If you can't get out into the wilderness as often as you'd like, that doesn't mean that you can't practice your bushcraft skills. Bushcraft is all about improvisation and practice, so why not find some ways to practice bushcraft with what's available even when you're at home or stuck in town?

Bushcraft Projects You Can Do at Home

Sharpen Your Knives

"A sharp knife is a safe knife" is an old and accurate adage. If your blade is cutting without requiring excessive force, you're less likely to make mistakes and get frustrated. Plus, sharpening and honing your knives is a great way to better understand blade geometry. Keeping a sharpening stone handy, or even wearable, like the Wazoo Viking Spark is a great option. A strop is also a great tool to keep your blades razor-sharp. Our friends at HCO Strops have a wide variety of sizes and styles available. Plus, stropping is a rather relaxing activity, so it's great for nights around the fireplace or while you drink your morning coffee. 

Gear Maintenance and Repair

Knife sharpening is just one aspect of gear maintenance. Almost all of your equipment can benefit from regular maintenance. Leather items like boots, knife sheathes, etc. need to be cleaned and conditioned to keep the leather supple, synthetic insulation and rain shells can be revitalized with treatments and washes, and waxed canvas goods can be rewaxed to increase their water-repellant properties. Along with maintenance, gear repairs are a great way to work some bushcraft into your day-to-day. You can stitch up a worn seam, patch a hole in a tarp, and much more with a simple repair kit that includes a variety of needles and a couple of different types of threads.

READ MORE: The Perfect Bushcraft Kit

Cordage Making

We covered cordage making HERE, but it truly is a great skill to have. You can twist or braid man-made cordage to increase its strength and even splice in eyes for anchoring purposes. You can also make cordage from natural fibers. This can be from grasses, strips of the inner portion of the bark of several trees, and the yucca plants found in landscaping that make fantastic cordage material. These can be harvested on hikes, around the park, or even from your own yard. With practice, your cordage will become more consistent and quicker to make. Then when you're out on a trip you can put that practice to use.

Practice Knots

Knots are definitely perishable skills. That's why keeping up with practice is well worth the time and effort. Plus, you can practice knot tying almost anywhere. All you need is a bit of cordage, or maybe two, and you're all set. With a knot-tying reference card, you can expand your knowledge base for lashing and securing with a kit that easily fits in your pocket.

Plant ID

Plant identification is a deep pool of knowledge and infinitely useful for bushcraft. All you really need is a good field, the local park, or even your own backyard to practice. The ability to identify trees can help you choose the correct wood for a bushcraft project, find tinder, or have the best fire possible. When it comes to plants and shrubs, you can learn which are edible, which attract wildlife, and the ones to avoid because they're poisonous or a skin irritant. If you want to test your plant identification knowledge, or just get familiar with your field guide try the 10x10 Challenge. Pick a 10x10-foot area, or it can be yards, and identify as many plants as you can in that area. Even if it's on a lawn, you might be surprised by the variety growing in a relatively small area.

Build a Fire

While not everyone may be able to have a fire at home, even a small backyard pit or a small twig stove gives you plenty of opportunities to practice lots of bushcraft skills. You can alternate your fire-starting methods using a ferro rod, flint and steel, friction fire, and more. Plus, you can experiment with different firestarters and tinder techniques. Once you have a fire, some camp-style cooking can take place.

READ MORE: Best Bushcraft Knives Under $100

A Try Stick

We covered the legendary Try Stick HERE, but it's worth including here. It's a great project to work on at home because all you need is a knife and stick of just about any size. Making a Try Stick not only helps you get familiar with your blade, but it's also a great practice for carving notches and other shapes that are handy for a wide range of bushcraft projects. 

Carving

Speaking of, carving in general is a great activity that you can do at home that has plenty of bushcraft applications. Spoon carving is a particularly popular niche, and these items are great additions to your bushcraft kit. Figurine carving is also very popular, and much like the Try Stick, these can help you master a number of knife techniques that are applicable in the woods. Another quick and easy carving project is beads carved from small sticks. Some species of wood have a pithy center that is easy to remove, but others might require an awl. These beads can be used as zipper pulls, on knife lanyards, or even as pace beads for land navigation. 

Read a Book

Last but certainly not least, reading is a great bushcraft project that you can do at home. There are countless books on such a wide array of bushcraft projects and skills, and you can constantly research new ideas and refine your skill set. From classics like Kephart and Nessmuck to new ones from great folks like Mark Vorderbruggen, Craig Caudill, and more, you can always find a book that will help you increase your bushcraft knowledge and skills.