@David Canterbury
— · 73 videos curated
Bushcraft, survival skills, self-reliance training, and preparedness-focused gear and woodcraft knowledge.
31 videos in Education
20 Unconventional Uses for a Compass | Skills Part 1
Twenty practical applications of a compass beyond navigation, suited to bushcraft, camping, and wilderness survival kits.
Jim Brown Coffee Challenge | Trail Life USA Daniel Boone Fire Challenge
Fire-building competition at the Daniel Boone outdoor event: participants demonstrate wood-gathering and fire-starting techniques under challenge conditions.
Two-Man Bow Drill in the Swamp: Friction Fire in Damp Conditions
Demonstration of two-person bow drill technique for starting friction fire in high-humidity swamp environment during Pathfinder School training.
Bushcraft 101 in the Everglades: Shelter Building and Campfire Cooking
Three-minute glimpse of a Pathfinder School class: building a bushcraft shelter and cooking fish over coals in the Everglades.
Everglades Bushcraft: What a Survival Instructor Packs
Survival instructor David Canterbury walks through his gear choices for the Florida Everglades, explaining the practical reasoning behind each item selection for a subtropical wet environment.
Gray Squirrel from Field to Table: Appalachian Camp Cooking
Seventeen-minute walkthrough of harvesting, preparing, and cooking gray squirrel with potatoes and gravy over a camp fire.
5-Minute Camp Stool: Easy Bushcraft Project with Sticks and Cordage
Seven-minute walkthrough building a functional camp seat from sticks and cordage, demonstrating field-tested materials improvisation for outdoor self-reliance.
Axe Sharpening Technique: Woodsman's Field Skills
Three-minute demonstration of a field-applicable axe sharpening method and the minimal gear needed to maintain a working edge in the woods.
Lamp Wick for Flint and Steel: Traditional Fire-Starting
Two-minute walkthrough using lamp wick as tinder with flint and steel — a low-tech fire-starting method that works when modern equipment fails.
Ferro Rod Technique — An Instructor's Perspective
Three-minute walkthrough of ferro rod fire-starting technique: proper angle, control, consistency, and spark placement from a bushcraft instructor's teaching framework.
Charring Materials for Fire Starting: Planning Ahead for Emergency Scenarios
Three-minute demonstration of charring cloth and other materials to create reliable fire-starting resources for grid-down and wilderness survival situations.
Scouting a Survival Course: Reading the Water's Edge Before Training
How an experienced survival instructor evaluates a landscape before training begins—reading water resources, wild food, animal sign, terrain, and planning realistic survival scenarios.
Pathfinder Dog Bones: The Small Camp Tool That Changes Everything
Sixteen-minute walkthrough of a lightweight cordage attachment tool for camp tasks: securing gear, rigging tarps, hanging cookware, and solving field problems without complex knots.
Which Bushcraft Skill Should I Learn First? Beginner Bushcraft & Survival
Twenty-minute primer on foundational bushcraft skills for beginners: fire, shelter, knots, cutting tools, camp cooking, water, navigation, and gear selection.
Sierra Cups: The True History
Two-minute exploration of the Sierra cup's origins and evolution as a bushcraft and survival staple.
Taking the FSS Backpack to the Next Level | New Oil Cloth Backpack
Walkthrough of a modern oil cloth backpack inspired by classic US Forest Service designs, covering construction, features, and practical application for bushcraft, camping, and woodcraft.
What's the Best Fire Starter? Answers for Beginners from an Instructor's Viewpoint
29-minute comparison of fire-starting methods (ferro rods, lighters, matches, tinder) with guidance on building a reliable fire kit for emergencies, camping, or bushcraft.
This 20th Century Knife Sharpener Was Brilliant
Examination of a vintage knife sharpener design and why old-school woodsmen trusted durable, low-tech tools for field work and bushcraft.
Should You Carry an Axe, a Saw... or Both? (Part 2)
37-minute guide to choosing between axes and saws for bushcraft: when to carry each tool, how experienced woodsmen decide, and how to avoid unnecessary weight.
Axe vs Saw: Which Should You Carry? (Beginner's Guide)
46-minute breakdown of axe and saw trade-offs for bushcraft and survival: when each tool excels, safety, weight considerations, and how to choose based on task and trip length.
Red Cross/Pathfinder WFA Certification Course
Forty-hour wilderness first aid certification combining Red Cross standards with Pathfinder hands-on training for off-grid medical response.
Use Single Shadows to Find Direction | Simple Survival Navigation Trick
Two-minute walkthrough of the single-shadow method for determining East-West orientation using only the sun and a stick, a foundational bushcraft skill for navigation without GPS or compass.
10 Essential Camp Knots Explained | Transition Teaching Method for Faster Learning
Nine-minute walkthrough of 10 essential camp knots using a step-by-step transition method designed to build muscle memory and understanding for bushcraft, camping, and survival contexts.
Best Knife? Everything Beginners Need to Know for Bushcraft, Camping, and Survival
30-minute walkthrough of knife selection for outdoor skills: fixed vs. folding blades, steel types, blade grinds, and matching tools to specific tasks.
Knife Batoning Explained: When You Should (and Shouldn't) Do It
Thirteen-minute walkthrough of batoning technique: when it's useful, proper knife selection, safe form, wood grain reading, common mistakes, and when to use other tools instead.
New to Camping, Bushcraft, or Survival? Start Here!
36-minute primer on essential gear, skills priorities, and common beginner mistakes in bushcraft and survival training, emphasizing knowledge over equipment.
Bushcraft vs Camping vs Survival: The Truth
Seventeen minutes clarifying the distinctions between bushcraft, camping, and survival disciplines, their overlapping skills, and how each fits into self-reliance practice.
Green Wood Birds' Nests & Bow Drill Fires | Tips and Tricks for Fire by Friction
31-minute walkthrough of friction fire techniques: building tinder bundles from green materials, bow drill fundamentals, common mistakes, and tips for reliable ignition in non-ideal conditions.
More Than a Bucksaw: 10 Tools in One Simple Design
35-minute walkthrough of a DIY wooden frame that functions as bucksaw, square, level, compass, measuring stick, and angle finder for field carpentry and navigation.
Quick Tension Loop for Bundles
47-second demonstration of a single-loop tensioning method for securing bundles with cordage.
Bucksaw Master Class: Geometry, Blade Selection & Performance
42-minute deep-dive on building a functional bucksaw from landscape materials—frame geometry, wood selection, blade choice, tensioning, and the physics behind efficient cutting.