Minimalism a lost art?

[Harold Godwinson]

Minimalism, are there still minimalist still out there?

And, more importantly, what is your definition of it?

Personally, I consider myself one. My kit tends to be very basic but functional. For day hikes etc I carry a 37 pattern small pack. If I overnight I top this up with a Kelly kettle survival bag.

So my storage space is deliberately limited. I say deliberately because like most people I'm a just in case adder, so for me a place for everything and everything in its place works best.

For example, my haversack kit is,

1. A large mess tin.
2. 58 pattern bottle and plastic mug.
3. Dragon fire stove with 3 blocks of fuel.
4. Spoon.
5. Small FAK
6. Grabber sheet
7. Laplander saw
8. Puuko
9. Lighter
10. Whetstone
11. Hank of cordage or two.
12. Compass
13. Binos.

This gives me everything I need for day trips to the woods or moors with the ability to produce a hot drink or safe water. A shelter (on Dartmoor protection from the elements is a life saver) as well as the standard bushy tasks like fire making etc.

If I'm going overnighting for a few nights my snapsack contains,

1. Poncho with guys and pegs.
2. Sleep system (2 season bag and bivi) yes all year round no room for a bigger bag!!
3. Cylume (light sticks)
4. A light down jacket.
5. Notebook
6. Rations.
7. Torch.

These two bags and contents are all items that have earnt a place in kit over the years, theres no fat, no waste.

That to me is minimalism, and my kit reflects the area I use ie both open moorland and hills as well as woodland.

Obviously I dress for my area.

I'd be interested in your thoughts, or minimalist kits if you have one.

 

[Pattree]

What were the saw, the puuko and the whetstone for? (Day trip list)

 

[Harold Godwinson]

Good question, firstly all items are carried as they have a place in the kit and when I overnight it means I have them repacked ready, but for days out the whetstone is for touching up edge of puuko if needs be. The knife and saw are for anything ranging from opening or prepping food and brews to sourcing fatwood, whittling stuff and any of a hundred other jobs. Also, and I know this is a long stretch but if I was stuck out for a night on the moors etc they are rather handy for fire prep, tent pegs and lord knows what else.

Lastly, after all these years of carrying them, even though a SAK would do the job, I'm kind of attached to them. I know, I know, I'm a sentimental old thing me lol.

 

[Pattree]

I might have said this before at some point.

TE White, author of The Forest written in 1908 said: when you get back from a trip make three piles of your kit.
Pile 1. Things that you used every day.
Pile 2. Things you only used occasionally.
Pile 3. Things that you didn’t use.

His advice was dump piles 2 & 3.

I would modify that:

Pile 2:
At a push, could I have used something thing from pile 1 instead of the item in pile 2. If yes then dump the item.
Could I have managed without doing whatever required an item in pile 2? If yes then dump the item.

Pile 3.
Dump everything except real emergency stuff that you hope you’ll never use but need.

Then he said:
Add back that one item that always comes with you whether it’s needed or not just because you want it with you.

Our weather isn’t very predictable but there have been times when I knew I wouldn’t need a tent for the trip.
I’ve slept with neither tent nor bivi many times.

I posted this last year.
In the days when I could carry my stuff I tried to do it. It’s VERY difficult.
You have to work hard at it

 

[Harold Godwinson]

I posted this last year.
In the days when I could carry my stuff I tried to do it. It’s VERY difficult.
You have to work hard at it

Great repost, thank you.

I actually do similar, I make a list of everything I pack in my notebook and each night I'm out I review the list and tick every item used... Then we I get home and unpack, clean etc I look at the list and if there's anything there that wasn't used it's put aside.

It's a great way of refining your kit, lightening your load and keeping on top of the urge to waste money on new fancy doodads you don't need.

Only thing to keep in mind is seasonal needs for example in dry weather I never put up a shelter... But come the wet, shelters the first thing that goes up.

 

[Toddy]

Thing is though; hopefully you didn't need the FAK, but, next time, you might......

I hate carrying weight. Latterly car travel has made that mostly redundant.
If I have to carry it though, I aim light and tight.

There was a lot of interest a few years back in the ultralight folks kit. The long distance runners who had to carry everything.
I liked the idea of their really light packs, but found the blow up long balloon type sleeping mat just not for me any more. Good idea though

@Harold Godwinson Interesting thread

 

[John Fenna]

Too old and broken to carry anything any distance I now go heavy weight on kit to make camp luxurious - letting car and trolly take the weight!

 

[Chris]

Too old and broken to carry anything any distance I now go heavy weight on kit to make camp luxurious - letting car and trolly take the weight!

I remember you walking past to your camp at the Moot this year muttering something about “Just got to set up the gym now…”

 

[widowulf]

Not a minimalist yet, but I work on it. In best case with everything made on my own. Not because its more practical or cheaper, but its my demand on myself. Well as boys we packed a cheap sleeping bag, a plastic sheet, two cans of ravioli and a big pack of ice tea and that was enough for a long weekend in the woods. Later I was so addicted in buying all kinds of outdoor stuff but was disappointed by it often enough. At one point I realized, I started carrying stuff into the woods just to make pictures of them and share it on social media. So... the stuff possessed me, not vice versa. My goal to simplify and minimalize does not just aim to bushcraft but to my whole life. In the best sense of Epicurus: "Rich is not who has plenty, but who needs little"

 

[Chris]

I think something to consider is also at which point in our bushcraft journey we're at. At least in my experience, I think I start off with more items and even variations of the same item until I narrow it down to the best one for my needs. So for example I know which boots so I only have one pair of boots which I know are perfect for me. When it comes to hammocks? I have one, but I know I will buy some more as I work out which hammock works best for me.

There is the saying "The more you know, the less you carry" which I know wasn't necessarily intended to refer to this context, but I think it probably does also apply here. The more you know about what you want and which features/properties are important to you, the fewer items you probably buy overall. I don't think it'd be worth making my own things until I've worked out what it is I actually want out of the item in question.

I am definitely a bit of a kit harlot and I really enjoy the experience of buying/acquiring things, trying them out and playing with them. But the goal is to get to the minimalist state where I can carry no more than necessary and combine it with the knowledge I've eventually acquired in order to thrive with fewer material possessions. It's a journey.

 

[Pattree]

Can you be a minimalist Bushcrafter if you have cupboards and sheds full of kit but you only select the minimum that you need for a particular trip?

 

[Chris]

Can you be a minimalist Bushcrafter if you have cupboards and sheds full of kit but you only select the minimum that you need for a particular trip?

Good Lord, I hope so. I'm in big trouble otherwise.

 

[Toddy]

Oh me too.....Missus four sheds and a greenhouse

 

[captainhastings]

I am new to this caper but I can’t being doing cold.
I start packing with bare minimum but then think well I need my softie oh better take my fleece next minute 80+ litres gone

 

[Barney Rubble]

Minimalism, are there still minimalist still out there?

And, more importantly, what is your definition of it?

I'd be interested in your thoughts, or minimalist kits if you have one.

Absolutely, I love going minimalist from time to time. It's a good chance to test yourself. I went fairly extreme back in January and embarked on a haversack camping challenge with some friends. This entails camping out in what were some cold (sub zero) conditions with only the kit that you can carry in your haversack, you can see how that camp went here....

But aside from that I think it's also good fun to embark on overnight camps with a day sack and is certainly a more reasonable way to go minimalist....

And I think the point of it is simple, it presents a good opportunity to test your skills, it helps you realise what you really need to be comfortable outdoors and it also teaches you to enjoy the simple things a bit more.

 

[Falstaff]

I suspect the degree of minimalism depends on the duration of the trip and what sort of adventure it is. A multi-day hike in potentially adverse weather will probably require more kit besides extra rations. e.g. Harolds list includes no spare clothes or hygiene, fine for an overnight but possibly not for a longer or muddy trip.

I tend to pack heavy with probably too many just-in-cases and some comfort, but like Chris also enjoy trying out new things. I did survival type courses as a kid and know I can do it if I have to, but I'd rather not. Respect to Barney for doing it though.

However, I do exercise walks with something similar to Harold's list, in an army double side-pouch daypack, just to add some weight, plus navigation gear for the practice. Would not be a problem to stay out with that. Stowing the flapping map case on me while walking is pain, thinking of a belt tube.

 

[FanaticFox]

First of all I am really enjoying this post and thank you for everyone's insight.

I agree with Chris's stage of life/bushcraft journey comment. Someone's lightweight setup is another person's heavyweight setup. It must also be understood that for health, age or other factors some folk simply need a certain level of gear to enjoy the hobby.

However I believe minimalism in this hobby is a mindset that can really help push and drive ones personal skills. This is through forcing oneself to adapt and create from the world around them which is a key principle of it all.

Most of the instances I get out now are only for the one night and I have to pack light because I don't have the time to pack heavy! My LK35 is usually comfortably filled but not rammed, but even that includes comforts like a hip flask and an extra warm layer (especially at this time of year). I have held off doing a side pouch mod for the entire reason of it just adding more weight and more temptation to pack something I'll probably not need.

At the moot I saw myself coming with a heavier setup each time. As such this last summer I really cut it down and made a point of returning to basics which I really enjoyed.

It's helped me return thinking harder/better about what kit I have and how I use it. As such I've recently moved a lot of kit on to make space and free up funds to invest in some much better quality 'core' items which are multi use and will last for many years.

 

[Harold Godwinson]

First of all I am really enjoying this post and thank you for everyone's insight.

I agree with Chris's stage of life/bushcraft journey comment. Someone's lightweight setup is another person's heavyweight setup. It must also be understood that for health, age or other factors some folk simply need a certain level of gear to enjoy the hobby.

However I believe minimalism in this hobby is a mindset that can really help push and drive ones personal skills. This is through forcing oneself to adapt and create from the world around them which is a key principle of it all.

Most of the instances I get out now are only for the one night and I have to pack light because I don't have the time to pack heavy! My LK35 is usually comfortably filled but not rammed, but even that includes comforts like a hip flask and an extra warm layer (especially at this time of year). I have held off doing a side pouch mod for the entire reason of it just adding more weight and more temptation to pack something I'll probably not need.

At the moot I saw myself coming with a heavier setup each time. As such this last summer I really cut it down and made a point of returning to basics which I really enjoyed.

It's helped me return thinking harder/better about what kit I have and how I use it. As such I've recently moved a lot of kit on to make space and free up funds to invest in some much better quality 'core' items which are multi use and will last for many years.

Great honest post, thank you.

One good tip for minimalising your kit, which I do every time to stop 'gear creep' is to list everything I take every time and during or after my trip I look at the list and remove or adapt anything I didn't use, with the exception of my little cuts kit.

 

[dwardo]

The kit has to match the task at hand. Sounds very clinical I know but surely anything else is just for comfort, entertainment or maybe just tradition? All of which are equally valid of course

If that task is "Bushcraft" then its a term that can mean so much for so many folk so not two sets of kit will look the same. Something I hope Will always be the same.

Should we put aside the definition and I think about the various "kit" for various outdoor tasks over the past year it is as follows.

If in the canoe and I can pack "boat" load of stuff so why wouldn't I?

If I am on the hills, and its been a while granted... its skewed towards light kit as the aim is to move freely and see more?

Maybe a wood or hill just north of the border and its a slower pace so gear can be adjusted for comforts and maybe crafts?

More often than not I am lucky to be at a friends place so its either the usual tent or hammock setup.
Oh and pack for hand tools including draw knives and rasps, two axes and few saws. Oh some hawthorn for a spoon!, a half roughed out ash plank for a new paddle.. Thinking on it I also took a sling to try my hand at being David and also my bow. Fancied loosing some arrows too. Oh and me shorts for dip in the river which is a somewhat essential part of your kit to avoid traumatizing early morning paddlers on the River Dee..

 

[C_Claycomb]

Mod hat on.
Eight posts that should probably be removed. (31st, now removed) One or two were excellent, but all stemmed from a needlessly argumentative post whose author appeared irritated by the topic of discussion.

It’s good advice not post while annoyed or tired. I don’t know how it works for the insomniacs out there, but I have got into more trouble with posts and emails written at the end of long work days, or late on a Friday, or just before I wanted to go to bed…but…just…had..to…have…my…say….

If it’s late and the motivation for a post is “I need to put Xyz person straight” it’s better to save the draft and come back to it tomorrow. The new day often shows the triggering post is less triggering and one’s own reply was going to be harsher than was deserved. The fear that the moment will pass and render a reply irrelevant is usually misplaced….and if it has become irrelevant, meh, it’s only the internet.

Thread is going to stay locked a little longer… (31st Oct. Reopened)
Thank you.
Chris