Bushcraft Vs Survival

[johnboe522]

Hi folks,

Just thought I would share my thoughts on bushcraft vs survival.

Would be great to get your thoughts on the blog post, Please feel free to leave comments!
http://www.wildwaybushcraft.co.uk/bushcraft-vs-survival/

Cheers

JB

 

[rik_uk3]

Blimey I thought this topic had been talked to death over the years.

 

[johnboe522]

Only if your a old hat at this stuff, might be of interest to new folk?

 

[JonathanD]

Blimey I thought this topic had been talked to death over the years.

You know it will never die. Just like the Swiss Army Trangia burner okenest:

 

[JonathanD]

Only if your a old hat at this stuff, might be of interest to new folk?

Don't mind him, he's been on here so long he's in danger of becoming tertiary sediment.

 

[johnboe522]

love it!!!

You know it will never die. Just like the Swiss Army Trangia burner okenest:

 

[British Red]

I think there are no differences at all other than those that each individual chooses to make.

Each person defines what "Survival" means to them and they then define what "Bushcraft" means to them. Arguing or even discussing the difference is completely fruitless as each persons definition of the terms is different.

Both are just a collection of skills - nothing more. I can argue that survival is a much broader skill base - encompassing farming, building, livestock management, seed saving, food preserving, and much more that is not included in "Bushcraft". To me Bushcraft is a small subset of survival - but that is my definition.

 

[JonathanD]

Bushcraft skills give you the ability to survive if you look at it in terms of those tribal hunter gatherers that use it daily as their life skills. One and the same.

For me personally, in its use - bushcraft is getting outdoors and enjoying nature, all it's resources and just chilling. While survival is getting from the outdoors to indoors alive after finding myself up sh** Creek without a paddle.

 

[GGTBod]

I don't consider myself a bushcrafter or a survivalist, i just like the outdoor life and learning skills that were not naturally taught growing up in a big city in a family who had no interest in nature at all, feel like i was cheated out of a real upbringing and i've constantly got that feeling i am trying to catch up and make it up to myself for it

 

[cbr6fs]

I think part of the problem is for many they create fantasies of threats as a way of justifying their hobby.

Biggest risks to most of are:

1/ Health
2/ Financial security

Tough to see how burshcraft can be a help on #1, i suppose if you earn a living from bushcraft it could offer some financial security but thats not really the help most would think of in the traditional sense.

It's all well and good creating a fantasy of surving a plane crash and using your hunting/foraging skills to survive, or some massive catastrophe befalling your area.
In reality though it'll be heart disease or the likes of cancer that'll be the real threat to our family and us.

Think i've mentioned him before, but i have a mate in the states that is a bit of a extreme prepper, he has stockpiled food, guns, ammo, water and fortified his house to the point where it looks like a bunker.
He has spent 10's if not 100's of thousands of dollars, yet he has no private medical insurance and has been admitted twice for diabetes episodes and heart problems.
He is around 5"8" and around 150kg, he spends hours cataloging his "stash" yet does no exercise.

So i do find it very confusing when i read on the various forums guys going on about survival, when they're morbidly obese and can't walk up 2 flights of stairs without getting out of breath.

Surely their biggest risk is heart disease, so a survival priority for them would be to exercise and lose weight.

My philosophy for survival is:

Eat as healthy as a i can and do as much exercise as i can.
I then work hard, look after my money, invest what ever i can afford to and have good private health insurance.

I recon that's more helpful than knowing how to make cordage from milk bottle tops.

 

[tsitenha]

To me bushcrafting is the voluntary applications/use of my skill sets as to the wilds, (camping, hiking, canoeing etc...)
Survival is the immediate use of some of those skills by necessity.

 

[Laurentius]

I don't think either survival or bushcraft are good terms at all. We all practice survivalism in that we are still alive. As for bushcraft I am tempted to say that topiary is the only bush craft. I think we need a better word to describe what brings us together on this forum. There is undoubtedly a strong element of "arts and crafts" that I see here which is not necessarily related to living in the "bush" whatever that is. An appreciation of nature and trying to live as best as we can in harmony with it is also an ideal I aspire to but don't come anywhere near achieving if I am honest about it.

 

[GGTBod]

Outdoor Traditionalists

 

[Corso]

He is around 5"8" and around 150kg, he spends hours cataloging his "stash" yet does no exercise.

sounds like perfect food prepping to me...

 

[GGTBod]

I couldn't even imagine being 150 kilo at my height of 180cm (5'11)

 

[Haggis]

Outdoor Traditionalists

I rather like that term "Outdoor Traditionalist". I'm not what I think of when I think "survivalist", and I'm not really what I think of when I think "bushcraft-ist", but I do like doing most everything out of doors, especially in the bush. I try to watch my weight, but my 6'2" does like weighing less than 205 pounds not matter how much I mind the calories. I don't exercise to stay fit, but I did just come in yesterday from a 4 day trip in the bush, the loaded my bicycle to go help my youngest daughter train for a 50 mile bike ride. I'm 64 years old, raised in very traditional rural mountain farm country. Axes, knives, building fires, fishing, hunting, trapping, building shelters, and making do with what ever one had was not a survival skill, it was simply day to day life. Many of the activities I learned as a child I don't want to give up,,,

 

[backpacker]

Hi folks,

Just thought I would share my thoughts on bushcraft vs survival.

Would be great to get your thoughts on the blog post, Please feel free to leave comments!
http://www.wildwaybushcraft.co.uk/bushcraft-vs-survival/

Cheers

JB

The term 'Bushcraft' covers a broad spectrum of things; a range of skills, practices, ethics and even the way of thinking....It doesn't have to be a combination of all of those things for you, Bushcraft can be different for every person; whether it be learning how to carve wood or how to find clean water in the wild or even making your own DIY meat-smoker! It doesn't matter as 'Bushcraft' is so broad for many Bushcrafters it's about getting out and enjoying nature and learning to become at ease with the natural world, Some find learning traditional techniques and skills to live within the natural world gives a sense of achievement and self-reliance.

The term 'Survival' is about surviving a life threatening situation this can be long term or short term Survival depending if luck is on your side? this could be anything from being involved in plane crash, ship wreck or to getting badly lost or even being injured etc. Survival in a military sense is quite different with escape and evasion techniques required, there are so many scenarios that can use the word 'Survival'

To me 'Bushcraft and Survival Skills' work together hand in hand with each other and both can be used long term if need be, both require knowledge about the subject, the more knowledge the better! I dare say there will be other people out there reading this thread and probably disagree with what I have said, but this is just my opinion.

 

[rik_uk3]

So really this thread is an advert for Wildway Bushcraft.

 

[GGTBod]

Most people posting on sites like this who are from an organisation are pushing a sales pitch, i had the same happen last week after the first post in my blog about learning myself hunting and tracking from scratch, my attempts/methods were dissected and advised as incorrect and i was advised they offered real training to get me on the right path finishing their comment with

If you do want to expand your knowledge on this subject why not engage on a course with professional trackers/hunters etc. I provide such a course as do many other course providers.

This would not be teaching myself native tracking skills which is what i am trying to learn.

if anyone would like to expand their knowledge on the subject of a novice teaching themselves from scratch the art of tracking and hunting i offer a blog, as do many others i am sure

 

[cbr6fs]

So really this thread is an advert for Wildway Bushcraft.