The Bushcraft Handbooks - Travel & Gear

"The Bushcraft Handbooks" were first published in Australia in 1952. Based on the Author's wartime service in Australia and New Guinea teaching "Junglecraft" to Australian and American forces, they are distilled, concentrated old-time bushcraft knowledge, presented in a very easy to assimilate format. For those who remember them, the Bushcraft Handbooks are also a heavy hit of nostalgia. Rather than publish all of the volumes under the one cover, the Author originally chose to publish each aspect of bushcraft in its own individual handbook. His rationale was that the reader was more inclined to take a 50 page handbook with him into the wilds than a 400 page book. The former can be easily slipped into a pocket or daypack, while the latter cannot. The Bushcraft Handbooks are useless unless the reader practices the skills the books were designed to impart. The individual handbooks format was chosen to support that end. Out of print for decades, and in keeping with the Author's wishes, this series of Bushcraft Handbooks are reproduced as close to their original format as possible. The series comprises the following volumes: Bush Ropemaking, Bush Hutmaking, Traps & Snares, Bush Campcraft, Time & Direction, Travel & Gear, Food & Water in the Bush, Firemaking & Lighting, Trapping & Tracks, Knots & Lashings. From the introduction to "Travel & Gear": "It may be necessary to travel through unknown country, and this, without map, compass or any equipment. Under some conditions the traveller may have been totally unprepared and on his ability to travel and arrive may depend his ultimate survival. In this book a little known or used ability of the eyes to stereoscope aerial or other pairs of photographs, and view the subject in true three dimensions, unaided by any optical equipment, has been included. Under some conditions this knowledge may be useful. Apart from this, the exercise itself is a valuable and exiting experience in the use of the eyes. There are many suggestions in this book that will provide real opportunities for adventure, which could be simply doing ordinary things differently. Travel and gear is of necessity directly associated with the Handbook titled "Time and Direction"."