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'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.

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

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

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

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

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

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.

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

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

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

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!

Enjoyed this one, that environment looks tough!

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!

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

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

It's surprising how warm a kilt keeps you. I wore one at my brother's wedding. It was a freezing October day but I was nice and cozy. And no I didn't go native in the downstairs department!

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

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 👍💯

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!

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

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

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

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

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.

The land is looking quite beautiful there

Absolutely adorable video ❤

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

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

Awesome video. Thanks for sharing all your adventures with us

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

Thank you for another lesson in living history!

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...

Meeting this on a hiking trail would be awesome 😅

Love your work. Keep it all alive!

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

Nice episode. Thanks fot sharing. ❤

Loved your video, wish it was longer.

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

Such an evocative video 👍 Really enjoyed it.

Exciting

That was great, more of those please!

Wonderful, my friend, as usual 👍🏼

Very cozy video, thank you, Tom!

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

A few observations, 1)the shedding hide is because of how it was tanned. You can't stop it. 2)in the 17th century Scotland had already been stripped of resources. 3)the Highlanders were completely dependent on the herds by this time for life alone. 4)this time period in history was still a strong time for the Scots, it didn't last long.

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!

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

Thnx for the great vid!

Very cool stuff! I love it.

Great stuff thanks tom

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

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

The hairs on a reindeer are hollow, which is why they are so warm as the air inside heats from you body and the air is retained by the hair itself. This wonderful effect, however, means they shed like made as the structure of the hair is so thin. Best solution: get a new one when the old one doesn't seem as warm as it used to be. 😊 I'd also recommend bees wax for waterproofing - wonderful stuff, though a bit slippery underfoot until the surface has worn off. Smear it on shoes, your jerkin etc, place it by a warm fire and watch it soak into the leather - magic! Probably smells better than animal fat as well!!!😊

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!¡¡¡¡¡

Top tier mate

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

Nice Ambiance, my bones are still chilled 🥰🥰🥰

Beautiful

I love the music!!!

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

Great stuff on this channel! :)

Excellent video. Thanks

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

Beautiful location! Good video.

This is a fun adventure!

I have used mink oil with satisfying results for forty years. I apply it liberally to the flesh side, daily until hair tightens, then maintain as needed. I hope this helps you.

That’s sick dude

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.

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.

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.

Great video👍

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

Awesome.

Nice one, well done Tom…👍

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.

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.

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?

Very nice video!!!!!

New fan from Denmark here 🇩🇰😄

Amazing

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

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

Outstanding 👍👍👍👍

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.

As a Scots born man I find this interesting (and also the Canadian/Alaskan stuff). Primarily because when it is a -ve temperature here, it may be +30 in the daytime. Western Australia I love it.

My ancestors were born Scotland. Subscribed. 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿🇨🇦

Brought my to tears damn this is how our people lived..I am now going to work on my own kit to camp with thanks for the inspiration

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

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.

awesome

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.

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

In the old days, native American tribes used to smoke the leather of the insoles of their moccasins to waterproof them. Try smoking the leather like you would smoke meat. Not only will it waterproof it, but it will also make it stiff and last longer.

Deer family hides don't hold onto hair well as a rule.Their hairs are hollow and brittle and there's nothing that can really be done about that. That is why they are usually tanned into buckskin. The hollow fibers are warm though, they are used for sleeping insulation, but my understanding is they are short lived and constantly shedding hairs.

A kvůli tomu jsi osekal strom 👍👍👍