Lightweight Bushcraft? An oxymoron in terms, or is there such a thing?

[John Fenna]

To me the game of bushcraft is aquiring and using skills of use in the bush/wilds...
Wether you do this in a heavyweight base camp or out of a minimalist pack on the fly matters not...and it is difficult to learn skills fast enough to do all the shelterbuilding, fire lighting, skinning, tanning etc etc etc if you need the furs, shelter, cordage etc etc etc that wet and windy winters night!
So - heavy when wanted/needed, light when possible/wanted

 

[Home Guard]

I think the other way to achieve lightweight bushcraft; using knowledge aswell as equipment that can be used for one purpose.

Mess tins in pairs can become an oven by putting one inside the other and burying them in the coals. They are a chopping board on the back. They are also your plate/dish or bowl.

Your tarp can be folded in such a way that you can wrap it over or around you back or shoulder with you equipment inside to act as a bag.

If you use an I.P.K as a very primitive tarp it also doubles as a hammock if you tie large knots in each end.

All of these little ideas to give multiple uses to things can cut your kit list to just a few items.

My kitlist is:

Knife
Firesteel
I.P.K
Mess Tins
Bottled water (when empty the bottles can be crushed to save space. Then refilled.)
Food or shotgun. (I would like to broaden my knowledge or foraging to save even more weight and space.)

Eventually I'd like to gain enough knowledge and bushcraft skills to be able to camp comfortable using just my knife.

But bushcraft is about fun, not survival. Take whatever you feel comfortable with. Personally I like a challenge and I enjoy stretching my mind for different tasks.

Happy Bushcrafting!

 

[Minotaur]

Would the bushcraft heroes not be the original lightweights?

It does really depend on what you want to do.

 

[unorthadox]

Pinky and I are very keen to get outside a lot more this year having done a bushcraft taster weekend at the end of January.

We've done a little lightweight camping previously, but to be honest, we relate much more closely to the bushcraft 'ethos'.

That said, we want to be able to carry our 'home' on our backs and while loads of things I see on here seem brilliant for base camping and appeal hugely (dutch ovens, grills/tripods etc - I love cooking), the idea of carrying many kgs is somewhat offputting!

What are the best bits of bushcraft kit that can be easily reduced, so you have maximum efficiency and comfort for minimum weight?

How well do you think 'lightweight' and 'bushcraft' go together?

If you're taking heavy gear, do you travel by car to a site and if so, what do you do about parking?

This is the kit for a 1 week bushcraft course, you can probly do a little tweaking an you will be all set. it can all be carried in a 45l rucksack so cant be that bad http://www.raymears.com/Docs/PDF/FUNDAMENTAL_BUSHCRAFT_KIT_LIST.pdf
and http://www.raymears.com/Docs/PDF/APPLIED_BUSHCRAFT_KIT_LIST.pdf

 

[almac]

i usually just start with the basics; fire, shelter, food, water, navigation, and tools.
after that, everything is optional.
i usually take:
FIRE: at least 2 methods of firelighting, sometimes i take a small whisperlight stove.
SHELTER: depends on the season. usually a small 2 man tent, sometimes just a tarp orlumber tarp(free).
FOOD: self explanitory. 1 cooking pot. most of the food i take i prepare at home first. my favorite is chilli.
WATER: water filter, or i just boil on site. i have a very lightweight kettle.
NAV: compass, maps, and gps
TOOLS: knife, leatherman, axe, first aid, flashlight, survival kit.

extras might include: a small radio, camera, fishing pole/flies, journal.
i ALWAYS take extra wool socks, and 1 spare change of clothing.

the whole process is as simple or complicated as you want it...
most important part is to "get out" and enjoy!

 

[Dormouse]

I think the consensus seems to be, bushcraft is what you do - not where you go, how you get there or what you take.

A little bit of a whine about lightweight kit - when will manufacturers realise that we might want to be inconspicuous? Sometimes bright purple is really no good!

 

[mayfly]

This is the kit for a 1 week bushcraft course, you can probly do a little tweaking an you will be all set. it can all be carried in a 45l rucksack so cant be that bad

I just love the SUITABLE OPTION STOCKED BY WOODLORE column and then the little 'check' box. Once you've coughed up wads of your hard earned pounds, just check here. Product placement par excellence. Lots of Ray wannabes running around with shiny new Woodlore kit. People just like me in fact Made me laugh.

 

[Neumo]

I have been watching some videos called 'The Art of Nothing', which are about going super-lightweight as in the clothes you stand in & thats about it. They are made by some guys in Montana USA that are coming at Bushcraft from a lightweight & primative living skills perspective. So your knife comes from flint or a knapped piece of glass, your bed you make from straw, your fire comes from a bowdrill made with your knife... It's about building a base set of tools & then adding things in layers. Food you trap or get from the plants you know, shelter is a den etc...

It kind of puts my idea (& probably so other peoples) ideas of lightweight bushcraft into perspective. I basically think of ultralight kit as expensive toys: i.e sil-nylon tarps, titantium pots, boutique bivi bags & sleeping bags etc. Whereas they just carry the knowledge....

 

[hertsboy]

Sorry to hijack.

I was born in a place called Oxhey. I am a moron.

That makes me an actual real life oxheymoron!

... only if it was South Oxhey!

 

[Minotaur]

It kind of puts my idea (& probably so other peoples) ideas of lightweight bushcraft into perspective. I basically think of ultralight kit as expensive toys: i.e sil-nylon tarps, titantium pots, boutique bivi bags & sleeping bags etc. Whereas they just carry the knowledge....

I really like the idea of lightweight, but would like to see someone do it a lot with our sort of weather. You can do it without the expensive kit, I actually think it more a make your own style. The point is to think about what you carry, and how you interact with the enviorment.

Any chance of a link to the videos?

 

[Neumo]

I agree that you can do lightweight without being expensive. Part of the thing I like about bushcraft is the way it makes you think about what you carry, do you really need it, did you use it the last time you went out etc...

I borrowed the vids off a mate who is in to primative stuff.Here is a link to the vids:
http://www.hopspress.com/Videos/Art_of_Nothing.htm

 

[huffhuff]

... only if it was South Oxhey!

It was indeed

...and it's pronounced Saaaaf Oxhey!

 

[Martti]

I have used maybe 50 euros for my all bushcrafting and hiking equipment, including clothes. Most of this sum has gone to raw materials from which I have made the equipment. However I espect to use about the same for the rest of the stuff in my wanted list. I have not weighted these equipment but I estimate that my all year around kit with clothing will weight less than 10 kilograms (including a reindeer pelt I have to buy in a near future). Clothing and shelter takes up c. 70% of the total weight while rest is reserved for a puukko, axe, bag etc.

 

[Lumber Jack]

I think the consensus seems to be, bushcraft is what you do - not where you go, how you get there or what you take.

A little bit of a whine about lightweight kit - when will manufacturers realise that we might want to be inconspicuous? Sometimes bright purple is really no good!

When we will people realise that being innocently "inconspicuous" can land you in a world of pain? If you look at the kit lists people have posted here, a lot have completely neglected the "FUBAR" scenario.

Light high vis' colours are for safety. If you go down in the beacons or on the moors wearing the usual dreary olive greens and darker shades that bushcrafters love. S&R are going to have a hard time of it finding you. I always carry at least one luminous yellow jacket in my pack for the above reasons. I don't want to be inconspicuous and near invisible when I'm hurt and immobile. I think people often forget that.

Let me give you a scenario. You've taken a tumble, compound fracture of the ankle and you're in shock. All very real possibilities. Even if you light a fire, in modern times, people don't even know what a signal fire looks like. even then, you could be miles away from civilization or 45 mins walk from a major tourist hot spot. With a broken ankle, you're immobile, You ain't going anywhere fast. Providing you've left instructions at home, detailing a route and ETA back home or at a lodge. You'll have people out looking for you if you don't reach your RV. A high vis jacket increases the chances of you being spotted dramatically.

With regards to lightweight bushcraft. Carry with you everything you need to be able to be comfortable. If you have the knowledge to replace your kit with natural substitutes, do so. Your kit weight will come down.

 

[Nagual]

As many others have said, the more you know the less kit you have to drag about - however sometimes depending on where you are you can't use the natural materials around you ie no permission, SSSI or just not enough to use and you don't want to damage the environment. In cases like that you need your kit. If you want to light weight try getting cuben fiber gear. It cost mind you, but light? Floaty Light! Backpacks, sleeping bags, stuff sacks, tarps etc. etc. all have been made from this stuff. It's on my 'really really wanna get this, but can't really really afford it...'

 

[mousey]

I did a little walking/ camping when younger, walked Hadrians one summer while at uni, with what I thought was light weight [20kg inc all food & water] but now looking at what others call light weight I think may be it wasn't, however I met a younger couple who seem really impressed I was carrying all my stuff with me. They had paid for a sherpa service to ferry their stuff from one hostel to another, but that meant they HAD to get somewhere by the end of the day, or if they got there too early they couldn't carry on. So for me being light enough to carry everything you need to go as far as you want is the point.