Prepper Glossary

Common terms from bushcraft and prepping;

A-frame

A structure formed by two angled sides that meet at the top, such as a shelter with two walls

azimuth

Navigational term for the angle of a bearing from a general direction, normally North

bail

Handle on a pot for hanging over a fire

baton

A stick used for beating a blade when splitting wood known as battoning

bearing

Direction of travel when navigating with a compass

bergen 

Alternative British name for a rucksack

bezel

Rotating dial divided into degrees to calculate a bearing on a compass

birds nest

Collection of dry material as tinder for firestarting that resembles a birds nest

bivvy or bivi

short term for bivouac to describe a shelter when camping can be a simple bag that can enclose a person to a small tent

bow drill

Firestarting method by generating friction in order to create heat to produce a smouldering ember

bug in

Stay put and ride out any emergency situation

bug out

Evacuate an area, prepacked equipment bags for this are called Bug Out Bags (B.O.B.) Bug Out Location (B.O.L.) Bug Out Vehicle (B.O.V) 

burner

Camping stove that produces a contained flame

bushcraft

The knowledge and skills to use natural surroundings for survival in the wilderness

cache

Hidden emergency stores 

charcloth

Cotton cloth that has been heated almost to the point of combustion to create a extremely dry tinder

crane

Structure for suspending things, such as pots over an open fire for cooking, made from notched sticks

Dakota fire pit

Two holes in the earth, one used as a fire pit connected by a tunnel to allow airflow to the base of the fire

deadfall

Dead wood that has fallen to the ground, deadstanding refers to dead wood that has remained standing or fallen against something so that it doesn't lie on the ground

debris shelter

Emergency cover created by layering sticks to form a low enclosed space covered with four to six inches of leaves and twigs for insulation and weatherproofing

fatwood

Wood with a high resin content which readily takes a spark and burns very strongly

feather stick

Sticks that have been shaved to create several close fitting fine curls to increase the surface area for firestarting

fell

Process to cut down a tree, where possible avoid cutting living trees

ferrocerium, ferro, firesteel

Metal alloy used to generate sparks for firestarting

fire lay

Pattern of layinf down wood to build a campfire

fly or flying tarp

Suspending a over the ground but not touching it, often used to create open sided shleters as cover for hammocks

grind

The cross section of a cutting tools cutting edge

haversack

Small bag usually carried by a sholuder strap

I.N.C.H. bag

I'm Not Coming Home bag, a prepacked bag where you do not intend to return home

jackknife

Knife with a moveable blade that folds into the handle when not in use, often called pocket knife or if it has several folding tools a multi tool

kindling

Dry material that easily ignites for campfires

kuksa

Traditional wooden cup

lean-to

Single walled angled structure grounded at its base and supported at the head

M.R.E.

Meal Ready to Eat

notch

Shape cut into wood to form structures, hangers or handles

paracord

Strong multiuse cordage, based on parachute cordage

pitch

Place to camp

prep

Abbreviation of preparation, a plan or prepared item for a given situation, to prep is prepping, a person who preps is a prepper  

resin

Sap from trees, multiple uses depending on the tree species

ridgeline

Elevated line for setting up shelters or the observable peaks of hills forming the horizon

Roycroft frame or pack

Load carrying triangular frame made from lashed together sticks

S.H.T.F.

Something 💩 Hits The Fan, an impending or recent bad situation

tarp

Abbreviated tarpaulin also used for any sheeting to form a ground sheet or shelter

T.E.O.T.W.A.W.K.I.

The End Of The World As We Know It, lifechanging apocalyptic occurance on global scale such as an extinction level asteroid strike  

tinder

Fine flammable material in firestarting

toggle

Stick loosely connected to something as an attachment or locking point  

whetstone

Hard stone used to grind the cutting egde of tools to sharpen them

widowmaker

Dead tree temporarily supported but liable to collapse without notice







This list is by no means exhaustive in order to keep it managable but will be periodically updated so if you have any additions you would like to see entered please comment below and explain your reasoning

Take care

Roo
  

Best way to start a campfire with doritos...

So as the weather gets better people will begin to spend more time outdoors camping and grilling on BBQ's and a popular "hack" I've seen online is to burn Doritos as firelighters, but in my opinion they're all doing it wrong...

Yes these little triangular snacks will burn very happily so could get a campfire going, but the packet they're sold in, like many other snack packets, is made from an unrecyclable plastic

So eat your snack, burn the pack!

You can see the video I posted on YouTube about this here;

These packets are a common sight as the wind blows them around our environment from landfill sites or inconsiderate people that simply discard them as litter 

I've always folded them to prevent them doing this, as many animals eat them and get sick and when folded they won't be blown about unless there's a hurricane.

Recently I've began to keep them as little firestarters rather than consigning them to many years in landfill 

In damp conditions where dry tinder is scarce, you'll often see a packet like this trapped in a bush or tall grass that could help you out

By burning it you're also cleaning up the environment win-win 



Take care

Roo