About Jack

 Jack.

Born January 1969 in England, and raised in Rhodesia and South Africa.

I was an avid fan of outdoor life and skills from a very early age, and was given my first sheath knife in 1976 aged 7 years old for my first solo wild camp as a result of my enthusiasm for spending time camping and exploring nature. 

As a young man in his teens, I travelled Europe and Asia, then aged 18 I joined the British Army. I soon learned that if you volunteer for the undesirable postings and attachments, you are likely to enjoy all the most desirable ones as reward. "You get out, what you put in". This revelation resulted in me continuing to travel extensively.

By the time I retired, I had lived and worked in 76 countries, on five continents, learned several languages, and fought several wars. The love of the outdoors accompanied me everywhere I went, and I always took every opportunity I could, to explore the wildest areas I could find. 

As a result I gained considerable experience over the years, living in wilderness environments ranging from tropical Jungles, Deserts, Northern Forests, rolling Prairie, flat Savanna, Swamps, and grand mountain ranges, to Arctic Tundra. I also enjoyed the adventure training courses, and Survival courses I participated in, all over the globe, and in many disciplines and environments, as both an army and a civilian instructor or trainer, teaching students numbering in the thousands, on multiple subjects. My passion for outdoor living skills and activities, has over forty five plus years, led me from what was once called Woodcraft and camping, to Survival techniques, to what is now in the latest trend, called Bushcraft. All of which has been interspersed with outdoor sports such as canoeing, climbing, sailing, mountain biking, scuba diving, and skydiving to name but a few.

These days I enjoy the more sedate pace of South Eastern Europe in my retirement, but the love of the outdoors is still with me, and I can still be found brewing up in remote bush camps, or floating around with a fishing line over the side of my canoe.

My wish here is that a little of my cumulative knowledge and experience shared on these pages, entertains, serves future generations, and is not lost.