Kit migration...

[Squidders]

I had a thought earlier... I thought a spider had laid eggs in my head and they were hatching but it actually turned out to be a thought.

I'm a minimalist! I have stacks of kit and yet less than most of the people who live bushcraft...

imagine if you will, the african bushman in his animal skin loin cloth carrying a bow and arrow... how much kit would he want in a british winter? he'd have more kit than you could shake a stick at!

When I factor in, the huge variations in the type of conditions I can be out in, I have next to no kit at all

i'm off to northern finland in february so I have cold weather kit... i'm regularly out in the woods here in the UK so for the summer, I have rain gear, winter I have rain gear, spring I have rain gear... I go to france every once in a while so there's summer gear for keeping cool. I sleep in the woods in the summer, I want a cooling hammock, in the winter I want something warmer... in all, we, as bushcrafters with modern lifestyles, experience more diverse weather than anyone!

At the same time, most of us have a massively broad base of knowledge, your average bushman would probably look utterly baffled if you tried to explain why he needs to know how to make a snow hole or even cordage from nettles.

the only real way to OWN minimal kit or to be a true expert is to specialise... live in the jungle and you don't even need glands for sweating, let alone a good mountain tent

by the way, I own LOADS of kit but that doesn't mean it comes out with me all the time... just when I feel I need it We all do this for fun... some of us even make money doing it but it's still just an interest, hobby, chosen career or calling and entirely optional.

What's everyone elses opinion on this?

 

[andyn]

Don't think i can find one thing there that can be disagreed with really. Mind you It would have been a different story if you hadn't confessed to your kit hoarding

 

[Squidders]

I like kit... I like finding what works and what doesn't... to be fair, I do give a lot away when I find it's not for me... i'm glad I don't have a bigger shed for it all

Also, I just thought... we nearly all hate to discuss how much we earn and "have" in our lives yet we're perfectly happy to babble on all the time about bushcraft haves and havenots. How weird is that?!?

 

[TheGreenMan]

Hello Squidders,

I am passionate about kit, I could rhapsodise about it at length. I enjoy researching it, sourcing it (Almost nothing gives me more pleasure that obtaining an item of kit that is hard to find, and preferably, at a bargain price), testing it, and evaluating it, and forums dedicated to kit – Thank you BCUK, British Blades, Outdoor Magazine et al.

Also I like to discover items of kit that does its job very well, and particularly if it will do more than one job (Multipurpose), yet doesn’t cost a fortune.

This is a real challenge when so much marvellous equipment is available for almost every set of circumstances and conditions one could expect to encounter in any part of the world, and especially true for those of us who have easy access to international travel.

The only time I won’t make a compromise of quality to cost is anything to do with safety.

And you, Squidders, have already alluded to the wide variety of conditions one could encounter in the distinct four seasons of the UK climate (Actually, somewhat less distinct in recent years).

It is a truism that one can experience all four seasons in a single day in Britain, which makes kit choices even more difficult when planning for a trip out, even if it’s only to the supermarket!

I too have a taste for minimalism, mainly because I’m very out of condition (I’ve come to outdoor pursuits rather late in life – late to be starting, anyway) and the prospect of humping a huge rucksack for long distances fills me with dread, as I don’t own a car (This is another reason why I like items of kit that does more than one job – less to carry). But I also like minimalism from a philosophical attitude, it encourages ingenuity and the acquisition of knowledge which makes improvisation possible (Fabricate ‘in the field’ rather than heaving the ‘kitchen sink’ around).

Kit has provided me with many satisfying, happily occupied hours.

I love kit, and I find that nothing is so relaxing as a bit of kit ‘admin’!

Best regards,
Paul

 

[Pablo]

Good post. I don't mind admitting that over the last year I've spent...wait for it...about £1k on kit :yikes:
I've not been extravagant either (apart from a good tent, SFA and and karrimor rucksack). It's just been 'bits and bobs'. I too try to be minimal when going on excursions, but I do like to have a choice in selecting kit. I suppose you can just buy the basics and can quite easily 'make do' but as I said, I like the choice.

I'd still like to upgrade a few items like knife, sleeping bag - but we're really geting into big bucks here and I really have to justify expense versus use.

You're right about the climate though. One of the reasons we have so much kit is the difference in weather. Another reason for me is the type of excursion. Will I be doing more hiking (lighter weight) or bushcraft type stuff (a few more tools). Will I walk into the site or will there be easy access to the car?

Pablo

 

[TheGreenMan]

Hello Pablo,

Good post. I don't mind admitting that over the last year I've spent...wait for it...about £1k on kit :yikes:
I've not been extravagant either (apart from a good tent, SFA and and karrimor rucksack). It's just been 'bits and bobs'. I too try to be minimal when going on excursions, but I do like to have a choice in selecting kit. I suppose you can just buy the basics and can quite easily 'make do' but as I said, I like the choice...

Yep, splurging is easily done with the world of options we have available. I hestitate to think what I might have spent so far, I imagine it’s way in excess of the figure you mention. And like you, I am still lacking some of the basics.

...I'd still like to upgrade a few items like knife, sleeping bag - but we're really geting into big bucks here and I really have to justify expense versus use...

I consider this all part of the learning experience.

...Another reason for me is the type of excursion. Will I be doing more hiking (lighter weight) or bushcraft type stuff (a few more tools). Will I walk into the site or will there be easy access to the car? ..

Nice distinctions, Pablo.

Best regards,
Paul.

 

[addyb]

Well, for my tastes, I can honestly admit that I used to pack everything but the kitchen sink with me in the bush. But over the last couple of years I've cut down my pack weight a fair amount and lo and behold...I'm more comfortable when I'm pounding the trails!

Adam

 

[TheGreenMan]

... But over the last couple of years I've cut down my pack weight a fair amount and lo and behold...I'm more comfortable when I'm pounding the trails!

Adam

I think this is the is the place that many bushcrafters are striving to arrive at - one may start by acquiring a great deal of kit (Even when wanting to keep it to the essentials), but as one grows in experience and confidence, and becomes familiar with a favourite environment or territory, the more kit one can leave behind.

I have a way to go, Adam (Quite a way) before I arrive where you are now, so to speak. But the journey is an interesting one.

Best regards,
Paul

 

[StigOfTheDump]

Not having the right kit makes you more creative, and when you manage to bodge your way out of trouble its very rewarding.

If you need to, you can get by with almost nothing, nessecity is the mother of invention.

The more kit you carry, the less you will think of ways round a problem.

 

[John Fenna]

You guys think you have kit issues?
Try my job - I review gear for a couple of outdoor mags so when I go for a bimble, be it UK, South Africa, North Africa, Thailand or where ever, I am expected to take kit along to test. Fine you may say, free kit! But wait - I am testing this gear to see if it works: if it does ,great, if not I am in the deep and smelly! SO - I have to carry kit I know works as well as the test kit!
Not tooo bad if it is only clothing I am testing but if it is boots, stoves, tents etc it can get pretty heavy.
Add to this the weight restrictions of air travel/excess charges and my ability to carry stuff (I am after all fat and nearly fifty!) and you can see that I would love to be minimalist!
Another draw back to my work is that I HAVE gear I know works but have to, on occassion, use kit I know is inferior and/or liable to fail.
As a qualified and experienced designer/manufacturer of kit I often get kit I can see will fail or be of poor function but have to go thru the motions anyway. Many reviews I write never get into print as the manufacturer sees a draft of what I have wrtten and pulls the kit for "further development". Some manufacturers actuallly employ me as a "crash test dummy" to trouble shoot their new products...
on the other hand I do get lots of nice shiny kit to play with - for free!
John

 

[ArkAngel]

I'm curious John

As you seem to be taking this "finished" kit out what sort of great/rubbish ratio do you find you get on new kit?

Eactly how much stuff goes back for "further development".

 

[dean2]

lol, just starting out on the journey, so have alot of random and electic kit, but hopefully sometime in the future i will be able to scale it all down a little..........

but loving it all
Dee

 

[Tiley]

I have a stockpile of bits and pieces that always make the cut when I go on a trip, be it to the woods or the mountains. The problem is trying to make decisions about things that MIGHT be useful - so often, if you take them, they remain unused; if you leave them behind, they prove to be the one thing that you actually need. I know that necessity is the mother of invention but how do you cure the frustration of realising that what you need is stashed at home.

I do agree with some of the others: a good bit of kit sorting therapy is fantastic. In some ways, getting your kit chosen, sorted and packed can be as pleasurable as the trip itself - what a sad inadequate I have become!

 

[baggins]

I think most of us can hold our hands up to this one, after all, it's human nature to use kit-equipment-tools, and to disgard (ok, so maybe store in the bottom of swmbo wardrobe ) those pieces that don't work. Our ancestors did it, it's just that they had generations to work out what worked and what didn't. You only need to look at any anthropoligical collection of a culture over a period of time to see the changes and advancements in tool and equipment.
It's just that in todays world of instant communications, we can now pick and choose from a hundred cultures and several thousand years of history.
So all i can say is, give me your credit card and let me buy buy buy
Baggins