Your first bushcraft camp should be about reading the woods, not wrestling with your rucksack. Pack too much and you spend the first evening rearranging gear you will never use, but pack too light and you find out what is missing at sundown or in the rain. The answer is a bushcraft kit list built on a few principles rather than a pile of purchases.

On courses like Introduction to Bushcraft, the instructors work through the same order every time, beginning with shelter, all the way through to the tools at the end. This guide follows that order, so you pack what keeps you safe and comfortable first and leave the gadgets at home.

Four Principles Before You Pack

1.       Shelter and warmth come before everything else.

2.       Test every piece of kit before you leave.

3.       Buy the essentials and borrow or skip the rest to avoid overpacking.

4.       If you cannot lift your loaded rucksack without effort, it is too heavy.

Step 1: Your Rucksack

The first item in your bushcraft kit list is what you are going to carry all your belongings in. Your rucksack carries the whole camp, so it deserves more thought than the last-minute add-ons. A 45-litre pack is a sensible size for a weekend bushcraft camp. The Karrimor SF Sabre 45 is a proven pack designed for heavy use in demanding conditions, and the Ray Mears Leaf Cutter Rucksack is another Woodlore favourite for shorter trips.

Pack in dry bags rather than loose. The packing collection carry everything from rucksacks to dry bags and organisers. It is important to roll clothes rather than folding them and keep anything you need in a hurry near the top.

Step 2: Shelter and Sleep

The minimum for a bushcraft camp is a dry place to sleep and enough insulation beneath you. Many Woodlore campers start with a tarp such as the DD Tarp 4x4, which pitches between trees in a few minutes and weighs very little. Others prefer a bivvy bag, and the Snugpak Special Forces Bivvi Bag is a tough, fully waterproof cover that slips over your sleeping bag.

A sleeping mat matters more than most people expect, because the ground steals heat all night. The Therm-a-Rest range covers everything from a light inflatable to a thicker camp mattress. Your sleeping bag should match the season, and a wool hat and spare socks do more for a cold night than a heavier bag. The sleeping out collection gathers tarps, bivvy bags, tents, hammocks and mats in one place.

Step 3: Fire and Cooking

A bushcraft kit list is incomplete without fire lighting tools. The Ray Mears Fire Stick is one of the most fundamental pieces of bushcraft equipment Woodlore sells. Add some char cloth or dry tinder and you can get a fire going even in damp conditions. The fire lighting collection has all you need to get started.

For cooking, the essentials are a container, a spoon and something to boil water in. The Zebra Stainless Steel Billy Can is the classic camp pot, the BCB NATO Crusader Cup doubles as a mug and a small pot, and the Eagle Products 1.5 Litre Kettle is a polished stainless luxury for proper camp coffee. A simple folding stove or cooking stand keeps the fire contained.

Step 4: Knife and Tools

A fixed-blade knife is the one tool every bushcrafter carries. For a first camp, the Morakniv Companion Heavy Duty MG is a superb, field-worthy knife that takes a beating without complaint. If you want the history, the British Army Knife is a Sheffield-made folder that has served soldiers for decades. At the top of the range, the hand-made Ray Mears Bushcraft Knife  and the Woodlore Knife Pro are investment pieces built in small batches by Emberleaf Workshops. Browse the full knives for bushcraft and survival collection to compare them.

Another item to note on the bushcraft kit list is an axe, which easily earns its place for camp chores. The Gransfors Bruks Small Forest Axe was described by Ray for years as the ‘number one axe choice for bushcraft’. If you want to keep the weight down, a folding saw covers most camp tasks. The Gransfors Bruks axe collection holds the full range.

Step 5: Clothing for the Woods

Outdoor clothing is about layers, not a single jacket. A base layer that absorbs moisture, a mid-layer that insulates and a waterproof outer shell cover most British weather, and wool is worth the extra weight because it keeps working when wet. Spare socks are non-negotiable as wet feet end more trips than cold hands.

The outdoor clothing collection carries the brands the Woodlore team uses, from base layers and mid-layers to waterproof coats, trousers and footwear. For a first camp, resist the urge to buy a full wardrobe. One good set of layers worn plus a spare dry set is plenty.

Step 6: Food, Water and the Small Things

Food for a woodland camp should be simple to cook and easy to pack. Key examples include rice, oats, dried meals, tea and coffee. Always carry water in a sturdy bottle such as the Osprey NATO Water Bottle, and if you plan to drink from streams, a water purification method is the difference between a good trip and a bad one.

Don’t forget other smaller items like a first aid kit, a head torch with spare batteries, a map and compass, and a notebook for what you learn. A field guide such as Ray Mears' Wilderness Chef or the Outdoor Survival Handbook turns idle camp time into skills.

The Complete Woodlore Bushcraft Kit List

Work through this checklist to build the perfect pack:

1. Rucksack with dry bags (45 litres is a good size for a weekend trip)

2. Shelter: tarp or bivvy bag, with pegs and cord

3. Sleeping bag matched to the season, plus a sleeping mat

4. Fire stick or steel striker, with dry tinder or char cloth

5. Cooking: billy can or crusader cup, spoon, and a stove or cooking stand if you use one

6. Fixed-blade knife

7. Axe or folding saw for camp tasks (optional)

8. Clothing: layers, waterproofs and at least two pairs of socks

9. Food: a water bottle, and water purification if you will use streams

10. First aid kit

11. Head torch with spare batteries

12. Map, compass and a notebook

13. Something to enjoy: a field guide or a good book

What Not to Pack

Three mistakes account for most of the weight people carry:

1.       Do not bring a full kitchen. One pot, one cup, one spoon and a knife cover most camp cooking.

2.       Do not rely on your phone for navigation, because signal dies in woodland and batteries die in the cold. Take a map and compass.

3.       Do not bring kit you have never used because the woods are the wrong place to discover that your new stove will not light.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: How much should I spend on kit for my first woodland camp?

A: You can run a first camp for well under £200. A Morakniv Companion at £28, a Ray Mears Fire Stick at £12, a Zebra billy can at £19.99 and a second-hand tarp and sleeping bag cover the essentials. Spend your money on shelter and sleep first, because a dry, warm night is what keeps you coming back.

Q: Do I need a tent, or is a tarp enough?

A: For summer woodland camps a tarp is usually enough, especially if you learn a couple of knots before you go. In winter, or when the forecast is wet, a bivvy bag or a small tent is the safer choice. The Snugpak Special Forces Bivvi Bag is a good middle ground.

Q: What is the best first knife for bushcraft?

A: The Morakniv Companion Heavy Duty MG at £28 is the usual recommendation as it is tough, easy to sharpen and cheap enough that you are not afraid to use it. Most experienced bushcrafters started with a Mora, and many still carry one.

Q: How do I keep my kit dry in a woodland camp?

A: Dry bags for anything that must stay dry, a groundsheet under your sleeping area, and a tarp pitched to shed rain are the three main defences. Roll your clothes and keep your sleeping bag in its own dry bag at the bottom of the rucksack.

Q: Should I take a stove or cook over the fire?

A: Cooking over the fire is the skill worth learning, and a billy can or crusader cup placed over coals does the job. A small stove is a sensible backup for wet days when the firewood is too damp to burn.

Next Steps

The quickest way to learn what you actually need is a few days in the woods with people who teach this for a living. The Introduction to Bushcraft course runs over a weekend from a base camp in the woods, covering shelter, fire, water and camp craft.

The Camp Craft course spends a week making a home from home in the forest. Take your bushcraft kit list along, and the instructors will help you refine it for the way you camp. Then browse the shop collections above to build your own.