Credit card skills.

[KIMBOKO]

Why are so many people interested in buying the latest, bestest, Guru endorsed equipment, when there is such satisfaction in making your own. Searches of the internet gives good advice and designs for most camping equipment. The photon stove of Martyns is an excellent example. There are designs for tents, tarps and rucksacks of a modern design and materials as well as stoves, woodstoves and hobostoves.
More interesting to me are the old fashioned country/ bushcraft /backwoods/mountain man /Indian designs techniques and materials. Buckskin clothes, blanket coats/capes/cloaks calico (muslin) shirts. English country smocks with smocking (not military). Wooden homemade pack frames, simple blanket packs, blanket rolls to carry gear, Roycroft pack frames.
The use of rain proof garments is a modern idea…. learn to live with a little dampness or in a Bushcraft context sit in your shelter until the rain is past or build up your fire and dry off as the rain falls, make a small shelter and carve a non-spoon. Surely the bushcraft skills are about self reliance, doing things yourself rather than relying on the technical/industrial society.

 

[TheViking]

Why are so many people interested in buying the latest, bestest, Guru endorsed equipment, when there is such satisfaction in making your own. Searches of the internet gives good advice and designs for most camping equipment. The photon stove of Martyns is an excellent example. There are designs for tents, tarps and rucksacks of a modern design and materials as well as stoves, woodstoves and hobostoves.
More interesting to me are the old fashioned country/ bushcraft /backwoods/mountain man /Indian designs techniques and materials. Buckskin clothes, blanket coats/capes/cloaks calico (muslin) shirts. English country smocks with smocking (not military). Wooden homemade pack frames, simple blanket packs, blanket rolls to carry gear, Roycroft pack frames.

I couldn't agree more. :biggthump Instead of buying all the gear, make it. Instead of buying a rucksack cover I use a garbage bag and it hasn't broke yet! :shock: And it definately keeps out the rain + camouflage. ack: (I write this because there is a thread going on this right now)

 

[Gary]

:biggthump :You_Rock_

 

[Tantalus]

I gotta agree and disagree with you KIMBOKO

Guru endorsed equipment is no substitute for common sense and experience, on that score i totally agree

And with the satisfaction of making something from readily available materials

It saddens me to see country skills dying out as we become a nation of "softies"

But the flipside of this is that we live longer than our predecessors, due to technology allowing us to keep ourselves in a comfortable environment and advances in medical care

Waiting till the rain has passed could leave me indoors until next march in a lot of places in scotland

Rain proof garments are preferable to the crippling arthritis and rheumatism that plagued many who worked out of doors before.

Just as a firesteel or lighter are easier to use than a firedrill

Tant

 

[tenbears10]

Good idea and I think most of us try to make stuff if we can (look at shelters,pot holders etc). The problem is some poeple are much better at making stuff than others (have a look at neil1's rucksack in the gallery as a good example). I would love to produce my own leather and make clothes and boots but without the resources, time and skill I will have to buy a decent pair of boots. I think you have to weigh up the time and effort along with the end result. I will try making all kinds of stuff and some will be good and some rubbish

If you think back to the time when the suff you mention was made people often only became skilled in a few crafts and traded for other things they needed. Modern society just trades in a different way.

It is quite wrong to have 'all the gear and no idea' but when you do have some idea it is nice to have a few things that make life eaiser.

Bill

 

[Gary]

Bill, good saying mate,

All the gear and no idea! :You_Rock_

 

[Zacary]

I like the idea of going into the wilds with nothing but my knife but I have to say common sense says I dress correctly and carry minimum emergency gear at the least.

Although I am sure my minimum and someone more experienced would be a little different.

 

[Squidders]

I am in 100% agreement and in many years time when I have the appropriate skills I will be fabricating all of my equipment and walking the few hundred mile round trip to the nearest wilderness area instead of driving

Sorry about the snide answer, I genuinely do agree.

The problem is that in my life, bushcraft (and climbing, girlfriend, computing, sleeping etc etc etc...) time is at a premium and regardless of my level of interest and enthusiasm, I, like most others have different motivating factors.

I do appreciate the skills, talents, benefits and rewards of doing things the old way but it's very easy to say that when I don't have to live like that my entire life. I am glad for the technology and luxury items because they enable me to enjoy the aspects of bushcraft I want to.

For me to make a back pack would probably involve lots of effort and money on equipment to make the back pack (admittedly I could then use these tools and skills on making other things) when for me, I just need something comfy that will carry my climbing stuff, my sleeping stuff, food, drink and clothes for myself and my girlfriend. Buying one gives me this quickly and with a warranty so I can then go and enjoy the wilderness the way I want.

If someone wanted to climb with me and they said to use the rope, harness and climbing rack they made themselves I would tell them to get their head examined and in the wrong situation the equipment we have could be just as life-saving.

Sorry for the epic post... I have no idea why I was compelled to write so much :?:

In summary :You_Rock_

Joe

 

[boaty]

Yeh, but there's no rush - we've got the rest of our lives to enjoy bushcrafting!

There's nothing to say that you shouldn't get enough gear to safely enjoy bushcrafting in a range of conditions, then as time, interest and aptitude allow, add and replace items of gear with custom (self)made, fit-for-you gear

Bushcraft (to me) speaks of a thrifty, economic use of resources and is sympathetic to self-sufficiency (though not in a Felicity Kendall way!!)

 

[tenbears10]

Bushcraft (to me) speaks of a thrifty, economic use of resources and is sympathetic to self-sufficiency (though not in a Felicity Kendall way!!)

Felicity Kendall on your bushcrafting trip now there IS an idea

Bill

 

[Stuart]

I dont take the veiw that to enjoy bushcraft you have to remove yourself utterly from modern equipment. (though this can be fun)

For me bushcraft allows me to make more efficent use of the equipment I have and enables me to be more self serficiant should any of my equipment become lost or damaged.

whilst i carry a cooker and hammock I know that should they become inoprative I can make fire and build a shelter without missing a step

my modern equipment make my life easier and allows me to get more done in a day, but if it fails no big deal.

Bushcraft also allows me to travel with the minimum amount of equipment if i wish, I often travel without a cooker or food stuffs other than carbohydrates confident that i can quickly make fire and catch my own food.

we often look at native peoples who practice bushcraft as a way of life and say "they dont spend hours discussing kit"........ nonsense, they spend as much time disscussing tools and equipment as we do.

the only difference is that they dont have access to the type of equipment that we do, but if they did they would not hesitate to use it, they would however know how to do without it.

bushcraft for me is blending ancient knowleadge with moden equipment that knowleadge provides you with the ability to get along fine should your equiment fail and prevents you from being depended on it.

 

[jamesdevine]

Well put Stuart. :biggthump

James

 

[jakunen]

Like most people, I do have quite a few gadgets, but I'm trying to reduce the amount of kit I carry.

As Gary, and others, has pointed out a number of times, you can fabricate a lot of 'gadgets' in the wild - fire cranes, pot hooks, spoons, so we don't really need to buy those Titanium Ultra-lite FireCrane 2000SUX units.

As for making otehr kit rather than buying it, I for one am absolutely crap with a sewing machine, so unless I persuade someone to make a tent/rucksak/sleeping bag for me (any offers guys and girls? , I have no option but to purchase from stores/magazines/catalogues.

But I totally that we do seem, as a nation, to be brainwashed by TV celebs and glossy ads to buy stuff that we could either make perfectly acceptable and cheaper (and probably better) versions of ourselves, or that we don't actually need.

Good post KIMBOKO.:You_Rock_ :You_Rock_ :You_Rock_

 

[boaty]

Felicity Kendall on your bushcrafting trip now there IS an idea

Bill

Maybe 20 years ago...

we often look at native peoples who practice bushcraft as a way of life and say "they dont spend hours discussing kit"........ nonsense, they spend as much time disscussing tools and equipment as we do.

Yeah, just look how much interest the Hadza people showed in the bow Ray brought over as a gift - they were all queueing up to have a go!

 

[familne]

It's just human nature, for some people, the gear is an integral part of their enjoyment of their hobby e.g. climbing, birdwatching and also bushcraft. On most forums, it is usually the gear/kit sections that get most hits! I think this is ok as long as the kit aspect doesn't become the over-riding concern. I'm sure stoneage man/woman was thrilled when they got a new axe head - now we have the luxury of being able to buy our tools from those with the resources/skills that we don't have.

 

[Viking]

Bushcraft ot gearcraft?

When native people discuss kit and how to improve it, the y do it becausethey need it to survive not because it´s fun to discuss it. There is story of man that had lived in the wilderness all his life, but when he came to the modern world all he was impressed of was "glue".

Making your own kit is not so hard as some people make it, a rucksack frame for example. 3 sticks, some cord and a pair of socks, thats all you need to make a rucksack frame, not the best frame but it will work.

If people want to buy or make theit kit that´s up to them, the most important thing is that they enjoy what they are doing out there and understand how beatiful our nature is, or as some one said "It´s so quiet here..."

 

[Not Bob]

Socks?!

 

[jakunen]

You sure hit the nail on the head there Viking! :notworthy

 

[Womble]

'the most important thing is that they enjoy what they are doing out there and understand how beatiful our nature is, or as some one said "It´s so quiet here..."'

Absolutely!

 

[Squidders]

Viking, I agree completely... :biggthump

I want to spend my bushcraft time thinking about where I am and what I'm doing... not wether my home made kit will fail me because i'm less than proficiant at making it. Sure I could bodge something up as you rightly suggested but I spend only "town time" buying and checking kit out.