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You open YouTube to learn one useful knot. An hour later, someone’s built a tiled roof and you’re wondering whether the garden needs a kiln.
There’s plenty worth watching. Choosing the right channel for what you want is the harder bit.
These are eight bushcraft, survival and camping channels I’ve watched, with a guide to what each offers. Some are useful starting points for learning skills. Others are better for ambitious projects, gear comparisons or a good evening’s viewing.
For a quick starting point: try TA Outdoors for a mix of woodland projects and camping, Dave Canterbury for equipment principles, Corporals Corner for knots and shelter demonstrations, or Primitive Technology for building with natural materials.
Choose a channel by what you want to watch
| Channel | Watch it for | Where to start |
| TA Outdoors | Woodland projects and camping | A shelter-build or camp-project video |
| Dave Canterbury | Survival-kit principles | His introduction to the five Cs |
| Corporals Corner | Knots, cordage and shelters | The ropes, cordage and knots playlist |
| Primitive Technology | Making things from natural materials | The tiled-roof hut project |
| Bushcraft Bear | Hikes and outdoor experiences | The Estonian forest hike |
| Dutch Bushcraft Knives | Knife and sharpening comparisons | A sharpening demonstration |
| BUSHCRAFT TOOLS | Shelter projects and adventure challenges | A shelter build or island-camping video |
| Steve Wallis | Unusual camping adventures | His Camping With Steve channel |
FYI, these are recommendations by viewing interest, not a ranking of who would survive longest in a survival challenge.
1. TA Outdoors – a starting point for woodland projects
Mike Pullen’s TA Outdoors covers bushcraft, survival, camping and a wider mix of outdoor activities. His official website is a useful starting point for the channel and its projects.
This is where I’d direct someone who wants to see outdoor ideas turned into things: a shelter, a camp setup, a project that takes shape over time. Pick a build that interests you rather than trying to watch the entire back catalogue in order.
Keep in mind: watching an ambitious build can give you ideas, but it doesn’t mean the materials, location or permissions translate to your next trip.
For something smaller to try, browse these bushcraft projects you can practise at home.
2. Dave Canterbury – for understanding what your kit is for
Dave Canterbury’s channel is a useful place to explore the thinking behind a survival kit. His five Cs cover cutting tools, combustion, cover, containers and cordage, as explained by The Pathfinder School’s own guide.
The useful question is what job each item does. That gives you a way to assess your equipment before buying another pouch full of things that look reassuring.
Start with: Pathfinder Outdoor Journals: 5Cs of Survivability.
Keep in mind: use the five Cs as a framework for thinking. Your full packing list still needs to suit the trip, conditions and your skills.
3. Corporals Corner – for knots and shelter demonstrations
Corporals Corner has a substantial collection of cordage and shelter demonstrations. Its ropes, cordage and knots playlist gives you a more focused entry point than choosing whichever overnight video appears first.
This is a good option when you want a specific thing to practise. Watch the demonstration, pause it, and work through the movements with a piece of cord. Being able to follow along once is a start; being able to repeat it without the screen is more useful.
4. Primitive Technology – for patient, absorbing builds
John Plant’s Primitive Technology follows projects made with natural materials and primitive methods. The quiet presentation lets the work take centre stage.
The appeal is watching the process unfold: the material gathering, the preparation, and the small jobs that make the finished structure possible. His tiled-roof hut project is a useful starting point, with written notes alongside the build.
Keep in mind: this is a channel to explore making and problem-solving. If you need beginner camping instruction, start with a channel that explains that task directly.
5. Bushcraft Bear – for a walk through the outdoors
Bushcraft Bear includes hikes and outdoor experiences as well as bushcraft-related content. One example in the channel’s catalogue is 12 Kilometer Hike | Survival Skills In The Estonian Forest.
Choose this if you want to follow an outing and see the surroundings as well as the activity. It offers a different viewing experience from sitting down with a tightly focused knot tutorial or equipment comparison.
6. Dutch Bushcraft Knives – for the gear rabbit hole
Dutch Bushcraft Knives focuses on knives and related equipment, including sharpening demonstrations and comparisons.
It belongs on this list because a lot of outdoor viewing eventually leads to the same question: does that bit of kit actually make a difference? Its sharpening content gives you something more specific to consider than whether a knife looks good in a photograph.
Keep in mind: a video comparison is evidence about the setup shown, not proof of how every example of a product will perform. Look at the task, the conditions and any commercial disclosures before making a purchase.
For a smaller UK camping shortlist, see the pocket-knives comparison. That article covers carry considerations separately from a knife’s performance on camera.
7. BUSHCRAFT TOOLS – for projects and adventure challenges
BUSHCRAFT TOOLS includes shelter-building projects and outdoor challenges. Its video catalogue includes both shelter builds and a solo tropical-island beach video involving fire-making and cooking in a coconut.
This is an option when you want a project or challenge to follow. The setting and the idea are part of the appeal; you can watch to see how it unfolds without treating it as the model for your own first night outdoors.
8. Steve Wallis – for camping entertainment
Steve Wallis makes Camping With Steve, which he describes on his official website as a collection of camping adventures with a straightforward presentation. His about page explains the interest in oddball locations and outdoor projects.
This is the recommendation when you want a camping story to settle into. The unusual location is often part of the premise, so the appeal goes beyond comparing tents or learning one particular skill.
Which channels are like Primitive Technology?
It depends on the part you enjoy.
- For watching a build develop: try the woodland projects on TA Outdoors.
- For project-based outdoor viewing: explore BUSHCRAFT TOOLS, including its quieter adventure videos.
- For learning a specific technique: try Corporals Corner or Dave Canterbury, where the focus is different from a silent construction film.
They are adjacent recommendations rather than exact copies. If the appeal is specifically making tools and structures from natural materials, start with more of John Plant’s own back catalogue and project notes.
Which channel should a beginner choose?
Choose one based on the next thing you want to understand. For equipment principles, try Dave Canterbury. For a knot demonstration, try Corporals Corner. For a mix of camping and woodland projects, try TA Outdoors.
Then pick one manageable task. Watching twenty videos in a row is easy; remembering what you learnt a week later takes practice.
You can use the five core bushcraft skills guide to choose a starting point. For outdoor stories to watch afterwards, there’s also the bushcraft and survival TV shortlist.
