I am an older outdoorsman in my 80s, & it is very encouraging to see this kind of video which stresses the utilization of thrift. I've been considering various kits which can be made with stuff most folks have around their house, garage, barn, tool shed, etc. If you can find a dumpster at a constructiion site, pieces of TYVEK (house wrap) are often available for free or very little cost. I was fortunate to receive part of a leftover roll of Tyvek because the builder did not want to keep up with a partial left-over roll. There was enough left for several shelters, so I shared some of the partial roll with another outdoorsman. I hope that you will continue this series. I've actually found free knives and other gear while walking through the woods or along roadsides. Harbor Freight tools is currently running a special on their 100% cotton canvas 6' x 9' drop cloths for only $7. I've actually camped with these on numerous occasions. I also found a daypack/backpack on the side of the road where I turn in to visit a nearby woodland. Thank you & keep up the good work!
Great job Dave. You covered 4 of the 5 "C"s for two bucks. I wouldn't play down those plastic garbage bags. Carry two large lawn leaf bags. Wear one like a poncho and cut the other one open to make a cover/shelter. Add a little extra duct tape to the mix and you're out another 50 cents for both items. Again great job, I love your philosophy and logic.
i loved the 'point' of this...it doesn't take a lot of money to get outdoors. When I was a kid we did just what you said and slept out overnight with nothing but a tarp and a wool blanket. My friends and I would ride our bikes out into the 'country' and camp overnight with almost nothing for gear, a water bottle, cans of food cooked on the fire, etc.
I'm wanting to do bushcrafting I have a few things already and I'm on limited income so I very little after i get my check so these ideas are great thanks for sharing .... I been following Brook for a while love her y'all are great, thank for sharing .
Started out with very little money or gear as a kid. The ability to improvise is a very underrated skill these days. We used bits of bailer twine we'd found, old shoe laces, anything for cordage. Sleeping mats were old hessian potato sacks filled with bracken. Got an old bone shaker of a tent, ditched the inside and poles, used the outside like a tarp. There was still loads of WW2 era surplus going for buttons then so that was most of the rest of the kit sorted out. Most expensive item was the waterproofing for the tent/tarp. Bingo!
I agree, there is something special about make-do gear. It gives you the opportunity to think and make the best of it. Anyone with enough money can "buy" the best gear available, but there is something lost when you take that route IMO.
Hahahaha This is soooo Awesomeness.....Glad you put this Video Out hahaha....About 90% of our Gear was bought at Good Will stores and Flea Markets hahahaha....Great to Show folks you don't need expensive gear....What Works Works hahaha
Dave, if you have access to a cafeteria or restaurant that has milk in the stainless dispenser, grab the milk bladder out of it when they empty one of the crates. With a little sewing on a piece of burlap or something similar you have about a five gallon water container/transporter/shower bag. Take some care in washing out the inside of the bag and the removable spout. a clothespin put over the folded spout and it's a closed system. Learned that one living in Yellowstone back in the 80's.
Thank you so much Dave. Some people are on fixed incomes and are able to enjoy the outdoors with your great ideas. Too many youtubers are promoting gear and the idea that you are not really enjoying the outdoors unless you are buying the gear they are selling. Love your ideas. I grew up in the woods as a kid. We didn t have high end gear. Young folks need to get outdoors and away from thier phones. Codos to you my friend. I love your channel because your real.
With most Utubers talking about gear they seldom talk about gear for those people just starting out. When I was young we used wool blankets, a Barlow or buck pocket knife, wood kitchen matches,a pot , Prince Albert tobacco tin with fishing kit and band aids, matches to and a 22 rifle or pistol. All where hand me downs or taken from home. The tent was a cheap pup tent or small canvas tarp, cordage was free binder twine off hay bales take all you want. We fished with green cut poles , harvested some field corn if tender on the way out to the woods or stop by any old Apple tree as the neighbors let all us kids pick them . Wild raspberries and oatmeal I still eat it today love it. We lived and explored like kings , now it's 9-5 pay bills mow your yard lol. Yep the good old days 😁
man, thats sounds just like my childhood. I grew up in middle lower michigan....if you went south or east you ran into farmlands....North and west -Timber All our gear was junk from home and we had a blast.
@@Bushradical How did we get duped into growing up? "When you're grown up you can do whatever you want." My ass you can. Try goin' fishin' instead of showing up for work. What you want better involve living under the freeway.
As with all your videos you have taught me something good. For a cheap tarp look around construction sites for some scrap Tyvek. Makes a great tarp or ground pad.
So true David...i look and see what the Kalahari Bushmen would carry into the bush on a daily basis, their gear is spartan at best...but it works...goes back to what you were saying about the ability to improvise,...Goodwill or Garage sales are great places to cop some great gear...atb...woods
Some the best all around gear I own came form yard sales. Speaking of which ...its about time all the yard sales start up full swing!! Cant wait! I'm heading for Alaska this week ( Lord willing) and then I'll have to wait another 3 weeks for yardsales........you just can't win.
Dave, I don't have a real knife to speak of. I'm definitely gonna try to make one from a butter knife!! Lol!! Thanks for the project! I'll let you know how it goes. My wife is gonna freak out when she finds out I used her butter knife to create my own knife...lol! Thanks for the great advice!!
This is excellent, as is the whole channel. I once wandered into a discussion where it was "what knife would you take with you in an emergency" and they were all naming various two hundred dollar knives and I said "I'd take the first one that comes to hand." This was not popular. But you can lose cheap gear and replace it without the stress of losing expensive gear. And I will always consider clean air and water as my first survival items. The rest follows.
I appreciate that you did this video. It seems that most channels are giving folks the impression that there are financial minimums to enjoyable, survivable woodland fun, and that's just plain wrong. I'm in my sixth decade of regular camping and bushcraft and all of my equipment together didn't cost what many folks seem to thing a bare minimum knife would cost. My knife used to be a mill file and its sheath was once a cowboy boot from a garbage can. My tarp is plastic (I do replace it about every year for $10 or less.) My cordage started its life holding hay bales together. My pack was $10 at Good Will. I'm still using the pot and pan my mom gave me about 55 years ago. Got a $2 yard sale hatchet and a two-bladed pocket knife with only one blade left. I did recently spent around $50 for a sleeping bag, but I got along just fine with a couple blankets off my bed for most of my years. It's not that I couldn't afford more expensive stuff, I just never thought I needed it, and I can still replace just about anything I have very little cash.
If that pot had a lid you could use the inside as a dinner plate, or you could try to polish it to be used as a signaling device. Something else you could do is make a homemade alcohol stove out of an old beer (plenty of those around here) or soda can. You don't need $$$ to enjoy the wilderness, it'll make it easier to survive, but I don't think you enjoy it any more than you would with improvised gear. Thanks for sharing
Thanks Murphy. I made a stove from a cat food can once. You use HEAT for the fuel.....like you would dump in a gas tank. It worked great but wouldn't boil my water for coffee.....so I scrapped the idea and traveled with a coleman stove.
Same idea I'm sure. I made several different homemade alcohol stoves out of beer cans one summer, then found a like new Trangia stove at a garage sale. I use both HEAT or denatured alcohol to boil a single cup of water to make instant coffee but haven't tried it on anything larger. Tough to beat an old Coleman 2 burner pump stove in my opinion.
Personally using stone tools was an very eye opening experience for me. After using them a few days a sharpenned piece of copper felt lofty. Sharpenned butter knife is more than enough to make a bow drill kit and other fancy stuff.
Thanks Man of the North. I appreciate that! Brooke and I come from a different background when it comes to bushcraft and survival....and I'm really glad folks see and appreciate the difference. Thanks brother.
A valid point there Dave. So many people in the bushcraft scene are kit tarts, drawn in by the fancy advertising. I started off with cheap gear and I still have relatively cheap gear, most bought from military surplus shops or I made. Atb Carlos
I like old school. I look for old camping gear, old spun steel skillets old scouting kit,, old mil surp stuff like mess kits, pouches and bags, shelters and such. Granted, my kit is heavier than the ultra light crowd but I'm interested in the journey more than the destination. I save my money for good footwear, I'll spend a little more for that. Just found your channel. Ill be looking around.
Thanks for the sub OKbushcraft...and I agree about the footwear.....If you can find cheap shoes that fit your feet and keep them comfy....Thats great !!! But I would spend real money for good boots for sure !
Where I live there are a number of companies that produce products out of lumber and the material comes wrapped in lumber wrap. They put this out free for the taking. Usually they are about 24 x8 or 10. They make great tarps. On another note, have you ever tried to make a knife out of an old file. I have gotten lots for free or next to nothing at yard sales and they are sitting in my shop waiting for me to try. I think the steel is excellent. You have some great ideas there, if a person is willing to be creative you can make yourself and complete camping kit for next to nothing.
My uncle told me he used to heat treat knives in the compost pile, they would bury them for three weeks. When I try to make a knife from a file I am going to give that a try.
Butter knife you can get at the dollar store. Lots of survival stuff at the dollar store. Just for daily survival living, l use it. Shelter at $. Store would be flannel back table cloth. Or shower curtian. Or paint plastic drop cloth, check out which one would be best out of the 3 shelter.
Totally agree Dave. In my humble opinion if u have the most basic original needs u CAN survive more than a day. Water. Fire. Cordage would be my 3rd essential as a pack item. Canteen works as well as anything to boil water in a fire while your using cordage for a shelter. Don’t know what u didn’t bring til u know what u don’t have. Hope all is well
Some holes bored around the edge of the pot allows you to hang it with wire from a branch tripod. If you grind a bottle opener or tin opener into the butter knife handle like a swiss army knife one you have another tool. Or a screwdriver? Then there is the duck tape round the handle thing.
There are many videos on Cheap Bushcraft Wilderness Outfitters did a Bushcraft on A budget But it’s good to revisit these types of concepts to the next generation of outdoors enthusiasts It might be good to see what you can do with say $10.00 at a thrift store or goodwill Great video would like to see what else you come up with 👍🏻👍🏻
I started out very very basic! Hell my first bush pot was a soup can with a deer tag wire for a handle and an improvised lid. If a person just wants to get out and enjoy, all they need is the basics! I would recommend a better knife like a mora which can be had quite inexpensive. But this is a good way to show beginners the way to just get out there and do it! The way you recommend things I know for fifty bucks anyone can get out and be set up quite well.
A thought to pull this together would be to get as inexpensive a kit as possible then do an overnighter with it. Yard sale saw and sleeping bag, cheap tarp and twine, etc. Say $20-$25 for everything.
Dave, I thought of a topic U may want to make a video. How to make. (On the inexpensive) a water purification system. Or one that can be carried with you on ur journey. Stay safe in the woods.
Hey K. I just shot a video last night ( your top three Survival and Outdoor Books) its gone be a three person tag.....Shoot your video and tag three other people.. I tagged you in that video....it should be out in a few days. Hope you get a chance to respond.
great stuff I like second hand shops or charity shops got a small tripod for my camera for £3 and there are loadsa good items my winter coat was £8. 🤙😁
Very good video and points to ponder. Loved camping as a kid and didn't worry about a brand name. My parents got most everything from Sears in the 60's. Still love going out camping all year long but I do love my expensive downy hammock quilts especially at 20 below. Thanks for the video. Really like your channel. Take care, Al
Hey Dave, started watching Brooke & here I am. Thanks 4 being the real deal. We don't need crazy stuff, just survival items. Get creative. Use what u have. Good stuff. Thanks, man.
Hay Dave great idea,I would always take a pot over a pan,you can boil so much more water in it and make soups. Great idea cheap living items.love it.cheer,keepim sharp;).
Great job on this video, pointing out that you don't have to spend an arm and a leg to be prepared. I do agree with you choosing the pot over the pan for a survival kit. I once bought a mess kit that included a tea kettle, and a frying pan, but I still haven't done a review on it. You really don't need a tea kettle or a frying pan for a survival situation. Sure, you can boil water in a tea kettle, but it's kind of hard to kook in it. Thanks for posting.
Hey Thrifty. I'm off grid in Alaska right now so I have to drive to the truckstop to get wifi. When I get a chance I'll jump over and check out your channel...I love the simple concept of thrifty Survival....Its a great channel idea. I can't wait to see what you cover. Cheers.
Great video! The last two minutes are real words of wisdom and good medicine even for backcountry enthusiasts with decades under their belts. Some of my most memorable to cherished experiences outside were early and/or basic ones. I find myself going simpler and simpler again these days as I try to teach my daughter the fundamentals and in doing so reinvigorated my own experiences. We're definitely going to do a bit of garbology and see what tools we come up with this year. Thanks!
Whatever your interested in will be surrounded by a marketing machine ready to pounce on your wallet and suck the joy out of self discovery. The key is to ignore the hype and enjoy the basics until you have found the direction that brings you joy. Good enough is fun. Perfect is work.
Hi Dave *smiles* It's hard to walk very far in the modern landscape without finding plastic soda pop bottles. If you walk for 20 minutes, you'll probably have to kick some out of the way. I have several chinese, webbing and aluminum, soda bottle clips that fit all soda bottles. They are very secure, even with 2 liter bottles. It makes it easy to carry water. Because the bottles are clear, you can use UV from sunlight to sterilize the water, as long as the water is pretty clear to start with. There are articles about that on the net. You can also use pop bottles to filter water to make it clear. Just cut the bottom out of a bottle and punch a hole in the cap then put a bit of cloth or grass, etc, in the neck end and fill it up about half way with sand and charcoal from a fire. You can also boil water in the pop bottles. You put the full bottle near a bed of coals but not in the fire. As long as the bottle is full of water it can't go over 212 degrees F. Here is a link to the clips I mean, these are 77 CENTS each: www.ebay.com/itm/Carabiner-Clip-Water-Bottle-Holder-Sporting-Hiking-Snap-Hook-Key-Chain-Multitool/252760269175?hash=item3ad9afa177:g:ZDAAAOSweW5VJ3VK
Absolutely love your videos! Love your take on things... though I do things a little different...we do have the same objective.... the way I see it if people don't challenge my intellect... not people I usually choose as peers.! God gave us each brains to use ... and how does true progress happen on a individual level? If it makes me think... I can't see the drawback. This seems to be the only way I can learn besides experience.
Love this stuff man! Original and entertaining. I really dig your content man, it’s not the same ol crap on TH-cam. You, along with a couple other Alone alums, continue to separate yourselves from the pack of TH-cam “bushcrafters ” and “survival experts”. Cheers. Also, I bet an old gallon Arizona tea jug would work great for a cheap-o water jug.
Soda bottles are better, or Clorox bottle. Vinyl table cloth poly tarp. Gets lots of stuff from second hand stores even a pack you just have to look. Thanks.
Bushradical the dollar store has solid colour ones. Better then a painter drop cloth bet not a PCT thru hike, lol. I'll be up in An in June but on the coast.
Thanks Dave for another great video. I line myself up with the other commentators that it is refreshing to be reminded that one does not need all that expensive gear. Especially the kids don't need to hear that. I appreciate you pointing that out. Growing up in the Centralafrican Rep, and spending all waking hours outdoors, ingenuity and collaboration was vital to success. We could be a bunch of kids sharing one knife, or one axe, or one spear or one machete. When one got tired swinging the axe, the next kid would take over and inevitably we learned from each other how to handle that axe. And mind you it was not fancy gear. Heck we didn't even have back packs or any bag for that matter. We brought our mother's pots with us to carry our stuff in, (fish hooks and what not) drink from and cook from. As long as we brought home some meat or fish in that pot for her all would be fine :) One thing for sure was that I did want to have my own knife! And I would do exactly like you did with that butter knife. Go through mom's stuff and dare see if she would miss any cutlery.
Hey VC! You need to do some videos on your time in Africa. Man! You have a perspective that really needs to be heard. Thanks for the comments my friend.
I appreciate that Dave. I made an attempt that's on my channel and I'm still recuperating from hearing my own voice :p I must say I'm impressed with you guys who can just start talking in front of the camera.
Its one of those things the more you do it the easier it gets. There is a club you can join for public speaking called Toastmasters.....great place to get some confidence and learn how to speak in front of a crowd.
Thank you for giving us something to think about. I agree that it doesn't take much money to enjoy the outdoors. People can get carried away thinking that you HAVE to get this or that to go outside and have a good time.
Another great video with good information. However I have to disagree about the butter knife. Just because a knife is springy doesn’t mean that it’s made from spring steel. Typically butter knives are made from the lowest grade stainless steel that has super low amounts of carbon in it. Personally I would go to a local thrift store and check out the knives there as a person could get a knife so much better than a butter knife and still stay with a low overall dollar amount.
I totally agree. If you could get a carbon steel knife for next to nothing you would be way ahead.....but I thrift shop all the time and old Hickory and Forgercraft knifes almost never get to the floor. I had one store manager tell me once that they won't put out tarnished blades for liability purposes......sounds stupid, but thats what he said.
Points well made Dave. It is good to see someone presenting options that don't require a bank loan for a person to be able to go on an over night camping experience or to start learning bushcraft. Well done. 👍
Great post Dave! My best equipment is either hand made or or vintage from a thrift store! lol. It just means more to me for some reason. Thanks for making this vid brother.
If you can do any blacksmithing you can make just about anything! I stopped at a trailer repair shop and picked up leafsprings for free! With these i can make hatchets, frows, draw knives, anything you want!
Dave I respect everything you do but always wondered whenever I first watched the cabin build the one anybody can build anybody can afford did you ever talk to that man you said that it was amputee that you mentioned in the price video and how many times of year in Michigan or Alaskan do you end up with nice 70° days and like I 2 to 3 week. At a time
And from an emergency preparedness point of view, this is a good exercise in how to improvise, since disasters can strike at any time and you're not always going to have your gear handy.
Love the video Dave. A really good knife I found for cheap is the Ontario Old Hickory butcher knife. Its carbon steel, it can be sharpened to a razor's edge and costs 11.00 at Walmart.
Dave, just watching this again on my other PC. Call me a softie if you like but I think I would like to have 2$ worth of toilet paper when the end of the world comes. There might be a paperless society one day but it will never be toiletpaperless.
Some real good advice on saving the doe there Dave - good job to send forward to all - thkx man for ya to share your tips ; be safe & have a blessed day - chow for now - kirk out
Hey! Im liken this 2$ survival thing. I think your on a roll. Would love to see more! Ummm....you could put that pot in the trunk of your car just in case. You could melt snow...
Great video Dave really gets the brain tinkering how about a dollars store finds like a roll of aluminum foil, windshield reflectors as ground insulation painting tarps etc good place to go crazy
This is so cool to see, Dave and reminds me of my first camping experiences in my parents’ woods when I was pretty young and really excited they’d let me spend nights solo as long as it wasn’t a school night. I had fun scrounging up simple, basic stuff like you mentioned. I was so excited about how easy it was to gather and collect simple basic g
continued from earlier message that was sent too soon... the gear that I found from yard sales and thrift shops, things I scrounged from my parents’ house like the old military sleeping bag, my great grandmother’s cast iron skillet, a canvas tarp, my dad’s old hunting knife and old wool covered canteen. All carried in the Boy Scout pack that I found for a dollar. I miss those days and am so glad I wasn’t discouraged by seeing others with high tech expensive gear. Thanks for bringing this up for anyone just getting started. It brings back great memories!
Where'dja get that there whistle/striker/sparker thingy? I want one! Love the fact that you hacked it into a cutting tool. You got plenty of smarts. Nice to see you support "habitat for humanity" as well.
You always have some amazing content! I was wondering about that pot on a campfire... is the handle plastic? I'd keep looking for a $2 with a metal handle. Plastic stinks when it melts. Not to mention when it melts lol
One of the things I like best about both yours and Brooke's channels are that neither of you are at all "snobbish" about equipment (except Brooke now has a really nice and expensive knife, but she's earned it). One thing you didn't mention was milsurp. You can get some very well made items, and although often used, much better than some store bought for the same money, such as packs and sleeping bags and tents. You're not going to do much for $2 but look at what you can get for 25 or 50. Even a school kid can come up with that much money working part time or mowing lawns or babysitting in a few weeks.
Good point. I don't think much about milsurp, but you're totally right. One problem I have with millsurp in general is finding things that fit. The MSS sleep system is great ....but its a bit small for me, and the the field jackets are too small. I would love one of those "brown bear" fleece jackets but they are all too small. I use a british military cold weather bag....love it!
I will! Thanks! In a lot of my vids you see me wearing a German parka liner......it has very long sleeves and it fits ! Thats one of the few things Ive found that does. I'll check out that site.
I am an older outdoorsman in my 80s, & it is very encouraging to see this kind of video which stresses the utilization of thrift. I've been considering various kits which can be made with stuff most folks have around their house, garage, barn, tool shed, etc. If you can find a dumpster at a constructiion site, pieces of TYVEK (house wrap) are often available for free or very little cost. I was fortunate to receive part of a leftover roll of Tyvek because the builder did not want to keep up with a partial left-over roll. There was enough left for several shelters, so I shared some of the partial roll with another outdoorsman. I hope that you will continue this series. I've actually found free knives and other gear while walking through the woods or along roadsides. Harbor Freight tools is currently running a special on their 100% cotton canvas 6' x 9' drop cloths for only $7. I've actually camped with these on numerous occasions. I also found a daypack/backpack on the side of the road where I turn in to visit a nearby woodland. Thank you & keep up the good work!
I would add a candle or a small cheap flashlight!
Thank you Dave, so practical for an elder without lots of bucks.
Great job Dave. You covered 4 of the 5 "C"s for two bucks. I wouldn't play down those plastic garbage bags. Carry two large lawn leaf bags. Wear one like a poncho and cut the other one open to make a cover/shelter. Add a little extra duct tape to the mix and you're out another 50 cents for both items. Again great job, I love your philosophy and logic.
Thanks Gary
This is a great way to teach kids of any age how to be more innovative. Great video, thanks for sharing.
Thanks Dave.
Great way of thinking, and attitude toward life.
Thanks pnpbec.
i loved the 'point' of this...it doesn't take a lot of money to get outdoors. When I was a kid we did just what you said and slept out overnight with nothing but a tarp and a wool blanket.
My friends and I would ride our bikes out into the 'country' and camp overnight with almost nothing for gear, a water bottle, cans of food cooked on the fire, etc.
I'm wanting to do bushcrafting I have a few things already and I'm on limited income so I very little after i get my check so these ideas are great thanks for sharing .... I been following Brook for a while love her y'all are great, thank for sharing .
Thanks!
Started out with very little money or gear as a kid. The ability to improvise is a very underrated skill these days. We used bits of bailer twine we'd found, old shoe laces, anything for cordage. Sleeping mats were old hessian potato sacks filled with bracken. Got an old bone shaker of a tent, ditched the inside and poles, used the outside like a tarp. There was still loads of WW2 era surplus going for buttons then so that was most of the rest of the kit sorted out. Most expensive item was the waterproofing for the tent/tarp. Bingo!
I agree, there is something special about make-do gear. It gives you the opportunity to think and make the best of it. Anyone with enough money can "buy" the best gear available, but there is something lost when you take that route IMO.
Hahahaha This is soooo Awesomeness.....Glad you put this Video Out hahaha....About 90% of our Gear was bought at Good Will stores and Flea Markets hahahaha....Great to Show folks you don't need expensive gear....What Works Works hahaha
Thanks. My gear is all thrift store stuff too
Dave, if you have access to a cafeteria or restaurant that has milk in the stainless dispenser, grab the milk bladder out of it when they empty one of the crates. With a little sewing on a piece of burlap or something similar you have about a five gallon water container/transporter/shower bag. Take some care in washing out the inside of the bag and the removable spout. a clothespin put over the folded spout and it's a closed system. Learned that one living in Yellowstone back in the 80's.
Thanks Gary.
Thank you so much Dave. Some people are on fixed incomes and are able to enjoy the outdoors with your great ideas. Too many youtubers are promoting gear and the idea that you are not really enjoying the outdoors unless you are buying the gear they are selling. Love your ideas. I grew up in the woods as a kid. We didn t have high end gear. Young folks need to get outdoors and away from thier phones. Codos to you my friend. I love your channel because your real.
Thanks George. I appreciate the comment
i appreciate your content very much. i like your way of thinking
With most Utubers talking about gear they seldom talk about gear for those people just starting out. When I was young we used wool blankets, a Barlow or buck pocket knife, wood kitchen matches,a pot , Prince Albert tobacco tin with fishing kit and band aids, matches to and a 22 rifle or pistol. All where hand me downs or taken from home. The tent was a cheap pup tent or small canvas tarp, cordage was free binder twine off hay bales take all you want. We fished with green cut poles , harvested some field corn if tender on the way out to the woods or stop by any old Apple tree as the neighbors let all us kids pick them . Wild raspberries and oatmeal I still eat it today love it. We lived and explored like kings , now it's 9-5 pay bills mow your yard lol. Yep the good old days 😁
man, thats sounds just like my childhood. I grew up in middle lower michigan....if you went south or east you ran into farmlands....North and west -Timber All our gear was junk from home and we had a blast.
@@Bushradical How did we get duped into growing up? "When you're grown up you can do whatever you want." My ass you can. Try goin' fishin' instead of showing up for work. What you want better involve living under the freeway.
As with all your videos you have taught me something good. For a cheap tarp look around construction sites for some scrap Tyvek. Makes a great tarp or ground pad.
Tyvek is great stuff.
So true David...i look and see what the Kalahari Bushmen would carry into the bush on a daily basis, their gear is spartan at best...but it works...goes back to what you were saying about the ability to improvise,...Goodwill or Garage sales are great places to cop some great gear...atb...woods
Some the best all around gear I own came form yard sales. Speaking of which ...its about time all the yard sales start up full swing!! Cant wait! I'm heading for Alaska this week ( Lord willing) and then I'll have to wait another 3 weeks for yardsales........you just can't win.
Thanks Dave. You're inspiring!
Thanks
Dave, I don't have a real knife to speak of. I'm definitely gonna try to make one from a butter knife!! Lol!! Thanks for the project! I'll let you know how it goes. My wife is gonna freak out when she finds out I used her butter knife to create my own knife...lol! Thanks for the great advice!!
Good luck!
This is excellent, as is the whole channel. I once wandered into a discussion where it was "what knife would you take with you in an emergency" and they were all naming various two hundred dollar knives and I said "I'd take the first one that comes to hand." This was not popular. But you can lose cheap gear and replace it without the stress of losing expensive gear. And I will always consider clean air and water as my first survival items. The rest follows.
I appreciate that you did this video. It seems that most channels are giving folks the impression that there are financial minimums to enjoyable, survivable woodland fun, and that's just plain wrong. I'm in my sixth decade of regular camping and bushcraft and all of my equipment together didn't cost what many folks seem to thing a bare minimum knife would cost. My knife used to be a mill file and its sheath was once a cowboy boot from a garbage can. My tarp is plastic (I do replace it about every year for $10 or less.) My cordage started its life holding hay bales together. My pack was $10 at Good Will. I'm still using the pot and pan my mom gave me about 55 years ago. Got a $2 yard sale hatchet and a two-bladed pocket knife with only one blade left. I did recently spent around $50 for a sleeping bag, but I got along just fine with a couple blankets off my bed for most of my years. It's not that I couldn't afford more expensive stuff, I just never thought I needed it, and I can still replace just about anything I have very little cash.
I love it Wayne! Very well said ! "Impression that there are financial minimums".......Well said.
If that pot had a lid you could use the inside as a dinner plate, or you could try to polish it to be used as a signaling device. Something else you could do is make a homemade alcohol stove out of an old beer (plenty of those around here) or soda can. You don't need $$$ to enjoy the wilderness, it'll make it easier to survive, but I don't think you enjoy it any more than you would with improvised gear. Thanks for sharing
Thanks Murphy. I made a stove from a cat food can once. You use HEAT for the fuel.....like you would dump in a gas tank. It worked great but wouldn't boil my water for coffee.....so I scrapped the idea and traveled with a coleman stove.
Same idea I'm sure. I made several different homemade alcohol stoves out of beer cans one summer, then found a like new Trangia stove at a garage sale. I use both HEAT or denatured alcohol to boil a single cup of water to make instant coffee but haven't tried it on anything larger. Tough to beat an old Coleman 2 burner pump stove in my opinion.
Striker $1
Pot $1
Butter knife free
Mindset to think outside the box, have a vision and skills to create.....Priceless!!
Thanks Susan.
Personally using stone tools was an very eye opening experience for me. After using them a few days a sharpenned piece of copper felt lofty. Sharpenned butter knife is more than enough to make a bow drill kit and other fancy stuff.
Thanks for the comment!
Bushradical You are one of those few guys on TH-cam who bring new perspectives on subjects and don't just repeat what others do.
Thanks Man of the North. I appreciate that! Brooke and I come from a different background when it comes to bushcraft and survival....and I'm really glad folks see and appreciate the difference. Thanks brother.
A valid point there Dave. So many people in the bushcraft scene are kit tarts, drawn in by the fancy advertising. I started off with cheap gear and I still have relatively cheap gear, most bought from military surplus shops or I made. Atb Carlos
Thanks Carlos!
I like old school. I look for old camping gear, old spun steel skillets old scouting kit,, old mil surp stuff like mess kits, pouches and bags, shelters and such.
Granted, my kit is heavier than the ultra light crowd but I'm interested in the journey more than the destination.
I save my money for good footwear, I'll spend a little more for that.
Just found your channel. Ill be looking around.
Thanks for the sub OKbushcraft...and I agree about the footwear.....If you can find cheap shoes that fit your feet and keep them comfy....Thats great !!! But I would spend real money for good boots for sure !
Where I live there are a number of companies that produce products out of lumber and the material comes wrapped in lumber wrap. They put this out free for the taking. Usually they are about 24 x8 or 10. They make great tarps. On another note, have you ever tried to make a knife out of an old file. I have gotten lots for free or next to nothing at yard sales and they are sitting in my shop waiting for me to try. I think the steel is excellent. You have some great ideas there, if a person is willing to be creative you can make yourself and complete camping kit for next to nothing.
I did make a knife from a file before.....I don't think I got it heat treated right.....It seemed pretty soft when I got done with it.
My uncle told me he used to heat treat knives in the compost pile, they would bury them for three weeks. When I try to make a knife from a file I am going to give that a try.
Very interesting idea.
Butter knife you can get at the dollar store. Lots of survival stuff at the dollar store. Just for daily survival living, l use it. Shelter at $. Store would be flannel back table cloth. Or shower curtian. Or paint plastic drop cloth, check out which one would be best out of the 3 shelter.
Totally agree Dave. In my humble opinion if u have the most basic original needs u CAN survive more than a day. Water. Fire. Cordage would be my 3rd essential as a pack item. Canteen works as well as anything to boil water in a fire while your using cordage for a shelter. Don’t know what u didn’t bring til u know what u don’t have. Hope all is well
Thanks Tony, and yes all is going good
Some holes bored around the edge of the pot allows you to hang it with wire from a branch tripod. If you grind a bottle opener or tin opener into the butter knife handle like a swiss army knife one you have another tool. Or a screwdriver? Then there is the duck tape round the handle thing.
All good points!
i love building kits sometimes grocery shopping takes longer because i´m just looking for cheap fire friendly Stainless pots and pans :D
right on
There are many videos on Cheap Bushcraft
Wilderness Outfitters did a Bushcraft on A budget
But it’s good to revisit these types of concepts to the next generation of outdoors enthusiasts
It might be good to see what you can do with say $10.00 at a thrift store or goodwill
Great video would like to see what else you come up with 👍🏻👍🏻
Thanks Bill. I have about 100 videos here so take a look around.
Came from your wife's channel to hit that sub button. You both are 👍👍👍
Thanks desertvs !! I appreciate the sub! Hope you enjoy the channel.
I started out very very basic! Hell my first bush pot was a soup can with a deer tag wire for a handle and an improvised lid. If a person just wants to get out and enjoy, all they need is the basics! I would recommend a better knife like a mora which can be had quite inexpensive. But this is a good way to show beginners the way to just get out there and do it! The way you recommend things I know for fifty bucks anyone can get out and be set up quite well.
Your right about the Mora....about the best you can get for a few bucks.
Hi there just wanted to say thank you for the hack about the head lights. I used it, what a great fix.
Glad it helped!
A thought to pull this together would be to get as inexpensive a kit as possible then do an overnighter with it. Yard sale saw and sleeping bag, cheap tarp and twine, etc. Say $20-$25 for everything.
Not a bad Idea....but I'm traveling to Alaska and it will be a while before I get to it.
You missed the opportunity for a great pun "a knife without a point is....pointless" lol
Love content keep up the great work
Amazing thoughts from the inside out...keep your cash in your pocket...good thinking😎
Thanks JITP!
Dave, I thought of a topic U may want to make a video.
How to make. (On the inexpensive) a water purification system. Or one that can be carried with you on ur journey.
Stay safe in the woods.
good idea
Nice man! Love your thrifty style!
Hey K. I just shot a video last night ( your top three Survival and Outdoor Books) its gone be a three person tag.....Shoot your video and tag three other people.. I tagged you in that video....it should be out in a few days. Hope you get a chance to respond.
Bushradical that's awesome! I'll definitely respond! I got a couple books lol
great stuff
I like second hand shops or charity shops
got a small tripod for my camera for £3 and there are loadsa good items
my winter coat was £8. 🤙😁
Scrap house wrap (tyvek)could be found to use as a tarp. I been given tents for free.
Tyvek is great stuff......its noises when its new, but its tough and weighs nothing.
Great practical advice! Thank You!
Thanks Heather.
Very good video and points to ponder. Loved camping as a kid and didn't worry about a brand name. My parents got most everything from Sears in the 60's. Still love going out camping all year long but I do love my expensive downy hammock quilts especially at 20 below. Thanks for the video. Really like your channel. Take care, Al
Thanks Al! I appreciate the comment!
Hey Dave, started watching Brooke & here I am. Thanks 4 being the real deal. We don't need crazy stuff, just survival items. Get creative. Use what u have. Good stuff. Thanks, man.
Thanks
Hay Dave great idea,I would always take a pot over a pan,you can boil so much more water in it and make soups. Great idea cheap living items.love it.cheer,keepim sharp;).
Thanks SW!
Great job on this video, pointing out that you don't have to spend an arm and a leg to be prepared.
I do agree with you choosing the pot over the pan for a survival kit. I once bought a mess kit that included a tea kettle, and a frying pan, but I still haven't done a review on it. You really don't need a tea kettle or a frying pan for a survival situation. Sure, you can boil water in a tea kettle, but it's kind of hard to kook in it.
Thanks for posting.
Hey Thrifty. I'm off grid in Alaska right now so I have to drive to the truckstop to get wifi. When I get a chance I'll jump over and check out your channel...I love the simple concept of thrifty Survival....Its a great channel idea. I can't wait to see what you cover. Cheers.
You have a signaling device with that butter knife. Barry Hope, SGT USA retired.
Great video! The last two minutes are real words of wisdom and good medicine even for backcountry enthusiasts with decades under their belts. Some of my most memorable to cherished experiences outside were early and/or basic ones. I find myself going simpler and simpler again these days as I try to teach my daughter the fundamentals and in doing so reinvigorated my own experiences. We're definitely going to do a bit of garbology and see what tools we come up with this year. Thanks!
Let me know how it goes!
Trash bags were temporary rain coats when I was a kid bread bags kept your feet dry for a short time!
right on
Whatever your interested in will be surrounded by a marketing machine ready to pounce on your wallet and suck the joy out of self discovery. The key is to ignore the hype and enjoy the basics until you have found the direction that brings you joy. Good enough is fun. Perfect is work.
Very well said!
Hi Dave *smiles*
It's hard to walk very far in the modern landscape without finding plastic soda pop bottles. If you walk for 20 minutes, you'll probably have to kick some out of the way.
I have several chinese, webbing and aluminum, soda bottle clips that fit all soda bottles. They are very secure, even with 2 liter bottles. It makes it easy to carry water.
Because the bottles are clear, you can use UV from sunlight to sterilize the water, as long as the water is pretty clear to start with. There are articles about that on the net.
You can also use pop bottles to filter water to make it clear. Just cut the bottom out of a bottle and punch a hole in the cap then put a bit of cloth or grass, etc, in the neck end and fill it up about half way with sand and charcoal from a fire.
You can also boil water in the pop bottles. You put the full bottle near a bed of coals but not in the fire. As long as the bottle is full of water it can't go over 212 degrees F.
Here is a link to the clips I mean, these are 77 CENTS each:
www.ebay.com/itm/Carabiner-Clip-Water-Bottle-Holder-Sporting-Hiking-Snap-Hook-Key-Chain-Multitool/252760269175?hash=item3ad9afa177:g:ZDAAAOSweW5VJ3VK
Thanks.
Absolutely love your videos! Love your take on things... though I do things a little different...we do have the same objective.... the way I see it if people don't challenge my intellect... not people I usually choose as peers.! God gave us each brains to use ... and how does true progress happen on a individual level? If it makes me think... I can't see the drawback. This seems to be the only way I can learn besides experience.
Love this stuff man! Original and entertaining. I really dig your content man, it’s not the same ol crap on TH-cam. You, along with a couple other Alone alums, continue to separate yourselves from the pack of TH-cam “bushcrafters ” and “survival experts”. Cheers.
Also, I bet an old gallon Arizona tea jug would work great for a cheap-o water jug.
Thanks J. Just about anything makes a decent water bottle. an empty 2 liter soda bottle.
I appreciate the compliments.
Soda bottles are better, or Clorox bottle. Vinyl table cloth poly tarp. Gets lots of stuff from second hand stores even a pack you just have to look. Thanks.
A table cloth? Thats hard core "Red Green" stuff there!
Bushradical the dollar store has solid colour ones. Better then a painter drop cloth bet not a PCT thru hike, lol. I'll be up in An in June but on the coast.
Thanks Dave for another great video. I line myself up with the other commentators that it is refreshing to be reminded that one does not need all that expensive gear. Especially the kids don't need to hear that. I appreciate you pointing that out.
Growing up in the Centralafrican Rep, and spending all waking hours outdoors, ingenuity and collaboration was vital to success. We could be a bunch of kids sharing one knife, or one axe, or one spear or one machete. When one got tired swinging the axe, the next kid would take over and inevitably we learned from each other how to handle that axe. And mind you it was not fancy gear. Heck we didn't even have back packs or any bag for that matter. We brought our mother's pots with us to carry our stuff in, (fish hooks and what not) drink from and cook from. As long as we brought home some meat or fish in that pot for her all would be fine :)
One thing for sure was that I did want to have my own knife! And I would do exactly like you did with that butter knife. Go through mom's stuff and dare see if she would miss any cutlery.
Hey VC! You need to do some videos on your time in Africa. Man! You have a perspective that really needs to be heard.
Thanks for the comments my friend.
I appreciate that Dave. I made an attempt that's on my channel and I'm still recuperating from hearing my own voice :p
I must say I'm impressed with you guys who can just start talking in front of the camera.
Its one of those things the more you do it the easier it gets. There is a club you can join for public speaking called Toastmasters.....great place to get some confidence and learn how to speak in front of a crowd.
Thank you for giving us something to think about. I agree that it doesn't take much money to enjoy the outdoors. People can get carried away thinking that you HAVE to get this or that to go outside and have a good time.
Exactly. Thanks for the comment Jeff.
Makes a good shank...
LOL yes it does
Another great video with good information. However I have to disagree about the butter knife. Just because a knife is springy doesn’t mean that it’s made from spring steel. Typically butter knives are made from the lowest grade stainless steel that has super low amounts of carbon in it. Personally I would go to a local thrift store and check out the knives there as a person could get a knife so much better than a butter knife and still stay with a low overall dollar amount.
I totally agree. If you could get a carbon steel knife for next to nothing you would be way ahead.....but I thrift shop all the time and old Hickory and Forgercraft knifes almost never get to the floor. I had one store manager tell me once that they won't put out tarnished blades for liability purposes......sounds stupid, but thats what he said.
But your right. If you could find one cheap it would be way better.
Points well made Dave. It is good to see someone presenting options that don't require a bank loan for a person to be able to go on an over night camping experience or to start learning bushcraft. Well done. 👍
Thanks!
If you take a Harbor Freight super coupon, you can buy a $.25 pencil and get a free 5’x7’ tarp. Which will significantly lower your cost.
Great tip!!
Great post Dave! My best equipment is either hand made or or vintage from a thrift store! lol. It just means more to me for some reason. Thanks for making this vid brother.
Thanks Brother ! Tell Cara I said hi.
I sure will Dave :>) Thank you!
If you can do any blacksmithing you can make just about anything! I stopped at a trailer repair shop and picked up leafsprings for free! With these i can make hatchets, frows, draw knives, anything you want!
Dave I respect everything you do but always wondered whenever I first watched the cabin build the one anybody can build anybody can afford did you ever talk to that man you said that it was amputee that you mentioned in the price video and how many times of year in Michigan or Alaskan do you end up with nice 70° days and like I 2 to 3 week. At a time
I never did speak with him
Hemp twine? Twine can be used for fire starter.
I imagine.
Thanks Dave. Nice modifications in the butter knife. I just got a real nice big chopping knife at thrift shop for 25 cents, made me happy!
A good knife for a quarter! Awesome.
Dollar tree shower curtain= tarp
And from an emergency preparedness point of view, this is a good exercise in how to improvise, since disasters can strike at any time and you're not always going to have your gear handy.
Thanks CC.
Love the video Dave. A really good knife I found for cheap is the Ontario Old Hickory butcher knife. Its carbon steel, it can be sharpened to a razor's edge and costs 11.00 at Walmart.
Those are really great knives for the money.
Really appreciate these bargain improvisions.
Thanks, Dave...
Thank you Dave.
Frying pan potentially doubles as a shovel.
true
You could skin a squirrel...
Oh forgot Goodwill, Salvation Army, thrift stores etc aaahhh I gotta go digging now for cheap treasures!
Good luck!
The ideas keep coming thanks Brian 77
They sure do.....its hard to pick what to film sometimes.
Dave, just watching this again on my other PC. Call me a softie if you like but I think I would like to have 2$ worth of toilet paper when the end of the world comes. There might be a paperless society one day but it will never be toiletpaperless.
Good idea. You will never regret having TP......but you may regret Not having it.
Some real good advice on saving the doe there Dave - good job to send forward to all - thkx man for ya to share your tips ; be safe & have a blessed day - chow for now - kirk out
thanks Kirk!
For the price of a candy bar!!! SOLD ME Dave!! Good stuff!! TFS!!
Right on Aaron!
I thought you were gonna say that "a knife without a point is pointless" Haha
oh, I missed that pun.
Painters plastic drop cloth. I'm sure you could get that for $2
Fantastic $2 addition!
Hey! Im liken this 2$ survival thing. I think your on a roll. Would love to see more! Ummm....you could put that pot in the trunk of your car just in case. You could melt snow...
Believe it or not, I actually found some 7*9 tarps and a 25 foot roll of Paracord at dollar tree for a buck each
Great video Dave really gets the brain tinkering how about a dollars store finds like a roll of aluminum foil, windshield reflectors as ground insulation painting tarps etc good place to go crazy
Thanks good info
Thanks!
You should be able to cut the cheese with that butter knife.
LOL
Allways fun to listen to you and many times it lead me to think about something again. thumps up!
Thanks Marco
This is so cool to see, Dave and reminds me of my first camping experiences in my parents’ woods when I was pretty young and really excited they’d let me spend nights solo as long as it wasn’t a school night. I had fun scrounging up simple, basic stuff like you mentioned. I was so excited about how easy it was to gather and collect simple basic g
All my childhood camping gear came from rummaging through dad's basement, LOL
continued from earlier message that was sent too soon... the gear that I found from yard sales and thrift shops, things I scrounged from my parents’ house like the old military sleeping bag, my great grandmother’s cast iron skillet, a canvas tarp, my dad’s old hunting knife and old wool covered canteen. All carried in the Boy Scout pack that I found for a dollar. I miss those days and am so glad I wasn’t discouraged by seeing others with high tech expensive gear. Thanks for bringing this up for anyone just getting started. It brings back great memories!
Cordage bank line #36 do you like bank line?
Never used it
Dave,. What's the point? I say to make thru to when u can recharge and better your resources. Or just to stay alive.
Stay safe in the woods.
Good video agreed
Thanks LT!
great video thx
Thank you.
Where'dja get that there whistle/striker/sparker thingy? I want one! Love the fact that you hacked it into a cutting tool. You got plenty of smarts. Nice to see you support "habitat for humanity" as well.
You always have some amazing content! I was wondering about that pot on a campfire... is the handle plastic? I'd keep looking for a $2 with a metal handle. Plastic stinks when it melts. Not to mention when it melts lol
Awesome!!
I've been modifying a few butter knives myself!
Right on.
Try modifying a sawzall blade. A blade for wood can be modded very nicely.
Not hard to make a handle for it.
right on.
Well, you and Brooke had a bad experience with a cast iron skillet.
The key to these cool mods is having good tools (Heavy duty and decent files).
You can't beat a good sharp file for "dialing in gear"
Love the Yukon intro.
One of the things I like best about both yours and Brooke's channels are that neither of you are at all "snobbish" about equipment (except Brooke now has a really nice and expensive knife, but she's earned it).
One thing you didn't mention was milsurp. You can get some very well made items, and although often used, much better than some store bought for the same money, such as packs and sleeping bags and tents. You're not going to do much for $2 but look at what you can get for 25 or 50. Even a school kid can come up with that much money working part time or mowing lawns or babysitting in a few weeks.
Good point. I don't think much about milsurp, but you're totally right.
One problem I have with millsurp in general is finding things that fit. The MSS sleep system is great ....but its a bit small for me, and the the field jackets are too small. I would love one of those "brown bear" fleece jackets but they are all too small. I use a british military cold weather bag....love it!
Try varusteleka for all sorts of field jackets and some wool sweaters.
I will! Thanks! In a lot of my vids you see me wearing a German parka liner......it has very long sleeves and it fits ! Thats one of the few things Ive found that does. I'll check out that site.
Keep it in your car!
Thanks
Get 5 tents here lot of camp equipment I just can not stop buying it is a addiction all the various bags
LOL, there is nothing wrong with having good gear....I'm just exploring the other end of things.
Great video!! I love the concept. I've been thinking of hacks and easy survival mods for everyday stuff and this fits the bill. Keep it coming!
Thanks!
Plastic dropcloth for shelter from dollar tree for a buck!
I would stick with a real tarp for durability, but I admire your frugality !!
Just turning your two dollar kit into a three dollar kit and it will work in a pinch.
Love it.