10C's for the common man

The purpose of this list is show you how simply you can collect a few items to get you camping. These are common man items. Meaning you may already have them in your household. Many old houses will have an Old Hickory Butcher knife or one similiar. They are good carbon steels knives that will do the same job as many $100 knives. You can easily modify them into "bushblades" too. many of these items can be had from Thrift stores. I have picked up many things from cast iron pans, sleeping bags to Pendleton wool shirts for pennies on the dollar. The trick to shopping thrift stores is to visit them alot! A couple times per week is really what it takes to be at the right place at the right time. I have 3 main stores I visit every week on my way home from work.

Here is a list I made up with the bare minimum of what we feel you should have with you when going out, not only an overnight, but everytime you hit the woods. The minimum being the first 5C's, add to that the second 5 making up the 10C's of Survivability as found in Dave Canterbury's book Survivability for the Common Man.

1) Cut - Old Hickory from a second hand store - $5.00 Mora Companion $15.00
2) Cover - Harbor Frieght 7x9 tarp - $8.00
3) Cordage - 100' of bankline or Decoy Cord - $2.00
4) Container - SS Bottle from Walgreen's - $6.00, or even a empty pop bottle and an old Progresso Soup can $0.00
5) Combustion - Harbor Freight Mag Bar - $3.00 on sale
First 5C's - $18.00 - $34.00! This equipment alone will get you in the woods overnight. Add a wool or fleece blanket from home, or even a sleeping bag from the Salvation Army or Thrift stores. I have picked some up for as little as $8.00

6) Compass - A clear plate Silva like the Boy Scouts use $10.00
7) Cotton Cloth Bandana $2.00, 3X3 piece of old bedsheet $0.00 (100% cotton)
Duct Tape - Roll of Gorilla Tape $10.00, or I've even seen some at the dollar store in all colors $1.00
9) Candleing Device - Headlamp - I like the Energizer 2 color 3 LED ones from Meijer for $10.00, they even come with batteries!
10) Canvas Sail Needle - $2, or grab the biggest one from the sewing kit at home $0.00
Second 5 items in the 10C's - $21.00 - $34.00. These items will allow you the luxury of exploring deeper in the woods and having some more tools to improvise adapt and overcome.

All together you can put together a complete 10C's common man's Bushcraft toolset for $39.00 to $68.00 depending on your budget and what you might already have. Add a small daypack that the kids used last year for school or one from a thrift shop and your ready to hit the woods for an overnight stay!

As time goes on you can upgrade these items to better quality ones. Some of these are fine as they are, like the headlamp. I have been using the same headlamp for over a year. The only reason I replaced it is that I lost the other one I had. To me the compass is good enough if you know how to navigate using terrain and a Topo map. A wide mouth SS bottle would be prefered to the smaller mouthed Walgreen one, and a nesting cup to go along with it. A GI canteen and cup combo is a good choice as well.

I find more bushcraft shopping fun at the Goodwill and thrift stores. Bottles can be found for 50 cents. I got a tent for $2 that I cut up into a light weight, 7x7 tarp. Pots and pans for $1 each. Knives for 20 cents (if they are unmarked they are 20 cents at Goodwill, at least that's what I picked up a carbon steel blade for). Flashlight for pennies. The list goes on and on.

This is how I roll haha. I have a few items I paid a decent price for...I think lol. Still have stuff to get but, I am out there just as much as the other guy with less stuff.

Sure there are things I would love to get but they are not needed.

Man in the past I've been garage sale n when ever possible I never thought about goodwill !

One thing I can not find is a metal canteen. Mine is a real thin plastic but I think it is larger .

SubZero SS water bottles are good. Be sure to get one with the course threads that can be seen on the outside of the bottle, and be sure there is not seam on the bottom. You want a one piece extruded bottle with NO liner.

I got mine from Walgreen's for $8 for two 20 oz and one 12oz.
Rite Aid has them as well.

Can't really beat that price .