Bushcraft Skills vs. Survival Skills...

[dataphage]

Totally agree with the bushcraft being ecologically sound etc. & with survival skills being used to be noticed/rescued & the survival situation being the one that you don't realise you're in until you are already cold, wet, hungry and a long, long way from anything made of bricks. However, I think there is a difference between survival & bushcraft which may not be appropriate to this thread as it is about skills rather than outlook. Having said that...

I imagine that this thread would be a lot different if most of the people contributing were from the US where survival(ism) is viewed as not just a situation by situation set of skills to aid in your survival but an outlook & a set of skills that would enable the protagonist to deal with a perceived possible total breakdown in society and provide for & defend their family/community in that instance. This often seems to be linked to the more unpleasant right wingers but can lead to some interesting characters. I seem to remember Louis Theroux going to meet the author of The Build Your Own House Book and getting thoroughly smashed on moonshine in the hand-built house in the woods.

Bushcraft on the other hand seems to be a more universal term for the collected knowledge of outdoor living/activity based on techniques both ancient & modern using the tools at hand rather than a selection of expensive gadgets (although expensive gadgets are nice too).

To return to the skills aspect though, the main differnece I can see between survival skills & bushcraft skills is that you use a smaller knife for bushcraft.

 

[Kath]

Good points!

The survivalists think they'll survive the teotwawki because of all their kit; whereas in reality the bushcrafters will survive because of their skills! :smokin:

 

[sargey]

on another forum, a thread was started as to "what is bushcraft?"

my reply was some thing like:

bushcraft is a term i'm beginning to dislike, but that's another story.

at the risk of compromising my hard man tough guy image...

to me, it's about appreciating all mother natures gifts, taking those gifts, unwrapping them, throwing away the toys and playing with the box! no, seriously, i could just do the eco tourist thing, take nothing but photo's, leave nothing but footprints.

but if a friend came round with a beautifully wrapped present for my birthday, i wouldn't just sit it on the mantlepiece and look at it. i squeeze it, rattle it, try to guess what it is, unwrap it and enjoy it.

if i wanted only to look at nature without fear that i might somehow contaminate it, i'd stay at home and watch the national geographic channel.

bushcraft is about enjoying nature, by learning to unwrap those gifts of nature, and interacting with nature. and still leaving no sign of our passing.

survival is a massive subject, wilderness skills are just one facet of "survival"

cheers, and.

 

[Ts1spoc]

I have looked around on the web at other sites and most are geared toward survival and impending doom so this comes a nice surprise.
As a boy I practiced bushcraft but did not know it. I made wooden spoons and lean to shelters. I hunted and fished with what I carried. I ate what I caught and used the parts I didn't for something else. Not because I had to, but because I could. I learned how to exist with the wilderness not compete against it. Bushcraft is what the educated do in the wild. Survival is because you don't know any better.

 

[shinobi]

Welcome to the site.

As a fellow I can tell you that you will not meet a friendlier and helpful bunch of bushcraft addicts anywhere on the web. :super:

Cheers,

Martin

Oh and a word of warning. Hold on to your wallet. There are lots of goodies that people on this site use that will have you reaching for the plastic ): ):

 

[arctic hobo]

Can I just echo all that shinobi said
To me survival isn't just surviving a plane crash in Siberia like survival guides say. To me survival and bushcraft are one and the same thing - going back to a state where your no.1 object is to survive. My bushcraft ideal is to be in that situation, like primitive man - surviving. As you might argue that that's how we're 'meant to be', I believe that would make me very happy in my life. Bushcrafting is more of a hobby - survival is bushcraft taken to it's ultimate conclusion. To me, anyway.