How do you carry it all?

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jimford

Settler
Mar 19, 2009
548
0
84
Hertfordshire
Still no list Jim?

It's on my machine at work and I'm on the Easter school holiday now.

I guess I've made the intitial mistake in assuming that when people refer to bushcrafting, they're using it as part of backpacking, and not as a pastime in its own right. I just couldn't imagine backpacking some of the kit that is often discussed - dutch ovens, thermos flasks etc.. I even rule out Trangias on the grounds of weight and bulk (and don't like them anyway!).

[PEDANT_MODE]
BTW. I didn't start the thread as a 'troll' - and anyway 'trolling' in this context doesn't refer to mythical beings who live under bridges with a penchant for goats! 'Trolling' used in this context is the American term for trailing a lure behind a boat. In the U.K. this (used) to be refered to as 'trailing' and 'trolling' was the term used for raising and lowering a lure in the water from a stationary position.
[/PEDANT_MODE]

Jim
 

rik_uk3

Banned
Jun 10, 2006
13,320
24
69
south wales
Yep,:sigh:

But I like to be labelled a 'Bushcrafter' rather than 'camp(er)':D ..

That is sad Barn Own, why do you need a label;)

Lets be honest we all take too much kit most trips, and why not, life is too short to make yourself uncomfortable. I spending the weekend in the woods wearing a loin cloth and with just a Mora floats your boat then launch yourself; just don't come salivating near me when the smell of my home made curry reaches you or that distinctive Tzzzzzsss sound of the ring pull on a can of Stella travels through the night air.

I can't squat on the floor these days, well I can but my knee locks and I can't get up, so a nice chair is order of the day for me, and very comfortable it is to. That said a group buy on chair under blankets could go down well, as me arriss feels the cold these days:(
 

John Fenna

Lifetime Member & Maker
Oct 7, 2006
23,106
2,833
66
Pembrokeshire
Defiitions - part one...
Bushcrafting....practicing a craft in the "Bush" (ie the craft of deerstalking in the wilderness or the craft of peg whittling under the rosebush in your backyard or the craft of fabric dyeing in the back room of the Bull and Bush.
Backpacking....venturing into the wilderness (or the Pennine Way) with all you need on your back.
Camping....spending your time doing whatever you like doing in a primitive shelter (mainly tents) instead of at home. OR Saying "ooooh" in a falsetto while making limp wristed gestures......
Survival....staying alive - if you read this you are must have done a lot of "Survival" in your time, some practice it 24/7!
Labels...not worth the paper they are printed on!
 

East Coaster

Forager
Oct 21, 2008
177
0
Fife/Scotland
I've changed my mind now.
Realised that bushcraft is an art.
Art is undefineable or whatever you want it to be, therefore bushcraft is undefineable or whatever you want it to be.

It's a pointless discussion. I can see why people get annoyed by all this, or just want to wind up all of us foolish enough to attempt to narrowly define it.
 

Barn Owl

Old Age Punk
Apr 10, 2007
8,245
5
58
Ayrshire
Well if I'm going to be called anything (and I have in my time) then that suits me.:D

Tried to be labelless(?) when young but it's nigh on impossible.
Even the blandest of folks have the label 'normal'.

In fact I'm past caring,I'll answer to anything...just not Clarrisa:lmao:
 

trail2

Nomad
Nov 20, 2008
268
0
Canton S.Dakota (Ex pat)
I guess I have to hang my head in shame. I have committed the ultimate "bushy" heresy. I don't carve spoons or make bread boards/cutting boards when I'm in the woods.
Come to think of it I don't make them at home either.:eek:
To go the the origin of this thread. I carry what I need for where I'm going and what I'm doing. And what I carry is tailored to what I need at the time.
Jon R.
 

Wayland

Hárbarðr
Snip> The kit snobbery evident here is leading to an elitist attitude amongst some (and to new members) and thats a shame. <Snip

This "Kit snobbery" thing is getting a little tired now, it's been bandied around here and on on similar sites but I've never actually met a kit snob from this community.

I think the elitist attitudes are coming from other sources altogether and this constant "bushcraftier than thou" thing feeds it.

What I have noticed is a marked "anti kit snobbery" where people loftily sneer at people for choosing Ventile, titanium, Woodlore clones, Swandri and wide brimmed hats for example.

What does it matter what kit people find to use and carry so long as they are enjoying what they do?

Snip> That said a group buy on chair under blankets could go down well, as me arriss feels the cold these days:(

I find a simple wool blanket, folded to width, placed in the chair and hanging over the back does the job for me at meets.
 

British Red

M.A.B (Mad About Bushcraft)
Dec 30, 2005
26,709
1,947
Mercia
Spot on.

The "inverted snobbery" is far more prevalent than kit snobbery these days. Its getting very old and very predictable

Red
 

harryhaller

Settler
Dec 3, 2008
530
0
Bruxelles, Belgium
There don't seem to many rucksacks with external frames around anymore, yet they offer almost infinite possibilities for improvisation. I can understand rucksack makers prefering the internal frames since then they can produce something which has the maker's identity and is more marketable.

Frames can be a bit uncomfortable, but I'm sure that could be changed. They also snag against branches: is that an unsolvable problem?

Or are frames just for hitchhikers and other forms of travellers?
 

spamel

Banned
Feb 15, 2005
6,833
21
48
Silkstone, Blighty!
There don't seem to many rucksacks with external frames around anymore, yet they offer almost infinite possibilities for improvisation. I can understand rucksack makers prefering the internal frames since then they can produce something which has the maker's identity and is more marketable.

Frames can be a bit uncomfortable, but I'm sure that could be changed. They also snag against branches: is that an unsolvable problem?

Or are frames just for hitchhikers and other forms of travellers?

I like external framed packs. I have three that are external frames which I often use on day hikes and one nighters, my only internal framed pack is a PLCE. The LK35 is the only one of the three that can have the frame used independently for carrying large stores such as a water jerry can or a load of wood for the fire. Being able to remove the sack quickly and easily and use it for alternative jons makes it a versatile bit of kit IMO.
 
Nov 29, 2004
7,808
22
Scotland
There don't seem to many rucksacks with external frames around anymore....Or are frames just for hitchhikers and other forms of travellers?

This chap has an interesting take on the external frame rucksack idea and he's definitely not hitching :)

door5.jpg


As for this "Kit snobbery" thing, I can understand that some folks may be concerned that people new to the site will feel that they need to get their credit card out before they can fit in.

However some of the 'sniping' has been getting a little out of hand, our 'hobby' is about more than 'which knife' and 'what are you carrying and why' and yet many of the 'bushcraftier than thou' brigade aren't contributing too much to the non kit sections of the site. Everyone has an opinion, but I'll pay more attention to the opinions of the member who has a thousand plus posts evenly distributed across all the subject headings of the forum before I will listen to a poster with less then a hundred posts and those mostly concerning his thoughts on what would be the ideal survival knife.

:rolleyes:
 

forestwalker

Bushcrafter (boy, I've got a lot to say!)
Of course, why hunt with a rifle when you can flatten grid squares?!

I've long been arguing that a few properly placed anti-personel mines would simplify moose hunting enourmously. People keep arguing about silly little details like danger to the general public, but occationally they bring up real problems, like more damaged meat.

BTW, did you know it was possible to poke your tongue all the way through your cheek?
 

Chinkapin

Settler
Jan 5, 2009
746
1
83
Kansas USA
I have backpacked into the Rocky Mountains and spent several days out, living primarily on freeze dried food traveling as light as I could. I'm one of those people who cut part of the handle off of his toothbrush just to save weight.

On the other hand,I have also loaded up the back of my truck, drove to a river, or lake, and basically took everything with me but the kitchen sink. Set up a large tent, used cast iron cooking utensils, built a big roaring fire and sat in a nice comfortable folding chair. And cooked "real food" in a large camp skillet, and dutch oven.

Neither of these types of wilderness experiences are "wrong," they are both completely valid and both enjoyable in entirely different ways.

Although I was out in the bush in both scenarios, I didn't really do much Bushcraft. Also, I didn't really do much in the way of "survival" either (except survive both types of experiences.)

In my opinion, we are talking about three things, not two. First: Bushcraft, with the emphasis on craft. Second, Survival training or experiences where the person attempts to "survive" in the bush with as little equipment as humanly possible. And third, quite simply, what we here on this side the pond call "camping." which is what I described above in my second scenario.

Personally, I can see the "point" in doing all three of these. and cannot, quite frankly, understand those who cannot see value in each of them. Certainly, in two of them there is much to learn. One is just for relaxation and enjoyment.
 

Wallenstein

Settler
Feb 14, 2008
753
1
46
Warwickshire, UK
I've long been arguing that a few properly placed anti-personel mines would simplify moose hunting enourmously. People keep arguing about silly little details like danger to the general public, but occationally they bring up real problems, like more damaged meat.

BTW, did you know it was possible to poke your tongue all the way through your cheek?
I read that as "mouse hunting", and thought it sounded a bit overkill for a few recalcitrant rodents.

After reflection, however, I realised there is never a wrong time to use a military-grade explosive ordnance, particularly in the domestic environment.

:)
 

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