Primitive Camping & Bushcraft

In this episode of the Primitive Camping and Bushcraft Podcast, Chris responds to a question from the Facebook group: If modern backpacking gear is lighter, stronger, and more comfortable, what is the point of bushcraft? That question opened up a strong discussion. Some folks said bushcraft is about traditional skills. Others said modern gear should be used when it works better. Some treated bushc...

In this episode, we dive into one of the most active discussions to hit the Primitive Camping & Bushcraft community in recent months. What started as a photo of a loaded backpack quickly turned into a deeper conversation about experience, comfort, preparedness, and the lessons learned from time spent outdoors. Topics discussed include: The four distinct groups that emerged from the discussion Ultr...

What are your thoughts on making a raised bed for camping? That simple question generated a lively discussion inside the Primitive Camping & Bushcraft Facebook Group and revealed something interesting. People weren't really debating the raised bed itself. They were debating comfort, effort, experience, age, skills, and what they want out of their time outdoors. In this episode, Chris shares the st...

Mosquitoes have ruined more camping trips than bad weather, broken gear, and cold coffee combined. In this episode, Chris Speir discusses one of the most common problems faced by campers, hunters, fishermen, and bushcrafters: mosquito control. Drawing from years of experience in South Mississippi, Alaska, deer camps, and conversations from the Primitive Camping & Bushcraft Facebook group, Chris br...

What piece of gear did you think was a gimmick until you actually tried it? That simple question generated a flood of responses inside the Primitive Camping & Bushcraft Facebook group. In this episode, Chris dives into the conversation and explores the common theme behind the answers. Topics discussed include: • Hammocks and better sleep • Camp pillows and comfort in camp • Trekking poles and redu...

The Primitive Camping & Bushcraft Facebook group has been growing fast, and with that growth comes some great discussions. In this episode, I take a look at a recent post that sparked a lively debate about lightweight hiking chairs. Are they worth the weight? Are they an unnecessary luxury? Or are they one of those items that become more valuable the older we get? Explore More from Primitive Campi...

In this episode of the Primitive Camping and Bushcraft Podcast, Chris Speir breaks down why kayaks are one of the most overlooked tools in primitive camping. This is not about extreme whitewater or stunt paddling. It is about using waterways the way people always have to move gear, reach remote camps, and think differently about access. Rivers and lakes become highways, and a kayak becomes a worki...

In this Fundamental Friday lesson we break down shelter from the inside out. Chris starts with clothing as your first layer of protection and how fabrics behave in heat, cold, and wet conditions. From there we move into shelter site selection using U.S. Army standards: finding level ground, spotting widow makers, judging water levels, avoiding rockslide or avalanche zones, and positioning yourself...

This episode digs into a cold night that didn’t go the way it should have gone. A simple overnight trip with Dave turned into a long reminder that winter camping will expose every weak spot in your gear and your planning. I took my military issue extreme cold weather sleeping bag, my Helinox ultralight cot, my wool blanket, and my down puffy blanket from East Hills Outdoors. On paper, everything l...

SHOW NOTES • This Fundamental Friday expands on Monday’s podcast and breaks down each lantern demonstrated on-camera. • Gear covered: Luci / BioLite solar lantern, LuminAID Titan, the unnamed crank lantern, and the Blavor power station lantern . • I show how each device works, how bright it is, what it weighs, how long it runs, and where it belongs in a primitive camping setup. • These are the exa...

Today’s conversation is all about practical lighting in camp. I walk through the lanterns I actually use, why each one has a job, and how they’ve held up in real weather, river nights, and deep woods trips. From ultralight inflatable solar lanterns to heavy basecamp chargers, I break down what each one is for and why I keep them in my kit. Gear Mentioned (Remember to add affiliate links): • LuminA...

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 links USGS Topo Maps https://www.usgs.g...

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 M...

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=mam In 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...

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...

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 light Chris 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...

Show notes Today’s focus: Backcountry calories, simple meal planning, and faith for “daily bread.” From the book: Primitive Camping & Bushcraft , p.182 (dehydrated/freeze-dried options, flavor add-ons). Why calories matter: Field burn ≈ 3,500–5,000/day vs ~2,000 at home; shivering, climbs, paddling all spike needs. Pack by calories, not meals: Target ~120 cal/oz (peanut butter, nuts, olive oil, gr...

The items in this episode are no longer available. only the book is available at your online retailers.   Explore More from Primitive Camping & Bushcraft All my links, gear, community, and content in one spot: www.speiroutdoors.com Stay Connected: Join Primitive Camping & Bushcraft Facebook group:  www.facebook.com   📖 Book: Primitive Camping & Bushcraft ☕ Coffee: Primitive...

Welcome back to the Primitive Camping & Bushcraft Podcast and another Fundamental Friday around the fire. Today Chris shares how he’s been creating his own freeze-dried meals at home for camping — specifically a homemade beef stroganoff that rivals anything you can buy in a pouch. He walks through every step of the recipe using Thrive Life freeze-dried beef, mushrooms, sour cream powder, and brown...

When most folks picture campfire cooking, they think of flames licking the pan and sparks flying into the night sky. Looks good, doesn’t it? Problem is, flames lie to you. They burn hot, fast, and uneven. You end up with food that’s black on the outside and raw in the middle. I’ve been there—trust me, I’ve ruined enough meals to learn the hard way. In this episode, I talk about learning to cook ov...

Clean water is one of the most important needs in the outdoors — but not every source is safe to drink straight from. In this episode of the Primitive Camping and Bushcraft Podcast , Chris takes you step by step through pre-filtering methods that remove grit, grime, and debris before you boil or use a commercial filter. You’ll see how a Campcraft Outdoors filter bag works, why a handkerchief or ev...

On this episode of the Primitive Camping and Bushcraft Podcast , Chris shares a story about camping with his sons when a brand-new stove broke on day one. What started as frustration turned into a lesson in improvisation, open-fire cooking, and teaching his boys to adapt. Chris also reads from his book Primitive Camping and Bushcraft about “Thinking Outside the Box” and dives into Philippians 4:11...

in the final episode of this series, after a full day of primitive camping setup, it’s time for food, fire, and light. In this episode, I’ll show you how I: Slice and fry Spam for a hearty, easy camp meal. Clean cookware the simple way with hot water while it’s still on the fire. Use compact solar lanterns for red light, strobe signaling, and camp illumination. Improvise a pillow using a tarp bag...

At Camp Wut Da Heck, with smoke drifting from the fire and Mississippi kites overhead, Chris dives into a lesson every hammock camper eventually learns. He recalls his first cold night in a hammock when comfort quickly turned to misery and explains the science behind convective cooling how moving air under a hammock strips away body heat once insulation is compressed. From there, Chris unpacks rea...

In Part 3 of our Fundamental Friday series, This episode of Fundamental Friday takes you deeper into the camp setup process—moving from survival basics into evening comfort and cooking. You’ll see step-by-step how I: Use a gravity-fed water filtration system to purify a gallon of water. Test out a self-inflating sleeping pad with a wool blanket. Assemble a portable wood-burning stove for safe camp...