Not another “you’re not a real bushcrafter” thread. <Snip
The "bushcraftier than thou" thing does come up really regularly which perhaps goes to show just how much people invest in the "image" of being a "Bushcrafter."
I've always clearly said "I'm not a Bushcrafter" I suppose I'm a Freelance Viking Landscape Photographer that occasionally goes camping, so I have very little invested "being a real Bushcrafter."
The problem seems to be that everyone has a different "image" of what a "Bushcrafter" should be like so it's not much of a surprise that no one can really agree what it is.
I admire people that can disappear into the woods in a loincloth and a knife between their teeth, surviving for a year on nuts and berries but it just isn't me. I might be able to manage in the right environment, but it's not what I enjoy doing.
My most regular outdoor forays are my landscape trips which are a combination of driving around to locations, sometimes sleeping in my van, which is adapted for the purpose, and sometimes yomping into more remote spots with a pack on my back and a load of camera gear.
Is it "Bushcraft?" I very much doubt you would call it that.
Do I use some of the skills that are often associated with "Bushcraft?" I think I do, because they make life more comfortable and enjoyable.
Do I carve spoons? Only once to try out a Xmas present.
I usually cook over a camp fire because because I enjoy it and I can cook better there than I can on a Calor gas stove or my hobo stove.
I often rig up a poncho or a tarp so I can sit out of the rain with my camera waiting for the light to improve.
I frequently wild camp in remote areas because that is where the pictures are.
I do demonstrate old style crafts from time to time but I do that in my living history work and if you want to see a heavy kit load that really takes the biscuit.
I carry a very small leatherworking kit and a few scraps of leather with me because I can use it to fix my gear when I'm half a trek out there, as I once was when a cheap bergan strap broke on me.
It also means that if I have a long stay in a location I can do something interesting while I wait.
Some people would call some of this stuff "Bushcraft" but I just call it living.