Winter Overnight as a 17th Century Highlander - Historical Survival Skills 

I meant to put a title saying that the tree I used as a mattress is a "Western Hemlock" which is a highly invasive species of tree in Scotland. It shades out native species and is actively removed by conservation organisations because of this. Therefore, I didnt mind cutting branches from it.

One of the reasons I love being in the outdoors is that, if you get out far enough, it's quite possible you're seeing the same terrain that your ancestors saw hundreds of years ago.

Ok but now we need a new series called Fandabi Cozi about how to stay comfy in the 17th century Scottish way

I've practiced minimalist camping for quite a few years. Tarp, hammock a good wool blanket and a wee dog for extra warmth . My good boy is pushing 17 and always up for a hike and a night by the fire.

I love the combination of the running water and the flute music.

Hei Tom, I live in Norway and we have comparable outdoor conditions here. For the last years I most often use a reindeer hide to sleep on. The quality of the hide has much to say on how many hair it sheds. By the looks of yours it seems unprocessed, which is good (those bought in souvenir shops and the like are not meant to be used outdoors). I learnt that what you want is the raw material, sundried and nothing more. This does not make the inner part waterproof, but a bit resistant, and if you are dedicated to allow it to dry properly as soon as possible it shouldn't rot (which would cause more hairs to be shed). On the other hand your hide looks very flexible and pliable, which makes me suspect that the hide has been treated, hence making it more likely to shed hairs. Hides like the one I'm talking about have a cardboard-like feel to them, unless they have been very actively used for a long time, which will soften it significantly. All in all I think that if you have a good hide and u treat it well it will make an excellent mattress, with superb thermal and aesthetic qualities, plus the feeling of historical attunement which you seek. But of course a few hairs will fall anyways, it is part of the nature of such materials and perhaps part of their charm :) nothing lasts forever Keep making these inspiring videos!

I'm watching this thinking "but it's not winter now, it's spring". Then I remembered it's Scotland. Which only has two seasons. Winter. And slightly not Winter.

It's amazing how simple things can be really complex tools if you have the right knowledge.

I like how you thanked the space where you spent the night. Respect.

I've never liked camping next to water when it's damp outside, it always feels colder.

Hi Tom, I am a Canadian who has spent many many nights beneath the stars. Right around freezing has always felt the coldest, to be wet and then have ambient drop below freezing is less than ideal. I can attest that even with "modern" gear it is a struggle to stay dry, day by day. Fire first, the rest will follow. Your content is both interesting and informative. Hit me up if you want to try the big woods. Much respect. -J

Enjoyed this one, that environment looks tough!

Interesting choice of place to sleep. In blog posts by Andrew Skurka - he mentioned that being too close to water source like a creek means lower temps at night.

Excellent night out Tom. Nothing feels better than getting a tough fire started when you're cold and wet. Nate

Lovely video! Always excited to see a new highlander 17th century highlander upload. It's a dream of mine to put together a full historical kit some time in the future, and yours is a great inspiration!

If you can stay warm and cozy at around the freezing point when it's damp, your kit is pretty awesome.

What a lovely camping spot! And those Uilleann Pipes at dawn where just epic.

Fandabi Toesies! Having lived and worked outdoors in both North Dakota and Western Washington I say with confidence that just above freezing, in a humid climate, is the absolute fucking worst.

A good reminder how long it takes to get your camp set up before darkness falls (in winter less light)

Man your out there doing it ,great watch again ,love back ground music.

Love the videos mate that's what I call hard core wild camping mate great too see somebody showing how people survived out in the Highlands in winter in the 17th 👍💯

The land is looking quite beautiful there

Meeting this on a hiking trail would be awesome 😅

Excellent video as always! Congratulations for doing such a great job in such cold wet conditions!

Awesome video. Thanks for sharing all your adventures with us

Just going into winter here in Vic Australia. Despite popular misconceptions, everything is also wet all the time here. That was an impressive attempt to start a fire.

Excellent! I just couldn't live without my modern boots, tarp and a cup of coffee in the morning so well done. Slainte!

Looks like fun time's, thank you for sharing. Happy Easter MMXXIV God Speed

Very cozy video, thank you, Tom!

Great video, thank you for you hard enjoyable work and insight.

Absolutely adorable video ❤

Exciting

Today I was out wandering in the woods and something huge happened. I walked in a completely wild part of the forest where there was no path and huge bushes and densely packed trees. I was thinking about everything thing around me but suddenly a huge creature burst out of a bush in front of me, it was a boar 🐗. I would have panicked probably but thanks to the fact that I had watched your video about surviving the 21 century I knew about the flight or fight hormones and I controlled my self and didn’t do anything. The boar jumped 3 times in the opposite direction so I turned and ran so fast that my socks went down(really fast). I jumped into a cow pen where I sat down and collected my self. Thank you fandabi dozi for educating me more about the fight or flight hormones that helped me to control my self during this encounter and have a great Easter! Greetings from Scania/southern Sweden

Nice episode. Thanks fot sharing. ❤

Love your work. Keep it all alive!

Thank you for another lesson in living history!

I just got back from an over night wild camp and watched this. I smiled cos that wet wood is a pain but what a feeling when you get it going pure ecstasy

That shot of you lighting a fire in the dark, was cool af. 👏

Loved your video, wish it was longer.

Such an evocative video 👍 Really enjoyed it.

Wonderful, my friend, as usual 👍🏼

Yes I was craving a video from you since you posted that you was going to make one thank you❤

That was great, more of those please!

Excellent video Fandabi Dozi, congratulations, all the videos are very good, good food, beautiful landscapes and a good life in general, thank you, much success!¡¡¡¡¡

Outstanding vid great information 👍i like your persistence with the fire . Thank you 👍

Great stuff thanks tom

Excellent video. Thanks

Very cool stuff! I love it.

Nice Ambiance, my bones are still chilled 🥰🥰🥰

Thank you for a wonderful glimpse of the "guid" life.

Beautiful

As a medieval Norse reenactor, I learned you can't really do anything about reindeer hides shedding their hair. The hairs are "hollow", which makes them better at insulating, but this also makes them break easier, therefore the pelts are prone to shedding. I always heard summer coats are better to use as pelts, because they tend to shed less hair than winter coats. Just enjoy the pelt, but you'll have to take the loose hairs for granted :) Thank you for the videos, keep up the great work!

I'm from Scotland Highlands and love the outdoors great video love your passion for being a pureist some great tips and tricks thanks..

Hi Tom, brave man, good video, nice music with water running in back ground. Bloody soaking brilliant yer hardy

Great grandfather crossed the pond in 1900, here north of Montréal in the Laurentians i've recently wondered this winter on warmer days how lads lived daily in a kilt for centuries...

Aside from what I think is an accurate illustration of Highland kit in the olden days, this is probably the best view I will be able to have of the Highlands themselves. Thank you for that!

Thanks Tom, another cracking video. Love the winter moccasins. Reminded me of NZ army basic winter training in the 90s - cept you have slightly better kit 😊. Best wishes

Impressive! Great to see someone camping out in such a humid environment. I see so many videos where the RU-vidr camps out in cold but very dry climates (where starting a fire seems easy).

Smartest lesson in this brief adventure? “It’s freezing but lighting fires makes sweat” and strip off those layers BEFORE. Fire craft, from gathering to processing wood to spinning up an ember, is the one wilderness pursuit when no matter how methodical you are, if you’re crafting primitive fire you’re gonna sweat. In present day gear I cannot recall how many times I got the wrist thick branches going then excused myself to grab a micro towel and get as dry as possible and into new flannel wool as quickly as possible. Remember team, wet conducts body heat away 25x faster than dry. And your head loses 50% of your overall body warmth. A good method is to carry two Touks. Wearing 2 employs the same thermal layer benefit as Tom’s “2 bonnets” hack

Great job

Incredible skills getting that fire going and maintained in those conditions Brother 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 🇳🇿

Thnx for the great vid!

This is a fun adventure!

About your reindeer hide shedding-afraid you’re doomed, my friend. Their winter hair is hollow, which makes it super warm. But the hair is also super brittle. It’ll keep shedding, but look on the bright side, in 3 or 4 years you’ll have a bunch of leather….. Summer hair isn’t hollow, and stays on the hide much longer, but it isn’t nearly as warm. Thanks for another excellent video!

Bravissimo, molto bella questa rivisitazione

This looked very challenging but it was very interesting to watch! I was very fortunate that I was able to live in Scotland for a couple years in my 20s. Such an amazing place.

I love the music!!!

On the reindeer fur thing, you need to get a fur that has been killed in the dead of winter, apparently that's the best furs as the cold holds the fur for longer?

Beautiful location! Good video.

Great stuff on this channel! :)

Very nice. I love the smallpipes background music. :)

Top tier mate

well done mate

That’s sick dude

Awesome.

Very nice video!!!!!

Great video👍

Dude, awesome. Wish I was there hangin' with ya.

Nice one, well done Tom…👍

Here again we have the great Dozi in survival's true ways, the Army has a somewhat same only no Tartan, darn!. Five years or so ago I would dive in, until the hip replacement and the shorter leg issue, but I'm still going to watch anyway,😃 Thanks as always.

Outstanding 👍👍👍👍

Hi tom , well done getting the fire going i was expecting a quiet sod it and the use of a lighter 😂 , could you do a show about what they lived on and the food they eat day to day . Thanks Jim

Amazing

I made your bannock bread for a hunt in nz a few weeeks ago, 10/10 will make again. I agree that cold and wet is the worst. Give me frozen any day.

fair play dude.! I find about 7 degrees is as cold as tolerable including getting in the stream in the morning to wash and wake up.! Well impressive kit you’ve put together.

New fan from Denmark here 🇩🇰😄

Awesome mate love it Got to get out side We walked the great glen way September ish last year Wild camped n completed it I used a festival ponshow as a roll mat Completed it n survived I blame you 😶 It worked 👍👌

You should come to the highlands of North Carolina for your British North American fans(US) for one of your classes. I would go. Scotland is just a little to far.

I'm watching this while eating dinner: rumbledethumps and bangers. I love your channel, Cheers!

awesome

A kvůli tomu jsi osekal strom 👍👍👍

The hides are warmer when you wear the leather side down (the deer hide specifically). It's less cozy but if you have wool there anyhow it shouldn't affect the feeling too much. That's how the Indigenous American's did it way back when. Very interesting video thank you for sharing!

Turtlewolfpack6061 commented on the reindeer hide not being tanned properly causes the molting. That would be interesting to see how it was tanned in the past by highlanders.

Very good information and sharing of your knowledge. I liked the idea of the waterproofed shoes lined with sheepskin. In using animal fat for that, I recall that the fat has to be rendered with wax to make it work. Lanolin, a natural oil in sheepskin has to be rendered with sheep fat to make the wax. It's been many years since I made some, I will have to find my notes. Skal

Hi, regarding the loop at the top of the plaid. Perhaps it is an end of a knot used to tie your shirt/hood configuration. Also if you pull the hood cloth from the sides it will pull in the sleeve cloth in tight allowing free movement of the arms. Do this while sitting down so none of the bottom cloth gets pulled up. This wider hood cloth when gathered up and tied at the top locks the plaid in place, stopping it coming undone and making you more aerodynamic in the heat of battle. This may be the loop in the picture. I think they would have carried cordage with a loop at both ends for tying up their plaid. For carrying already pleated over the shoulder when not being worn. Then one loop can be undone and you could hang it from a tree branch at the perfect height to get your belt on. This could be a fast way to get your plaid on, maybe even while on the move if you held the cordage in your teeth. Great videos man. Hope this sparks an idea or two for you. Look forward to your next instalment.

So pleased people are out there doing this stuff instead of saying 'we think there was some ritual significance' 😊

Always interesting…

멋진 영상 잘보고 갑니다 응원드립니다

I never knew what fandabi dozi meant until just now when i looked it up 😜

Love your historic gear. I have gone back to using more historic kit for my camping in my environment. Wool, tarps, blankets etc instead of modern polar fleece, tents etc. I am curious where you have found your bonnets. Thank you.