I never thought getting back to nature could be so expensive!

[Bushycon]

Hi all,
I am new to bushcraft and the forum I have recently decided to go a step or two beyond my comfort zone and try some solo hiking/camping trips. I have always liked being outdoors, I have spent a good part of my life working outdoors in all weathers, i like camping, walking, fishing etc but really liked the idea of surviving off the land and really admire those that have the knowledge and experience to be able to forage for food.
The kind of camping i am familiar with is the 'off the peg' try to replicate the comforts of home variety. This is fine when you can unpack your gear ten feet from your parked car but the challenge i am relishing in is trying to reduce my pack for hiking. The first step was to just take less overall which i have managed quite well but the second step is more tricky and proving to be VERY expensive...The third step will be adding the tools and equipment I didn't need before but will need now.

Some of the weight saving I can see how the cost can be justified but some of the gear seems just outright crazy! The tent i have at the moment is a 2 man tent with porch and weighs in at a hefty 10 pounds (ish) or around 4.5kg not only is it too heavy but it also takes up a considerable amount of space in my pack so it is a clear priority to get a smaller one man tent or tarp.
I could not believe the prices! some tents were extremely cheap actually far cheaper than i imagined that they would be but then some went up to 5, 6 and almost hit £700!! that seems insane to me. I then looked at tarps and even those could be found for prices that could easily be assumed to be a typo! I saw one in particular on the Ray Mears website for £250! for a piece of waterproof material a few metres across!! Clearly I must be missing something becauseI thought Bushcraft was meant to be about using simple tools and primitive methods to survive and enjoy nature?

Anyhow i will stop my rambling now and get back to learning from this great forum

All the best, Connor.

 

[Tengu]

Learn to make your own, drat you.

(Sorry for being so cranky but its late and Im out of chocolate)

Im a student and I cannot afford those sort of prices either. I make things, trade for things and get a lot at the car boot.

Today, I found;

A mini colander for my kitchen box. 50p
A new pair of safety boots that are comfy for my Archaeological digs £5
A sack truck that folds up really small. (you never know when you will need a sack truck) £10
A Canadian parka, Kanuk brand. £4

In the past I have found all sorts of things including lightweight tents.

 

[Ronnie]

There is a lot of gear fetishism in Bushcraft. That being said, if the quality of your equipment might determine whether you live or die it's probably worth investing in some decent gear. Depends what you want to do with it. Even with the latest technology available, things can still go wrong:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ötzi#Tools_and_equipment

 

[Robbi]

Learn to make your own, drat you.

(Sorry for being so cranky but its late and Im out of chocolate)

Im a student and I cannot afford those sort of prices either. I make things, trade for things and get a lot at the car boot.

Today, I found;

A mini colander for my kitchen box. 50p
A new pair of safety boots that are comfy for my Archaeological digs £5
A sack truck that folds up really small. (you never know when you will need a sack truck) £10
A Canadian parka, Kanuk brand. £4

In the past I have found all sorts of things including lightweight tents.

Tengu needs a sack truck to drag all her bargains home on ! LOL !

 

[Harvestman]

There is a thread on here somewhere about cheap kit. Have a browse in the Forum section, under Kit chatter, and you will probably find it.

Buying kit is all part of the fun, at least some of the time. In general you pay either for quality, for performance (lightweight kit, modern fabrics, etc), or for brand names. Try to avoid the latter. It is entirely possible to do the bushcraft thing on minimal cash though.

Army surplus stuff is also a good place to start. The place usually recommended on here is Endicotts, though other places are also popular. And as Tengu says, making your own kit is also an option if you have the time, and it is very satisfying too.

 

[treadlightly]

For instance, DD 3mx3m tarps can be had for £35...

 

[copper_head]

Welcome to the forum

Kit doesn't necessarily have to be expensive, in fact the stuff you'll already have from your other outdoor interests should serve you well. Even if you owned nothing you could get all of what you 'need' for less than price of the tarp you mentioned.

That said there's a little bit of a kit junky in all of us I reckon

Article on Bushcraft on a budget.

 

[greensurfingbear]

I started leather crafting when I decided. I could make a new sheath for my knife.....next thing you know I've got a box full of leather crafting tools....making your own stuff is fun but can be equally pricey lol


Orric

 

[ex-member BareThrills]

You can do it cheap and the kit will function, it will just be heavy. Surplus gear is generally bomb proof but weighty. DD hammocks and Tenth wonder do cheap tarps. id go with 3 x 3 minimum. Vango banshee tent is fairly light and can be had for 50-70 quid used if you prefer a tent. Snugpak bags are pretty good for a mid range sleeping bag and issue bivvy bags are not expensive.

I buy a lot of lightweight gear and its an expensive game but my back thanks me for it when im going up hill. When im car camping i dont care what stuff weighs as long as it keeps me safe and warm. Paul Kirtly has a good article on putting together a cheap setup. Well worth a read.

Bushcraft means lots of things to lots of people. For me its not about primative methods or heavy gear. ill take high tech low weight every time but it doesnt mean i dont see the charm of vintage kit. Horses for courses and personal preference, type of activity and weather will dictate what you need or want to use.

Most of all just enjoy it

edit: Wool, i wear lots of wool base and mid layers. Its not as light as modern stuff but some things are worth the weight as they just work

 

[Gaudette]

As with all interests/hobbies you can spend as much or as little as you want. Be clear on what you actually want to do. Is it bushcraft, hiking , camping. Being clear on what you want to do really helps. eBay and here is a great source for kit, car boots and charity shops also. Have a look at Paul Kirtley's site there is a great piece on a budget bushcraft kit which is well worth a look.

 

[crosslandkelly]

It all depends on you! What do you need, how much do you want to spend. Think!! Something to sleep in, something to sleep under, something to cook in, something to cook over and something to carry it all. A Mora knife and a cheap folding saw, and you're good to go.

 

[Chiseller]

It all depends on you! What do you need, how much do you want to spend. Think!! Something to sleep in, something to sleep under, something to cook in, something to cook over and something to carry it all. A Mora knife and a cheap folding saw, and you're good to go.

And they are all cheaper than a house or a tintent......with knowledge learnt and practiced.......a bargain ....

If Woden Wills It , then it will be so

 

[Ivanhoe]

Don't belive the ads and folks in the store.

You are allowed to be outdoors without that 500 £ jacket. I promise!

Start slowly, easy and learn how much your cheap gear can do. It is
much more than you think. It's not all about the gear, it is just as much
about being resonable in how you use it. Don't start climbing K2 the first
day, ok?

I've got all gear in existence and I can assure You that your Out Door experience
does have very little to do with the price of your gear. Seriously.

This weekend I spent two nights in a 20 £ single layer tent, in pouring rain,
and it was just as wonderful as any other time. Don't reduce your love of nature
into some d*** measuring competition of how much your gear costs.
It's just silly.

Lots of people and companies are making a fortune on too pricey "out door"
equipment that's real crap. Don't give them your money!


Read up on gear here on the forum, - there are tons of good advice here - ,
and listen to the guys here in this thread!

Don't start with throwing your money away!

- - - - - -

PS: Light weight you say? Borrow this book from the library: (or buy it...)
http://www.bushcraftuk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=86558&p=1046017#post1046017

Post is from this thread:
http://www.bushcraftuk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=86558&p=1046017

 

[Bushycon]

Thanks for all the replies, plenty of food for thought! I checked out that article and that is exactly the kind of thing i needed. I guess it is hard to know what to take for the trip with no experience. The kind of camping i'm used to i can afford to take plenty of contingency kit but I really would like to keep it minimal, not because of the cost but really as a challenge to myself as i think eventually I would like it to be more about the walking than the camping.
The first thing i will be getting will be the tarp and bag. As Autumn is pulling closer and i'd like to start right away the only thing that concerns me is getting a bag that will stand up to the conditions when i don't have the full shelter of a tent.

Other than that I have my eye on a nice knife and hatchet and then i should be ready to go!

EDIT: hmm water, water might be good as well ^^

 

[ex-member BareThrills]

Some good single skin tarp tents out there too but quite spendy. A biivy bag will help protect your sleeping bag. Pitch your tarp correctly though and you wont have any probs.

Have a look in the out and about section and social section for meet pics. lots of setup pics in there. A meet is also a good way of checking out other peoples setups and gear. You will learn a lot about what you like.

 

[xylaria]

Thanks for all the replies, plenty of food for thought! I checked out that article and that is exactly the kind of thing i needed. I guess it is hard to know what to take for the trip with no experience. The kind of camping i'm used to i can afford to take plenty of contingency kit but I really would like to keep it minimal, not because of the cost but really as a challenge to myself as i think eventually I would like it to be more about the walking than the camping.
The first thing i will be getting will be the tarp and bag. As Autumn is pulling closer and i'd like to start right away the only thing that concerns me is getting a bag that will stand up to the conditions when i don't have the full shelter of a tent.

Other than that I have my eye on a nice knife and hatchet and then i should be ready to go!

EDIT: hmm water, water might be good as well ^^

Gortex bivi bag, a bag liner [mine is homemade wool mix], and wooly hat with cotton liner, it is cheaper then a lite bag that can actually keep you warm.

 

[rik_uk3]

Start off with a two man Tesco dome tent for a tenner and practice rigging a five quid builders tarp and have the shelter of the tent to use. Ex army goretex bivvy bag @£25, army Bergen backpack @£30. If you don't like cammo kit look for Royal Navy or RAF blue goretex jackets about £25. Add a little gas stove and your up and running for about £100.

 

[petrochemicals]

as others have said stuff can be expensive and crap at the same time, dont be fooled. Before you spend too much money you've got to know what you want, so second hand is a good option until you know. Coleman exponent x2 tent.
Synthetic sleeping bag buy that new, 2 light sources, a good frame rucksack.

 

[BearInTheWoods]

It's more the weight thing that baffles me. Dutch ovens, steel tripods, saws, machetes, various types of firelighting equipment, tarps, camp beds, hammocks. Unless you've got a very sturdy horse or a team of Sherpas, I find it hard to see how this could be done without a landrover or similar.

It's all very well for Ray Mears to appear in his campsite with about 200kg of gear, but as to how he got there, well I suspect he wasn't carrying it.

 

[Joonsy]

yes i guess it came as a great surprise that there is just as much commercialism in bushcraft as anything else.