10 Survival and Bushcraft HACKS you probably didn't know! 

So glad I found this video just moments before reaching for a pinecone. What a life saver, lol!

I been kicking around the bush all my life, more than 50 years, and this is chock full of excellent ideas that translate to real world use. Well Done!

Using mud packed onto the end of a branch as an improvised knife sharpener? Brilliant hack.

Mr. Hayes is obviously the man, and getting guidance from him is priceless and greatly appreciated. That having been said, I'd just like to share my experience with using paracord as laces. I first heard about this practice about 15 years ago, when I started getting into long distance hiking/bushcraft. It seemed useful, easy to do, and pretty "tacticool", so I did it right away. For the next couple of years, constantly re-tying my boots became just... part of hiking. As mentioned in this video, they tend to be slick, and come undone. Constantly. I was using mil-spec 550 cord, and the slickness never went away for me, even after a few years of heavy use. Only half-thinking about it, I think I told myself that this was just the cost of having easy-access paracord at my fingertips, should I ever need it. Meanwhile, I had a 100ft bundle of the same mil-spec paracord in my backpack, on every single outing. Plus, of course, the few extra feet available to me in my constantly untying boots... "should I ever need it". I eventually recognized the error in my thinking, and went back to regular laces. I've never broken laces in a quality boot, and not to burst bubbles, but after 15 years of hiking, rafting, camping, and hunting, there hasn't been a single instance when I went - this 100ft paracord line isn't enough; I wish I had that extra FOUR feet of it in my boots! That would be totally worth constantly re-tying my boots! :)

The knife sharpening trick is a new one to me. The mud on the end of the stick is like using a lapping plate. Genius!! Thank you!!

Can’t get over the cordless stool! How cool & awesome! I’m definitely going to try that on my next trip to the woods!

You've gotta be the first outdoorsman who showed some bushcraft hacks that weren't boring so now I hit that follow bell . Thank you for sharing .

If you swap your Bic for a Clipper, both the fuel and flint are refillable. The striker is also designed to remove from the lighter for standalone use. Pro tip, disposable lighters have really long flints. You find them everywhere and can remove the extra flint as a refill for your Clipper or Zippo.

An o ring run up on the lighter underneath fuel trigger to stop loss of fuel in a bag or pocket.

Good tips. To keep your axe from getting stuck in a log, stop aiming at the “bullseye.” The center of a log isn’t what holds it together. Aim for just a blade width in from the edge and logs split quick without binding your axe head.

I highly recommend you do your best to not inhale the smoke from duct tape and plastic shavings from the lighter...pretty toxic dioxin fumes. And of course, if it is an emergency situation that is a totally different situation. Same goes for burning your trash. ;-) Fun tips Clay, thank you. And yes, bend at the knees when swinging an ax!

Ive been doing " bushcraft " since 1968. Ive pretty much seen it all. Ill admit though, that trick shaving the body of the bic lighter made me smile, nevercsaw that before. We NEVER stop learning!😅

TIP : That spent lighter isnt as spent as you think it is. Pull the metal cap off like you did hold the gas button down with other hand spin the strike wheel and you will get a tiny flame, might get 20 extra lights out of it. Cant have windy conditions though, the metal guard keeps last bit of fuel from igniting.Also if in a cold climate keep the lighter close to your body so it is warm, cold butane dont expand much but if warm you have better chances of a lite.

The pine cone says “I’m sticking around!”

Well done and informative.

That was a good lighter trick well done

Learned some new tricks. Thanks for that.

Nice hack with the old lighter

Prbly the coolest fire starting hack I've seen with the empty lighter and plastic shavings from the lighter

I love the lighter tip.

Another tip for paracord boot laces is to use shrink tubing on the ends to make it easier to re-lace the boot

Thanks for sharing your Bushcraft tips/ knowledge. Keep them reeling in !!!

Already knew the first tip but kept on watching. The following is not what you tipically see. So thanks for sharing your personnal tips. They are valuable !

The chair absolutely dumbfounded me. All these years I’ve never seen something like that. Brilliant.

Great tips Clay! Keep them coming!

I had the "pleasure" of hand-splitting wood for stoves as a teenager and I never knew the axe-tilt trick! Great video, throw some more at us!

What a great, albeit short, video! Thank you for so much information! ❤

Your camp chair hack looks awesome! Will definitely have to try that one.

That trick with the mud on the flat end of a stick is clever. I once got a usable edge on a case knife by running it across a rubber tie down strap. I was surprised how well it worked. That's why I tend to buy blades with softer steels.

Come on clay who wouldn't want to use a pine cone 😂😂😂

I loved the tip about nature's TP. At about age 10, I found out the hard way (no pun intended) that dried leaves don't work any better than pine cones. I'm 58 now, and I think I can still feel an itch or two. One of my uncles told me, "At least it wasn't dried poison ivy."

Hey Clay how are you , I just want to know that I love ur videos and admire your work so much and it inspired me into the world of archery and survival, thank you for everything ❤.

Very good video bro. I didn't think I would really learn anything but I did. Not that I'm some Know-it-all but I spent a lot of time in the woods growing up and as an adult. I didn't know the ax turn or the neat way u wrapped the Paracord. I will definitely tune into more if u got in which I'm sure u do... thank you.

that's actually the only thing you need in the woods... SHTF or even just hiking... knowledge!... not special gear!... and you Mr.Hayes have plenty to share... thank you!

This was awesome! The lighter/deck tape is brilliant

please keep the tips and tricks videos coming you're a winner of Alone and trusted resource for this kind of information.

These were very neat!! And useful!!!! Definitely more please ;)

As someone who works in safety, don't turn your axe off slightly. You will hurt yourself. An axe is a wedge. And as an engineer, the straight vertical force exerted downwards would become circular causing torsion. The impact will either ricochet or force exerted by axe wielder will lose balance. ... And the other reason to split your legs when swinging is for stability... like a baseball player.

Fantastic video Clay! Love it. Thanks for making it! These will all come in handy, but the chair is my favorite.

Excellent Clay! I would love to see more of these for sure.

I would certainly watch more like this. You had some new tips others don't have such as the wood splitting tip or the four log stool.

I would like to caution you about using paracord for boot laces. Although they are quite useful and resilient, they will eventually cause the metal portions of the boot's lace eyelets to become sharp due to the constant rubbing back and forth against the paracord and eventually begin to cut the paracord resulting in frequent failures due to being sliced and weakened. I have found that removing the guts from the paracord beforehand helps to mitigate this but then again, you're practically removing the advantages of just using the regular laces. Also, once the eyelets become sharpened by the paracord they will cut through regular laces rather quickly.

This is all stuff i used to do when i was homeless. its interesting to see that i have the survivalist mindset.

dang; the 4-stick chair was a keeper. thanx.

Duct tape is a great babysitter too... Great vid. You can never bring too many ways of starting a fire. I usually have a lighter, flint and steel or ferro rod, and waterproof matches on me. If all else fails, those waterproof matches that are coated with phosphorus will get the job done.

Great information Clay. Please make more videos like this? I learned a few new tricks I would never thought of. Thanks!

Mr. Hayes, I love these type of videos..so much information that is passed on to us learning individuals.. thank you sir. Stay safe.

I am loving everything so far on this channel

Good vid thanks for the share. On the Boot Lace if you are doing it at home and not a repair in the woods, use a piece of shrink tube on the ends to shrink and seal.

Another idea for boot laces is to use automotive wire - the kind that runs to your taillights. It is readily available, easy to work with, pulls tight and stays tight, easy to remove and the tie doesn't freeze up. I started using it for my wading boots 20 years ago. In a survival situation it gives you snare wire. On my axes I always run #19 galvanized wire from the axe eye back about 4-6" wrapped around the handle. Pin the end of the wire to a shed, stick the other end in the eye or tack to the handle - walk back from the shed and put good tension on the wire then start rolling the handle as you walk to the wall. Every now and then take an axe file and tap the wraps together nice and neat. When you have it all on just tack the end to the handle - gives your axe extra years of life and gives you a great source of wire when you are in the woods.

Awesome stuff as usual. Its always great when you take humorous approaches to videos.

Great tips and tricks. Always makes me want to get out and try them. More like this please and trapping and snaring tips

Great advice today Clay. Thank you. We live beside the Rocky Mountains in British Columbia, so, your setting is quite appropriate. Really appreciate the advice. Especially the Paracord boot laces. I recently received a bundle of the 'survival Paracord' with the additional 'specialist' strands. Fishing line, sewing line, and tinder strands accompany the customary Paracord core strands. Thanks again Clay. GL at Elk Camp.

I personally prefer to hank cordage in a figure eight, around the thumb and pinkie of my outstretched hand. Since you make a backwards half turn after every half turn you introduce basically no twist to the cordage, meaning it´s way less likely to get tangled. It also appears to be faster than the normal wrapping technique. When you want to saw through a branch and don´t have anything to brace against, instead of kneeling down and sawing on one knee I found it`s way more stable to squat down while you clamp the branch with the back of your knees. You´d then saw on the outside next to your knee. I found it makes a difference especially with material thicker than your wrist.

Thanks Clay. Great survival info. We are all going to need this soon.

Greatly appreciate this video! Yes, more hacks & tips please.

A tip on paracord boot laces. Lace them in a spiderweb pattern. You can carry much more cordage in the same space. I have approx 12ft per boot with this lacing pattern.

Years ago, I read somewhere about the 4-stick-chair ( how many sticks were part of the unknown), but I couldn't recall how it was done. You just resolved a very old mystery for me. Thanks, Clay.

It is always interesting to watch your videos, thank you and keep em coming.

Straight forward comman sense tips, easy to remember and all useful for the day hiker and weekend camp. Definitely want to see more

Always nice to learn something new. Even for a old guy. i.e. Heating up a 1/2" of the the paracord shoelace to create an "aglet". Good job as usual.

Great stuff Clay! Love the magic stool and the fire with a spent lighter! Oh and a long time ago I had an action figure called Big Josh who split a log with one blow, just like you did here... 😁

Thank you, Clay🤗 Yes please, more tips!

Awesome video man. Showed some really helpful tips. Thank you

Another tip about using the 550 cord in your boots . Take 36 or 80 grit sandpaper and rough up the top part of the laces where you tie them. Not where the lace goes through eyelets so as not to cause premature wear. I’ve made many many parachute jumps with 550 laces with no problems. Just double tie them and pull the loops so hard like you’re try to break them. That tight and they don’t come loose

Great tips , please do more like this . Some are new to me , others I use regularly. The ones I knew in theory , but haven’t tried yet , like the lighter out of fuel . I am going to give it a go. Thanks and keep ‘em Coming Clay .

Between you & Ranger survival & field craft, I'd say you compliment each other perfectly. Thank you for sharing.

Magnificent work, or fun. Love this. Some of this can still function in city dwelling.

Love your videos. Just remember that people love watching you do stuff so don’t worry about putting out redundant content because it takes a while for people to learn. We have to be told more than once

Hi, been looking for a channel with serious bush primitive/ survival lessons. Love what you taught in this video, never thought to use clay on a stick to sharpen a knife.... I cannot tell you how many times I've needed a quick edge when in the bush! Thanks for he tip, gonna go watch more of your videos now LMAO

Absolutely keep the tips coming! Thanks!

Awesome hacks! I would love to see another Bushcraft Hacks video! Thanks for sharing!

I've carried a purse pack of duct tape in my tiny purse for years. You have no idea how many times I've busted that out when there was no other solution in sight when trying to help someone out. They're all amazed that it comes in a flat pack😅😅😅😅. I like the lighter idea though!

At 7:05 you have a split vertical piece of wood holding the wood you are shaving. This setup can be used to create an upward directed thin wooden edge resembling the thin edge of bamboo used to do the bamboo friction fire method. You can create friction fire this way too.

Clay, I really dig your hunting and survival videos, keep up the good work.

Impressive! I’ve gone ahead and shared this with myself so i can watch it a few more times. I would have been happy with just 1 of these tips 😊

thanks, Clay, these are GREAT tips, I'll surely be sharing them with my grandsons, and they'd sure better know the difference between mint and poison ivy!!!! BTW, you are one of my all time favorite Alone contestants, along with Nicole Apelian. I still love that show, as well as their Alone Challenge program.

Very informative. Several things I would not have thought about. Thank you.

Some of the skills you have I learned on my own...A few of them gave me some extra insight so I can be a more useful camper from now on. Thanks!

Thank man, that was excellent info. Especially the plastic and the ferrous dust and duct tape. 67 yo and did not know that. Thank you

Thank you. I love survival tips!

That was great clay ! Fun and instructive, I really enjoyed it 👍🏼 thanks

Great tips. Keep em coming. Thanks

Thank you, love your survival tips and would enjoy seeing more of you will.

Living in Indiana now but was born and raised in and around the Appalachian Mountains. I've used a stone/rock for sharpening a knife before but the gritty mud on a stick is a new one for me. Makes a lot of sense given the use of "compounds" on sharpening strops since the stone/rock is the same principle as ceramic rods or that old crock you used to turn up to use the unglazed part of the bottom. Good calls. Liked/Subbed, off to watch some of your other vids!

I'd like more tips and hacks please! I love your stuff man. I've been watching you for years. Thank you!

Best survival hacks video I've seen yet...to the point and very cool ideas...thank you!

Nice collection of unique tips. I'm looking forward to trying out the axe technique.

Fabulous tips Clay. Thanks.

Great suggestions Clay, thanks!

Good one! The empty lighter hack has got to be my favorite! New subscriber! 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻

Being retired from the AF, we got miles of aged paracord from the parachute shop, but age doesn't seem to matter much. I have some that is 40 years old and it still seems to work like new. I am past the deep woods hiking and camping, but still enjoy videos like this.

Definate interest. Keep them coming! I have tons of spearment. Will put it at my bedroom window this summer. Bonus!

Always enjoy learning new things.

Heck yeah! Would be great to see more cooking tips and best survival foods on the woods etc

EXCELLENT video. Brief and to the point.

Just subscribed. Look forward to more. Been an outdoorsman here in New England for many years. But still learning and finding new ways. Knowledge and Experience are the best tools. Although you’ll never find me without my Leatherman Wave, Swiss Champ, or one of my Fav bushcraft knives. Lol.

Excellent Tips Clay !!

Cracking vid, every days a school day, thanks a lot 😊

Those were excellent tips which I haven't heard before. Thanks.