ABOUT US

Left alone, with our own strength, abilities and experience, far from civilisation in one of the farthest places from civilisation. The  only company that we have are the bears, wolves and mooses and other such inhabitants of the deep woods. The only clear goal that runs through our heads – to survive! All this of course with the help of our traditional and historical style, crafted by us and our woodland companions as in the days of old as the trappers and true forest people did. Our journeys seem both unusual and removed from  everyday life, considered by many to be an undertaking bordering on being a true adventure. Everything plays out on authentically wild lands, lands of the forest people and trappers of old who in those wonderful times thrived on a raw lifestyle in those very beautiful and frosty lands.
Our History

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This is the law of the Yukon, that only the Strong shall thrive; that surely the Weak shall perish, and only the Fit survive. Dissolute, damned and despairful, crippled and palsied and slain, this is the Will of the Yukon, – Lo, how she makes it plain!

Robert W. Service

Thomas Paterski to the studio Radio Three

by | 4 October 2019 | interviews | 0 Comments

Radio Three of the Polish Radio welcomes Thomas Paterski to the studio. Hello dear readers. Whoever follows the activities of Leśne Rzemiosło , could listen to me on August 5, 2018 on Trójka - Program 3 of the National Polish Radio. In the series "Drozd's Eye's View...
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Personal Compass – interview with Thomas Paterski

by | 4 October 2019 | interviews | 0 Comments

Thomas Paterski - Leśne Rzemiosło. "Thomas Paterski. Traveler, artisan and survival instructor. He is connected the craft of trapping on a daily basis, he makes his own equipment for his trips to the northern areas of the taiga. He is the organiser of many expeditions...
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THE VIDEO ARCHIVES

These are filmed by me with passion and inspiration during the freezing and scorching seasons, in the mountains as in the plains. My above-par video archive offers a full range of experiences like a fast-paced canoe trip down the Yukon itself. It’s a series of adventure films and instructional videos from those adventures past as well as archival footage from Leśne Rzemiosło. Without a doubt, there is something for everybody among the seventy video productions.
more movies

MY CRAFT

Handmade equipment for forest people,hunters and trappers – this is my specialty. When creating my things I rarely used the conveniences of modern civilisation so that in the process of making them and when shaping them, to better acquaint myself with the techniques of those very days. Thanks to this, all the elements in my possession are unrepeatable and unique. The tried and tested solutions from previous voyages have immortalised this equipment and the top-notch quality of these top-notch materials from which they were made.

A FEW NUMBERS

Thanks to my passion to nature and trapping, a few years of history under logo of Leśne Rzemiosło, over a thousand kilometers were travelled over dozens of countries. All this on foot, on horseback and by canoe or even by dog sled. Leśne Rzemiosło isn’t just about trips but also education and inspiring others with that contagious craft of trapping and forest life.

Years

Courses

Publications

Adventures

OUR HISTORY

The History of Leśne Rzemiosło began in 2014 when, somewhere deep in the woods, i met a group of camp-living enthusiasts. It was in a Polish Forest, smelling of sap and the fragrance of autumn rain.  This unique atmosphere, with mystical might and the campfire light, so to as the passion emitted by each of them, all this became the cornerstone of this new and exciting project. My own unique catalyst was the situation itself which thrived in the touristy atmosphere. It only needed a few years for the equipment market to come across artificial materials, which by itself isolated us from the spirit of nature and gave us a feeling that if it is not war against her that we are waging, we are struggling against her because when we use old equipment, traditionally and classically styled and made by hand from natural materials, you feel the oneness with the surrounding nature. This matter of order led me to create a please for the real people of the forest – adventurers, ethnographers, history buffs and of course, for the artisans and handicrafters alike.

This was a place where we could share our knowledge and write about our craft and present our products as well as sell them in a company store. During this time, I led a team of about twenty people while also doing video productions for Leśne Rzemiosło, reader’s digest and doing training sessions and even organising numerous expeditions and nationwide gatherings promoting traditional camping. My project was at the time a very big Polish prototype through which all broad knowledge would pass, from nature to ethnography, traditional craft, both short term and long term adventures, on horseback and finishing them by canoe trip and building log cabins. As the old trappers and forest people once touched the brevity of time, so did Leśne Rzemiosło with its reach, consistently transforming the project into a classical archaic work. Leśne Rzemiosło became a time machine of it’s own of the days of yorn in which the forest people could spend time in nature. Romantic, although often severe and demanding; teaching humility to the nature around them. Like a time-machine in which most of the equipment and clothing was made by hand, today, most of the equipment I use during my expeditions – as before – has its source in my workshop and is made entirely by me. Whatever you can read or find here, however, has its roots in the tarnished pages of history.

THE TEAM

Once a collective of 20 people, now just it’s just a few real characters who create the new concept. Just as before ,tfrom that red hot steel, we forged the sparking steel blades, sharp axes, from the resin smelling pine logs we build log cabins and from the deciduous wood we create tools for everyday use. We have changed our modern clothing for nature-borne pelts, satchels and sheaths for our knives and thanks to the needle and thread we can cloth ourselves in pants and shirts which protect our bodies during heavy trips. It’s these trups which became our new trail that we blaze on the road to the unknown.  A road of pure adventures, full of harmony and an unrepeatable team. As was featured in the past, each member of the team is a specialist in their won field.

Thomas Paterski

I was born in Eastern Europe and my roots are Polish though my sole within is from the far north. I majored in Inland Fishery and I am the creator and CEO of the international project called Leśne Rzemiosło which brings to life the secrets of forest camping and the history connected with the fur trade. Since middle school I hold the title of scout team leader and I am a survival instructor. In addition to fishing, I also do hunting and trapping, at the same time being engaged in leatherwork, carpentry and general woodworking. I have a lot of practice and knowledge gained from my observations and my own experience in building log cabins. I am also familiar with working with sled dogs and horses. For the love of trapping and at the same time a reluctance to live in a civilized world – along with Nanook and Wydra – I lived on the northern trail, living like the trappers of old. I devoted myself to the same completely distant travels through the uninhabited areas of the taiga thus exploring the practice of everyday life in the wilderness as a professional trapper, guide and instructor of forest camping.

 

About Me

Nanook

Nanook is the youngest member of my team. He is a true dog of the original Akita Inu breed – hunting spitz, originally intended for hunting big game, such as wild boar, deer and black bear. They were also specialized in pulling heavy loads and guarding. Nanook’s ancestors came to Japan with the first wave of settlers, beginning around 15,000 BC. They were animals of the peat dog type, popularized in the Neolithic period. According to the Inuit, Nanook is half powerful polar bear and half human. The hunters worshiped this mythical creature, deeply believing that it will decide a successful catch or shameful defeat. As befits an Akita, Nanook is a resistant and tough dog, as well as intelligent, stubborn and independent, endowed with a natural passion for hunting. He is particularly interested in pushing his black nose in all kinds of holes and burrows filled with the smell of wild animals, smelling with interest. Despite his hard character, sometimes he likes to come to me for a moment of patting and forgetfulness. On a daily basis, Nanook helps me in my life on the forest trail by bringing what nature has given him to the team – guarding, defending and tracking, as well as working in a team as a leader.

Wydra

Wydra (Otter) is a two-person boat, carved by hand with attention to detail and passion for traditional canoes. It is made almost entirely of Canadian cedar, with its hand-woven raffia benches which make for extremely pleasant traveling. According to Native American Indians, the otter is a cheerful and carefree bully. From an early age, it is hard to look after or keep him in check because he will always find a way to get out of his guardian’s control. This is because – literally – he does everything his own way! He would like to correct and change everything and you have to admit, however, that his observations are usually accurate. Busy, eager to have fun, no problems with preliminary introductions and expressly gains the sympathy of his companions. On the other hand, Wydra’s swarthy character is not always well received – especially when it gives its passengers an unexpected bath in icy water. Once boats of this type were a huge contribution to the exploration and conquest of wild areas of Canada by European trappers, because it made travelling in terrain rich in rivers and lakes much easier. On an everyday basis, Wydra helps me and Nanook traverse the wilderness, just like its ancestors did during the fur trade period.

On every side was the silence, pressing upon them with a tangible presence. It affected their minds as the many atmospheres of deep water affect the body of the diver. It crushed them with the weight of unending vastness and unalterable decree. It crushed them into the remotest recesses of their own minds, pressing out of them, like juices from the grape, all the false ardors and exaltations and undue self-values of the human soul, until they perceived themselves finite and small, specks and motes, moving with weak cunning and little wisdom amidst the play and interplay of the great blind elements and forces.

Jack London – White Fang

PORTFOLIO

Unusual and out of the ordinary trips, small and large – with equipment designed mainly by themselves. These are also educational projects centered around the art of traditional camping, for families and enthusiasts of forest life and also training programs for professionals. I invite you to get to know my original portfolio.

Three Rivers
Poland
A Year In The Trapper’s Cabin
Poland – Sweden – Canada
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OUR MISSION

Our mission is unchanging: it is about not letting you down, dear supporters of traditional camping, to present an alternative way of spending time in the forest. An alternative, because without phones, modern materials and other ultra-light solutions. Today we spread the trend of the exciting history of the fur trade, as well as pioneers and real people of the forest, at the same time we take you back to those wonderful old days, years in which people like Jack London, Archibald Stansfeld Belaney, Henry David Thoreau, George Washington Sears, Elmer Harry Kreps, Charles Dudley Warner and Ernest Evan Thompson Seton – had left their undisturbed mark in time, vibrant with life until today – works of forest literature. By entering our world and by participating in our trainings and expeditions, or by purchasing our products you will see, touch and taste the feel of it, the feeling of being lost in time. Ready?

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