Bushcraft instructor and survival  skills expert Ben McNutt, spent his early years exploring the wilds of Donegal around his home, on the North West coast of Ireland. After a formal education in fine art he returned to his love of wild places, spending five years studying and training under the expert guidance of Ray Mears. Ben McNutt worked as part of Ray Mears' team, within his company ‘Woodlore’ for four years, and gained full instructor status in the year 2000. Ben combined his skills in art, with his passion for bushcraft when he was invited by Ray Mears to illustrate his best selling book - 'Bushcraft'. Ben has been invited to lecture to various audiences, including a short talk for the ‘Explore’ audience at the Royal Geographical Society. His ardour for bushcraft and wilderness skills is clear, and his teaching style can only be described as infectious.

Ben McNutt illustrated Ray Mears best selling book - 'Bushcraft'  which is available in both hard and soft cover. This bushcraft manual has also been condensed into a smaller, more rucksack friendly  survival handbook, titled ‘Essential Bushcraft’. Still packed with Ray Mears’ survival tips and Ben McNutt's illustrations, this edition is more of a 'how-to' survival manual than the larger format editions. The new layout of this smaller book makes it an invaluable companion on any expedition.

Combining his formal training in Fine Art with his extensive knowledge of  wilderness bushcraft, Ben's detailed illustrations clearly describe the many techniques that are explained in this "superbly illustrated compendium of practical skills and wisdom, containing step by step guides to all aspects of survival techniques, and inspiring accounts of Ray Mears' own experiences and his philosophy behind bushcraft." For some online bushcraft tutorials on knife & axe sharpening techniques, which feature Ben's illustrations from the book (and some that never made it), please click here

Ben McNutt and Lisa Fenton have worked together teaching bushcraft, survival and wilderness skills for almost ten years, and together they founded Woodsmoke in 2002. Competent and experienced in many aspects of expedition life, they are both qualified Summer Mountain Leaders, and work as Expedition leaders, often in remote areas of the globe. Working closely with field scientists, they have led conservation expeditions tracking wolves, lynx and brown bear in the freezing winter conditions of the Polish Carpathian Mountains. In 2003 they spent 3 months working closely with scientists and San Bushman trackers monitoring cheetahs, leopards and their related prey species, on the fringe of the Kalahari Desert in Namibia. Since then Lisa and Ben have visited Namibia many times, also spending time off the beaten track with the Himba people of the Kaokaveld. In addition, during 2006 they planned and facilitated an intrepid adventure race deep in the Belizean jungle. Ben and Lisa are both qualified and experienced in Wilderness first aid, and off-road 4x4 driving.