The Practical Woodsman

Watch me eat lots of crow, admit I'm wrong, and ask for forgiveness. I plead for your help with something I am working on and I appeal to others who share similar attitudes to me. Terminology has been corrupted - why 'bushcraft', 'survival', 'wilderness backpacking' have strayed from the ideals that they once represented. John Muir. Simon Kenton. Why short-sleeved shirts will mark you as a silly greenhorn in the woods by woodsmen. Stinging nettle. Why the Appalachian Trail is nothing for you to go bragging about to true woodsmen (and woodsladies). 

Join our online community! Go to thepracticalwoodsman.locals.com. I ain't gonna lie to you - it is as dead as a forgotten graveyard there right now. But it doesn't have to be! And I'm active there. 

#eatingcrow #bushcraft #survival #wildernessbackpacking #backpacking #trekkingpolesarestilldumb #woods #backcountry #wilderness #intimacy #mountains #stingingnettle #appalachiantrail #shelters #mileage #topomaps #topographical #johnmuir #simonkenton #terminology #help #feedback #corrupted 

The difference between hiking, backpacking, and 'camping', and sex with no intention of ever having an orgasm - what's the point? Modern camping is not a real outdoor activity. 

Wilderness backpacking as an activity inherently includes both hiking and camping. But hiking as an activity does not inherently involve backpacking or camping at all. And camping as an activity does not inherently involve backpacking or hiking at all. Confused yet? 

Would it be realistic for a character in a book to survive until morning without frostbite if he or she collapses in the snowy woods in the middle of the night? Trekking poles are really, really dumb. A brand new regular feature for the show: Campfire stories! My little brother once slept all night perched high up in a pine tree next to Taco Bell.

I'm a big fan of floorless, tipi type tents for their superior weight savings, space offerings, head room, stability in foul weather, and more. Two of my favorites are the Black Diamond Mega Light and the Luxe Hiking Gear Hexpeak 2P Tipi Tent. I show them off a little here. Also, I talk about cooking (and more) with the BCB NATO British water bottle and NATO Crusader Cup. 

There's no such thing as bad weather, only of not being properly dressed. Wind, elevation, temperatures and other considerations. I hate having to make conversions between Fahrenheit and Celsius. 

Walking sticks and trekking poles do not make hiking easier. The first time I heard of trekking poles, I said to myself, "There's no way on earth people will actually spend money on those things." Boy, I should have known better. 

Ever hear of Pet Rocks? 

Which attitudes better compliment the purpose for being out in nature in the first place, and which attitudes further contribute to alienation? 

Join our online community at thepracticalwoodsman.locals.com, or download the Locals.com app from the App Store and search for The Practical Woodsman. 

#hiking #backpacking #camping #tipitents #campcooking #sex #trekkingpoles #blackdiamond #blackdiamondmegalight #luxehikinggear #hexpeaktipitent #bcbwaterbottle #britishcanteen #bcbcanteen #natocrusadercup #crusadercup #practicalwoodsmanstew #timberrattlesnakes #rattlesnakes #snakes #campfire #campfirestories #thepracticalwoodsman #survival #bushcraft #snow #appalachia #appalachian #campstew #thepracticalwoodsman

All about outdoor hats for survival, bushcraft, and wilderness backpacking. Do 'outdoor hats' like fedoras, cowboy hats, Australian outback hats, and so forth, serve legitimate purposes out in the backcountry? Or is it all for vanity and show? Is it just part of an 'outdoorsman costume'? Are there good reasons to make a brimmed hat a permanent part of your outdoor gear? 

In this episode I show off a multitude of different brimmed hats and talk in detail about them: Fur felt fedoras, wool fedoras, leather fedoras, genuine Panama straw fedoras - both rigid and roll-up types - toboggans ('beanies' or knit hats), and even paper fedoras. I show off an actual Indiana Jones fine wool fedora made to the same specifications as the hats for the film Raiders of the Lost Ark. We talk about Miller Hats, Stetson, Hats In The Belfry, and Borsalino. I talk a bit about the Stetson Bozeman Outdoor Hat. 

I'll tell you all about where Genuine Panama Straw Fedoras come from and how they got their name. It involves a man named Theodore Roosevelt and a visit he made to the Panama Canal. 

Join our online community at thepracticalwoodsman.locals.com, or by downloading the Locals.com app from the App Store and searching for The Practical Woodsman. 

My favorite places to shop for hats: millerhats.com, stetson.com, hatsinthebelfry.com

#outdoorhats #survival #indianajones #bushcraft #fedoras #cowboyhats #australianoutbackhats #brimmedhats #woolfedora #furfeltfedora #genuinepanama #genuinepanamafedora #leatherfedora #raidersofthelostark #millerhats #stetson #borsalino #rolluppanama #stetsonbozemanoutdoorhat #stetsonbozeman #tractorsupplyco #tractorsupply #strawhat #stetsonstrawhat #mosquitos #horseflies #deet #campfire #gnats #appalachian #appalachia #thunderstorm #beaverfur #beaverfurfedora #dumpsterdiving #ecuador #teddyroosevelt #theodoreroosevelt #panamacanal #backpacking #wilderness #backcountry #outback #survival #bushcraft #thepracticalwoodsman

Why practicing bow-drill fires is impractical and silly in most cases. The true nature of most true survival situations. Why emphasis on catching wild game in true survival situations is ridiculous. Five practical tips for how to normalize the idea of eating bugs for yourself, and why this is important. The basic items I always carry in my right pocket. Knots are cool and never-ending, yet you only realistically need to learn three or four of them, total. The principle of never entering the woods without multiple ways to start fires. Why getting into the habit of always having a few simple tools on you is much more practical than practicing skills you’re never going to use out of true necessity. Why learning the basic principles of things is often better than lots of details. I don’t depend on water filters, I’ll tell you the reason why and what I depend on, instead. We’ll talk about mezcal and John The Baptist.

Some of the gear shown throughout the video version of this show: The fantastic Black Diamond Mega Light Tent. Victorinox Swiss Army Knife Evolution Grip S17. Ektos 100% Wool Blanket 5lbs. Klymit Insulated V Ultralite sleeping pad. The Luxe Hiking Gear Hexpeak 2P Tipi Tent Shelter. The BCB British NATO Osprey 58-pattern water bottle and the NATO Crusader Cup. My Merrell Work Cham 8 Stretch Tactical shoes make an appearance. The kettle is the iBasingo or Boundless Voyage 1.4 L Titanium Kettle. 9TiEDC Flint Fire Starter with Whistle. My pocket pouch is by Hide & Drink from Amazon.

References are made to REI Co-op, Cabella’s, Cody Lundeen, and Survivorman Les Stroud, which is sure to put a hair in a lot of people’s biscuits, but that’s ok. Join our online community at thepracticalwoodsman.Locals.com, or by downloading the Locals.com app from the App Store and searching for The Practical Woodsman.

#eatingbugs #knots #emergencykit #blackdiamondmegalight #victorinoxswissarmyknife #osprey58pattern #merrellcham8stretchtactical #ibasingotitaniumkettle #boundlessvoyagetitaniumkettle #swissarmyevolutiongripS17 #ektoswoolblanket #crusadercup #klymitinsulatedultralite #klymitsleepingpad #natocrusadercup #hide&drink #hideanddrink #bcbbritishwaterbottle #blackdiamond #firestartershistle #reicoop #cabellas #luxehikinggear #hexpeaktipi #hexpeaktipishelter #lesstroud #survivorman #codylundeen #wilderness #bushcraft #survival #backpacking #ferroceriumrod #ferrorod #backcountry #woodsman #survivortips #bushcrafttips #wind #bowdrill #hiking #woods #backcountrycooking #firemaking #camp #shelter #gear #appalachia #appalachian #thepracticalwoodsman

Happy to have you here for the very first episode of The Practical Woodsman podcast. What will it become? Who knows? But ain't it exciting to be at the beginning of something new!

In this episode, we talk about the lies that 'bushcrafters' and 'survivalists' are telling you on an everyday basis, and why these things are lies. Also, I explain why I came up with the idea for The Practical Woodsman, as well as the direction I have planned for it moving forward. 

An introduction to me. My upbringing deep in the Appalachian woods gave me intimacy and love for the backcountry. The Practical Woodsman is a way for me to share that love with you, as well as my observations, thinking, and approach to what folks today are calling 'bushcraft' and 'survival'. While I enjoy viewing other channels related to this sort of thing, much of it is impractical for any real scenario in the wilderness, and therefore pointless. The Practical Woodsman's focus is on what is practical, as well as pointing out certain things being demonstrated by 'bushcrafters' today that are not practical at all. This first episode is dedicated fondly to Ricardo Nagualero. 

This show will be available in video format on both YouTube and Rumble, as well as additional video types. There will be three different content formats for The Practical Woodsman: 1. ADVENTURES will feature me out in the woods doing the sorts of things we talk about here. 2. SHORTS will be short videos featuring different gear. 3. The Practical Woodsman podcast (known as 'episodes') will be episodes of this show, available in both video and audio-only formats. 

Join our online community at thepracticalwoodsman.locals.com, or download the Locals.com app from the App Store and search for The Practical Woodsman. 

#bushcraft #survival #lies #appalachian #appalachia #backcountrycooking #shelters #blackdiamondmegalight #blackdiamond #blackdiamondtent #blackdiamond #grandcanyon #deathingrandcanyon #overtheedge #michaelpghiglieri #thomasmmyers #nagualero #ricardonagualero #ricnagualero #nagualeroart #backpacking #camping #wilderness #igloocooler #tent #skills #fake #frauds #appalachiantrail #marylandat #at #maryland #marylandhiking #hiking #rei #keen #ems #easternmountainsports #carhart #goretex #wintercamping #petzl #swissarmy #leatherman #pks #pathfinderknifeshop #smartwool #crusadercup #bcbwaterbottle #ibasingo #firemaple #boundlessvoyage #feuerhand