Ray Mears was the original bushcraft king, drowned out by “survival” programmes like Bear Grylls, and now SAS Who Dares Wins. I miss programmes like this, calm and informative television.

The Bob Ross of nature. I grew up watching Ray Mears on telly with my parents and coming back to these videos gives me great comfort. So clear, gentle and skilled. Fascinating and relaxing videos every time. Love this guy.

Absolutely love Ray's programmes. No flashy nonsense, no fast cuts, no bombastic soundtrack...just the beauty and ingenuity of the use of natural resources.

Such a G. I watch these clips over and over and over. It’s so beautiful. My dad has got mad bushcraft skills which he never taught us but Ray here is showing me what dad used to do. Everything indeed does come to an end.

Not sure if anyone else ever noticed the poetry within this piece that reflects Mears life. His wife died of cancer; when he explains about rolling the string he explains how he rolls both the strands at the same time, he clamps them against himself to stop them from unravelling. Then he explains how eventually we get to an end " because we always reach and end at some point, but! long before that the other partner starts to become thinner " He's now remarried which is a reflection of the next piece of nettle being put in place. Others may not see this but this is usually how skills have been past on from generation to generation especially old ones, through teachings from life stories which Mears seems to encompass and embrace. Total Legend and very inspiring.

For some reason I find the most basic things the most impressive. Seeing you add that extra thread to the thinning one left me in awe. I wish these things were taught in schools.

I can't believe how simple it really is. The way he broke it down and explained it was just too perfect.

I need to watch more of this guy, sick of all the bullshit on social media right now plus I actually need to learn something from what I watch rather than mindlessly scrolling

I tried to make cordage with Ray's advice few years ago and it was surprisingly easy even on a first try. Sure, it takes time, but the end product was strong, I couldn't break it with my bare hands.

It was surprisingly relaxing watching this video. But as always Ray delivers his vast knowledge of bush craft brilliantly!

another thing to do, for protection, is to run the nettles through a split stick. partially split the stick open it up like pinchers I just go zip.

This man is a fountain of wisdom from experience. Watching and listening to him work is something I could do for hours. I'm grateful for modern technology which captures and will preserve his efforts. If only we could watch Sears, DC Beard, Kephart and Hearne in action.

Can't believe i've never heard of you, Ray. This video specifically is great, and informative. Extremely useful technique not easily available to learn, so thanks!

Thank you Ray, I had watched several video on how to make natural cordage, but yours was by far the easiest to follow and understand. 👍🏻👍🏻

Great work. I learned a new way to roll the fibers which looks a lot easier on the fingers then most ways I have seen it done.

Not sure why the algorithm starting suggesting these old Ray Mears videos to me in 2022. But I'm glad it did!

This is awesome. Ray is a real British national treasure.

Huge fans here in California.

Blooming awesome. We love you, your knowledge and your skills Ray x

this is amazing work dude. thanks for teaching me.

Thanks for this, not knowing how to make this kind of cords has bugged me for ages! Cheers Ray

Very useful of course and eloquently put. An enjoyable process i would imagine. Evidently in a survival situation there would be a very different feeling altogether. ATB Mark.

Tried doing this and ended up with a severe case of gonorrhoea, won’t be trying again, thanks Ray!

Thank you for your video that is very interesting and useful! keep doing this type of educational videos!

Having seen Ray do this live, during a walk in the woods, it looks so easy. A lifetime of learning shines through.

I have not seen this technique of rolling against the thigh, let go and allow twist, repeat. Also, the tips on when to add fiber are excellent. This looks like something that could be done with virtually any fiber. I am headed to the desert, anxious to try this with yucca, mecate, agave and various grasses. Any tips out there for processing desert fibers?

Excellent video! I like watching earth, explore and calm down...

My late father taught me to make cordage like this and then make a shepherd's sling from it. Time consuming, but great fun as a child spending time with him and learning. 🤔🇬🇧🇮🇳🙏

There is one more use of nettle,you can make soup out of its leaves,when the plant is still young.This soup is very rich in iron so it is very good for people having problems with anemia. P.S. I would really like to watch a bushcraft show, done by Maers and Kochanski together,that would be epic!

Excellent.. -Mitch

Thank you kindly for sharing your knowledge. It took me about 10 years to grow an established nettle patch here, and this year I wanted to make some cordage. The species of nettle that grows here on Haida Gwaii, is very stingy, even in early spring.

awesome video!" Ray is the master of explaining.

Good old Rey Mears. Used to love watching this on the telly when I was young

This looks much quicker than the rather slow process I was taught a few weeks ago - tomorrow I'll give it a go.

Great video quality, simple method, time to make the hordes of nettles in the woods nearby into fishing nets! Ty : )

Ray Mears is the Father of Nature

No bravado , no tom foolery, no fakery just real knowledge from a real dude.

Excellent tutorial 👍

Gonna try this, a vital skill to know if you run out of paracord and need to, rase a shelter, make snares or a bow string, rock sling or to attach a flint arrowhead, thanks Ray!

I miss ol Razor. Invaluable information every time.

I can watch this guy all day.

Just excellent. Ray Mears is the boy.

Excellent video

Ray Meres can be quite maddening at times. I watched a video of his, where he showed how to sharpen a knife at camp. Except, no-one would ever do it that way. Then he comes up with this brilliant and practical demonstration, showing that he really is the Man when it comes to bushcraft.

Since I have long hair which gets everywhere, I tried the cordmaking technique while watching with my own hair. It worked quite nicely!

Beautiful technique.

great video tom

Very good instruction.

Use in the garden is amazing idea!!

I've tried dozens of times to grab the nettles like Ray does here, got stung every single time?!

Such a useful plant, the nettle. You can also: Make tea and soup from leaves Use seeds as food supplement Use roots as dye Use whole plant as mulch and plant food Detect nitrogen-rich soil by nettle presence Just leave it as a food source for wildlife - especially peacock butterfly caterpillars.

I wish Ray payed more attention to his KZfaq channel, he doesn't produce much new stuff for the TV anymore, would be nice to see more of him :)

I did this a few times. It is indeed easier than you might think. But dam, always get massively stung!

Handy tip! If you are near a body of water soak the nettles in it and it will neutralise the venom xxx

Interestingly I was making cordage during some down time at work recently. Although I subbed out natural fibers for pallet wrap. It still worked resonably well I showed my equally bored colleague the technique as well.

Ah Ray I do miss you being on the TV regularly

Thanks for the mud gloves tip.

thanks man,this works great,makes a awesome rope.

When I forget my gloves, I take my socks off to protect my hands.

I figured something out years ago as a kid just by being silly. Grab a stinging nettle leaf between my thumb and forefinger and, surprise surprise, no sting. Of course if you lightly brush against it, that's a different story. I always enjoy these videos.

4:00 "Completely bio-degradable and will grow back." And it's free!

very usefull tutorial thanks!!

How could I not watch this

I feel like I could now do this perfectly he explained it so well

great educational video :)

here in West Virginia, nettle can usually be found in moist shady areas: like in little valleys and on shady creek banks. I don't know about New York, but I would figure its close to the same, if not the same. If you can't find any you can also use milkweed. good luck.

very usefull. thank you.

Good demo ray ,atb Martin

Thanks Ray

Yes Nettle leaves are ediable. Either by boiling them down as you say thus making nettle tea. Or you can weltch them over a fire, only takes 5 seconds this takes the sting away from them and makes them safe to eat. Ray Mears Britians wild foods episodes shows you that technique.

Great work Ray but how strong is strong? What is the breaking strain? Is it stronger than cordage made from plastic bottles which seem to grow in profusion all over the world?

I don’t know why but I love his face at 1:28 😂 it’s like ‘have some of that you nettle b*stard’

Saw the thumbnail, thought it was 'Raoul Moat's Last Moments' lol

And the leaves make a delicious side dish, you prep them like spinach !

Brilliant!

Ray Mears; the ultimate overgrown boy scout.

Ooo finding one of your Citizen watches is so frustrating lol BTW I went to school in Redhill and I remember we had a charity or something footy match with your school, people got funny about it tho as my school was the "naughty boy" school up on Redstone Hill hehehe Rubbing shoulders with the crims never went down well with the posh parents lol

@ Kai Dean "How long would you dry the fibres before turning them into cordage?" umm.. until dry

Fascinating.

Duuuuude, where did you learn all this? Impressive job!

Today I will harvest nettles and make my very own rope for the first time. Looking forward to it! I will use the rope on the bow I'm planning to make. :D

how much would you need to let the fibers dry for best performance? also, you need to dry them by air or can i just leave them out into the sun? great tutorial, btw ;)

Very nice

Amazing what this guy knows👍😉

So interesting..I presume that the process is the same using dried nettle fibres ?

Be sure not to waste the leaves! They make for a lovely green vegetable dish when blanched in water. Lovely lemony spinach flavour.

That was cool.. Where were the Dock leaves?

@FatMikejo That's why it's a good idea to bring a pair of work glove with you any time you are in the woods. Or practice bush craft skills without gloves so you don't have to worry about having gloves in a survival situation.

Stinging Nettles can also be made into soup, but use the young shoots rather than the woodier older growth. :D

True, true, it is most like spinach, only better and richer with ferrum and minerals, very healthy, used medicinaly, nettle tea is used a lot.

I was juat wondering if you made the cordage while the fibers are wet then dry it out would it make it stronger or would it weaken the cord?

I have plenty of string in my shed, but next time I tie up my vegetables I'm definitely going to use nettle cordage. I suspect it's harder than Ray makes it look.

Love Ray mears, like the relaxing version of bear grills

I’d love to attend a bushcraft course with ray but the advanced courses are quite expensive so I’m going to buy books and try learning that way.it is so hard for my brain to learn from books though.

You can keep the leaves and make a nettle tea, or add the leaves to a soup or vegitable stock, they are very nutritious

awesome!

Very similar principle to drop - spindling with wool fibres.

can you do this with all species of nettles? Because here in southwest Florida we have a very different form of nettles... I don't know if they'll produce the same results or not

Is it possible to do the coard a little bit and then continue the next day or does the intire string have to be made at once?

I am somewhat self-conscious imagining how our ancestors could have been so knowledgeable about such simple matters in the world that we now are too foolish to remember.