Category Archives: Bushcraft Clothing & Equipment

Bushcraft Clothing & Equipment

Icebreaker Base Layers – Now in Stock

Here at Woodlore we are very happy to announce that we now stock a series of base layers from the esteemed Icebreaker brand. Based in Wellington, New Zealand, Icebreaker have been producing some of the highest quality base layers since 1994.

Made from 100% merino wool, these garments are of course extremely warm, soft and lightweight. They are perfect for everyday cold-weather use in the UK, as well as being part of our recommended kit for those attending our Arctic expeditions.

 

Icebreaker Bodyfit 200 Contour Crewe

Icebreaker Bodyfit 200 Contour Crewe

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Woodlore Celebrates its 30th Anniversary

In case you haven’t already heard, 2013 is set to be a huge year for Woodlore, as it marks our 30th Anniversary! In celebration of this milestone in Woodlore’s journey, we are now proud to unveil an exclusive range of commemorative courses, expeditions, clothing and equipment.

The entire range can be found on our 30th Anniversary page, while highlights from this collection are shown below.

Best wishes,

The Woodlore Team

30th Anniversary Courses and Expeditions:

CARVING MASTER CLASS WITH RAY MEARS

Carving Master Class with Ray Mears

An exclusive opportunity to learn wood carving skills from the expert woodsman himself, Ray Mears.

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Chris Lucas’ Julius Pettersson Knife

Here’s another fantastic knife from one of our customers; we particularly like the compass detail on the butt of the handle:

Dear Woodlore,

Around a year ago I purchased a Julius Pettersson Knife from you. What a fantastic blade. As a chef I use quality carbon steel knives every day, and this is certainly a great blade. I waited so long to find the right materials in which to make the handle. I was able to obtain from a friend a nice burl piece of Tasmanian myrtle beech wood for the handle, along with pieces of fake ivory for the ends and spacers.

Chris' finished knife

Chris’ finished knife

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Greetings from Alaska!

It’s always a pleasure to hear from our customers around the world, especially when they’re in the thick of it and putting their kit and clothing to the test. So it was great to receive the following message this week, courtesy of Kristian from Denmark:

Dear Woodlore,

It is now 4 years that I have been using my Swazi/Ray Mears Tahr Anorak. I’m here in Alaska, and recently I’ve been on an expedition on Kodiak Island, crossing the island on foot. And I pretty much live in the jacket every day. I’m writing this just for you, because I am a happy customer 🙂

Here is a picture of me and the Swazi in the Kodiak wilderness:

 

Kristian in his Swazi Tahr Anorak, on Kodiak Island

Kristian in his Swazi Tahr Anorak, on Kodiak Island

 

Next stop – to cross New Zealand on foot in October, with only flour, rice, water, a rifle, knife and, of course, my Swazi Tahr Anorak.

Thanks again, sincerely and big smile,

Kristian Jersing

Steve Watts’ Julius Pettersson Knife

The following post was kindly supplied by Woodlore customer Steve Watts, who created his own handle for the Julius Pettersson Knife Blade:

Hello to all my fellow scar collectors,

Here’s my meagre attempt at doing this blade justice. I caught the knife handle-making bug from one of those birch and antler kits – wow was I chuffed with the result… at the time! Now I see the tiny misbalance and subtle vulgarity of my naivety. Damnit, and I was so happy too. Many knives later, I’m kidding myself I can do the truly beautiful Julius Pettersson blade. I nearly cried when I first saw it in my hand (great delivery service by the way)…

Steve Watts' Julius Pettersson Knife

Steve Watts’ Julius Pettersson Knife

I am afraid that I did the deceptive Brass and Linseeded Hickory. I was tempted to crudely mark my name into the wood like on all of grandfather’s tools that I used to make it. I am sad I won’t see how it looks in 50 years, I think the ol’ fart woulda liked it.

Happy trails everyone,

Steve Watts

The New Swazi Tussock Range – Now in Stock

The Swazi Clothing Tussock Range

The wait is finally over – the brand new Swazi Tussock Range is now in stock at Woodlore and available to order for same-day dispatch*. Woodlore remains the exclusive UK stockist of Swazi Clothing, so you won’t find these items in any other British shops.

This exciting collection contains brand new Swazi designs such as their heavy-duty, windproof fleece The Nahanni Shirt, as well as longstanding Swazi favourites like the Bushman’s Tee, now all produced in their classic Tussock Green colour.

Take a look at the full Swazi range here.

* Orders placed before 2 pm GMT will be dispatched the same working day.

The Swazi Nahanni Shirt

The Swazi Nahanni Shirt

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Postcards from Norway

Steven Bullen, a member of Woodlore’s full-time office team, paid a short visit to Norway recently as part of a trip organised by the good folk at Bergans. Spending three nights in the Aust-Agder region of southern Norway, Steven joined a whole host of Bergans affiliates from all across Europe in making the most of the Norwegian wilderness. The group spent their time fishing, canoeing, hiking and camping, all the while putting their Bergans clothing and equipment to the test. In between paddling and hitting the trails, Steven had his camera on hand to capture the experience:

Having never visited Norway before, the first thing that struck me was just how sparsely populated the landscape is. Having left England behind with its crowded motorways and tightly-packed terraced houses, the sight I was greeted with as I stepped off the plane was a very different story; the wilderness clearly dominated the landscape here, with homes and offices seemingly dropped in amongst the trees here and there – a complete opposite to back home, where any green space seems to be surrounded by buildings.

A typically tranquil view of the Norwegian countryside

A typically tranquil view of the Norwegian countryside

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David Jack’s Julius Pettersson Knife

The following entry was kindly provided by Woodlore customer David Jack:

Dear Woodlore,

I finished the handle for my Julius Pettersson Knife Blade a couple of weeks ago, and thought I would share the results. I took the knife out for the weekend and it’s a real step up from my Mora Clipper Knife. It’s the traditional Saami design with antler and birch bark spacers, however I used Alder root instead of curly Birch for the wood.

David Jack's Julius Pettersson Knife

David Jack's Julius Pettersson Knife

It was over a year from deciding to make it to completing it, but it was a constant little project I spent my spare time on when I liked, and a really great way of bringing some bushcraft inside (without making too much mess!).

I’ve already started to make my firesteel out of some of the leftover Alder, and recently received my Large Crooked Knife Blade, so I don’t feel lost when I can’t get outside to do bushcraft (although hopefully that won’t happen too much considering what the weather has been like!) .

Many thanks to all the Woodlore team for the inspiration and the usual outstanding service!

David Jack

Kelvin Wong’s Julius Pettersson Knife

The following post was kindly supplied by Woodlore customer Kelvin Wong, who used the Julius Pettersson Knife Blade to create his own custom Bushcraft knife:

Hi everyone,

I’d thought I’d share some photos of my new Julius Pettersson knife. It is my first attempt at knife handle making and I’d love to hear what you think.

Kelvin Wong's finished knife

Kelvin Wong's finished knife

I used reindeer antler pieces, purple and white liners, and a piece of dyed box elder burl, with nickel silver end cap and bolster. The end piece of antler was a bit small and didn’t polish up as pearly white as the front piece, but I am still quite happy with the results.

Any comments/advice on how to improve would be appreciated!

Kelvin Wong

Coming Soon – The Swazi Tussock Range

The Swazi Clothing Tussock Range

Here at Woodlore, we’ve been firm believers in the Swazi Clothing brand ever since Ray brought his very first Tahr Anorak back from a trip to New Zealand. Their claim of producing “the world’s most durable outdoor clothing” piqued our interest, and we’ve been putting their gear to the test – and proving them right – ever since.

The Tahr Anorak quickly became Ray Mears’ favourite and most reliable piece of outdoor clothing, and has remained so ever since. Their distinctive designs and trademark Tussock Green colour can now be found on outdoorsmen and women the world over, helping them through wind, rain and snow, while the production of all their garments has proudly been kept in New Zealand.

In 2012, Woodlore continues to be the UK’s exclusive distributor of Swazi Clothing, a title of which we are very proud. And so, it is with great excitement that we announce a brand new series of exclusive products to the Woodlore shop, in the form of the Swazi Tussock Range:

The Swazi Nahanni Shirt

The Swazi Nahanni Shirt

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