bushcraft myths

[bushcraftmyway]

now there are a couple of vids that will raise an eyebrow or two...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y2hkPwC3pGU&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jVCyF3FMXtk

what are your thoughts about this?

 

[The Big Lebowski]

I think the word myth and 'works better' can get confused. Many different variables can produce roughly the same ending.

Carbon steel will strike a better spark than steel (some say negligible) and whole rounds/sections of wood will burn, but they will burn better split. We figured that one out along time ago...
A well established fire will burn anything.

My simple rule is, find out what works for you... Then improve on it as best you can. I have only just started watching your video's recently, you seems like a bloke I would enjoy sharing a campfire with!

 

[Satyr]

Like it, especially the comments where you tell people not to listen to you but to try it for themselves.

 

[rik_uk3]

I watched it a couple of weeks ago, good video (I don't rate Ventile highly though).

 

[crowded-solitude]

a bit on the miserable side and most of it is commonsense but reasonably good info

 

[Dreadhead]

straight to the point, common sense, good job

 

[gsfgaz]

like it ...

 

[cbr6fs]

a bit on the miserable side and most of it is commonsense but reasonably good info

As English is not his first language, i think the fact that he has made and put up so many helpful videos in English should matter more than his presentation "style".

But then i'm the type of guy that takes content over style any day of the week.



Another couple of great vids.
Keep up the good work.

 

[dave53]

well said that man above regards dave

 

[nodd]

Ray Mears is on this forum

 

[watatoad]

Ray Mears is on this forum

Guess he is here to learn things just like the rest of us.

 

[crowded-solitude]

As English is not his first language, i think the fact that he has made and put up so many helpful videos in English should matter more than his presentation "style".

But then i'm the type of guy that takes content over style any day of the week.



Another couple of great vids.
Keep up the good work.

im am not dissing the guy in anyway shape or form and i do not appreciate the snide comments just sharing my opinion. The way the video was filmed doesn't exactly make people interested in what he is talking about therefor most people would just turn off the video and he wont get his point across.

 

[rik_uk3]

Ray Mears is on this forum

No he's not.

 

[John Fenna]

Ray Mears is on this forum

That is not what he told me at our last meeting.

 

[stovie]

No he's not.

In best "panto" voice... "Oh! Yes he isssss..."

 

[John Fenna]

In best "panto" voice... "Oh! Yes he isssss..."

Decorum, please join in with me on this one ..."Oh no he isn't!"
(He was there when Ray said he did not go on fora....)

 

[decorum]

... please join in with me on this one ..."Oh no he isn't!"

He's behind you

(He was there when Ray said he did not go on fora....)

Yup, he was boggle eyed at the idea of spending time on any forum

 

[Martyn]

now there are a couple of vids that will raise an eyebrow or two...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y2hkPwC3pGU&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jVCyF3FMXtk

what are your thoughts about this?

I think he's taking commonly used rules of thumb and treating them as facts in order to dispel them as myths.

For example, the carbon steel/stainless steel thing is absolutely true, but ONLY with regard to traditional firesteel and flint. If you use a piece of stainless steel and strike it with a piece of flint, it will not spark. It must be carbon steel. The problem arises because people use the term firesteel interchangeably to mean both traditional firesteel and ferrocerium rod. Certainly, you can use any hard sharp material to strike a ferro rod, I remember starting a thread on the subject 8 years ago... http://www.bushcraftuk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=945&highlight=firesteel+challenge - nothing new there then.

The rule of 3's is not meant to give you 3 hours, 3 days and 3 weeks, it's just to remind you to sort your shelter first, then water, then food. It's not meant to suggest that in a freezing blizzard, you can sit on your backside for 2:59 before putting up shelter. It's just to prioritise, shelter, water, food. It's a good rule of thumb, though on a summer day, you can tackle it in any order you wish.

You can burn anything if you fire is hot enough, split or not, this is true, but wood found outdoors burns easier when the internal dry parts are exposed. It's not a myth, it's a fact and it's something you can use to help you get a good fire going.

The universal food test isnt supposed to be a rock solid bit of science, it's a rule of thumb that you can use to be safe (er) in a survival situation. Yes, dandelion and nettle will fail and yes some things will pass that could hurt you, it's no substitute for good plant ID, but if you are starving, it's still useful.

The point about rat tailed tangs is a good one, but it's nothing we dont already know. It's just that people choose full tang because they are stronger and give them more confidence, not because everything else is doomed to fail. You pay your money and take your choice.

I dont think this guy has blown any myths, I think he's just set them up as such, so he can make a video about knocking them down.

 

[rik_uk3]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qopgIcKH1ZQ This 'Bain Marie' method could be useful to some of the campers I've seen trying to cook The only problem is the liquid won't reduce (if desired) as much as if over direct heat so use a little less to start.

 

[bronskimac]

From a newbies point of view, often it is good to know that some knowledge stated in a way that sounds definitive may in fact be a handy rule of thumb rather than the absolute. For example, knowing that there are times when the "The universal food test" may not work makes me reserve it's use to a survival situation. Would be daft to rely on it in any other situation, although I might have done before this thread. Using the word "universal" doesn't help my very literal mind sort absolute fact from mostly true.

The knife tang thing has made me happier to have a Mora Clipper. So much talk about full tang made me feel that I had to upgrade as soon as possible.

Starting out in Bushcraft for me has mainly been trying to glean knowledge from forums and blogs. I know there is a wealth of knowledge shared here and I appreciate the generosity of those who share. In the wider Internet there are a lot of dubious "facts" stated as the truth, filtering them can be tricky.