust compared to a stainless steel knife but as long as you take care of a carbon steel knife i will not rust, is much easier to sharpen and is able to create sparks when stricken against a sharp rock.

You will not have to buy an expensive knife that is hand made and so on. A simple Mora knife is easy to sharpen, cheap and razor sharp. All kinds of looks and colors are available in pretty much any outdoor equipment shop and webshops that sells such equipment.

So go out and get yourself a good knife that you will be enjoying for a long time. See you soon!

Animal watching

Most people are amazed when they see a wild animal out in its natural surroundings. Normally we see the animals as stressed and disturbed, mostly because they know we are there. On the other side there is nothing more exhilarating than calm and undisturbed animals out in the wild. To be able to experience this amazing thing, you will need some sets of skills and patience.

You must be able to sit perfectly still for several hours, masking your scent, knowing the art of camouflage and of course you must be able to know where to find the different species of animals.

The reasons for wanting to watch wild animals can be many. You may want to get a picture of what species of animals and the number of them recorded before a coming hunting season. Maybe you would like to get amazing photos of wildlife in their own undisturbed habitat. Or simply just wanting to get more great experiences under your belt.

A calm roe deer captured by my game camera

So lets go on to how this is done. First of all you need to do some preparation work. Animals are normally scared of the human scent which means that your scent needs to be masked. For thousands of years there have always been a lot of forest fires witch has put its scent on the terrain, this has made the animals accustomed to the scent of smoke and fire.  To imitate this, get into your warm, comfortable clothes that are earthly colored or camouflaged. Then you sit closely to the campfire until your clothes smells like smoke.

Then the final thing you need to do is to sit next to a game trail in a comfortable position (leaning towards a tree or a rock etc) and not move at all for several hours. The best time for this is very early morning like for example 4- 5 AM all until noon. Trails made by big game is also used by other small game so you can be prepared to see lots of different animals during the morning.

If you are in luck and your preparations are good enough you may be able to touch a deer or a fox so get out and keep trying!

Have fun and see you soon!