Bushcraft Survival Australia - Natural Cordage (Part 1)

This how to video shows how to make natural cordage using various parts of the Cabbage Tree Palm (Livistona australis). It details how to harvest and process the leaf fronds, leaf stems and the trunk fiber so that they can be turned into cordage using the twisting method and the rolling method. How to add in new fibres is also shown.
The video is presented by Gordon Dedman, founder of Bushcraft Survival Australia (BSA). Gordon has travelled extensively and completed numerous Survival and Bushcraft Courses worldwide at schools run by Ray Mears, Dave Canterbury, Lofty Wiseman and Bob Cooper.
Gordon is a former member of the Australian Army 1st Commando Regiment and is presently attached to NORFORCE, an Australian Army Reserve Regional Force Surveillance unit (RFSU).
NORFORCE conducts patrols in the remote areas of Northern Australia, working closely with Aboriginal communities.
Please follow all safety procedures when lighting fires outdoors and always adhere to the laws and guidelines set down by your State or country of origin, governing fire lighting.
For information about Bushcraft Survival Australia courses, please visit: www.BushcraftSurvivalAustralia.com.au
On the Person
Morakniv Garberg (Carbon) full tang knife alnk.to/hDjqBEe
Bacho Laplander folding saw bit.ly/3b8hXI0
Fire striker (Strikefire or Light my Fire or Morakniv) on a lanyard alnk.to/gdZmL94
Leatherman Supertool alnk.to/3TUk6RC
10m hank of 550 paracord bit.ly/3nQeK5b
Small Day Pack (Fjallraven Kanken or Helikon-Tex Bushcraft Satchel - alnk.to/e70gZnA
Kleen Kanteen 20oz or 40oz stainless steel, wide mouthed, single walled bottle with nesting cup alnk.to/7WXKFps
Pathfinder or Survival Supplies Australia /Bushcraft Survival Australia special edition All Weather Emergency Blanket (in production and coming soon) bit.ly/3h6Cnov
Heavy duty extra large non pleated garbage bag (new BSA survival bag in production and coming soon)
SOL Emergency Space Blanket/Bivvi bit.ly/3vLLi2X
Ledlenser MH4 head lamp alnk.to/4Bzm1V3
Falkniven DC4 sharpening stone bit.ly/3eYkSo1
Bushcraft Survival Australia Bandanas bit.ly/3nQ8iem
Suunto MC-2G Global Compass OR Silva Ranger Compass (also worn on the person) bit.ly/3tsGRZj
Small First Aid Kit bit.ly/3f3alI7
Military wound dressing/bandage bit.ly/3bbanMK
Overboard 10-15 litre dry bag alnk.to/7qdtJ0b
Helikon-Tex Military Poncho bit.ly/3xR28iI
Fjallraven Wool Beanie alnk.to/3y4O95k
Fjallraven Keb long sleeved wool t-shirt alnk.to/fS9QOdf
Fjallraven Vida Pro Trousers alnk.to/60TpSzj
Fjallraven Singi Trekking Shirt alnk.to/6bOaRoM
Fjallraven Vidda Pro Jacket alnk.to/3y4O9aV
“Rite in the Rain” Tactical note pad alnk.to/dequ64y
Large Pack (Snugpak 45L Rocket Pack with PLC side pockets) bit.ly/3eYEb0h
Alton Goods 3x3 Ultralight Tarp bit.ly/3en0VYR or Helikon-Tex Supertarp (small or large) bit.ly/33nd8Xa
Snugpak Softie 3 Merlin or Softie 6 Kestral synthetic sleeping bag bit.ly/3tntjy9
Sea to Summit Thermolite “Reactor” sleeping bag liner bit.ly/2QRAfGR
Snugpak Special Forces Bivvi Bag or ex army bivvy bag bit.ly/3ur1hD7
Snugpak 3/4 Mini Matt or Klymit Static V (short) sleeping matt bit.ly/33kTMSo
Military nylon ground sheet
Wash kit and Helikon-Tex Shemagh (towel) bit.ly/3h9jphk
“Survival” Snake Bite First Aid Kit
Ledlenser ML4 mini lantern alnk.to/4qEB371
Powertraveller Extreme Tactical Solar Powered Charger alnk.to/6mIVQgx
Helikon-Tex Enlarged Packcell Bag (for spare clothes) bit.ly/2SmC4vx
Fjallraven Granit Lumberjack Wool Shirt alnk.to/74nXLv4 OR Swandri Ranger Wool Bush Shirt
Swazi Tahr Anorak
fishing kit (optional) bit.ly/2QTrUT0
Alton Goods Lightweight Hammock bit.ly/3xNJrwl and Bug Net bit.ly/3b5ftKB (optional)
Side Pocket 1
Pathfinder Woodsman’s Pantry
Wildo Camp-A-Box (optional) bit.ly/3nUJcuT
Food/Rations (4-6 days)
Side Pocket 2
Kleen Kanteen 40oz stainless steel, single walled, wide mouthed, water bottle bit.ly/3nSvys4 OR Pathfinder 32oz bottle, nesting cup and pot hanger bit.ly/3nQ90bw
Snowpeak Mini Solo Cookset
Zebra 14inch Camping Pot/Saucepan bit.ly/3h1It9T
Alton Goods Ultralight Titanium Grill bit.ly/3enqh8N
Military Milbank Filter OR Brown Bag
MSR 4 Litre Dromedary Bag
Sea to Summit Mini Pocket Shower bit.ly/3xSvbT7
Collapsable bowl

[@winkpink2202]

loving this not many bushcraft channels in aus so it's good to learn about local materials and flora thanks mate

[@BushcraftSurvivalAustralia]

Thanks again. Will try and keep them coming as often as possible…sometimes difficult due to work and time.

[@djdimigaming5324]

wink pink there is an Aussie channel called primitive technology

[@PaulMotu]

Mate, I’m over all these bushy expert guys that tell you that you can make cordage from this plant or that plant blah blah blah ... but you’re the first one I’ve seen that actually shows he knows how to do it, so thanks Gordon for the great video on technique and the how to. Hopefully I’ll never need to but if I had to you’ve given me the tools and technique! Brilliant stuff - love ya work mate!

[@BushcraftSurvivalAustralia]

Thanks for the great feedback. There are other guys such as Paul Kirtley and Dave Canterbury who show this technique. On the contrary to what you say, whether you “actually” need this technique or not, encourages you to embrace nature and old self reliant skills long gone...nothing in my opinion could be more relevant and important in today’s modern, superficial and sadly, technologically dependant world we live in!

[@andyjcoop]

Going to download all your videos to my phone for the apocalypse. Great content.

[@BushcraftSurvivalAustralia]

Thanks for the positive feedback and thank you for watching. Please feel free to share them and let others know. Much appreciated.

[@aeromech8563]

I love the Aussie bush and this is such a great series like a modern day bush tucker man I watched in the 80's 🇦🇺👍

[@BushcraftSurvivalAustralia]

Thank you for the positive feedback....much appreciated.

[@Trebeany]

Hi I'm Troy from Australia of course I'm glad to have found your KZbin channel . Thanking you.

[@joshvan8104]

rippa videos! i have a palm tree in my back yard and did this method. surprising how easy, quick and strong the cordage is. keep up the videos. look forward to watching more

[@BushcraftSurvivalAustralia]

Thanks for your comments. Cabbage Tree palm is indeed a wonderful tree. The cordage is easy to harvest and make once you know how. More video's on the way.

[@SkellumCampbell]

So well presented mate! Brilliant!!

[@BushcraftSurvivalAustralia]

Thanks mate, fancy seeing you on here. I'm still overseas and get back to oz in a couple of weeks.

[@josephmontz3404]

Great video mate. If you get a chance, I'd love to see more stuff on basic edible plants. Cheers :)

[@BushcraftSurvivalAustralia]

Thanks for the feedback. I have done a couple more video's on wild foods but they are still waiting to be edited. Hopefully soon.

[@josephmontz3404]

awesome, can't wait

[@rtodd279]

G'day Gordon. I have just discovered your channel and I really like what I see. I look forward to watching all of your other episodes. I have been watching a few bushcraft/survival videos on KZbin but you are the first one I have found that is based in Australia. It is great to see what can be done with species of plants that are available to us. The bush you are in even looks like the bush near me. Many thanks for sharing your knowledge and skills.

[@BushcraftSurvivalAustralia]

Thanks for your comments and positive feedback, it’s very much appreciated. My aim is to be informative and accurate without any BS.. Thanks for watching.

[@ReleaseThePeace]

With all this drama going on your channel is definitely gonna come in handy. Thanks mate

[@BushcraftSurvivalAustralia]

I'm glad you are finding the channel useful. There are also plenty of books on survival and Bushcraft out there.. Try not to get too caught up in the "prepper" mentality. Sensible emergency preparedness is good but the zombie apocalyptic end of the world mentality is rooted in paranoia. Thanks for watching.

[@iggie1439]

Love your work Gorden and I also would get a sticker for the Troopy.Keep them coming Gorden.

[@BushcraftSurvivalAustralia]

👍 thanks for watching

[@niklashall5969]

Awesome channel mate!!!!!

[@BushcraftSurvivalAustralia]

👍cheers and thanks for watching.

[@MTwoodsrunner]

well done Gordon...i have never tried the rolling method though i have seen it done...i use a twisting method looping the middle over my big toe or tree branch, then holding one end in each hand, i roll both lengths counter clockwise between the thumb and forefingers simultaneously and twist one over the other clockwise...the same results just a little different technique. another great video amigo...atb...woods

[@BushcraftSurvivalAustralia]

Thanks again MT. I have seen Aboriginal woman do a similar method of twisting their cordage around their big toe. They also use a rolling method where they reverse the roll to get the cordage to bind….hurts if you have hairy legs though.

[@franckalcidi2109]

You need to get stickers made up of your logo. I want one to put on my car...

[@BushcraftSurvivalAustralia]

We will have to see what we can do about that Frank!

[@whiterabit09]

Excellent video, i have not seen a simpler method of twisting cordage...

[@BushcraftSurvivalAustralia]

Thank you. That method is quite common in north America and is easy to do.

[@GoannaEarthskills]

I have been trying to find videos on making cordage but i could never quite get it, this video was clear and well done and i successfully made cordage. Thank you!

[@BushcraftSurvivalAustralia]

Thank you. Its great to hear that some of the skills that are being shared are of help and useful.

[@OzGeologyOfficial]

Excellent video mate!

[@BushcraftSurvivalAustralia]

Thanks for the positive feedback.

[@TheDao101]

cheers bud, thats awesome. Very useful

[@BushcraftSurvivalAustralia]

Thank you, much appreciated.

[@craigallen1168]

your a very interesting knida guy brother I like that twisting method it looks like it would be very strong i was shown the rolling method as a tacker thank you for sharing

[@BushcraftSurvivalAustralia]

Thanks for the kind words Craig. I guess i have a strange collection of skill sets (if you're referring to my bio?). Twisting method does tend to be tighter but much more time consuming. Rolling method is very even and quick if you have prepared all your fibres to the same thickness.There are many other methods of making cordage as well. These are the main ones i use.

[@ashtonslotegraaf8913]

grate video

[@BushcraftSurvivalAustralia]

Thanks for the support. Very much appreciated.

[@marrukurliindustries6122]

Welcome back; Wasn't aware of the rolling method, cheers. Also good to see a few different fibers to use that translate across Australia. What state are you in?

[@BushcraftSurvivalAustralia]

Im actually still overseas and get back to oz soon. Cabbage tree palm really is the mini mart of the Aussie bush….useful for so many things. The rolling method is quicker but you need all of your strands to be the same size in order for them to roll well and produce neat even twists. I have seen Aboriginal woman in the NT do it with the Sand Palm in a slightly different way.

[@HarryFesler]

Newbie! Glad to have found you! I watch and create... The tinder looks like real hair... Nice Share Gordon!

[@BushcraftSurvivalAustralia]

Thank you for the positive feedback

[@kimbullock475]

Brilliant video on natural cordage and well demonstrated.Thanks Gordon...,, What is that knife you are using? Thanks mate cheers Kim....

[@BushcraftSurvivalAustralia]

Thanks again Kim. I'm actually still away overseas and get back to oz soon. The knife i am using in this video is the Ray Mears Bushcraft Knife which i purchased a few years ago in the UK when i was over there doing some courses. It's an excellent knife…although expensive!

[@ascension2281]

so you're in NT? great stuff

[@geoffgeoff143]

With the twist, why fold one in half and not use two separate ones? Twice as many joins.

[@lukefinlayson8331]

I would and a like if it had subtitles.

[@BushcraftSurvivalAustralia]

That's a lot of extra work. Thanks for watching though.

[@impermanenthuman8427]

You can play the trumpet?😯

[@BushcraftSurvivalAustralia]

Wish I had more time to keep my chops up. Thanks for watching.

[@Pedro116092]

What's with the at do you want to be the bush tucker man. Other ten that ike your channel very inforative

[@BushcraftSurvivalAustralia]

It’s an old army slouch hat I was issued and makes a great bush hat. Many people use Akubra hats (which this is). Used for practical purposes, nothing to do with TV shows!

[@hazanies9543]

I really wanna do the 3day course where U learn all of this but it cost 850$ don't know how they justify that

[@sallylou7483]

Anyone else watching these because of the rising cost of living? 😂