Some years ago a Swedish Bushcrafter by the name of Fredde (Hobbexp is his Youtube Channel) made an excellent video on how to make a cup out in the bush with all natural materials. Below is my attempt at it.
I started out by collecting some Spruce roots which can be harvested just a couple of centimeters below the soil.
Spruce roots are an exceptionally strong natural cordage.
Using my Bahco Laplander saw I cut a piece of straight grain Willow, I chose Willow because its abundant and easy to carve.
WARNING: If you have an aversion to battoning please exit this thread immediately, I don't want to be responsible for undue stress cause by a conniption fit brought on by a legitimate bushcraft skill... My philosophy is that battoning is a useful skill
IF you know the limits of your blade, and
IF you actually use your blade on a regular basis it is not difficult to extrapolate it's capabilities. I don't condemn those who don't Batton, I just ask that those who don't would respectfully keep their opinions to themselves, (at least on this thread)...
I battoned the chunk of Willow with my Puukko...

I cut the chunk into 6 somewhat equal sections. Make a note here; it is imperative to keep these pieces in order as you cut them because they have to go back together and the seal depends upon these pieces matching up!

I begin to remove material on each of the 6 pieces to create the cavity for the cup.

Next I bigin to prepare the Spruce roots by removing the outer skin.

The Spruce roots are a bit too thick so I decided to split "em.

This next part can be a bit tricky, I lined up all the pieces making sure they fit tightly together then wrapping the Spruce roots around the cup I tucked the end underneath the wrap to secure it.
I filled it up with water to see if it sealed properly, it did have a small leak...

Not a problem it'll seal itself as the wood swells!

I could use some Spruce pitch if this was vessel for long term use.
It does the trick!
It's a bit crude I could have evened the inside, maybe made the walls a bit thinner but it did the trick.

This was a fun little project and is a lot easier/faster than carving a Kuksa! Next time your out in the woods and you forgot to pack your coffee cup give this a try!
