is the bushcraft dream over ?

[rancid badger]

I would tend to agree with most of it.
when I started it wasn't called anything, it was usually associated with getting filthy, ripping clothes and the occasional trip to the "infirmary" (only once) with a smattering of clatters round the lugs for good measure.
as far as some sort of "bushcraft dream" goes, well that surely depends on how realistic you are. I suspect that quite a few people who have "fallen" for "bushcraft" are romantics and there's nothing wrong with that.
What you need to remember is that you can indeed spend a lot of money on stuff you don't need.

At the same time if you want to spend a load of money on stuff then you can knock your self out with literally hundreds of shiney things on offer.

On the subject of hammocks:
I have pondered this one before- If you watch and re-watch Mr.Mears dvd's- at no point does he recommend the use of a hammock in our climate-he actually uses the same kit I use and have done for donkey's; that is:
simple issue goretex bivvy bag, 3/4 length thermarest ( although I used to use a cut down kip mat till I forked out for a real mat) and a good sleeping bag.
The preference for hammocks, along with deer skins or quilts & under blankets must have come from somewhere else-no idea where-don't really care, I'd still rather sleep on the deck.
The point is the hammock seems to have become synonymous with bushcraft for what ever reason but unfortunately we don't appear to be able to pin that one on Ray Mears.
People must be buying them because they like them.

I suppose really, you need to decide what your "bushcraft dream" is.I don't have a dream, For me it's about interacting with nature as much as possible but dipping in and out as I choose. As far as I am concerned,trends and fashions are things I'm not really interested in.

I love what I do and look forward to developing it.

Regards R.B.

 

[nicodiemus]

I think applying a name to this sort of skill is really just for convenience sake. There are many different kinds of cooking, but you're not going to develop (or at least remember) terms for each individual style of chef.

The craft we all (to some extent) practice is as old as our species, if not older.

 

[seamonkey]

It was the thread on the 120 quid Ray Mears "bushcraft" shirt which finished it off for me.

 

[nicodiemus]

No reason to drop that kind of scratch on a piece of clothing unless you're going to be depending on it for your life. I personally wouldn't put shirts in that category!

 

[ol smokey]

As someone before me has said, it has all been done before. I grew up through the Scout
Movement as a Cub then a Scout and finally a Venture Scout Leader, and from a young child was taken to the woods and countryside by my Grandfather who taught me to appreciate nature and identify the birds by their calls, before we even saw them.

I am now retired and was introduced to Bushcraft as it is now called by an existing member of BCUK, and it reopened my interests. My main enjoyment comes from the benefit of learning even more things from people with wider interests, and yes, also
learning from others , both methods of doing things, and what is good ( tried and tested )
equipment as opposed to some of the rubbish out there which is just the fashion of the
moment. Yes I have fallen into the trap of getting a Woodlore look-alike Knife and a
good well made one, but is it any better than some of my old faithfull sheath-knives ?
I have also been tempted into getting myself a Hammock and Tarp (DD) and think it has been a good investment. I was out in November last year in it. and as cosy as a toasty pie, where if I had been in my one man tent, I am sure I would not have been as warm,
I have camped all my life and never been uncomfortable even in snow, but I am now converted to the Hammock and Tarp . The outdoor life, by whatever name you call it,
revitalises the soul, gets you away from the stresses of modern living ,and relaxes you.
I would strongly suggest to any new members. Do not be an armchair Bushcrafter, get out and try it, Especially with some friends who know what they are doing, you will come back a new person. Having not done it for some years , apart from commercial camping with my wife on formal sites, I thoroughly enjoyed my first Meet-up with fellow members
and came home with a new lease of life. This is a Great site and so far, everyone I have met has been extremely friendly and helpful. With friends like this --Who needs the
commercial side of Bushcraft. We all owe Tony a lot for setting it up. Long may it last.

 

[malente]

Countryside craft doesn't really cut it, does it?



Mike

 

[Tiley]

... bushcraft is about new skills.

This is the nub of it, in my opinion. The skills that we practise may be as old as the hills or may be more recently developed but they are labelled 'bushcraft' by those who practise them currently.

If we choose to buy tools and kit to help us as individuals, that's up to us. It doesn't make us victims of aggressive marketing gurus and it doesn't bastardise our chosen pursuit. If there are some out there who are more susceptible to the approaches of the marketeers, that is their problem - it should never be interpreted as a malaise that has diseased the whole bushcraft 'thing'.

Relabelling an activity that has been dubbed 'scouting', 'camping' or just plain 'living' in the past matters not one jot. After all, the Bard pointed out in "Romeo and Juliet":

"What's in a name? That which we call a rose
By any other word would smell as sweet;"

So be it with bushcraft. Call it what you will but keep alive and enjoy the practice of it, whether equipped with a £250 Alan Wood or a £10 Mora - it's all about the SKILLS.

 

[stotRE]

You could go out tommorrow and buy every piece of kit thats favoured by the cybercrafters,do every course at lord smears gaff,read every Tom Brown book and turn up to every moot with your belt festooned with knives, axes and billhooks and still know less than someone who brews up in a tin can,sleeps in a tescos tent and wears nothing more than a leather posing pouch.

 

[Bernie Garland]

You could go out tommorrow and buy every piece of kit thats favoured by the cybercrafters,do every course at lord smears gaff,read every Tom Brown book and turn up to every moot with your belt festooned with knives, axes and billhooks and still know less than someone who brews up in a tin can,sleeps in a tescos tent and wears nothing more than a leather posing pouch.

very well said stu

bernie

 

[jasons]

Is the bushcraft dream over.Is just me or have we been here before

 

[firebreather]

never had a bushcraft dream what are they like.?....good fun in the woods, will i be travelling with the greats:- mears, mors et al for a wander around the back country of outer wherever....... sounds good to me
Make what you will of the upturn in bushcrafting or whatever its called I will still be sat around the fire with my friends enjoying a brew long after the marketing men have gone away.

Greg

 

[andy_e]

There are right now (at posting) about 200 people on this Bushcraft site and I bet they all learned something new or shared an opinion or skill or piece of work or experience, sometimes all of the above. Isn't that the important thing? It's just a banner under which we can share all aspects of this interest that's brought such a diversity here. I really don't care what your level of experience or level of interest is, doesn't change what I do. Does it keep you awake at night while you lie in your hammock/bivi/debris shelter/vango tent? Didn't think so. IMO there's no debate, you'll still go out if you want to and you'll still do what interests you and I hope you'll continue to share it in places like this - cos I want to learn..

Am off out to find a supplier of leather posing pouches now, since I think stotRE might have found the next "must have" Bushcraft(tm) item.

 

[spamel]

There are too many ways of doing things to pigeon hole as well. How many ways can you think of making a fire? Fire plough, bow drill, hand drill, bamboo saw, Ferro rod, traditional steel and flint, piece of flint and back of carbon steel knife blade, magnifying glass, matches, lighter, sugar and potassium permanganate, etc etc etc. That's just the fire disciplines! Nobody is marketing all of these items, use whatever you want from them. Nobody should tell you that you are doing it wrong because of this bit of kit or that bit of kit. Technique maybe, but kit wise it is up to you and you can spend as little or as much as you want just so long as you use it!

If anybody turns up at Middlewood in a posing pouch, they're getting the sun and magnifying glass method, that'll teach you to cover up!

 

[hollowdweller]

Anything that gets people outside, brings folks together and enhances their knowledge and appreciation of the natural world is a good thing. True there's some money being made but I'd rather see it made that way than logging and mining everyplace

 

[firebreather]

Am off out to find a supplier of leather posing pouches now, since I think stotRE might have found the next "must have" Bushcraft(tm) item.

Have a word with singeblister about the DPM ripstop one that Lin (makeitmyself) made for him and I added the paracord to for the side ties. Which allows for learning knots :theyareon

Greg

 

[firebreather]

If anybody turns up at Middlewood in a posing pouch, they're getting the sun and magnifying glass method, that'll teach you to cover up!

Does that apply just to leather ones or other materials aswell :Wow:

Greg

 

[andy_e]

Does that apply just to leather ones or other materials aswell :Wow:

Greg

Nomex posing pouch?

Have a word with singeblister about the DPM ripstop one that Lin (makeitmyself) made for him and I added the paracord to for the side ties. Which allows for learning knots :theyareon

Greg

Tying or untying? Slippery Hitch anyone sorry couldn't resist

 

[woodstock]

I think bushcraft means many things to many people to me its a alternative to modern day living retaining old skills that were often learned from watching and mimicking older siblings to live off the land, we seem to be unlearning basic skills of the hunter gatherer because it is so much easier to pop to the local supermarket where you can buy almost any food product and even camping accessories now its a shame but a sad fact of modern life

 

[firebreather]

Nomex posing pouch?



Tying or untying? Slippery Hitch anyone sorry couldn't resist

I dont know which would you use to tie these things:Wow:

Ill get my coat

Greg

 

[Bernie Garland]

I think bushcraft means many things to many people to me its a alternative to modern day living retaining old skills that were often learned from watching and mimicking older siblings to live off the land, we seem to be unlearning basic skills of the hunter gatherer because it is so much easier to pop to the local supermarket where you can buy almost any food product and even camping accessories now its a shame but a sad fact of modern life

your right there woodstock, the old skills are in decline as the supermarkets make the job to easy

bernie