Notes on the Minimal Gear ethos

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trekkingnut

Settler
Jul 18, 2010
680
1
Wiltshire
that sounds like a great idea

I assume they are alpaca wool?

they are yes.. in general... outside of cusco in places like the south you can find them for about 40 pounds... they are very VERY tight weave and longer than my arms on either side so usually needed to be folded up onto each shoulder (not slung over like a mexican) and they come down to about my waist.
 

rg598

Native
Thanks trekkingnut. :)

The way I read the OP, it was about the impracticality of applying survival mentality to planned wilderness trips. Sure, most of us are not going to die if we have to stay outside with minimal gear. On the show mentioned above, they quite literally try not to starve to death in the 21 days, some of them coming pretty close to it... and that's in tropical and savanna environments. Even under the best conditions, it is a miserable experience, not to mention if it is -20C outside (http://woodtrekker.blogspot.com/2014/01/trip-report-wilderness-survival.html).

A trip or an excursion into the woods for me is a different thing, and requires the proper gear, food, and tools. Here I am not talking from the perspective of comfort, as that is a relative thing, but rather about having what is necessary to complete the goal of the trip. Surviving a night out under a tree is one thing; skiing across Greenland is another, and then there is everything in between. The gear, the food, and the tools have to be targeted towards the specific trip. You have to keep your body working properly, and you have to be able to accomplish the necessary tasks efficiently.

The idea that you can bring the 5Cs, or whatever, and go hunting mountain goats for a week, or climbing up Rainier is just not practical. At least, that's my reading of the OP.

As far as the poncho/blanket, it's no secret I am not a big fan. It is not warm enough for cold weather. You are not going to spend a night out in winter just wrapped in it. And it is too hot for when the weather is nice or when you are moving or doing any other activity. During those times you have to remove it and put it somewhere. It is big and heavy for what it is. I find fill based insulation better suited for the role.
 

Hedgecrafter

Nomad
Feb 23, 2014
306
0
Suffolk
I can really relate to that mark.
My first trip out with the Suffolk group I had a 100ltr pack and a 60ltr hold all because I wanted to try out loads of stuff.

The next time I went my goal was simply to walk in and walk out without any help. I managed Itami I was plenty happy with that. If the site was more than I mile from the car I would probably have needed to take a break. But that's more to do with my fitness than my equipment.
Without spending money and replacing my equipment for lighter weight gear I don't think I could get it much lighter.

So that leaves me to spend time out in the woods and figure out what I need and what I can leave.
 

tent peg

Nomad
Jan 13, 2014
297
3
Sherwood Forest
love the OP very philosophical. It had made me think harder about the stuff I have been pondering for a while.

If I'm being honest, I'm just a general outdoors kinda person and all my hobbies merge. My typical pack contains lots of things, some of them hikey, some of them climby, some of them kayaky, Some of them bushcrafty, all mixed into one. How often do I use them for proper bushcraft? probably about 2% of the time, and then not very hard stuff.

Is a river kayak out to a wood and a stealth camp underneath a tarp with a wood burning/meths SAT stove bushcraft?

Its it bushcraft when I stir my tea with a titanium spork and crack open a readymeal/rationpack with my mora classic? I'm not so sure :)

There is a difference between playing army/explorer/mountaineer (what I do most of the time) and bushcraft (what I fool myself into thinking it is) and IMO the kit I collect is just not necessary for the latter.

The latter (bushcraft) is about ancient art, craft and folklore. A knowledge of the environment and plantlife and animal life. About using nature and choosing nature. All the sil nylon in the world is not going to give me that.

Time for me to study.
 

MarkinLondon

Nomad
May 17, 2013
325
1
Bedfordshire
The funny part is that my stuff isn't really fitting into the Italian rucksack. It has less to do with small gear, like a fire kit or flashlight,a nd much more to do with clothing and sleeping gear. By the time I pack a groundsheet, small sleeping pad, rain jacket and fleece, I'm well over what the pack will deal with and am back to my larger duffel, which is a bit too bad, because I'd really like to be able to spend a two-nighter out of that rucksack. It's of an appropriately medium size, and my sense is that I should be able to plan and pack better and make it work. I love this stuff.
 

Haggis

Nomad
When I was much younger, I spent many a cold and miserable night in the bush. Usually due to building too large a fire, too early in the evening, and burning away the wood I'd gathered to the night. The whole "less is more" idea hadn't yet occurred to me; build a tighter shelter, build a smaller fire, set closer to it. I'm not sure what "bushcraft" means, but I think it might mean "bush" craft. Craft what I need from the bush; the more I craft form the bush, the less I need from the supply stores. If I carry absolutely everything I need in a pack on my back, the bush has nothing to offer but an opportunity to use my store purchased kit. Certainly there are laws now that forbid certain "bush" craft activities: some places forbid browse beds, some places , or seasons, forbid open fires, some places require a strict adherence to "leave no trace" ideology, and one must carry something in their kit to compensate barriers to "bush" craft. I like my gadgets as much as any one, but I dislike needing them or needing to carry them, so I choose the smallest and lightest gadgets I can find, and still, I usually end up not using them "out there". Someone, here on this forum, just a while back, mentioned imagining an "old aborigine leaning against a tree". If I think on "bush" craft, I too can imagine this old aborigine, or a friend to the other fellow's aborigine, leaning against his tree, armed with only a breach clout and a stick, carrying nothing, and having been on "walk about" these last few years.

(By the by, whomever first mentioned the Italian Rucksack; thanks a lot, now I've purchased yet another pack to leave for the Grand-Darlings to squabble over.)
 

Haggis

Nomad
That was me, the OP… and I'm digging my new rucksack. :)

I was looking at the Frost River Vintage Pack for a while, and along comes this talk an Italian Rucksack, and youtube videos. Turns out, the Italian Rucksack is just about the same size as the FB Vintage Pack, and and with more options, and at a fraction of the cost. My Good Son, on seeing that I had ordered one, ordered one himself. Thanks for mentioning it, you have saved me a lot of money.

A real good look at the Italian Rucksack and what it will hold,,,

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SuVWobgWt98
 
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peaks

Settler
May 16, 2009
722
5
Derbys
Hi where did you get the pack from fellas? Can't seem to find any for sale on the web at present...

Thanks in anticipation
 

Haggis

Nomad
I found several places that had the pack, but most cost more for the shipping than the pack. I finally found a place on ebay that had the cheapest shipping,,, total price $40.40, about a quarter the price of the similarly sized Frost River Vintage Pack I've been looking at. It didn't really "save" me any money I suppose, I'll simply spend the difference on more gadgets, but in the big picture, I GET MORE GADGETS!!!!
 

Haggis

Nomad

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