Contact
If you have any questions about junglecraft please feel free to either comment on the individual blog entries themselves or, alternatively, you can email me at the address in the image below (using ‘@’ and ‘.’ in the appropriate places.)
As those who have contacted me before will notice this is a different address from the original as my original email address ended up on too many spam lists and I was getting drowned in spam….so sorry for the precautions but it seems necessary these days and the spammers are to blame!
Paul
Enjoying your site greatly. Have you posted the ziptie/cord hammock yet?
Hi Bevin, glad you’re enjoying the site. Haven’t done the hammock video yet, but thanks for reminding me and I’ll do it soon (as otherwise the inclusion of zipties on the parang sheath doesn’t make much sense!)
Hi Paul,
in your jungle boots revisited, you mentioned you got replacement panama soles stitched on to your old boots. Could you please tell me where you got them. Just the replacement soles.
Thanks
Alvin
Hi Alvin,
I ordered the Panama soles directly from Altberg. They offer a resoling service rather than selling the soles themselves but I wrote to them first (sales@altberg.co.uk) explaining that it would not be cost efffective for me to send boots from Malaysia to the UK for resoling and then for them to send them back here. They agreed o send over the soles and, as I remember, the soles cost 10 GBP + postage.
Hope that helps,
Cheers!
Paul
Affirmative, you have been a great help. Would you happen to know if they come in half and wide? By the way the dates for this posting is all wrong.
Hi Avin,
I don’t know about half sizes and wide fits – maybe check the website?
Sorry about the dates getting all screwed up – I eventually tracked the problem down to the server provider, they’d changed the back-up batteries on their system and forgotten to reset the date and time (doh!).
Cheers!
Paul
Ok I got it from the website thanks again
Hi Avin,
Great – hope they live up to expectations.
Cheers!
Paul
Hi,
I’m a teacher in a primary school in Kuala Lumpur, we are currently organising a range of activities for world book day and the PE focus is surival skills. We would love to give the children a short workshop on camp fires in regards to construction and safety as well as possibly some basic cooking (coming from the UK I have done flour and water dampers before!) I don’t know if this is something that you may be interested in being involved in, if not do you know anywhere that may be able to help?
Thanks,
Ben
hi paul,
wow, this is a great site for local bushcrafters! do you organise any bushcraft event?
trevor
Hi Trevor,
Glad you like the site. I don’t run any courses/events at the moment. Cheers! Paul
Hi Paul.
Are you doing any courses/events now or in the near future?
If not, do you have anyone else you can recommend?
By the way, http://www.ubat.com.my is down; is there any other way to reach them?
Chew
Hi Chew,
Thanks for the comment and, in answer to your question, I don’t really run any courses although from time to time I do a workshop in Gombak at Raman’s place. If you are interested in learning some jungle craft skills in the field I would strongly recommend going to see Raman as his skills are pretty amazing and, as it’s near KL, not that difficult to get to his place.
Check out this link to get details of how to contact Raman and see what sort of things he does.
I’ve lost contact with the Ubat guys so I don’t know how best you could contact them.
Hope that helps,
Cheers!
Paul
Hi Paul,
Thanks for the frank & simple tips in your “junglecraft” knowledge.
My mate & myself do a weekend half day trekking at Kpg Pertak area. Just wondering whether you anywhere near this part of the jungle?
Tony
I’ve never been to Sungei Pertak (but I’m told it’s very nice) – I live near Janda Baik, so not a million miles away, at about 2000 ft above sea level in the Main Range. Cheers! Paul
Hey Paul…youre a master now…well done!!!
Razail! – is that you as in UBAT Razali? If so, very good to hear from you indeed. I am very, very far from being a master (I wish!) but I try to keep learning and I remember well my first visit to the jungle on your excellent survival course! I still have a photo of the my make-shift shelter and fire (that went out after about an hour) and the bed of bertam leaves I slept on during that course! Are you still running them? I get a few enquiries about courses so would be happy to forward them on to you if you are. Cheers! Paul
hi, i just like to say i really like your jungle craft, and thanks for posting your videos, im curious about the green wood bow drill you talk about befor,
fredde
Hi Fredde,
thanks for the comment and reminder about the greenwood which I’ll cover soon – basically though the problem in the jungle (with friction fire) is a lot of the dead wood you find is rotten so I want to talk about the feasibility of using green/live wood. Cheers! Paul
G’Day,
just lost a 9/10 ” curved like a sickle, called Thai Jungle knife I think with a 18″ wood broom stick handle on it, lost crossing a river in a FL swamp and looking for something like it. it was light to carry in a pack.
do not know much about parang but I am not looking for a 2/3+ lb axe to carry if the smaller ones are like lb+ that be ok.I do a lot of hikeing with my Hog hound in the local swamp and wet land were I live, use small wood, reed, and saw grass, + if something feels I am good to eat, this and a staff are great keep it away from U.
If you may stear me to a seller that would be great Cheers Joseph
HI Joseph,
Thanks for the comment – I’ve come across the Thai jungle knives before although they aren’t used much in my neck of the woods – they have more reach than a parang and would certainly help to keep an aggressive animal at bay! There is a guy called Nadir here in Malaysia who exports parangs and he has an excellent selection, you can contact him at http://www.outdoordynamics.com.my. He recently added a Ray Mears style parang (with plastic handle) at a very reasonable price, and these are excellent for chopping and general use.
Hope that helps. Cheers! Paul
Stumbled across your article about jungle boots and I’ve been poking around looking at all your great articles and videos. Hawaii is a bit different but a lot of the principles remain the same. Great stuff! Aloha!
Hi XJ and thanks for the comment. Good to know that some of the techniques here can be used in Hawaii (a place I have always wanted to visit!) – I guess a lot of the general principles apply to other environments (and junglecraft is really a subset of bushcraft) but the main difference in the jungle is the heat/humidity and sheer mass of vegetation one has to deal with. Cheers! Paul
Hi Paul,
I stumbled across your Youtube videos the other day; can I just say that they are fantastic and a blessed relief compared to some of the other dross out there. Thank you for being so clear & concise and for putting in the extra effort in the editing and fading. As a trainee bushcraft and survival instructor myself it was really nice to learn about an environment that I’ve not been to so far. I also learnt quite a few “duh” things as well ( as in “Duh, why didn’t I think of that?”).
Please keep the videos coming.
All the best
Chris
HI Chris,
Thanks for all the support and glad you like the videos – junglecraft is really just a sub-set of bushcraft so hopefully there’s some stuff that you can use even if not in the jungle! I often refer to Bushcraft (by Mors Komanski) and find ideas there that can be adapted to the jungle (apart from the snow stuff that is!).
Cheers!
Paul
hi paul! ive been finding for someone who does junglecraft and bushcraft in town, and i came across your site and found you. im really interested. im a boy scouts myself and i stay in petaling jaya. but i would like to take a step further to learn more of these skills. is there any chance i can meet you and learn from you? or maybe some trips into the woods. really looking forward to it.
nigel
Hi Nigel,
I don’t run any courses or such at the moment, however you could try the UBAT guys (www.ubat.com.my) who do run survival courses up in Perak.
Hope that helps.
Cheers!
Paul
Hey Paul! Its great to see how this website has grown, love the videos!(Makes me homesick though.. :p) Will be back from LA in January! Keep up the good work and catch up soon!
ps* Let me know if there is any particular gear that you would like from the US and I will try to bring it back for you.
Cheers!!
Jien
Hi Jien,
Good to hear from you and hope the course is gong well in LA – I can imagine you must miss the jungle over there (and, of course, all the Malaysian cuisine!).
Catch up with you when you get back and thanks for the offer of equipment but I think I’m okay for the moment.
Cheers!
Paul
i was wondering what you do for a living as i was was looking for manual work outside over seas and have had an interest in bush raft and that sort of thing that you do looks cool is there anywhere i can find out about that sort of work
Hi Jack.
Thanks for the comment – I certainly don’t make a living from junglecraft (unfortunately!) and it would be very hard to do so here. Manual work is low paid over here (approx 10 pounds a day) and foreigners need work permits which are hard to get. However I have heard of an organization that helps people get (unpaid) work at organic farms in return for food and lodging which might be of interest – check them out at http://www.wwoof.org
Hope that helps,
Cheers!
Paul
You should teach, many schools charge $1,400 to $2,000 for week long trips into the jungle. Even if you was cheap and charged only $300 for a week, 10 people would be $3,000 you made for the week.
Many foreigners from America, etc look for knowledgeable people to teach them and you know a lot.
I always said if I had the money I would pay to take courses from all kinds of people, because everyone knows something that others don’t. They have there own style of teaching and there own way that they learned.
You might want to advertise a test course for 10 students and see if you get them, just notify that your running a test course or whatever and if you don’t receive 10 students then you’ll cancel course and give everyone a refund. Most don’t have a problem coming up with $300, for many its the money they need to come up with for a 2 way flight that’s hard. But there are many that can afford it and want these types of jungle/nature courses.
We’re both pretty knowledgeable, and you, probably like me have all kinds of doubts whether or not there’s a demand or if you know enough. But I figure it don’t hurt to try so soon I’ll be offering my courses. I hope you try it out, your knowledgeable and have a great speaking and instructing style about you.
Hi Mike,
Thanks for the vote of confidence but, honestly speaking, I’m no real expert on this stuff certainly when compared to the Orang Asli who have some truly exceptional skills in the jungle.
I used to run a one-day introduction to the rain forest which was generating quite a lot of interest until the guide I was using had to go and work somewhere else. However, it was an enormous amount of work and the charge you can apply over here is much, much lower than in the UK or the States.
I have a great deal of respect for anyone who successfully gets a bushcraft/junglecraft course off the ground as I know how difficult it can be and you really have to work for the income you get.
Like you I’m very happy to learn from anyone and if you have an open mind and are prepared to listen you can usually learn something from others (even if there skills are not all encompassing they may still know something that you don’t). The truth is that these outdoor skills are ones that you could keep learning all your life and never get to the point where you know them all….and, in a way, that’s one of the things I like about junglecraft: there’s always something new to learn.
Anyway very best of luck with your courses and let us know how they do.
Cheers!
Paul
Thanks Paul, I will let you guys know.
That’s the same philosophy I have… Listening to everyone as a teacher, there is a good chance that they know something useful since like you said, there is so many things you could learn in a lifetime and not learn them all, so we each have different experiences in life and so learned different things.
I mentioned in my post about not knowing if I know enough. I guess thats not really the problem, its like you said, it takes a lot of work and commitment and I love my freedom too much, I love being out there in the purity, studying and learning. Teaching 10 loud people somehow just isn’t the same. But I really want to teach people how to return to the earth and to find and enjoy the same rapture that I’ve come to know, and then hopefully if enough people are reached then it might just change the course of things.
All Good Medicine
Mike
Hi Mike,
Yep – totally agree with you there. It’s one thing I really like about Youtube – the fact that there is a community of people interested in the outdoors who are sharing information with each other. I remember before the days of the internet when it would take ages to track down even the simplest information in some obscure book – nowadays you can order a book (say on Kindle) and have it in minutes, or find a video in seconds….really it’s incredible how much easier it is to find stuff out now.
Cheers!
Paul
I totally agree, it really is so much easier finding the information your looking for now. It’s great. Thanks to people like you sharing, I have learned a lot. There is so many videos I want to create and share, just need to wait till I get a camcorder.
Hi Mike,
Thanks for the comment – I look forward to the day when you get a camcorder and start filming!
Cheers!
Paul
Hi Paul!
Congratulations for your great, useful, and so cool blog! I am more involved with Nicaraguan Rainforest (other trees and beasts…but similar issues!) but I very much enjoy your Asian experiences and projects. I never used a parang as I am more into local machetes, medium to long, as my friends there showed me, but those parang look great and I’d love to try them. I particularly dig the short one you show: strong, efficient and handy.
A local jungle man from Rio San Juan offered me his machete last january: he customized it by making it thinner and shorter as he goes for medicinal plants. I find this treasure really cool: light, more discreet (easy to hide under a rain poncho while shopping for essentials in the small village of El Castillo!) and, well, it is a present given after almost 20 years of good use: a real treasure wich I will use and use on my next trips there.
Again, bravo, bravissimo for your so cool attitude shown in your clips! And cool dogs you have there!
Warmest regards from Geneva (Switzerland),
Maxime
Hi Maxime,
Many thanks for the comment and kind words – I have always wanted to visit the rain forests in Nicaragua but fear that I’ll never get the chance now but it would be fascinating to compare the two forests and the different approaches by the locals. I know exactly what you mean about getting a machete that is tried and tested – there’s something nice about a machete that has a bit of history to it. I still like using the first parang I bought, although it is getting quite worn down now, but it feels like an old friend and I’m sure I’ll hang on to it.
Thanks again and hope you get back into the rainforest soon.
Cheers!
Paul
Dear Paul,
Can’t tell you enough how impressed I am with you Vids.I consider myself fortunate to have stumbled on your page.I’m planning on doing some trekking in about one years time.I’m doing a leg of my trip in Sumatra and then another leg in Mulu.Using KL as my flying hub in between…was wondering a few things about a couple of items you mentioned in your videos…pepper spray,is it ok to purchase in Malaysia and what about carrying it on flights from KL to miri?same question about Parangs?
Can I show up and buy a Parang locally and then put it in luggage for my flights? …just thought you might know the ins and outs of carrying each item…keep up the great work
Cheers,
Douglas
Hi Douglas,
I’m not sure about airline regulations on parangs and pepper spray in checked-in luggage and, i guess, it depends on which country you’re flying to. My own inclination would be to take along a sheath only and then buy a parang when I arrive (they aren’t expensive) – when your trip is over it might be a welcome gift to a local guide or someone you meet on your travels.
As for the pepper spray, I honestly can’t say whether it would be effective of not against a wild animal – if you look at proper bear spray canisters they are large and powerful and not like the little pocket one I have…so I I wouldn’t bother taking any with me on plane journeys.
Hope that helps.
Cheers!
Paul
Hi Paul,
Have been checking out your website.. finally. Great stuff! Next time I come visit, let’s check out the trails in the compound, shall we?
Hi Soon Hoe,
Thanks for the comment and looking forward to your return to Malaysia!
Cheers!
Paul
Love your Youtube videos.
I’m pretty certain you got your parang locally, but would you happen to know of an online company where I might be able to get one?
I see the benefit of the design on yours but I can only find ones with outward curves.
Thanks and please keep filming.
Hi Sam,
Thanks for comment and very glad you like the videos. I do buy my parangs locally, but there’s a great company on-line who offer a good range of parangs (including ones from Borneo) and export them as well. You can find them at http://www.outdoordynamics.com.my. I have ordered kit from them a few times in the past and they’ve always been very helpful and efficient so I can happily recommend them.
Hope that helps.
Cheers!
Paul
How does one get rid of spitting Cobra, and how do they treat a tick bite, so that one does not contract a disease from such a large bite, i understand that its better not to get bitten, but that bite looked horrid, and being the tropics is not the possiblity of an infection very real, I really enjoy all the videos you have made, thank and keep ’em coming
Hi George,
Good questions! We’ve had lots of cobras coming for unwelcome visits here and, generally they just go away if you leave them alone. I once had a krait (like a coral snake) – which are highly venomous – come into the car park and, while I was trying to fish him up, he crawled under my wife’s car and then disappeared into the interior of the vehicle. I, gingerly, lifted the bonnet, opened the doors etc but could not find him anywhere and, in the end, simply drove the car outside and left it there overnight as my wife had to use it the next day. Luckily he must have decided to go away, but she had a hairy drive into town the next day!
As for ticks – the best precautions are to cover up and use repellent, but also – at the end of a day in the jungle – try to find somewhere to wash and inspect for any ticks as, the sooner you get them off, the less irritating the bite.
Cheers!
Paul
Great videos. I loved your Advanced flint and steel video. In it you was talking about the point of learning flint & steel and how your buddy said why don’t you just carry a lighter. I didn’t care for your response to him. The point is and the response I would have said is that learning flint and steel is a key component in being self reliant, you should have asked him what if his lighter malfunctions? Or what if you find yourself stranded for a month or more and your lighter runs out?
Of course its common sense to bring a lighter and I usually bring one when I go out. But primitive skills truly are what can set a person free from the shackles of society.
There is a saying… “Wilderness survival skills are the doorway to the earth, and the earth is the doorway to the spirit”.
Survival skills allow you to spend long periods of time out in nature unhindered by modern conveniences so that your able to seek spirit more fully.
Its funny how those in society seem to have the same arrogant answers to learning skills and there the ones that wouldn’t make it if society ever collapsed.
Thanks again for the videos on such wonderful skills.
Hi Mike,
Thanks for the comment and you are, of course, absolutely right in what you say. Knowing how to light a fire (through friction or percussion) also means you are more confident in the wilderness and not paranoid about losing your lighter all the time!
I find that the more junglecraft skills I pick up the less ‘threatening’ the jungle becomes and, instead, it becomes a place full of resources that can help me.
Cheers!
Paul
You truly are a great person. Thanks so much for everything you do to teach people. I wish someday I’d get to spend some time with you. I thought I’d share some things with you so hopefully it can take your learning in new directions and also give us some new videos to watch, I’d love to see what your experimentation’s could be with it, so here it go’s…
Make your own Char Material without char cloth: I’ve been experimenting with this. What if you really need a fire and your out of char cloth and have flint/rock and steel? Make your own char material without a fire! If you suck at bow drill and can’t get a bow drill fire going, Simply do a bow and drill fire just to accumulate enough dark looking powder! Then ignite with your flint and steel. I’ve done this once but that’s the only time I practiced it, I should do it more, I would love to see how this works in the Jungle.
Edible & Medicinal Plants: I have a book called botany in a day. You can learn over 20,000 edible plants without ever knowing there name simply by knowing what family of plant it belongs to by identifying the stamen, petals, leaves, etc. Wonder if you knew any jungle plants like this with no poisonous species in its family, bamboo may be one of them.
Another interesting concept in the book is that people think indians learned medicinal plants by trial and error, but this is only partially true. Many plants will have the same property’s and can be used in the same ways. A person should still know if a plant or family of plants is poisonous. but For instance…
Resins: Help with colds and coat the lining of the throat.
Tannin’s or Astringents: Can help clear up Diarrhea and help heal wounds.
Bitters: Can help clear up constipation and help with digestion.
People have trouble telling astringents from bitters. But bitters make you salivate when placed in your mouth, its this property which helps with digestion by increasing the liquid in your stomach. Astringents have the opposite affect, they dry up your mouth so you know that there astringent and can be used to reduce swellings, tighten up wounds, and help heal diarrhea.
They go on to talk about miscellaneous plants, I forgot most that one but can be used to help coat stomach like an antacid or help sores heal, much like Aloe Vera.
They also talk about acrid substances such as horseradish, or hot peppers killing bacteria or stomach virus’s. Volatile oils such as winter green to help kill microbes, purify water, and get rid of headaches by cooking the organisms responsible. It talks more about different chemicals in plants etc to help treat stuff, but this gives you an idea. Look at there site/book here and also there section to identify 45,000 plants right now… http://www.wildflowers-and-weeds.com/Plant_Families/Patterns_in_Plants.htm
I hope this info takes your learning in new directions. Thanks again for your site.
Opps, (edit). That was suppose to be “Make your own char material without a fire!”.
I know you don’t suck at bow drill :-), just saying that someone that isn’t good at bow drill or is is in the jungle and can’t get one going could try this method if they had flint and steel, but no char material.
Also the 20,000 edible plants I mentioned are familys of plants that have no poisonous species in them such as mustard, mint, cattail, mallow (cotton is the only poisonous plant in this family), grass’s, rush, rose, and a few more. Easily identified by plant characteristics such as petals, stamen’s, pistils, leaves, etc. Pea is one of the deadliest familys but if you know what a pea flower looks like then you can easily identify other species of plants that belong to the pea family, its the same for rose, mint, and others.
Hi Mike,
Thanks for vote of confidence in my bow drill abilities but, as everyone who’s done friction fire knows, anyone can have a bad day and sometimes, for various reasons, that glowing ember can evade you, so your tip of using the powder as a spark catcher is a valid one and well worth knowing.
20,000 edible plants! I had no idea it was as many as that! I wonder if anyone knows them all? – I guess that’s where the system you talk about comes in handy.
In the rain forest the number of plant species is mind blowing and new species are being found all the time – it really is a world waiting to be discovered and one that you could spend a lifetime studying and still only know a part of it.
Thanks again for the very interesting posts.
Cheers!
Paul
Hi Mike,
Many thanks for the comments and I was very interested to read about the plant identification system you refer to – I think I’m going to order a copy of “botany in a day” myself! In the jungle there are so many different species that it can become a bit bewildering at times and it is easy to mix up one plant for another. Really like the simple definitions of the main properties of plants and the explanation of the difference between bitter and astringent plants. Good stuff!
I suspect that amongst the tribes people in Malaysia there is a fair amount of trial and error with regard to plant use as well! Some of the plants that are used are, indeed, mildly poisonous but not so lethal as to kill a grown adult (but there have been cases of children suffering badly from the same dosage). But I am amazed how good they locals are at identifying plants – they can spot them from quite a distance and also know where they are most likely to find them.
I think a lot of people are put off trying to learn any botany by the sheer number of plants that are out there – having some sort of system like the one you describe is a great way to start. I also think it is a good idea to focus on the main plants types first – i.e.. those that are most commonly used for food – and only try to learn the more esoteric ones later.
You are right also about using bow drill residue powder as a spark-catcher and it’s a good tip to remember.
Thanks again for a great set of tips and info.
Cheers!
Paul
Yeah tribes are amazing at identifying plants. A lot of it is about them growing up using the plants but a big part of it too is living in the knowing and being able listen to inner vision more fully to gain insights that you wouldn’t be able to figure out using the logical mind.
Botany: I thought you’d love to know about that book. Some people may be put off thinking its a long course or takes years of study. But even though the name is Botany in a day it isn’t really a course about botany that’s going to take a long time, its just a way to identify plants by family to make you better at narrowing down if a plant you came across is edible or not. You only have to know a few patterns and you’ve greatly enhanced your ability to find food.
The 20,000 edible plants I talked about that have no poisonous plants in there family are……….
Mustard: key words; 4 petals and 6 stamen, 4 tall & 2 short. If you see that in a plant you know its a type of mustard plant and is edible (there are no poisonous species in the Mustard family. Radish and Turnip belong to mustard family along with many wild plants. Worldwide there are 375 genera and 3,200 species, with 55 genera in North America alone, there is probably many more than that in the jungle. (When I first got the book I found a plant that look like mustard, but it had 8 stamens, 6 tall and 2 short or something like that. I figured the book must be wrong because I was certain the plant was a mustard plant since it had seed pods with yellow juice and seeds. I’m glad I never ate that plant since the book was right and I was wrong, turns out it was Celandine which is mildly poisonous, so it taught me a lesson, now I listen to the book.
So thats 3200 plants you know you can eat if you find them without ever knowing there name!
Mint: keywords; square stalks and opposite leaves, often aromatic. It also has 5 sepals fused together). 3,500 edible species with no poisonous species in its family. Mints contain volatile oils that are lethal to microorganisms, it helps chewing and swallowing a few mint leaves after drinking questionable water.
Mallow family: key words; 5 separate petals and a column of stamens. 1,500 edible plants (cotton is the only species in this family that is poisonous. (Mallow is the original Marshmallow till they started using corn syrup and stuff).
Rose: 5 3,000 edible species, none poisonous. 5 sepals and 5 petals with usually numerous stamens. Buttercup family has poisonous species and looks like rose. But its easy to tell the difference, most rose species have stipules (like curved points or tips) on the end of there leaves.
Grasses: 10,000 edible species. Mostly eat the seeds ground/dried/ and cooked, the leaves contain too much cellulose but they can give you energy by chewing on them as you walk, swallowing the juice and spitting out the solids. You can make tea or soups by boiling leaves first and then straining the grass out and then making your soup. High in vitamins and nutrients.
Sedges: 4,000 species, most all are edible. starchy roots are used similarly to cattail roots. Also base of leaf stalks have white triangular portion that is edible.
Cattails: 15 species.
Rush Family: 400 species.
All these are edible family’s with none poisonous species or a few as mentioned. Thats close or over 20,000 edible plants you can know without ever knowing there name. Don’t take my word for it though, study the family’s yourself to decide for yourself. There are more family’s with no poisonous species but we’ll have to stay studying these family’s to make sure. But knowing this information gives you a huge advantage in a survival situation so the book is well worth getting 🙂
Hi Mike,
Many thanks for taking the time to write all this out and fascinating stuff indeed. I am amazed at the number of edible grasses you site – 10,000!
I like this idea of systematizing the identification of plants a lot and am going to see to what extent it can be applied to the main sorts of edible plants over here.
Thanks again for all this info, much appreciated
Cheers!
Paul
Your welcome, all of that info came from the book and a little studying online.
That book is really great, most botany books are tedious and talk about light and how the plant grows, they go too much into detail, which is great for botany if you want to know all that stuff lol.
But Botany in a day was written by someone who’s been studying edible and medicinal plants for years, since he was a kid, and like most of us he did it by identifying plants one by one through pictures, etc. But then a herbalist showed him that method he never seen before and he was hooked, he studied and learned and wrote that book. In that previous post was a link to the site and tells how that herbalist pointed out the features of the rose and how every plant in the rose family could be used the same way to treat medical conditions.
So the book isn’t so much about the technical aspects, but more on the edible and medicinal propertys of the family of plants and how to identify the familys. Almost under every family he list the names of edible plants that belong to that family, which also makes it easy to find a plant so you can studying the flowers for that one plant and know that most plants in that family will have the same type of flower.
So the book was written more for survivalist and those wanting to learn edible and medicinal plants, and not so much for college students that need to learn the technical aspects. But like one person wrote to him that he learned more in one day from that book then he did taking 2 or 3 semesters of a botany course in college, so that’s saying something lol.
I’d love it if the book did contain tons of jungle plants and tree’s, but it don’t. But I’m sure it will still apply there to many of the tree’s and plants since we have many plants here that you have, such as plantains (the plant, not the tree), which is edible, and many other plants. With a lot of the tree’s you will probably be able to see the same flower pattern in them and know what family they belong to. Oh and I can’t forget tomatoes, potatoes, beets, squish, etc.
I’m sure you know a lot of tree’s and plants in your area, once you start paying attention to the details of the flowers I know you’ll start seeing other trees and flowers with the same number of petals, stamens, etc, and will know what family they belong to. You’ll probably start realizing that there is no poisonous species in that family, might take some researching online. But it really does open up a whole new world of possibility’s and changes the way that you look at plants and tree’s.
All Good Medicine
Mike
Hi Mike,
Thanks for a great post and the book really sounds very interesting. You are right that a lot of these books are, naturally enough, focused on the US or Europe – the same is true when it comes to animal tracking and it took me a long time to find info on tracks for the animals over here.
But what interests me is the approach the author has taken and I like that a lot. There are books on botany over here too but I haven’t come across one that is as methodical and complete as the one you’re referring to.
When I first started going into the jungle here all the plants looked the same to me and I found that it was very hard to find my way. Now that I know more of the plants the jungle becomes mapped-out in my mind and I remember routes by the plants/trees that I have passed on the way. This is also how a lot of locals function as there are usually no landmarks to guide you. It’s a different way of navigating and one that takes a little getting used to!
Anyway, thanks again and thanks for sharing the info.
Cheers!
Paul
miscellaneous plants was suppose to be “mucilaginous plants” (Mucilage).
(maybe you can correct my post and delete these 2 comments, thanks)
Hi Mike,
Just posted the first two comments and then read this one about editing them – sorry! But don’t worry as I’m sure people will see the corrections and understand perfectly.
Thanks again.
Cheers!
Paul
Hi Paul. Me again lol.
There are a few other things I’ve learned to take my survival to new area’s. You see I like learning and teaching things that others don’t teach or have no knowledge of, I like figuring out things people use to do in the old days and how you’d do these things if ever people needed to return to the earth.
One is Alcohol, important for survival lol. I’d love to learn more from tribes how they do it, like spitting in it lol. But came up with a few of my own methods and being able to use intestine of an animal (or other parts) as an air lock.
Bread: I’ve studied and learned a lot about bread, I use to ask myself if I was in a survival situation, how could I make bread to eat and enjoy, so I started studying. In the old days they made yeast starters, you can easily find this info online. Yeast exist naturally in the air and in water. Yeast feed off carbohydrates/sugars. So if you mix a cup of flour with a cup of warm water and leave it out in the air (can cover with a cloth to keep bugs out) yeast will start feeding off it after a few days. Each day you add about another cup of flour and some more water. But anyways its a great way to make bread, just build a dough rising tent out of plastic or whatever you have to put out in the sun, even a bag works. I still want to experiment with different roots for flour so can do it naturally, I believe cattail root flour will work, or the pollen from cattail heads, reed roots should work and many others. Even potatoes (which I heard grow wild in the jungle) I know for certain work. So to make bread you just then mix some flour and water to make a dough and mix in some of your yeast starter and put it in the rising tent to rise. Then bake it in a stone oven you made.
Fermentation: I’m just getting into this. Fermentation is how many tribes/country’s kept food good for months or years before refrigerators. You can control the good yeast I read with sugar/carbohydrates and other methods so that you don’t get bad yeast. Its why some foods ferment better then others. Like I said, I’m still studying this, its an important area to get into. I watched a video about a tribe on an island buried a certain root and that fermented it and it was good to eat 8 months later when the tribes had a hard time finding enough to eat. So a very good skill to learn.
Ok, heres some survival skills that I learned that not too many are aware of that I’ll be teaching in my courses. You know the bow drill powder one already 🙂
Make almost any deadfall trap faster: Attach a spring stick to a tree or the ground, then have the springing part over your rock so its pushing down. Much like how kids like taking rulers, holding them on a desk and then lifting up so they let go to watch it vibrate. But you should get the idea, the spring stick push’s down on your deadfall to make that rock slam down even faster on the animal.
Making almost any trap faster and way more sensitive: Simply place a pebble or stick (dowel shape) between the trigger where it moves. An example would be figure 4 trap, if you place a pebble or a smooth rounded stick between the upright and the horizontal that hooks against the upright then it rolls off the upright much more smoothly and freely when an animal goes for the bait. Makes it much more sensitive.
Well this is all I can think of for now. I love the area of traps and designed a few of my own. I know about 40 mantraps, though I don’t teach them unless they can be used for survival such as the following I know… 7 gun traps, 7 crossbow traps, 7 bow traps, a bunch of whip stick and spiked traps. For me its the triggers I really like learning about and know a lot of them for many small and medium game traps.
Well hope this gave you and your readers some new directions to go into with survival. Plants are my major interest, traps are my seconds, along with other areas of survival.
Take care Paul, hope to watch more of your videos soon.
Next I’ll show you how you can Milk Tapir and other wild animals in a survival situation to make your own Cheese!
Just kidding, haha.
Hi Mike,
Milking a Tapir would be something I would very much like to see!
Cheers!
Paul
Haha, me too. That would be more fun watching then them actually making the cheese lol.
Hi Mike,
Thanks very much for this post and, again, some really great info that I’m sure will be of interest to people reading the site.
I’ve never tried making bread in the way you described and my baking has been limited to making trail bread using baking powder to rise it. But I’m certainly going to give this a go now!
Also interested in what you are saying about fermentation and it echoes something I heard recently from a tribesman over here who was talking about fruit that is wrapped in leaves and buried in much the manner you describe.
As for traps they certainly have an appeal in terms of how they are constructed but I don’t hunt over here in the rainforest because a) it is far too easy (as the animals just haven’t developed a fear of man and are easy to get close to) and b) trapping is illegal anyway! Nevertheless it is good to know some traps in case everything goes wrong and you need some protein.
I think the spring deadfall idea you mention makes a great deal of sense and I’m going to try that one out – I’ve seen deadfall traps/ split log traps made which are simply too light to crush the animal and the addition of a spring would really have helped.
I didn’t know the tip about the dowel shaped addition to the fig-4 trap either so that’s yet another one I’m going to have to try! This is all going to keep me out of mischief for a while as I try these new methods!
Once again many thanks for sharing your knowledge and I’m sure I’m not the only who appreciates you taking the time to write it all down and send it in.
Cheers!
Paul
Thanks Paul.
I don’t know hardly anything about fermentation. I’m just getting into it. Luckily there is a lot of youtube videos on it and also so great websites, it helps to google the keywords fermentation bury or burying, that gave me a lot of results on indians. I was reading an interesting article how Alaskan Eskimo’s was doing for hundreds of years perfectly, then they decided to incorporate modern ways for convenience purposes, they started using Tupperware and other plastics, that one change caused many to die through botulism, I’m not sure why, will have to finish reading it. A lot of youtube videos are informative and say there isn’t much risk and they all was fearful at the beginning. Some sites even talked about you’ll know if it went bad, but something tells me there could be times you couldn’t or so many wouldn’t die each year from it, like eating canned foods that had a pinhole in it that you wouldn’t know went bad. So I’ll stay learning and watching youtube videos on it and then will give it a try.
It would be great if you could learn from some tribes in the area how to ferment things, that would be great learning from them.
For figure 4 trap or others, probably a pebble is better, but a stick/dowel will work if you place it to roll in the right direction. You just make your slot wide enough to accommodate the pebble or stick.
Trapping is also illegal here in the United States too, your only allowed to do it in a survival situation like if your plane crashed or you got lost. But its still good to know for emergency’s. I never trapped an animal yet but I would in a full survival situation, if I got caught I’d fight it in court. I’ve heard game-wardens say if your family was starving and you killed a dear then there is nothing they can do, you had to eat. Not sure how true it is, but it should be and I’d put up a good fight in court lol.
Your welcome for the info and I thank you for the info you share with everyone. I’m happy to let people know new techniques or skills and hope it helps them.
All Good Medicine…
Mike
Hi Mike,
Sorry for slow reply (just got back from a trip) and thanks for yet another very informative post.
You’ve certainly got me interested in fermentation now and in a couple of days I’m going back to see an Orang Asli and will ask him to tell me more about it.
Totally understand what you are saying about traps and it mirrors my own attitude – a good skill to know but not one to use unless in an emergency. Here in Malaysia trapping is quite a big problem and wire cable snares are used. I’ve come across many in the jungle and it’s not uncommon for a whole area to be peppered with snares which are left there for months. Even my dog was snared once and for a few months afterwards had a huge scar on his neck as if someone had tried to cut his throat.
Part of the problem here is that there is now a market for exotic animals sold to both Chinese restaurants and for Chinese medicine. As a result even the Orang Asli (who would previously only hunt for food) are now tempted to hunt down everything they can, as they can sell it on to Chinese middlemen. It’s not going to be easy to persuade the Chinese that a lot of the ‘exotic animal’ based medicine they use is a con (Tiger bones, for example, are much in demand) as unscrupulous Chinese Medicine shops will add steroids to the bone powder and, for someone with an ailment, there is a transitory improvement (although the steroids will only help alleviate the symptoms and not act as a cure).
I’m sure though that no-one would complain if animals are snared in a true survival situation.
Anyway, thanks again for sharing all the info.
Cheers!
Paul
Yeah, the killing that mankind does nowadays makes me so mad, all for greed and money. People should only kill when there is a strong need and when every part of the animal will be utilized, and with wild animals it should be against the law to sell or trade, killing should only be done to be utilized by the person killing the animal or to help feed those with him. I know there is laws, but it don’t stop them that have greed.
Its so sad because many are tribe people that want to help there family’s. Like in the Amazon Jungle they log illegally, kill animals to sell like you said, and they also produce cocaine to make only 70 for the week while the drug dealers make about $30,000 to $300,000 for what they did. They set up illegal labs in the jungle to bath the cocaine in chemicals and kerosene and once there done they empty the pool and let all that go into the jungle and the nearby stream they used, then it works its way to the rivers.
I’m sure you have that same problem there.
Another thing they do in the Amazon is they have there houses right over the river with a bathroom will a hole for a toilet so they shit right in the river, and also throw there trash in the river.
But anyways, back to snaring lol. Its sad to hear that about your dog, traps are suppose to be checked every morning, and should never be set near any houses or used trails, best to be set at least a mile or 2 in the woods.
Just be real careful about trip lines and shotgun/crossbow traps when your walking around. I know a lot of jungles people use them.
I hate society and all the corrupt ways of man, I can’t wait till people return to the earth as simple and free people and forever forsake the ways of modern man.
All good medicine…
Mike
Hi Mike,
Thanks for the reply and it can all get a bit depressing when you look at what goes on in the forests. One of the reasons for setting up Junglecraft is to encourage more people to go into the jungle as the more eyes and ears there are the less easy it is for people to get away with illegal practices.
Also, when people use the jungle for leisure activities they start to value it more and are less likely to stand back and let the loggers go in.
…otherwise one day it’ll all be shopping malls and car parks!
Cheers!
Paul
G’day Paul, Great Vid once again My Friend Please tell your mate thank you for his time and input with helping you bring that Video together for us all. OK! Takecare Mate! and keep safe!
Best Regards as always! Rod
Hi Rod,
Great to hear from you again and very glad you liked the video. I’ll pass on your thanks to Raman and I’m sure he’ll be delighted to know that people in Australia have seen him in action.
Cheers!
Paul
Love your videos on youtube and you have a nice blog I see…food for the mind..keep up the great work ! The skills must not be forgotten.
Thanks .. a bushcrafter
Hi Trailtraveller.
Many thanks for comment and support and glad you’re enjoying the videos. Many more to come!
Cheers!
Paul
Hi JungleCrafty I really love your youtube videos and follow them religiously! I live in the States and dont happen to have jungles around me however I love parangs and have done my best to try to make my own and use them in the wood haha. so I have a question can you lead me to the best parang I can order for the lowest price? I’ve seen ray mears but its a little pricy and now I’ve found one by a company called Condor Tool and Knife. It’s called a village parang machete and looks very close to the kind you use for a descent price! can you give me any advise please?
Hi Nick,
Many thanks for the kind comment and very glad you like the videos. I think the parang is suitable for lots of tasks (not just in the jungle) and they’re great tools to use. I have heard of the Condor range of parangs but never tried one for myself. I have seen their bushcraft knife which seems ok but a bit heavy. In fact weight is one of the things I find very important in a parang (I mention this in the latest video on palm hearts) and something in the range of 300-400 grams is my preferred weight, so you might want to check the weight of the Condor parang before buying it. Also, I don’t often find the need for a blade length greater than about 12 inch.
Another option for you is to buy an authentic parang from Malaysia and import it (although shipping and customs costs need to be factored in). There are two companies here that can do export orders: http://www.outdoordynamics.com.my and http://www.sepuh-crafts.com.my , I know the owners of both of these companies and they are very helpful people and know a lot about parangs.
Hope that helps,
Cheers!
Paul
Hi Paul,
I love your video on youtube, awesome!!. I would like to go camping in Malaysian jungle in the future. I’m still beginner, can u make a video about proper way to camp in 3 day 2 night scenario. What is must carry items, portion of food, how much clothing needed, type of shelter and your suggestion of must not do,carry and etc. I hope you can make this video. terima kasih Paul.
Hi Mohd Hafiz,
Many thanks for the comment and very glad the videos are being of some help. As it happens I was going to do a video on this topic this week but got distracted (and not for the first time!) by friction fire. But ‘yes’ I’ll do a video on this in the next few weeks.
Thanks again,
Cheers!
Paul
Just watched your machete modification video. You mention char cloth gets moist and won’t work. Your solution was to wrap it in plastic and melt the ends and weren’t sure if it was reliable. Easier more reliable solution is to put char cloth in a balloon or condom and tie it. If you added a spare balloon you could seal your char cloth again on the spot. That way it will be dry for the next night.
HI Fred,
Yes – good idea with to use a balloon/condom and they have many survival uses too (carrying water etc). Many thanks for the tip.
I did check the charcloth that I’d sealed in plastic some time later on and it was still ok.
Cheers!
Paul
hi paul. I ask you some questions. if you can take your mail to me to communicate with you.
Hi Abolfazi,
My email is paul@junglecraft.com.my and happy to help with any questions I can.
Cheers!
Paul
Hello Paul. I am Alex and I love everything is about bushcraft life style,surviving, etc. Enjoied your site very much,many interesting information had been found up there. I have a dream. Dream is about to get lost in the wild,to live far far from people,from any civilization. But there are lots of governments,countries,laws and visas. So nowadays humanity won’t let me go for free.That’s a big problem. So here is the question of mine: is it possible to stay in jungles or some island without any visa. And are you legal there or hidding just like Robin Hood? Thanks for reading and sorry about my lame english.
Al.
Hi Alex,
Many thanks for the comment and great that you are so keen on the outdoors and bushcraft – I entirely understand your dream to get out into the wild and ‘off the grid’. I think the idea of living in the jungle full time is not something most people would enjoy and certainly living off the land and staying healthy would be a major, major challenge – not saying that it couldn’t be done but that it would be very hard indeed. The natives here live in tribes so they have support from friends and families and can share out chores – being on your own in the jungle is a different kettle of fish altogether and it can be quite a tough (and potentially dangerous) environment for the lone trekker. I would recommend trying short stays first (in a group) and then lengthening them bit by bit so that you can develop your jungle skills and get a better feel for how much you might like longer stays. Here in Malaysia tourists usually get a three month visa so you could stay for quite a while.
As for me, I am not (unfortunately) anything like a Robin Hood character and have to pay taxes, get visas, do banking and all the other mundane stuff of everyday life (but then I also get to enjoy the internet, music, TV, beer etc so there’s an upside too!).
Anyway, just as the longest journey begins with a single step, so living long term in the wild begins with those first, shorter trips into the wild.
Hope that helps and best of luck.
Cheers!
Paul
Thanks for respond,Paul! I know about 3 month visa rule in Asia,before i lived in Thailand,Phuket for 3 years and went on some remote island for a 1 month. Was pretty funny,i had machete knife,fishing stuff (hooks,line),firemaking tools. And there was living just in paradise,i depended on myself only and was totally free. But I had to get back to civilization,to get new visa. So now i am working on my project to get lost in the wilderness (Southern pacific) for a whole life:) To get lost and never get back. Cheers Paul! and thanks for your message one more time!
Hi Al,
I admire your sense of adventure and wish you all the best luck with your trip. Let me know how it goes!
Cheers!
Paul
Hello! i love your videos and just sub’d, i was wondering how it is that you came to live in such a wonderful place? =)
Hi CRG.
Thanks for the comment – the answer to your question is very simple: I live here because my wife comes from Malaysia and now can never leave as I have too many pets!
But I’m not complaining and wouldn’t be anywhere else!
Cheers!
Paul
hi paul. i want to know about ur buscraft knive in your video jungle knife the knife with leather sheath. can you please give me some info/spec about that knive. thank you.
Hi Bard,
The two knives I have with a leather sheaths are a Woodlore clone and a MOD Survival Knife (I think both were in the video). The Woodlore clone one was a blade I bought (for about 50 pounds if I remember correctly) and then I put the handle on myself. To be honest I hardly ever use it as it is heavy and a Mora or Hultafor is a much better option. The MOD knife is even heavier still (!) and again, a light parang and a Mora/Hultafor combo is a better alternative.
Hope that helps and let me know if you want more info.
Cheers!
Paul
hey thanks alot paul.! thanks for the info i appreciate. woodlore clone knive ok got it. yeah MOD survival knive i know that one, issued to SAS the best special force regiment in the world. even though im local malay, but when see foreigner do video tutorial bout outdoor life in our country make me interested n excited to watch keep it up paul, always waiting for ur new video, anyway where do u staying here? n if u dont mine what u do for living paul? how long u have been staying here?
Hi Bard,
Glad that helped and good to know that you’re enjoying the videos. I’ve been here in Malaysia about 12 years now, based up near Janda Baik…. it’s a great country and the rain forest is a national heritage that should be cherished for future generations (perhaps more than it is). Anyway, good to know that you are a fellow fan of the jungle.
Cheers!
Paul
Hi Paul,
just to say a really great site. I have trekked extensively in the Malayan Jungles and introduced my son to the wonders of the jungle at the age of 10 yeasr.
Your site is a constant reference – please keep adding to it!
Mike P
Hi Mike,
Many thanks for the comment and wonderful that you have introduced your son to the jungle at such a young age (my introduction to the jungle came much, much later)! I really feel sorry for a lot of the city kids these days who have become so out of touch with nature.
Cheers!
Paul
Hi Paul.
I was wondering if you had any advice on the subject of gloves…types you would recommend for the jungle…types that are good for snake bite protection…in fact if you covered gloves in a gear video that would be great too…
Thanks in Advance
Douglas
Hi Douglas,
Thanks for the comment and a good question you ask. I tend to use a basic leather glove on my left hand but don’t like to have a glove on my right hand because you get less grip/feel on the parang. Leather is quite good (as long as it doesn’t get too wet) as your hands will get sweaty and anything synthetic will feel uncomfortable and make you sweat more. If the leather is reasonably thick it will give some protection against snake bite, but not guaranteed!….I guess a Kydex ‘stab proof’ material would be better in this respect but it might be a very uncomfortable glove to wear in the heat (I’ve never tried one so can’t say for certain).
Also, I don’t wear the glove all the time – only when going through thick jungle or when collecting firewood – i.e. if the trail is clear you may not need it….when not wearing it I attach it to the parang sheath with a clip so it is near at hand.
Hope that helps.
Cheers!
Paul
Hi Douglas,
Sorry – I meant “kevlar’ not ‘kydex’.
Cheers!
Paul
Hello Paul, congratulations on this site. Very good and instructive. I now know the site and I’ve read several posts, not all yet. Junglecraft liked the term because it is terminologically best applied to reality in dense tropical forests. I know well that kind of place, being in Brazil and with the Atlantic Forest as my backyard. I’ll be around, checking the contents. Hugs.
Danielson.
(Dcarvalho7)
Hi Danielson,
Many thanks for the comment and support – much appreciated. I visited Brazil very briefly once on a business trip and was frustrated not to have the chance to get out in the forests there, but that’s the way it goes. Anyway, I hope some of the advice from Malaysia is applicable over there and wish you all the best on your forays into the jungle!
Cheers!
Paul
I have no idea what a url is.
Paul, I wanted to thank you so much for letting me in on what gaiters are. I love the things. Life in the Kentucky woods is so much nicer now. I wanted to repay you with something you and your supporters could use. Everything I do is as far from the jungle as you can get. The only thing I could think of is sharpening. I have been obsessed with sharpening my whole life. Stropping is one area you don’t talk about. In the United States when men would go on long hunts they would use rust on there stropping belts as a polishing compound . Today we use the jewelers rouge. It’s about the same thing. The truth is, you can use all kinds of stuff to put a shaving edge on knife. I don’t know for sure but I think the jungle dirt would work well and fast. I saw in one of your videos how it’s like clay. Try different things and see what works. You don’t need leather for a strop either. Cardboard works even with nothing on it but not in the jungle. Use what you have like a belt. It will give you that convex edged and it won’t need sharpened as often either. I went to the Fred Bear museum ” Famous American bow maker” and he had a place for a round file made into his knife sheaths. A small chain saw file and a strop with a coarse stropping compound mite be what you need and didn’t even know it.
If nothing else I tried!
Dave
Hi Dave,
Many thanks for the comment and tips and glad the gaitors are working out. I was using them on a long trek last weekend and, when trekking through long grass they do give you a feeling of having some protection from those unseen snakes!
I really appreciate the tips on sharpening….it’s not a subject I’ve covered in any detail as there are so many good videos on sharpening knives out there already. I don’t really strop with the parang other that wiping it backwards along a piece of wood to try and remove any wire edge that might have formed. However if I’m sharpening the Moras/Hultafors at home I do use a strop (with either Brasso or some car polish added to the leather). I had an old knackered pair of desert boots and cut the leather from them and stuck it onto a piece of wood (with some thin foam underneath) and that works quite well.
Anyway, you are right that stropping is an important part of knife sharpening. I remember when I first started sharpening knives and got a lovely sharp edge only to find it going blunt very quickly (a sign of getting a wire edge that’s ‘bent’ over on use) and realising that stropping was something well worth doing.
I’ll also try out using a chainsaw file on the parang and see how it goes.
Thanks again for the tips.
Cheers!
Paul
Hi Paul
Awesome sit you have here. Just stumbled accross you on youtube.
What’s your story? I mean, why Malaysia?
Cheers
Hi Ekhaat,
Thanks for the post and glad you like the site – as for my story …it is quite a long one but the short of it is that I met my wife here and, truth be told, prefer living in Malaysia than the UK.
Cheers!
Paul
I think you will find a Chain saw file or a broken off peace will make quick work of nicks in your blade. When it comes to stropping one thing that youtube doesn’t talk about is if your not good at getting the angle the same on both sides a good stropping will make it cut like it was done right. It’s good for beginners. And like you said it gets the wire off the edge so it stays sharp. I was wondering if you put that clay like dirt on a log you use to get the wire off if it would do a better job?
And you know, I’m going to try Brasso on my strop. I never thought of that. I have tried car wax.
Thank you so much for the web page. I have learned so much and enjoyed every second of it. I only wish I could spend some time in the jungle. Maybe one day I will get a chance to go to South America. Airfare to Malaysia would be to much for this poor boy.
Thanks again,
Dave
Hi Dave,
Thanks for the follow up on this and interesting point about evening out the blade profile with stropping. I’ll try using some clay…like you say, can’t see why it wouldn’t work as anything slightly abrasive should be good.
Anyway, hope that you do get the chance to visit the jungle one day – it’s well worth the trip!
Cheers!
Paul
I got a coffee cup for a dolor. It has a stainless steal insert and the outside is plastic. I removed the screw from the bottom that held the the liner in. Ground off the bottom piece of the liner that held the liner to the outer piece. The insert has a lip. I drilled a hole on each side and put a wire on it to use as a bail. I had to cut a place on each side of the outer plastic so the liner would fit back in the outer plastic with the wire in the lip of the liner. Now I can hang the liner by the bail over the fire. It has a sip lid. I leave it on. And when the Tea’s hot I put it back in the plastic. It keeps the tea hot and my hands cool. It works great. I know the Stanly water bottle you use is better all around but for a day trip it’s nice.
I like the plastic lighter holder. I’m going to make one and put it with my compass.
Thank you,
Dave
Hi Dave,
thanks for the info – can’t complain about a pot made for a dollar! I find that a lot of good kit can be made very cheaply if you are into a bit of DIY. The plastic lighter holder doesn’t look that ‘tacticool’ but it works really well and costs nothing to make. It really helps to keep the worst of the rain off the lighter as, in the past, my lighter would need a bit of drying out if it was just loose in my pocket.
Thanks again,
Cheers!
Paul
Hey Paul,
I have been a bushcraft enthusiast for about 2 years now and a year ago I found your channel and blog and have been following since. Living in Singapore, there honestly isn’t much opportunity for any real bushcrafting or for that matter, anything remotely close at all. Therefore, earlier this year, 2 friends along with myself decided to visit Malaysia and we trekked up Pelepah falls in Kota Tinggi. However, to be completely honest, the experience wasn’t entirely satisfying (watching videos of European bushcrafters does hype up your expectations quite a bit). I understand that we live in an entirely different climate and environment from them though. Anyway, I was just wondering if you could give any tips or recommendations for a better all-around experience the next time round, especially with regards to locations in Malaysia to bushcraft/camp. I am almost completely unfamiliar with Malaysia and that has been the biggest challenge to going camping. Also, accessibility is a secondary issue as I am a student and don’t drive a vehicle. Thanks in advance for your response.
Your friend,
Brandon
Hi Brandon,
Many thanks for the comment (and sorry for slow response) – good to hear you are keen on doing some jungle trekking in Malaysia and sorry to hear your last experience didn’t live up to expectations.
I would strongly recommend you try a CatWalk with MyCat as these are a great way to see the jungle and they take you in (or around) Taman Negara which is about as unspoilt as you can get in terms of quality of rain forest. If you check the website you’ll find a couple of articles I did on Mycat with all the contact details. Best of all these trip are free (!) and you will be helping to conserve Tiger populations.
Hope that helps and that your next trip to the jungle is better.
Cheers!
Paul
Hey dude, I’ve been watching your videos for nearly 2 years and they are great. I have learned a lot from you about bushcraft in general.
A while back i remember you mentioning driving through africa in a jeep. Could you please make a video about that ? I really want to find out more about a trip like that, because i have been wanting to do that for some time.
Keep up being awesome
Abu
Hi Abu,
thanks for the comment and for reminding me about doing an off-road video…it’s now on the list! Sorry for slow reply but was away in the UK visiting parents.
Thanks for the support.
Cheers!
Paul
Youre welcome man. Do you mind if i ask what you do in malaysia ? Because i have seen a lot of videos of you about wildlife conservation. DO you do that for a living ??
Abu
Hi Abu,
Many thanks for the comment and, in answer to your question, I don’t do very much at all! I am more or less retired as I am not able to work here in Malaysia on my visa. The conservation work I’ve done was purely on a voluntary basis and it’s a pretty tough field to get into if you want to make a living from it.
Cheers!
Paul
Well living near a jungle and having time to do watever you want sounds awesome. And now i am sort of jelous.
If i ever come to malaysia i will definately come hang out with you.
BTW saw your Hyperlight sleeping system video. The camera work is great, it looks sharper and you can see much more details in the background.
May i suggest using Audacity to reduce some of the background noise. That way your voice can be heard more clearly.
Abu
Hi Abu,
Many thanks for the reply and glad to hear the video looks better now it is in HD. I was editing in iMovie 11 which allows a certain degree of sound editing via a graphic equaliser but the noise from the river was so loud that even after editing it sounded pretty bad (I think next time I’ll try using a mic). I’ve got audacity too so will try with that as well. Anyway thanks very much for all the tips.
Cheers!
Paul
You’re welcome bud.
And yes using a mic will be a lot better. if you get a wireless one it will be much easier to film as you can be far away from the camera and it will still sound like you’re close.
Still waiting for the off-roading video dude.
Abu
Hi Abu,
Many thanks for the advice and I took a look at the wireless mics but they’re a bit out of my budget (the only one I could find here in Malaysia was the Sony one and that was a few hundred ringgit).
The off-road video is on the list…I’ll try and do it soon.
Cheers!
Paul
Hi Paul,
I enjoy your videos and the manner in which you present them. I particularly enjoyed the video when you questioned a firesteel’s automatic right to be on the gear list. Most outdoor education pundits seem to be seduced by this or that item, but rarely ask the question do I really need this item. Your open mindedness and willingness to challenge the prevailing opinion is refreshing; and in doing so discover the unknown strengths of a product. I carry a firesteel (not primarily as back up for fire-starting) but to help people locate me. If my whistle can’t be heard or torch runs out I can strike my Firesteel. Furthermore, by striking the steel very lightly and quickly continuously (conditions allowing) you have a kind of emergency torch, try it somewhere dark and safe it will surprise you. Anyway keep making the videos they are much appreciated by me.
Hi Phe,
Many thanks for the comment and the great tip \about using the firesteel to attract attention at night….I gave it a try and you’re right, it really does light up the night!
I’m not ‘against’ firesteels by any means but wanted to alert people to the fact that in the jungle the easy to light tinder materials are often damp and therefore not so easy to light!
Anyway, thanks again for the support and the tip …much appreciated.
Cheers!
Paul
Paul,
thank you for the reply. For me I look at what a tool does and how it works rather than what it was designed for, that way I am not limited in its application. Keep producing these videos. It would be nice if in the future you could do a table navigation exercise re: planning a route through the jungle. I am interested in the factors which shape your route selection etc. Anyway, again nice to hear from you especially as your videos provided me a means of escape whilst completing my degree, as a mature (immature according to my partner) it was a challenging time in which I sought refuge in the jungle.
Regards
Phe
Hi Phe,
Many thanks for the comment and I agree with you about tools – function over form!
I will definitely do some more videos on navigation and have been meaning to do so for some time. Route planning in the jungle is often simply a case of picking the path of least resistance (i.e. if there’s some sort of trail it’s a good start) but it can also lead you astray as it’s easy to follow animal trails which may lead you in the wrong direction. Anyway, I’ll cover it in detail soon and thanks for the reminder.
Cheers!
Paul
I love your channel! I would love to go camping in Malaysia, I was there in 2012 and had a blast!
Hi Paul,
Many thanks for the comment and support and good to hear you’ve had a chance to visit Malaysia – it’s a great country – maybe next time you’ll have the time to do a bit of camping too!
Cheers!
Paul
Hi Paul,
Found your youtube channel immensely informative and your lessons very descriptive. Currently on the process of viewing other video lessons on the channel. Glad to have found ways to achieve with less relying on tech which could let us down unfortunately. Thanks
Best wishes,
Charendra
Hey man
The off-roading video was awesome. thanks for taking the time to make it. And the camera work was really good as well.
I need your help with somehting else. Its something i recently noticed. Fungi started to build up at the bottom of my stainless steel water bottle. i thought stainless steel was bacteria free, but its still happening. i washed it off and scrubbed it with a brush but i was wondering if there is any way to stop it from happening all together.
Thanks
Abu
Hi Abu,
Many thanks for the comment and very glad you liked the last video.
I haven’t had the same problem as you with the water bottles, however, I have had the problem with MSR bladders (which imparted a bad smell to the water) and I discovered that if you dry them out in the sun for a few days the smell goes away. For fungi etc to grow the conditions have to be moist so I guess if you dry the bottles and then leave the tops off that should sort it out. Alternatively just leave them filled to the top with water and change it for fresh water before going on a trip. Some people, I’ve heard, will keep bladders and bottles in the freezer to ensure no fungi build up.
To get rid of the fungi that’s already there I would imagine that putting some hot water with dish washing liquid in and then simply leaving it to soak for a couple of days should loosen it up and then a good shake of the bottle should work.
Hope that helps and thanks again for the support.
Cheers!
Paul
thanks man i ll try it out. think i know why i am having that problem. i dont use my water bottles as much as you, and when you boil water in them constantly bacteria doesnt have time to grow. i think thats why mine keeps doing that.
do you ever hunt in the jungle. i know you dont have a firearm but do you use slingshots or bow and arrows ?? if yes please make a video about that.
Again thanks for all the help.
Abu
Hi Abu,
Thanks for the reply and glad to be of help. If you are not using the bottles often, try drying them out and then storing them somewhere in your house that is dry….that might help.
I don’t hunt in the jungle as I’m a conservationist at heart (although not a vegetarian!)…I come across hunters here every now and again and most of them claim to be after wild boar but I’m not convinced that this is always the case as they can sell more exotic animals for more. Saying that, I might cover some techniques in the future as it is important to know how to catch food if necessary (although fishing, rather than hunting, would be your best bet in a survival situation).
Cheers!
Paul
Hello Paul,
Thanks for sharing your insights and experiences. I really like your style/technique in moving through the jungle, your “less rather than more”, and your “simpler is more powerful than complex” philosophy. I am re-watching all your videos….what a great source of practical wisdom!
Can you comment on or make video(s) on your mindset and how the jungle and the people of Malaysia have taught/influenced you?
Sincerely,
Jeff
Hi Jeff,
Many thanks for the comment and support and great to hear you like the videos. You make a very interesting point about ‘approach’ to the jungle and having the right mindset and it’s a subject I’ve been meaning to cover for some time. It’s very interesting to watch newcomers to the jungle and see how they get on as the key criteria tends to be mindset (rather than kit or even fitness levels), equally interesting is to watch the way the Orang Asli move and interact with the jungle and, as a general rule, they are never hurried and never seem to get hassled by the jungle….mindset again.
Anyway, thanks for the suggestion and I’ll try and think of a way of doing a video on it soon.
Cheers!
Paul
I got an idea.
Why don’t you make a video talking about why you moved to malaysia in the first place? and why you decided to stay. When people move out of england they dont usually go live near a jungle. There must have been a reason behind that.
And as for the orang asli, I am no expert but i think its because that’s their life. I mean i might get annoyed with certain things in the jungle because i live in a city in the UK. If you bring some of the indeginious tribes people to england i am sure they will be bothered by some things in this society.
Human beings were put on the planet to adapt to the situation right ?
Hi Abu,
Apologies for slow reply – our internet has been completely down for the past few weeks.
Interesting idea about doing a video on why I moved to Malaysia although the answer (I met the woman who became my wife here) is a very simple one so the video might be a bit short! Coming to the jungle was a bit of luck really, I’d been living in KL for a few years and was getting a bit of sick of city life and we were even considering moving to the UK. One day we went for a drive to just ‘take a look’ at the surrounding area to KL and see what was there and stumbled across the place where we now live. I took one look at it and was sold and don’t really have any regrets (apart from the lousy internet connection!).
There was a TV programme on the BBC a few years back called ‘Meet the Natives’ which I think you might be interested in and you might be able to find on Youtube ….here’s the link. In that series they brought some natives from the South Pacific to the UK and it is really interesting to watch what they make of UK society!
Cheers!
Paul
You are a lucky dude. You know that right?
That video has been blocked for copyright. But i think i have seen this before. At least bits of it. But i found it on another website, gonna watch it now.
Abu
Hi Abu,
Thanks for the reply and. yes, I’m a lucky man….never thought I’d end up out here but very glad I did!
Sorry the link is down but you might be able to find it somewhere else….Dailymotion is quite good for videos that YT blocks.
Cheers!
Paul
Hey dude
How often do you go on the catwalks with mycat? i have been wanting to do that but i have no experience in the jungle.
Hi Abu,
Good to hear from you – in answer to your question I’ve been on three (or is it four?) catwalks now and they’re really a great opportunity and one not to be missed. The weekend catwalks are going to be fine for you even if you don’t have much experience in the jungle. Just make sure you know how to hang a hammock and set up a tarp!…the rest is easy. On the last one I went on some people brought tents and, although I’m not a fan of using tents in the jungle, that is an option too.
Hope that helps.
Cheers!
Paul
Dude i was supposed to come to malaysia last month, but i had some problems over here and had to cancel. I might come over next year sometime, not really sure exactly when. If i ever make it over there can i come with you to a catwalk?? promise i wont be too much nuisance. LOL.
And i just noticed something. how come all your videos on youtube have comments disabled on them? i know some people on the internet are total jackasses, but sometimes you can learn a lot from other peoples comments.
Abu
Hi Abu,
Thanks for the comment and let me know if you’re coming over next year – not sure, however, that I will be going on any more catwalks however, Ashley (the guy who runs them) can look after you if you go on one.
I disable the comments on Youtube for two reasons 1) because I’m trying to keep all the comments in one place (i.e. on the website) rather than having them spread across Youtube and the site and 2) because I figure that anyone who really wants to comment can, but has to make that little extra effort to go to the website first (which a lot of the trolls who inhabit Youtube world simply can’t be bothered to do), so it acts as a natural filter.
Cheers!
Paul
LOL Ye there are a lot of trolls on the internet.
Ye man i will definately let you know when i am coming over to malaysia.
Hi Abu,
Thanks for the reply and sorry mine has been so slow – our internet has been down for the past few weeks so I’ve been out of contact.
Cheers!
Paul
Its alright man. I havent really had a computer for a while. New one arrived yesterday and i am back on the internet LOL.
Abu
Hi Abu,
Our internet problems continue and they are now planning to dig up the road outside my house to find the junction box (which some idiot situated in the middle of the road and then tarmaced over!) as it looks like water gets in after the rain…..just what you need when you live in a rainforest!
Cheers!
Paul
Hi Paul,
I am a 67 year old “Mr Marks and Spencer” (My wife calls me “senile old git”) who is never going anywhere near a jungle but I really enjoy the videos. It is so gratifying to watch someone dedicated, professional, and self effacing present and produce such excellent work. Such a refreshing change from the over produced, over hyped, over glamourised “documentaries” UK TV seems addicted to.
Best regards
Dave
(Malvern, UK)
Hi Dave,
Many thanks for the comment and very kind words – it’s good to know that the videos are of interest even to someone over there in Malvern. I sometimes find myself watching documentaries on the arctic or North America and I know that I will never get to visit those places but enjoy the chance to see them, if only through a camera lens. I grew up in Manchester and never thought I’d end up here in the jungle….but not complaining and I’ve spent too long in the tropics now to be able to withstand the Northern English winters anymore!
Thanks again for the support.
Cheers!
Paul
Hey Paul, thanks for what you do! I live in the least interesting environment in the world (USA Ill. cornfields.). I am an outdoorsman at heart and have stayed in some of the most interesting places I could in the U.S. when I was able to; which was never enough. I love watching your videos. Not only do I learn universal skills from them, but for a short time I get to vicariously visit a place I will never get to see. You do daily what I have dreamed of since a child. Thanks for sharing with us!
Hi Shane,
Many thanks for the comment and very glad to hear you like watching the videos. I’ve never visited the cornfields in the US but feel like I know them as they are featured so often in Hollywood films! Anyway, hope you get the chance to visit the jungle one day…it’s worth the trip.
Cheers!
Paul
Paul I just posted a comment thanking you for what you do. Really mean it! I understand why you disabled youtube comments, but wish you would reactivate them. It engenders conversation. Ya you’ll get idiots, but they need to learn too. I have taught people everything from chess to driving to mathematics. Let them say or believe ten stupid things; if they learn one thing you both win.
Hi Shane,
Thanks for the comment and I understand your point about comments on youtube but the problem I have is that I’m not very disciplined about replying to comments as it is and am often a bit slow to do so….having another lot of comments on youtube as well is a bit overwhelming for me. I also think it filters out the trolls if they have to take the time to go to the website to make a comment. Also, google and youtube sort of irritate me a bit as they are always trying to force you to use ‘their’ platform to communicate.
But I take your point.
Anyway, thanks again for the comment.
Cheers!
Paul
Hi, I am a fan of your videos and I usually find them entertaining and informative. However, I saw your video about how to make a bamboo platform and I would like to suggest another way to make them. Here is the link https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ROZNtNh5zgI Hopefully you can try this out and let me know what you think about it.
V/r,
Arthur
Hi Arthur,
Many thanks for the comment and sorry my reply has been so slow – I’ve been away over Chinese New Year. Anyway, thanks for the link about bamboo matting – it is a technique I use too and I covered it in one of the earlier videos but can’t remember which one.
Traditionally tha Orang Asli would make the platform for their bed using the mat technique and it is more elegant than simply splitting the bamboo. However, the downside of the mat technique is that it is quite hard on the wrist, particularly if using thicker walled bamboo, as you have to make all these cuts around the stem and each of the nodes all the way down the stem.
Either way works for the platform and if someone is good with a parang (has strong wrists) and is using thinner walled bamboo the mat is a better way to go. Using bamboo splits is easier for someone less used to using a parang (as you can baton) and less work if you’re using thicker walled bamboo.
Anyway, thanks for raising the question and for all the support.
Cheers!
Paul
Paul…great and informative videos. I recently watched your video on hiking boots and wondered in what ways you might compensate for the weaknesses (snake bites and ankle support) of the rubber shoe you demonstrated with aggressive lugs? Would gaiters be appropriate? If so…which do you prefer and why?
Hi Joseph,
Many thanks for the question and sorry for my slow reply (been away the last couple of weeks). I’ve just seen your other comment (above) so I’ll respond there.
Cheers!
Paul
Sorry about the last comment…I had not yet seen the updated version. The primary question about snake-bites still remains to a degree…over your leach-sock…and with the Innovate shoes…would a gaiter designed specifically for snake-bites be an appropriate substitute over a traditional gaiter?
Hi Joseph,
Thanks for the comment and good questions you ask. I think the leech socks and gaiters would be pretty effective against the smaller snakes although if it were a King Cobra or python (both unlikely scenarios) they’d probably be able to bite through. The most likely snake to bite you here are the vipers and they are generally quite small. However, I couldn’t guarantee that it would be enough (but better than not having them!). I have seen some gaiters made in Australia that look like the ankle pads worn by Star Wars troops (!) that are very heavy duty but I wouldn’t want to trek in the jungle with them as they are too heavy.
Ankle support with the Innovates or Kampung Adidas is pretty much non existent and you need to be careful not to twist your ankle. As long your load out isn’t too heavy and you look where you walk you should be ok. Even the jungle boots don’t really offer much in the way of ankle support.
Thanks again for the questions.
Cheers!
Paul
Hi, I very much enjoy your videos. There is something very calming and pleasant about your environment, and they are very informative. Thanks for the hard work and keep em coming 🙂
HI Jim,
Many thanks for the post and support and it’s much appreciated. It is a pretty calm environment over here and not like the hustle of bustle of the city (which I can’t say I miss at all!)
Cheers!
Paul
Hi, I really enjoy your videos and have enjoyed learning new skills!
I travel every year to East Asia to photograph plants. This year I will be heading back to Taiwan for my 3rd trip. When ever I have hiked, my guides and fellow hikers always seem to wear wellies rather then hiking boots or shoes (they tell me wellies are good for snakes and bamboo cuts). Have you had experience of hiking in wellingtons? I am thinking of trying them on this trip, but am worried getting sore and overly hot feet. Sorry for the strange question!
Hi Ramz,
Many thanks for the comment and interesting question – I see a few of the locals here also use wellies from time to time and they do have the advantage of giving some protection to your lower leg from cuts and bites. However, they have draw backs too – if water gets in, it stays in and your feet can really cook (and sweat!) in wellies in hot weather. If you do decide to try using them then I would definitely recommend using socks as well (although locals often don’t but they have very hardy feet!).
The other problem with rubber boos is that they can split open and, once they do that, are pretty much finished.
Finally, I find rubber boots are not so good for climbing muddy slopes as they are not gripped to your feet in the way walking boots are.
For short day walks on flat ground rubber boots are ok but for anything more adventurous I would much prefer to use a pair of jungle boots.
Hope that helps,
Cheers!
Paul
Dear Paul,
Can you imagine I was never in Asia and I plan my first trip in June this year to Malaysia with my husband as our 25 anniverary trip? This is even now before the trip so amasing advanture reading all those great stories and advices made by people like you. This is good part of the current crazy world that we are connected. Thank you so much for your experience, pasion, knowledge and openess with sharing these tips with others.
One of my “must to do” will be Taman Nagara. Can you share with me the current danger of malaria in this area. Do I need Melarone or repelents will do the job?
Continue the great job and good luck!!
Best regards,
Kasia
Hi Kasia,
Many thanks for the comment and kind words of support – much appreciated. Great to hear you are coming over to Malaysia and Taman Negara is a beautiful place to visit so I’m sure you’ll like it there.
It’s difficult to give advice on Malaria – I believe there are still cases of malaria here in Peninsular Malaysia but I have never met anyone who has caught it – however I am talking about Peninsular Malaysia (not East Malaysia where I believe there are more cases of malaria). On the other hand in Africa almost everyone I knew had had malaria (I caught it three times while I was in Africa!) so from a purely anecdotal perspective I think the risk here (in Peninsular Malaysia) is very low. I don’t take any anti malarial drugs over here and I have lived in Malaysia for over a decade.
A far greater risk in Peninsular Malaysia is from Dengue fever which is also transmitted by mozzis. There is nothing you can take to stop you catching this nor are there any drugs to treat it once you catch it. I caught dengue about 7 years ago and it is an extremely unpleasant experience.
The places where you need to be particularly careful are where there is lots of human habitation – cities are probably more of a risk than the jungle – and the key thing is to avoid getting bitten.. Cover up in the evenings and make sure ankles are covered as mozzis love to bite you there (as you sit down for dinner, so do they!) use sprays and, if camping, use a mozzi net, in hotel rooms leave the AC on as that stops the mozzis flying around.
I think for people visiting for a short period it is well worth taking these sort of precautions even though you will see when you get here that most of the locals don’t take any at all (but they also come down with dengue every now and again!).
Hope that helps and thanks again,
Cheers!
Paul
Hallo Paul
Having spent myself several years in tropical areas of Africa and the
Far East, I completely feel familiar with style and contents of your
presentations. I very much appreciate your skills to improvise, to keep
things simple and to avoid, unlike others of your trade, becoming an
advertising platform.
Being an engineer by profession, having spent more than two decades
developping surgical devices, I feel as a contrast, attracted by clever
low tech devices and procedures, but still applying the proven basic
experiences of product development. Having certain skills to improvise
(on site), I however, believe in thorough preparation and selection of
equipment at home, applying criteria as sturdyness, reliabity, easy
repair, interoperability of items…
In one of your videos, I do not
remember which one, you briefly mention occasions, when a parang might
get supplemented, or exceptionally even replaced, by a garden type of pruner.
Most criteria would favor the anvil variety (better suitable for hard
and dry wood, still working when the cutting blade gets slightly
damaged or off alignment,…); while the by-pass variety is better
suitable for cutting wire. Both types seem equally suitable for grasping
by only partially closing, spiny vines (a thing you normally do with
working gloves).
Did you further evaluate, did you experiment, do you favour a certain
type and/or make of pruner?
Best regards
Hans
Hi Hans,
Many thanks for the comment and support – much appreciated and I agree with your criteria for gear selection (although weight is also a factor for me as some heavy duty equipment is, well, just too heavy!)
I’m glad you brought up the question of the pruning sheers vs parang. This was something I can across in a book written by someone with lots of experience in the Amazon. He preferred sheers as they were more surgical in the way they can used to cut through the jungle and therefore you don’t up thrashing at the jungle with a parang (which, every now and again, can result in a swarm of angry bees attacking you!).
I have become so used to using a parang that I don’t think there would be a benefit for me in switching to sheers so, in answer to your question, I haven’t evaluated different models. However, I strongly believe that jungle clearing is best done with the absolute minimum of cutting. When you watch someone skilled at doing this you’ll notice how few cuts they make – e.g. targeting the base of a branch – and how accurate they are. Giving someone new to the jungle a pair of sheers (rather than a parang) might be a good way of teaching them this as otherwise the temptation for newcomers is to thrash at the jungle as if they are trying to beat it into submission!
Anyway, thanks again for the post and sorry I can’t give you any specific advice on best sheers to choose.
Cheers!
Paul
Hey Paul,
I found this and thought you would really enjoy it. I don’t know if you had seen this before or not maybe you have. I learned a new skill to add to my repertoire and think this could be worth its weight in gold for knowledge base. It is simply ingenious. It would be great if you could make a video too so your viewers could see it too.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AjPKza2jfpI#t=445
Have a good one,
John
Hi John,
Many thanks for sending over the video link and it’s something I hadn’t seen before and very ingenious. It made me wonder how strong he cordage would get it if your did a reverse twist wrap with two strings (or even three) – anyway, great tip and I’m definitely going to experiment with that particularly to see whether you could a make a bow drill cord from it.
Fascinating!
Cheers!
Paul
Hi Paul,
I really enjoy your website and I catch myself constantly in coming back all the time to read and watch your videos.
I’ve been in the jungle of Surinam on a small scale expedition years ago and watching your vids makes me thinking of that awesome time up there. Going on a trip in Borneo is still one of my dreams, but having a family with two small ones makes it a little challenging for now.
I just ordered a parang at Keong’s site, can’t wait to get my hands on it.
Paul, keep doing what you do. I certainly enjoy your blog and videos. And perhaps we’ll meet each other in Malaysia. 😉
Greetings from the Netherlands,
Mike
Hi Mike,
Great to hear from someone in the Netherlands and thanks for the kind words and support. I. too, would love to go on a trip to Borneo but like you I have small dependents (dogs and cats and geese in my case!) which make extended trips away very difficult to organise.
Good to hear you’ve ordered a parang as well…hands down my favourite tool for the jungle. Keong is a great guy and I’m sure he’ll send you a good one.
Thanks again for the comment,
Cheers!
Paul
Hi Paul. I really enjoyed your youtube channel, have been looking at 10+ videos today, facinating stuff.
Could you reveal some more stuff about yourself, what do you do for work, how did you end up in that place etc? You seem to be in tune with your surroundings, that’s for sure.
I really like how you are treating the animals in your videos, you even treat the little leech in your leech video with some sort of admiration and respect. And I must say that I too got facinated by the little creature with the funny movements.
Keep up the great life!
Hi Hakon,
Many thanks for the comment and great yo hear you like the videos. I don’t tend to put too much personal info out of the internet for reasons I’m sure you can appreciate, but, in short, I came to Malaysia because I met my (now) wife here and have lived here for the last 14 odd years. Originally I was living in KL but didn’t like the city life and very happily moved up into the hills about 50 miles NE of KL seven years ago and have no intention of going back!
I am, as you may have guessed, an animal lover and try and treat all the creatures here with respect (including leaches!)…however, I draw the line with mozzis and ticks both of which I will kill without remorse! I don’t hunt or fish (although I used to) as the jungle animals have enough problems surviving us humans without me adding to the problem, however, I think it is good to know how to do these things in case of emergency….but killing for fun is not my thing.
Anyway, thanks again for the comment.
Cheers!
Paul
Hi Paul,
I stumbled upon your video on crafting bows… and got addicted in a snap! I’m entirely sold!
Currently watching everything from your channel (I’m somewhere in the middle going from the oldest*, just watched the piece on alcohol stoves and caught myself thinking: “wonder if roman noodles are good in jungle” :D) and the website is just great for additional source of information and other people’s comments** on every subject.
* it would be nice to have a playlist with everything as there’s currently no way to sort videos from oldest on mobile youtube client and watch them all chronologically, however, I get this is what this website is for
** just wondering: why did you disable comments on your youtube videos? – can’t really imagine people being mean to such great content (again, I understand you want the website to be the main “hub” for everything)
Hi Cy,
Many thanks for the comment and kind words, much appreciated.
Funny you should ask about noodles as over here in Malaysia they are the favourite food for most of my friends in the jungle but go by the name Maggi Mee….an iconic Malaysian brand! If you ever meet a homesick Malaysian and prepare them a dish of Maggi Mee it will put a smile on their face!
I hadn’t thought about doing a playlist but I’ll try and get into it as I can see it might be useful. As for the comments being disabled, you are right, it’s basically to try and keep all the comments in one place (i.e. the website) rather than having them spread between two places.
Anyway, thanks again,
Cheers!
Paul
you are great! i grew up in portland, or, usa and spent a lot of time in the northwest rain forest when i was growing up. i admit i’m a bit out of my native waters in se asia, but your videos great. thanks, and keep up the great work!
Hi Mike,
Many thanks for the comment and kind words, much appreciated and very glad you like the videos. Maybe one day you’ll get the chance to visit the rain forests over here?
Anyway, thanks again,
Cheers!
Paul
Hi, Paul. I just saw a video of yours & wanted to suggest a trick & ask a question:
The trick is a different way to use the tarp to collect rainwater. This might be a little simpler & easier to improvise in the field. You’d essentially do the same thing as you did in the video, just with a few alterations.
(1) You’d tie a string or fold it throught itself through the loop/hole in the tarp to work as a drip string.
(2) Then you’d do the same thing as the video about using a plastic bag inside of a soda bottle that has a hole in it (don’t know what it’s called, but I call it “screw-sandwiched”), except that the bag is outside of that bottle & there’s a bunch of little holes in the cap & the bag. This acts as a filter.
(3) It’s all tied the same way as in the video, so as not to put any strain on the tarp.
So at the end of this: you have the string running the water into the bag, which is “screw-sandwiched” to the bottle underneath & the drainage/filter is achieved through the pin holes.
The question is what adapter did you get for the Sawyer filter. Just got one in the mail & it doesn’t screw on to anything. It’s just got two little spouts on it.
Hi Alex,
Many thanks for the comment and tips on set up (and sorry for my slow reply – been away on a jungle trip).
I understand your set up and there’s certainly more than one way to go about it and nothing wrong with doing it the way you suggest. The set up I have is used with a tarp that has no grommet holes which means I have to position the bag at the right point using the adjusting knots on the lines. A drip string makes sense to collect light rain or dew but, in the jungle at least, when it rains it usually pours and there’s a whole load of water pouring off the tarp!
I made the adaptor for the Sawyer filter out of a bottle top from a soda bottle – just drilled a hole in it and stuck a tube in and then used silicon sealant and duct tape to hold it in place. You can buy these attachments as well and I think Platypus make one (and it even comes with some of the bladders they sell) so if you have a look on Amazon you should be able to find one easily enough.
Thanks again for the tip.
Cheers!
Paul
Hi Paul:
Thanks for all of your very informative videos. I was particularly interested in your video on knots and faster ways to tie them. I am familiar with all the knots you presented but your methods of tying them were new to me. I will have to study the video closely and work on incorporating these methods into my repertoire. In your most recent video demonstrating uses for plastic bags you briefly showed a technique for forming a constrictor knot on a bight. I have been trying to figure out how you did this but haven’t been able to replicate it. Could you kindly point me to a resource that will show me this method in more detail? Thanks again for sharing your knowledge and for your excellent work on the videos.
Hi David,
Many thanks for comment and very glad you liked the knot video. Some of those methods I learned from videos done by people into sailing (who are usually pretty good with knots), some from friends…the constrictor (one of my favourite knots) on a bight is really easy to tie and very quick…here’s a link: constrictor on a bight
Cheers!
Paul
About Jungle Boots suggestion
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GF-EYkPz2ns
Hi Chan,
Many thanks for the link and interesting to see the Brazilian version of the jungle boot – I’m not sure how well they’d do in the jungle as usually boots are continually wet and that canvas back could cause problems. The high drain hole may mean that the boot won’t drain properly as there would be water beneath the drain holes. Anyway, hard to really say as I’ve never tried them but very interesting to see their approach.
Thanks again,
Cheers!
Paul
Hey Paul, this is Will.
Like others, I have stumbled across some of your videos on youtube which then led me to your junglecraft website. I was looking for ways to make my own bow and eventually saw you demonstrating how to make one out of bamboo. Don’t know if that is my cup of tea but then I watched your speargun video and a light went on in my head! This type of small speargun would be perfect for the next time I go to Hawaii for a extended stay at my sons home on the island of Kauai. I have enjoyed snorkling and free diving most of my adult life and have gotten plenty of fish in my time by modern speargun but always in fresh water. When I dove in the salt water fairly close to shore last time I was on Kauai I saw way too many sharks. I then worried too much about becoming part of the food chain so I gave that up! So anyway, because of your speargun video I see a way I can get back to my love of speargunning! There are plenty of fresh water streams not far from my sons place so I am going to build one or more small spearguns and give this method a good try next time I am there! Thanks again for sharing the idea. Will
P.S. Being a avid recycler and repurposer/reuser of stuff I enjoyed your video on other uses for plastic bags and also I enjoyed seeing you build your version of a parang. I have not owned or used one but as a knife lover I like seeing a good tool made and used. I lean more towards kukris myself.
Hi Will,
Many thanks for the comment and support – much appreciated – and great to hear you’re building your own speargun. I was surprised how quick and easy it was to do and, compared to making a bow, there is much less to go wrong in the process! In the jungle streams here the fish are pretty small (!lb or so) and there isn’t that much need for too much firepower.
I had a similar experience to yours with sharks – I was swimming in some pretty shallow water (about head high) and being circled by a couple of sharks. I’d checked with the owner of the resort where we were staying beforehand and he’d assured me that the sharks wouldn’t attack but after a hasty exit from the sea I double checked with him and he refined it to “they usually don’t attack”!
Anyway, also good to hear you’re a recycler and best of luck with the speargun.
Cheers!
Paul
Do you Facebook? Easier to exchange small ideas and findings with photos 🙂
Hi Kenny,
Thanks for the question but ‘no’ I don’t do Facebook although my friends all laugh at me for being such a luddite!
Cheers!
Paul
hey paul..i live in Malaysia and have a parang but its not the same shape as yours im not even sure if its considered a parang …where did u get yours cause i got mine at a hardware store
Hi Sebastian,
Thanks for question and there are two places I buy parings that you can try – both are run by friends of mine and they offer a full range of the different styles of parings so I’m sure you’ll find what you are looking for. Here are the links:
Sepuh crafts
Outdoordynamics
Hope that helps,
Cheers!
Paul
Hi, I absolutely love your videos. It’s amazing how little honest information is generally provided on the internet. And so good. Very good production all around.
I’m a keen comfort camper in Victoria Australia and have been a keen hammocker. Not my sleeping arrangement just comfort for reading and napping. I was wondering if you have ever tried a timber hitch for attaching your hammocks. I don’t use cordage as thin as yours but I find that it does very little damage to our trees here and is dead simple to set up and untie.
Recently did a fancy river cruise of the Kinabatangan River and was shocked at the level of deforestation that is happening. Love your videos for raising interest in the forests, It should be such a valuable tourist resource.
Thanks for the videos, am looking forward to trying out some hammock camping here. Though it’s going to need some jigging with the cold.
Cheers Sam
Hi Sam,
Many thanks for the comment and support – much appreciated – and great to hear you’re getting into hammocks. I consider myself a comfort camper too (who wants to be uncomfortable!) and just try and find the balance between pack weight and comfort. The ultralight ideas that have developed in the last decade or so have been a huge bonus in that regard.
I’ve never used a timber hitch on a hammock system before and I’d be a bit worried of it slipping, however, if it works it works! A lot of people simply use lashings to tie up their hammocks (i.e. no knot at all) and it there are enough turns then it should hold fine. Equally I see a lot of people use nothing more complicated than a shoelace knot (a bow) by wrapping the two ropes from one end of their hammocks multiple times round the tree and then tying the bow at the back of the tree. I guess there are many ways of doing it…
I share your dismay at the deforestation going on – over here it is very bad indeed and beautiful forests are being cleared to make way for palm oil plantations (the curse of the rain forest).
Anyway, good luck with your hammock camping and if there is a problem with the cold then I would recommend using an under quilt (makes a huge difference). Also, I would recommend getting a book called ‘The Ultimate Hang’ which is an excellent (and cheap) guide to all aspects of hammock camping and well worth the price. Here’s a link to the book:
The Ultimate Hang
Cheers!
Paul
Hi I am Rob from the state of Oregon USA. Found your site most interesting I was raised in the country with folk who raised us to live off the land and survive. I think I have watched all your video at least twice enjoyed them greatly. I got one thing I’d like to remark on, you were showing in a video about water storage in plastic bags. I got a brain fart at the moment and wondered if you drink wine from those boxed wines we have in the states? Well I do and I save the plastic bladder inside the boxes, they are fairly tough and could be used for water storage.
Anyway thanks for the good work you do.
Sincerely Rob Dukes
Hi Rob,
Many thanks for the comment and support – much appreciated – and great to hear from someone in Oregon. Your idea about the plastic bladders from wine boxes is a great one and I guess they could be used also as a blow up pillow? They would have the advantage of being a bit tougher than the plastic bag alternative – unfortunately my drinking tastes these days are not the sophisticated and I’m a beer can on the porch sort of drinker! However, I’ll see if any of my friends are into wine and see if I can get hold of their finished wine boxes and give it a go.
Thanks again for the comment and tip,
Cheers!
Paul
I do use one for a pillow under my bum at my computer. I’m testing it for strength. so far it has held up under my 200# wonderfully. Also I too am a beer can kind of fellow.
Thank for the repay
Rob
Hi Rob,
I’ve still got the pillow I made from a plastic bag (for the video) downstairs and – even after weeks – it is still going strong! Anyway, good to hear yours is holding it out well.
Cheers,
Paul
Hello I have tried to contact you via email with no success. Maybe you will see this message. I am in KL and would like to visit the areas you hike and camp if you have time. Hopefully compare some notes and thoughts over something cold to drink. Cheers
Hi Erick,
I ddi reply to your email but let me know if you didn’t receive it and I’ll resend it.
Cheers! (and welcome to KL!)
Paul
Hi mate ur new videos have been great. i just got back from bangladesh and your bow and spear gun design were very useful. used it to bowfish quite a lot. keep em coming.
Abu
Hi Abu,
Many thanks for the comment and great to hear the speargun design worked out well over there – thanks for letting me know.
Cheers!
Paul
Love your videos. I would love to see the native people demonstrate their skills (building raised shelters, setting up camp, etc.). Must be an amazing process to watch. Also, I think it needs to be documented before it disappears.
Hi Scott,
Many thanks for the comment and sorry for my slow reply but just got back from a trip. I agree with you that a lot of the skills are being gradually forgotten and it’s great that there are still Orang Asal here (like my friend Raman) who are enthusiastic about keeping these skills alive.
Cheers!
Paul
Hi. I’m a big fan of your videos. I noticed comments are disabled on the videos. I would be interested in seeing some discussion going on for the sake of seeing/learning a little something extra after I’ve watched the video. If you decide to enable them that would be nice to see. Take care
Hi Jim,
Many thanks for the support and suggestion and a few people have also asked for comments to be enabled on Youtube. The reason I don’t is that I’m not very good at getting back to people quickly (this is a case in point as just returned from a trip) and try to keep all the comments together in one place (i.e. on the website) to avoid duplication.
Anyway, thanks again,
Cheers!
Paul
Hi Paul. I just started to watch your vids. very informative and actually helping with my deer hunting Kit here in the states. Ohio to be exact. your lumbar packs are right down my ally, I use them and have had similar luck with them. Keep up the vids. I think you can give Bear a go for his money!!!
Hi ROD,
Many thanks for the comment and support and great to hear that some of videos have some relevance even over there in Ohio. I can imagine lumbar packs being useful for hunters as well – the same issues – wanting your upper body unencumbered and having to duck and dive through undergrowth apply. I guess what puts a lot of people off lumbar packs is they want more capacity and be able to carry more….these days I always try to carry less!
Cheers!
Paul
Paul…great work on your channel and blog…really enjoy it!
I was wondering if you would be interested in doing a video or article on the rain-gear you use (or would suggest) in high temps and humidity? Your day-pack video indicates that you use a poncho at times…but does not go too much into why and for what conditions you choose a poncho.
Hi Joseph,
Many thanks for the comment and support and interestng question about waterproofs. I don’t carry any waterproofs these days and, if I’m trekking and it rains I simply get wet! However I do carry shelter for the evening – if I’m camping I have a tarp and hammock (plus dry clothes to change into) and if I’m on a day trip I take along an emergency mylar blanket (which I now use instead of the poncho as it is so much lighter) and this can double up a a tarp in case you end up spending an unplanned for night in the jungle.
Hope that answers your question,
Cheers!
Paul
Hey man how you been?
you know the orange cordage you use on your videos. can you tell me what its called exactly or send me a link. I have been trying to find some of that stuff for ages.
Abu
Hi Abu,
Many thanks for the comment and apologies for my slow reply but I’ve been away over the Christmas period.
The orange line I use is Marlowe throw line – here is the link
They produce various types of throw line and there are others with greater breaking strengths so you might want to consider those too.
Hope that helps,
Cheers!
Paul
Hi Paul,
Thanks for sharing valuable survival skills needed in the jungle.
Where can I get the elastic bands used for the spear gun?
I think it certainly is more handy than a bungee..tire tube just don’t have that kind of elasticity.
How about using materials in the jungle to make elastic string I.e. I suppose orang asal has a way to make the string for the bow from jungle materials .?
Looking fed to hearing from u Paul,
Cheers
Hi Ben,
Many thanks for the comment and sorry for my slow reply but I’ve been a bit busy over here. The elastic bands I have were bought at my local hardware store and are used for catapults (a lot of hunters here use them to kill birds) so any hardware store in the country/kampung should stock them. The alternative is to use actual speargun bands which you can find on Amazon. Either option is better than using inner tube.
The bow string doesn’t need to be elastic (the bow provides the spring) and you can make bowstrings from rattan although it isn’t as strong as synthetic materials and the force it comes under when used as a bow string can often snap the cordage.
Hope that helps,
Cheers!
Paul
Hi Paul
Greetings from Toronto. Came across your site and videos last week and took the time to read your articles and watched your videos. Really impressed on your bushcraft/junglecraft knowledge. Unlike many others who pride their skills on popular skills based on cool gears … You took the route of simple tools like a Bic lighter and parang survive, extracting the rest from your environment – that is inspiring! There’s a lot of tips and skills you’ve shared which are transferable to the Temperate Forest in N. America. Yes, there’s a lot more cool bugs and animals in Malaysia! I’m envious!
Cheers,
Kin
Hi Kin,
Many thanks for the comment and support – much appreciated and glad to hear that some of the junglecraft skills from over here are applicable over there. I think there is a lot of crossover with some of these primitive skills from different parts the world, just differences in the the types of natural materials available (and of course climate and creatures!).
Cheers!
Paul
Hi just a quick one to say thankyou for your really well presented youtube video on firesteels, its nice to see a video which isn’t totally Americanised and full of bravado. I look forward to having a look through the rest of your information. thanks
Keith.
Hi Keith,
Many thanks for the and very glad you liked the firesteel video – I think it’s inevitable that camping suppliers tend to overstate what a particular piece of kit can do for you and sometimes make it all look a bit easier than it really is. I have nothing against firesteels (and usually carry one) but just feel that sometimes people overestimate the ease with which they can both find suitable tinder in the wild and get it to light up.
Cheers!
Paul
hello again paul,
just a quick note to you and your followers about plastic bottles, while randomly
viewing youtube video’s i stumbled upon “plastic recycling” options for the various
types of plastics , bags, bottles, caps..etc . You would not believe the many uses and options you can do with this stuff if any one takes the time to look for themselves. Plastic grocery bags and milk containers are melted down into sheets for re fabrication for various parts. Also this next one surprised me because even though i’m fairly survival minded and knowledgeable about suvival matters I was unaware that you can take liter bottles ( coke-pepsi..etc) and slice them down as you would a piece of leather and make strong long lasting string-twine of any thickness you desire, also once you bind something with it you can slightly heat it and it will shrink and make a stronger bind !!
the search topic would be “making string from plastic bottles” on youtube. I downloaded about 15 different simple devices that people have made and the most simple was a guy whom held a knife under his boot while pulling the bottle through it ( you’d have to see the vid to get the full understanding)
I realize this doesnt solve the waste problem, but while there is waste lets see what we can use it for !!!
best wishes
Hi Brad,
Many thanks for the comment and as it happens I have seen the video you’re talking about where the bootle is sliced as if peeling away orange peel….a great idea and I’m sure that’s going to give some pretty strong bindings. If only the world would recycle all these plastic bottles it would be a better place – I remember reading a comment about a floating mass of plastic bottles that is the size of Australia (I hope this was an exaggeration as that would be truly huge). But a friend on mine went sailing around the world and told me that every time you get close to a port the boat you could hardly see the water for the bottles.
I still don’t really understand why people can’t just use the same bottle and refill it – especially for water!
Anyway, thanks again and sorry this reply has been so slow but my computer died on me a couple of weeks back and I’m still waiting for a replacement (so only get on the internet sporadically for the time being).
Cheers!
Paul
Could you please make a video with Sammy on his spear fishing technique?
thanks
Hi Lane,
Thanks for the comment but not sure when I’ll have the chance to film that. However I did see him fishing and the technique is straightforward: he’d fish once night fell using a torch and would get into the water and slowly move the spear so that it was just feet from the fish and then shoot it.
Cheers!
Paul
Hi Paul, I don’t have a question; I’d just like to thank you very much for providing this free resource. I’ve spent time in the military and so have an interest in jungle bushcraft/survival, and so spend an inordinate amount of time following my interest, reading books on the subject and surfing the net. I have to say that I haven’t come across any other resource as generous with useful and practical information as your web site, nor covering such a wide subject area. All of your videos are interesting but I think that some of what you have done is important! I am thinking in particular of the capturing use of the jungle axe, fish trap weaving and, I think most importantly, the videos on snake bite first aid. For what it’s worth, thanks very much! Please keep this information live on the net and/or write a book!
Hi Andy,
Many thanks for the comment and such kind words – much appreciated and it’s really great to hear that the videos are useful to people. I’d like to do more than I do particularly on the skills of the Orang Asal and food foraging/crafts etc but it’s hard to find the time these days so I’m hoping someone else (with more time/energy than I have!) will start to document these traditional skills before some of them get forgotten. However I will try and do some more traditional skills videos when I can.
Anyway, thanks again for the support, it really is appreciated.
Cheers
Paul
Hi, just wanted to stop by and say thank you for your effort in making all of the videos. I would not go as far as saying I am the biggest fan of yours, but I do enjoy your videos very much.
I am a Malaysian, and your videos can actually let me relate to. The plants that you mentioned like banana, rattan and also the evil palm tree made me felt close to you.
I don’t spent my time often in the wilderness, and the chance of me stuck in the jungle struggling for survival would be minimal, but I do quite enjoy watching and learning some survival skills. Although as you said these survival skills should be practiced and tested repeatedly, it’s good to know that I have at least some knowledge in survival if I were in some dangerous situation.
Seeing others people rumbling about survival at foreign country (out of Malaysia), although entertaining, it actually have minimum information to me. How should I find trees like birch or others in Malaysia? But your videos gave me knowledge about my country.
Thank you.
Hi Shin,
Many thanks for the comment and support – much appreciated – and apologies for this slow reply but I’ve been caught up with other domestic stuff for a while now and not had a chance to do any junglecraft (which I am missing!)
Anyway, great that you like the videos and I agree with you about the survival skills being something that is good to know even if you (hopefully) never have to call on them. I’m sure you saw the news about the Orang Aslal children who got lost in the jungle for around 50 days and is sad that they didn’t have the skills that their parents would normally have passed down to them as they’d effectively become urbanised.
A good knowledge of the basics of survival (shelter. fire, water, food, rescue etc) can not only get you out of a mess but also allows you to enjoy your time in the jungle more as you’re more self reliant and less worried about things going wrong, so I think it’s worth spending the time to pick up the basics at least.
Thanks again for the support,
Cheers!
Paul
Hi Paul, on your “how to a parang in the field” video u showed a parang sheath made out of orange plastic board and a pvc one… Can u tell me how U made both? Thanks!
Hi Sebastian,
Many thanks for the question about the parang sheaths – I think if you check back on some of the earlier videos I do show how to make these but the idea is pretty straightforward – for the PVC one I just take a bit of piping and heat it up and then squash it. This type is okay but can be a bit brittle and won’t last forever. The orange sheath is made from the covers workers use over underground cables (although any heavy duty thermoplastic would do) and I just cut it shape, heat it up and fold it over. Takes five minutes at most.
Hope that helps,
Cheers!
Paul
hello paul.
arkansas/USA, here. great videos and quite different from many.
cheers,
sv-
Hi SV,
Many thanks for the comment and great to hear from someone in Arkansas and sorry for the sow reply but I’ve been busy with other stuff for the last few months. Anyway very pleased that you like the videos and thanks for the support.
Cheers!
Paul
Hi Paul, I just finished watching all of your videos. Thanks so much! i have learned so much! Kevin
Hi Kevin,
Many thanks for the comment and very pleased you like the videos….I’m impressed you’ve got through them all! And sorry for the sow reply but I’ve been busy with other stuff for the last few months.
Anyway, thanks for the support – much appreciated.
Cheers!
Paul
Paul,
I really enjoy all that you have set up here and the reason behind it all. However, it would be really interesting to see a section just about you or possibly just a video talking about yourself; unless I just haven’t seen where you do this. For example, It would be interesting to hear why you live in Malaysia, were you born there or did you move there as an adult? What sort of work do you do there when you aren’t exploring the jungle. Not only would this just be interesting information but it might also allow people to get a sense of life there which might in turn allow them to feel more comfortable about visiting the rain forest.
Sincerely,
Parker
Hi Parker,
Many thanks for the comment and very pleased you like some of the videos. I understand what you’re saying about background info but, to be honest, I’m a bit reluctant to put personal info out on the web (I don’t use Facebook for the same reason) as you never know who is going to be reading it…perhaps I’m showing my age as I know most people are quite happy to do this sort of thing.
Anyway, I appreciate the suggestion and thanks again for writing in.
Cheers!
Paul
Hi Paul,
I’m just interested to know what brought you to Malaysia to begin with or what you do for work there? I have always wanted to live in the tropics
Hi Cameron,
Thanks for the comment and, in answer to your question, I came here originally because of work and ended up staying because of a woman (now my wife!).
I love living in the tropics and when ever I go back to the UK now I freeze – just too cold and grey for me!
Cheers!
Paul
Hi Paul,
i wanted to say THANKS for the wonderful pieces of education your videos represent ! I have over 120 of them now and watch them quite frequently. What sets your pieces of information apart from all the other “pros” is true authenticity and real value for a trip to the jungle.
No wrestling Anacondas like Mykel Hawke ( ok he is ex green Beret) and no”this is the only real method”.
What needs to be stressed is the importance of variety of methods you show and the evolutionary process especially with lighting fires and my absolute favourite, the parang. Everything is field tested and not just theory and this helps a lot, not having to make the same mistakes myself.
And last but not least, you admit, when you were wrong and honesty is a very rare commodity in humans these days and there is a great number of People, who consider themselves “Experts”.
Refreshingly, you pose a normal attitude to possible threats and a healthy approach to dealing with problems.
P.S. i came across the malaysian Croc-Copies in a shoe store in Germany, they sell here for about 15€ ( 12 Pounds or 16 US$ !!!)
Keep up the good work !
Sincerely
Michael
Hi Michael,
Many thanks for the support and all your kind words – it’s much appreciated, so thanks.
When I started the site a few years ago I made a promise to myself not to try and show things being easier than they actually are (which, of course we can do with a bit of clever editing) as I think it’s useful for people to realise that everyone struggles with things now and again and that’s normal. I’m just about to load up a parang video and at the end of it you’ll see me struggling with a wood log I’m trying to split – I could have just edited it down but thought I’d leave the footage in its entirety, because these things happen and you have to work around them and not get frustrated. However if people are only shown the ‘experts’ on TV for whom everything works first time then they get a false impressions of what happens in reality I think Les Stroud is very good in this respect as he shows things going wrong as well as going right….also the Ed Stafford survival show was good….but some of the others are a bit misleading.
Glad you picked up some Crocs – I love them and wear them everyday!
Anyway, thanks again for the kind words.
Cheers!
Paul
Hello Paul,
I hope you don’t mind me contacting you. I am a television producer working on series 2 of Channel 4’s Escape To The Wild about British/Irish people who have quit the rat race and moved to live in remote locations around the world. Our show is primarily about living off the land and going to a back to basics existence
The research team is currently looking for couples/families to feature in the series and we’re keen to contact people who may be interested in taking part. The idea is that the presenter will spend around 5 days living with the contributors experiencing their unique lifestyle. Our ideal scenario is one where the individual/couple/family are living off-grid. A large element of the show is about living in the wilderness, so the larger the element of living off the land, the better.
I was wondering if know of British/Irish couples or families living in out in Malaysia or other overseas locations that may be suitable?
Any help you can provide is much appreciated.
Looking forward to hearing from you.
Many Thanks and Kind Regards,
Cheryl Jackson Producer
Hi Cheryl.
Thanks for the enquiry, I already answered this about a month or so ago to one of your colleagues – Ruth Overhand – so please check with her.
Cheers!
Paul
Hi, Paul
I have been a longtime fan of your videos. At one point I was subscribed to several outdoors and bushcraft style channels, yours being the only jungle/tropical one. After a while I found myself getting bored with the channels that feature environments typical of Europe and North America and now you’re the only one I watch. My question for you is, are there any channels similar to yours that feature jungle environments, jungle DIY, or even southeast asian culture/tradition that you would recommend? If you don’t mind, I would very much like to see a list of some of your subscriptions or favorite channels.
Thanks
Cem
Hi Cem,
Many thanks for the comment and question and sorry for slow reply but it’s been too hectic over here. I used to watch quite a few channels but don’t really have the time anymore although every now and again I see something interesting. I think there are a few people doing jungle videos but I can’t remember the names of the channels, but should be easy enough to search for, but I can’t give you any recommendations of the top of my head.
Anyway many thanks for the support and sorry can’t be of more help.
Cheers!
Paul
Hi Paul,
greentings from Laos!
I just, discovered your website yesterday and found it a great soure of information.
I really want to congratulate you for this great site. I am doing a lot of jungle tours here in Laos, and a lot of things we are doing exactly the same way but I am so astonished that you put all that in a site together with some great videos.
All the best
Vansana
HI Vansana,
Many thanks for the comment and support and great to hear from someone in Laos! Also, sorry for my slow reply but things are a bit hectic over here.
Anyway, glad to hear that some of the techniques used here work over there too. I would love to spend time in other equatorial jungles in the world but very much doubt I’ll ever get the chance.
Anyway all the best for your future jungle tours,
Cheers!
Paul
Hi Paul. And thanks a million for your videos. I found you about a year ago when I was looking for machete videos. I’m originally from Sweden but 6 years ago I bought a coffee farm 2000 meters up in the Andes mountains, in the south of Colombia. That’s why I’m interested in machetes. Anyway, I really like your style and would like to thank you for all the good work and effort you’ve obviously put into this. And if you’d ever like to go to a coffee farm, give me a shout. I’m a total amateur video maker, but if you’d like to see a video from the farm, here you go:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lLwnIxe8wZs.
Again thanks for all. Cheers Victor
Hi Victor,
Sorry for this slow reply to your comment but I’ve been too busy for the last few months to update the site or reply to comments – sorry.
Anyway, I watched your video and thought it was great (and noted your trusty parang by your side) – those red beans are a favourite of the civets of cats (we raised five of them last year and now have about 10 resident around the garden and house) – if you check the site I did a few videos about them. They are used to make Kopi Luak (the most expensive coffee in the world) and as our resident civets cats like to crap all along our balcony I was wondering about feeding them some coffee beans and making the coffee myself – but decided it wasn’t worth the mucky hassle!
Thanks again for the link,
Cheers!
Paul
Hey man
Havent had time to get in touch for a while. You been ok?
I watched the ast videos and they were great. Thanks for taking the time man.
Abu
Hi Abu,
Sorry for this slow reply to your comment but I’ve been too busy for the last few months to update the site. All is okay here but is it frustrating not to have enough time to do junglecraft and keep the site updated or do videos. I haven’t been camping for so long now I’ve probably forgotten how to do it!
Anyway, hopefully I’ll get some more free time in the future.
Thanks again for comment,
Cheers!
Paul
Hi Paul,
Enjoyed your videos, just some constructive feedback, the volume levels are very low, i have problems hearing you even when my speakers and Youtube volume is turned to the max, the jungle background noise (insects) does’t help either 🙂
Thanks
Keeshen
Hi Keeshen,
Many thanks for the comment and sorry for this slow reply but I’ve been too busy recently to update the site.
Anyway I appreciate the comment and feedback and will up the volume levels in future videos. I know the jungle noise can be a bit loud and someone else wrote it asking me to do something about it – but it’s hard to manage! On the other hand it really is that noisy in the jungle so at least it gives people a feel for what to expect!
Thanks again for the support and feedback,
Cheers!
Paul
Hello it’s me Paul new hand fishing video https://youtu.be/p6RqHssIDEc 2016
HI Paul.
Sorry for this slow reply to your comment but I’ve been too busy for the last few months to update the site…anyway, loved the video so many thanks for the link…you’ve got quick hands! Impressive.
Cheers!
Paul
Hi Paul, I have been subscribed to your channel on YouTube for quite some time now and I find your content to be very interesting and insightful. I know its not in the general rhelm of what your page and channels purpose is but do you think you could give me some info, pointers, tips, suggestions on starting an online hub similar to the one you operate? I am not quite sure what you would call what I do, I don’t live in the jungle so its not junglecraft, I live on the South Texas Coast in the States and well its pretty simple really, I have an ocean on one side and dunes with tropical marshland on the other. As different as our locations may seem I have extracted a good deal of knowledge from your videos/articles and with slight modifications apply them directly to my ventures here. Anyway I have been considering starting a channel and sharing knowledge for quite a while now and was hoping that give me some tips on how to do so.
Thanks mate,
Cody Myers
Hi Cody,
Many thanks for the comment and I think it would be great if you could share your knowledge of the South Texas Coast too – the thing I love about Youtube is that a lot of people can share their knowledge when before Youtube it was much harder to do so.
Setting up a channel on Youtube is very straightforward and you can find lots of videos that show you how to do it on Youtube itself (via a Google or Youtube search). Many people just have a youtube channel and use that to reply to comments and leave it at that. If you want to set up a website as well you need to get host company and register a domain name – this is all easy to do and again a Google search which get you started. I then use wordpress (a free programme) to design the site and then simply embed the youtube videos into the site. WordPress is very easy to use once you get to grips with it and it is free! If you haven’t set up a website before it can seem a bit daunting at first but it really is much easier than you might think.
Hope that helps and many thanks for the support (and good luck with your own site)
Cheers!
Paul
Hi Paul,
Wow I just looked back at some of my comments and it’s been 3 years since my last. I do however watch your videos regularly.
Anyway I recently came upon a video and immediately thought of you.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NuJzm9oMiB0
It’s a waterproof pouch DIY and made out of our favorite fire starter. It uses two aluminum tubes for sealing. I thought it would be great for a small fire kit. The entire pouch is a resource… All but the tubes… Maybe you can come up with an alternative material for them.
Also.. THANKS for the videos… I grew up in the Florida Everglades and later in life find myself still here in the middle east… From all the water I could ever need, to a country w one Lake… I thought I knew most of the tricks… But your videos and talent for teaching really teach me something every video. Please keep them coming. I may not have posted in a few years but I literally and honestly watch a couple every week… Over and over.. Hoping I missed something.
Thanks again
Rob
Hi Rob,
Many thanks for the comment and support. much appreciated and I know exactly what you mean about time flying! I can’t believe how fast it goes and the days just never seem long enough.
Anyway I watched the video you sent the link for and thought it was a great system for sealing a piece of inner tube – definitely food for thought there and, as you say, would be a good fire kit holder. Many thanks.
Like you, I now live somewhere very different from where I grew up (in the North of England). What I find a bit frustrating is that I am not as well acclimatised to the heat here as the locals and, to make it worse, when I go back to the UK for visits I freeze in the climate there too, so I seem to have lost my native acclimatisation too!
Anyway, I have been struggling to find time to do videos and junglecraft for some time now but hope that things will quieten down at some point and that I’ll have more time on my hands.
Thanks again,
Cheers!
Paul
hello, i love your contents, really honest, especially since i live in VietNam and the jungle boots video really helped me decide, i just have one question, there’s a lot of good reviews on the Rocky S2Vs have you tried them out?
Hi Bobby,
Many thanks for the comment and sorry for slow reply but I’ve been busy with other stuff and not had time to check the site. Anyway, great to hear that you are doing some trekking in Vietnam and jungle boots are always a solid choice for the jungle. I’ve never tried the Rocky S2Vs so can’t really comment – infact I’m trying to stop buying new camping equipment altogether as I have far too much already!
Thanks again,
Cheers!
Paul