What do you do if your pack strap breaks while on the trail and you can’t nip to the shop to grab rope or tape (or a new pack)?
Luckily there are plenty of natural resources to help out. The obvious go-to plants would be flax and cabbage trees which are, fortunately, common throughout the country. But there are many other plants and trees that are widespread in the backcountry and useful if you know what you’re doing. Survival expert Ian Barnes, of CuttingEdgeBushcraft.co.nz demonstrates how to use two such plants. Supplejack Found in lowland forest, it splits easily which improves its flexibility and ease of knot-tying.



Tie to the pack using a knot that requires as little cord as possible to minimize the amount of plaiting required.