Primitive Camping & Bushcraft

• Trusting the Compass When the Woods Get Thick

  In this Fundamental Friday, Chris takes a baseplate compass and a USGS topo map into the Mississippi woods and walks a full mile to test how accurate a simple bearing can be in real terrain. You’ll hear how the compass works, how contour lines tell the truth about the land, how to judge distance, and why old tools still matter when batteries fail.Referenced linksUSGS Topo Mapshttps://www.usgs.gov/products/maps/topographic-mapsPrimitive Camping and Bushcraft Bookhttps://www.primitive-camping.com/product-page/primitive-camping-bushcrafthow to use a compass article: How to Use a Compass: The Ultimate Guide to Navigation Explore More from Primitive Camping & BushcraftAll my links, gear, community, and content in one spot:www.primitive-camping.comStay Connected📖 Book: Primitive Camping & Bushcraft☕ Coffee: Primitive Camping Roast🎙️ Podcast Episodes🎥 YouTube Channel🧭 Socials, Blog, and More Follow my Speir Outdoors Channels:Youtube - www.youtube.com/@speiroutdoorsFacebook - www.facebook.com/primitivecampingHave questions or want to connect?📩 Email: [email protected]

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• Topographic Maps and Compass Skills Most Campers Overlook

  In this episode of the Primitive Camping and Bushcraft Podcast, Chris shares a real story of getting turned around in the woods after losing his map five miles from the truck, and how nothing but a single compass bearing brought him home. After the story he walks through practical, beginner friendly navigation skills anyone can use with a simple baseplate compass and a topographic map.Resources Mentioned:• USGS Topographic Map Downloadshttps://ngmdb.usgs.gov/topoview/viewer/• Outdoors Generations Article by Ethan Shaw“How to Use a Compass: The Ultimate Guide to Navigation”https://outdoorgenerations.com/• Primitive Camping and Bushcraft Bookhttps://www.primitive-camping.com/product-page/primitive-camping-bushcraft• Primitive Camping and Bushcraft Websitehttps://www.primitive-camping.comTopics Covered:– The day Chris lost his map in the timber– How one compass bearing kept him on course– What a baseplate compass really needs– Why topographic maps aren’t as intimidating as they look– How to set a bearing, walk it, and avoid drifting– Why beginners should practice simple navigation before long trips Explore More from Primitive Camping & BushcraftAll my links, gear, community, and content in one spot:www.primitive-camping.comStay Connected📖 Book: Primitive Camping & Bushcraft☕ Coffee: Primitive Camping Roast🎙️ Podcast Episodes🎥 YouTube Channel🧭 Socials, Blog, and More Follow my Speir Outdoors Channels:Youtube - www.youtube.com/@speiroutdoorsFacebook - www.facebook.com/primitivecampingHave questions or want to connect?📩 Email: [email protected]

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• From Ember to Blaze: Lessons from the Bow Drill

  check out the new Primitive Camping & Bushcraft App on mobile www.primitive-camping.com here is the link to the app: https://www.mobileapp.app/to/lHKdPm1?ref=mamIn this episode of the Primitive Camping and Bushcraft Podcast, Chris takes you from the smell of fair food and shaking hands with listeners to the quiet focus of bow-drill firecraft.He opens the Primitive Camping and Bushcraft book to page 150 and walks through starting a friction fire, step by step, breaking down what it takes to nurture a single ember until it becomes a blaze. Along the way, he shares a listener story about family, faith, and finding purpose in the outdoors, showing that tending your fire is a lot like tending your soul.Inside this episode:Street Fair reflections, lessons, and community shout-outsReading and teaching from Primitive Camping and Bushcraft page 150Step-by-step look at the bow drill — from ember to full flameWhy patience and practice matter more than shortcutsHow building fire mirrors our walk through hardshipA listener story that reignited the flame to keep goingPractical tips for feeding the fire — both in camp and in lifeMentions:Primitive Camping and Bushcraft (page 150, “The Bow Drill”)Primitive Camping Rations – freeze-dried meals, coffee, and fire kitsThe Friday Blog Post – “Starting Fire the Old Way”Community group on primitive-camping.comTakeaways:Every fire begins with patience, not force.Practice friction fire to build skill and discipline.Faith and focus fade the same way coals do, you have to tend them.Keep the right people around you; warmth spreads both ways.The fire you build today might light someone else’s tomorrow. Explore More from Primitive Camping & BushcraftAll my links, gear, community, and content in one spot:www.primitive-camping.comStay Connected📖 Book: Primitive Camping & Bushcraft☕ Coffee: Primitive Camping Roast🎙️ Podcast Episodes🎥 YouTube Channel🧭 Socials, Blog, and More Follow my Speir Outdoors Channels:Youtube - www.youtube.com/@speiroutdoorsFacebook - www.facebook.com/primitivecampingHave questions or want to connect?📩 Email: [email protected]

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• Is Your Fire Kit Missing These 5 Essential Bushcraft Tools?

  Welcome back to Fundamental Fridays here on the Primitive Camping and Bushcraft Podcast!Today, we’re breaking down the Primitive Camping Fire Starter Kit — everything that’s packed inside, how it works, and why it belongs in every outdoor pack. From fatwood and ferro rods to char cloth and fire plugs, this kit is built to help you start a fire anywhere, anytime.Chris walks through each piece of gear, demonstrates how to make shavings, explains the purpose of the ferro rod and striker, and even lights a few fires along the way. You’ll see how to use the tin itself to make fresh char cloth, and why these little fire kits make great gifts for anyone who loves the outdoors.Whether you’re camping, hunting, or just getting started with bushcraft, this episode will help you understand not only how to build a fire—but how to be prepared when it matters most.Check out the Primitive Camping Fire Kits and more gear at:👉 https://www.primitive-camping.com Explore More from Primitive Camping & BushcraftAll my links, gear, community, and content in one spot:www.primitive-camping.comStay Connected📖 Book: Primitive Camping & Bushcraft☕ Coffee: Primitive Camping Roast🎙️ Podcast Episodes🎥 YouTube Channel🧭 Socials, Blog, and More Follow my Speir Outdoors Channels:Youtube - www.youtube.com/@speiroutdoorsFacebook - www.facebook.com/primitivecampingHave questions or want to connect?📩 Email: [email protected]

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• That time I forgot my light

  In this episode we are sitting under the tarp at Camp What The Heck with the fire working in the background and talking about something small that becomes a big deal fast in the woods your lightChris tells the story of a bow hunt in the Mississippi Delta where it got dark fast the mosquitoes were thick the woods went dead quiet and something in the water let out a roar so deep it made every hair stand upFor a minute it felt like hog trouble or worse and he had no sidearm and no flashlight just a bow and a bad decisionYou will hear what that sound really was why the dark in the woods can flip peaceful to unsettling in seconds and how sound travels in flooded timber and canalsThen we go into the real point what light does for you mentally out therePractical talk from the book Primitive Camping and Bushcraft on the gear you should actually carry not just what looks cool onlineWhy a cheap Energizer headlamp can save you more than a high dollar toy lightWhy you should always keep more than one light source on you pocket pack and vehicle and check batteries before every tripHow fast you lose confidence when you cannot see your next stepWe also talk about that moment every hunter and camper knows when the sun is gone and now suddenly you feel watched and you feel very smallFrom there we shift into John 8 verse 12 where Jesus says I am the light of the world and what that means when you are in real darkness with real fear and you cannot see what is in front of youIt is not just outdoor prep It is heart prepYou are going to getThe alligator story from the DeltaThe coyote walkout with nothing but a cell phone lightThe gear tip that most beginners ignore and regretThe simple checklist to keep you from getting caught blind in the woodsA reminder that physical light and spiritual light both matter when things go darkPlus a quick update on primitive-camping.com the new store, blog, freeze dried meals, and plans for recording future episodes live from camp and even from the upcoming street fairIf this episode helps you slow down sharpen up or just breathe a little deeper share it with somebody who needs it Explore More from Primitive Camping & BushcraftAll my links, gear, community, and content in one spot:www.primitive-camping.comStay Connected📖 Book: Primitive Camping & Bushcraft☕ Coffee: Primitive Camping Roast🎙️ Podcast Episodes🎥 YouTube Channel🧭 Socials, Blog, and More Follow my Speir Outdoors Channels:Youtube - www.youtube.com/@speiroutdoorsFacebook - www.facebook.com/primitivecampingHave questions or want to connect?📩 Email: [email protected]

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