The bushcraft industry

[Pinkstone]

Hi all
Bit of a funny question this. Does anyone have a rough idea how much the bushcraft industry is worth.
Many thanks.

 

[HHazeldean]

No clue, sorry mate.

 

[robin wood]

First time I have heard it called that, gave me a giggle, seems somehow incongruous. Here we all are running away to the woods to escape from capitalist consumerist culture and reconnect with the earth and........

 

[rancid badger]

Depends almost entirely on what YOU consider to be bushcraft.

There are so many different activities tied into the "umbrella" of "bushcraft" these days.

If you can identify what "bushcraft" is, you might get an answer but to be honest; unfortunately, your idea of what it is, will probably be different to mine, which may well be different to Robins, then the next person and so on.

R.B.

 

[coln18]

well they take about 2/3rds of my wages each year, so thats nearly £4.50

Col

 

[Miyagi]

well they take about 2/3rds of my wages each year, so thats nearly £4.50

Col

Classic

Liam

 

[ex-member Raikey]

i,m just a little bit sad to hear the words "bushcraft" and "industry" used together in the same sentence,...

i understand the question,..and that the manufacturers and service suppliers associated with what we do have created an "industry" that can be measured,...

and i also subscribe to it , (i,m typing this now for eg) and i use an array of shiny toys,...

but i sit in a busy transport office all day looking at warranty margins and support budgets,.....


So can i at least pretend that there isnt a "buscraft industry" ?....(i didnt know what i did even had a name until a few years ago!!)

and that i go into the woods to forget and just enjoy the outdoors,...

that is until the government introduce oxygen tax, and sunlight penalties,...

Cheers

Stu...

 

[Shewie]

I think you need to define "industry"

I believe most of the schools make the majority of their money through equipment sales rather than their courses, that's purely a retail aspect so who knows. The outdoor "industry" as a whole has seen a massive increase in turnover in the last ten years or so, like RB said bushcraft is just one strain of that. It's gonna be bucks however you look at it, some companies have developed a good standing and will always be at the top of the tree. If we're talking about purely bushcraft related equipment and course provision then I wouldn't have a clue

 

[Retired Member southey]

either £38 trillion or £12.50 i'm not sure which but it's one or the other and not in between.

 

[ex-member Raikey]

either £38 trillion or £12.50 i'm not sure which but it's one or the other and not in between.

it must be 38 trill then Davinda,..

cos a spoon knife is about 16 quid and i know a bloke whos got two of em,...

so,.......

 

[ol smokey]

When I consider the number of Bushcrafters I know that have a fair number of knives each, a hammock , or three, plus " ferrowhatsit" rods, and sleeping bags,
plus the best brights and Leatherman type tools, I consider that, ( even given that many Bushcrafters make a fair amount of their own gear. There is still a lot of stuff being produced by "industry" and this is what is being refered to. I know that there are a fair number of dedicated members that make a lot of their own gear and encourage others to do so too, but I suspect that a majority make the odd spirit stove and carve the odd spoon, and camp out several yimes a year, and that is about " it "

 

[swyn]

Interesting although worrying question.
I am very much on the edges of this......hobby(!) As I still provide a site which is used within the education curriculum.
I do a rough account every year and find that if not completely in the red I'm only just breaking even. I take no payment personally, just try to pay the outgoings such as insurance and loo maintenance etc. Luckily this is lumped within my day to day work and something I like to be a part of.
If you go down the commercial route, well known folks such as Mr RM plus the professionals who also do this as a living, I'm sure you would soon get into six figures. Only a guess mind!
Swyn.

 

[Zingmo]

You would have to include the annual turnover of Lidl, Aldi and the Poundshop. Then there's the surge in sales of Lynx. Not to mention Tengu's local bootsale...

How long is a piece of cordage?

Z

 

[johnboy]

Interesting although worrying question.

Why is the question worrying?

 

[SBreen]

How long is a piece of cordage?

Twice the distance from the middle to the end of course.....

Simon

 

[Everything Mac]

it isn't worth anything.

The associated industries however might be worth a fair bit.

Andy

 

[jackcbr]

I think you can't define bushcraft as an industry, it seems to overlap retail (shiny things and the like), leisure and education (more shiny things and courses). But it still resides on the fringe for those that have there fingers in their ears going la-la-la-la-la.

 

[johnboy]

I think you can't define bushcraft as an industry, it seems to overlap retail (shiny things and the like), leisure and education (more shiny things and courses). But it still resides on the fringe for those that have there fingers in their ears going la-la-la-la-la.

But folk refer to 'The Outdoor Industry' all the time and subsets of it such as outdoor retail, outdoor education, Outdoor product manufacturing.. So if you can define the 'traditional' outdoor industry. Why not the 'Bushcraft' industry?? Wouldn't the subsets basically be similar...

Bushcraft Retail, Bushcraft training / expedition provision, Bushcraft media etc... What would be difficult is getting an appreciation of the size of the low volume / hobby / part time maker sector.

 

[bojit]

Would it be called the green pound then ?

From reading the posts us bushcrafters buy from everywhere from tesco to mora and brand new made to measure to 10times second hand from a car boot sale .

And as johnboy said courses and training .

How could anyone start to quantify a worth to something so wide and varied ?

Craig.............

 

[swyn]

Ah Johnboy,
The worrying is in the fact of being quantified!

I like bojit's comment of the 'green pound', this seems apt. Also very true your comment that getting an appreciation of the size of the hobby/ part time maker side would be difficult.

As an aside though. I have noticed the makers skill set come forward in leaps and bounds over the last years. There are some really talented folk out there who have a good platform from which they can sell their wares. This certainly would have been much more difficult to achieve without the Bushcraft movement. Probably impossible unless you were involved in the Re-enactment circles.

Swyn.