Hello to One and All,
I am probably what you would call an old codger, not far off retirement age. Which makes it all the more puzzling that I have only recently heard about bush-craft, completely by chance, when reading an article about camping and clicked on a link to a bush-craft website.
Since then, I have found and read articles and blogs daily. I find it very interesting because, as a kid, I built shelters and cooked over a fire (using my mother's best frying pan). I would cook veg from my father's veg patch and fry up sausages. What I found remarkable is how much 'bush-craft stuff' I already owned before I even heard about bush-craft. I have 5 rucksacks of various sizes; various 'bum bags'; tent; sleeping bag; a 30-year-old Victorinox folding penknife with a 2.5" blade, a saw, a can-opener, a cork-screw and an awl; a Mora fixed blade knife; a Fiskars axe; compass; a magnifying glass; first-aid kit; a micro-Leatherman; that's all I can think of at the moment. For years I have always carried 'stuff' in my bag or pockets, what I now realise some people call this an EDC or Every-Day Carry so that I have little tools to deal with little problems that may arise. So it has with a sense of deja-vu that I have read the articles and blogs about bush-crafting.
Now, having said all that, whilst I have done a little camping it was mostly on camp-sites (sometimes I did camp in the wild but that was a long, long time ago). And it's never really been bush-crafting. So I am a complete newbie to the subject.
This site seems to be a mine of information and I intend to browse because no doubt any question I could ask has been asked and answered already so I will be trawling for answers to my (possible somewhat naïve) questions. The sort of things I will be researching are as follows:
1. How do you go about finding a woodland where you are allowed to cut up or collect dead wood for a fire and then go and light a fire? My gut feeling is that you probably aren't allowed to do this in a public wooded areas around where I live.
2. Which is best - a tarp and a hammock rather than a tent? My initial thoughts are that a tent can be pitched on any level patch, whereas you need suitable support for the tarp and hammock? And a tent probably gives better protection from the wind. A pop-up tent gives you instant shelter....
3. As an alternative shelter, does anyone use one of those fishing shelters? Open on one side, they are sort of mid-way between a tarp and a tent.
4. Bush-craft courses are very expensive. Some are ridiculously expensive and I cannot understand why? Do some/most bush-crafters take these courses or do people just experiment/self-teach from You-tube etc. ?
Sorry for going on so long.
I'm really enjoying reading through the site/forum.
Regards,
Mike.
I am probably what you would call an old codger, not far off retirement age. Which makes it all the more puzzling that I have only recently heard about bush-craft, completely by chance, when reading an article about camping and clicked on a link to a bush-craft website.
Since then, I have found and read articles and blogs daily. I find it very interesting because, as a kid, I built shelters and cooked over a fire (using my mother's best frying pan). I would cook veg from my father's veg patch and fry up sausages. What I found remarkable is how much 'bush-craft stuff' I already owned before I even heard about bush-craft. I have 5 rucksacks of various sizes; various 'bum bags'; tent; sleeping bag; a 30-year-old Victorinox folding penknife with a 2.5" blade, a saw, a can-opener, a cork-screw and an awl; a Mora fixed blade knife; a Fiskars axe; compass; a magnifying glass; first-aid kit; a micro-Leatherman; that's all I can think of at the moment. For years I have always carried 'stuff' in my bag or pockets, what I now realise some people call this an EDC or Every-Day Carry so that I have little tools to deal with little problems that may arise. So it has with a sense of deja-vu that I have read the articles and blogs about bush-crafting.
Now, having said all that, whilst I have done a little camping it was mostly on camp-sites (sometimes I did camp in the wild but that was a long, long time ago). And it's never really been bush-crafting. So I am a complete newbie to the subject.
This site seems to be a mine of information and I intend to browse because no doubt any question I could ask has been asked and answered already so I will be trawling for answers to my (possible somewhat naïve) questions. The sort of things I will be researching are as follows:
1. How do you go about finding a woodland where you are allowed to cut up or collect dead wood for a fire and then go and light a fire? My gut feeling is that you probably aren't allowed to do this in a public wooded areas around where I live.
2. Which is best - a tarp and a hammock rather than a tent? My initial thoughts are that a tent can be pitched on any level patch, whereas you need suitable support for the tarp and hammock? And a tent probably gives better protection from the wind. A pop-up tent gives you instant shelter....
3. As an alternative shelter, does anyone use one of those fishing shelters? Open on one side, they are sort of mid-way between a tarp and a tent.
4. Bush-craft courses are very expensive. Some are ridiculously expensive and I cannot understand why? Do some/most bush-crafters take these courses or do people just experiment/self-teach from You-tube etc. ?
Sorry for going on so long.
I'm really enjoying reading through the site/forum.
Regards,
Mike.
