Persuade me to go light?!

[Limey Pete]

It is important for members to debate what is right or wrong on the forum in order for everyone to learn new things.
For instance I thought carrying a four pound ten ounce frying pan was not Bushcraft.
I thought it was as justified as a one legged Tarzan.
Yet one member put me on ignore and I received a veiled threat from admin. What was revealing was that nobody agreed with me, yet I doubt many members here lug around a four pound ten ounce frying in their packs.
I did think at the time that I am dealing with a bunch of clowns here and put on a question: What tin opener do you use.?
I expected most would not know about the P 38, but most did, and I decided they are not the clowns that I thought.
Calling another member names, and lurking trying to spot a member's spelling mistake is trolling.
Agree to disagree, and forget the four pound ten ounce frying pan.
You know it makes sense. lol

PS I think titanium tent pegs are a joke.

 

[Limey Pete]

It's easy for us to forget that, for newcomers to the forum, it is not clear that we have members who are qualified archaeologists; Mesolithic, Neolithic and bronze age experts and students; leather, wood, textile, fibre, and bone artists and craftsmen; bowyers, archers, hunters, anglers, and flint knappers; trekkers of deserts, jungle, forests and ice; mountain climbers; woodsmen and foresters; travellers by foot, canoe, and sledge; specialists in ethnobotany; experts in foraging plants and fungi for food and utility; teachers and instructors for a wide range of skills; yes, and even survival experts

However, if a person's cup is already full, there is no room for more tea

Yes it is not clear Broch. They seem very reluctant to pass on their skills . . .

 

[Wayland]

Having been here a while I would have to say that the majority of members on this forum are very willing to pass on their skills, both online and in person at the various meet ups that have been arranged through the forum and otherwise. After half a century of outdoor activity I learn new things here quite frequently because I am actually open to the fact that I still have many things left to discover. Perhaps I could even learn something from you.

However, where some of the old hands do tend to get a bit testy is when someone appears out of nowhere and starts mouthing off and pretending they know better than everybody else, when it appears, quite plainly, that they have very few social skills to support the extraordinary experiences they claim to have had.

 

[Erbswurst]

That is just a wrong translation.
That mostly are titanium shashlik spits.

 

[TeeDee]

It is important for members to debate what is right or wrong on the forum in order for everyone to learn new things.
For instance I thought carrying a four pound ten ounce frying pan was not Bushcraft.
I thought it was as justified as a one legged Tarzan.
Yet one member put me on ignore and I received a veiled threat from admin. What was revealing was that nobody agreed with me, yet I doubt many members here lug around a four pound ten ounce frying in their packs.
I did think at the time that I am dealing with a bunch of clowns here and put on a question: What tin opener do you use.?
I expected most would not know about the P 38, but most did, and I decided they are not the clowns that I thought.
Calling another member names, and lurking trying to spot a member's spelling mistake is trolling.
Agree to disagree, and forget the four pound ten ounce frying pan.
You know it makes sense. lol

PS I think titanium tent pegs are a joke.

Its not the debate people will object to or take any mild offensive too.
Its the NATURE in which that person is choosing to put forward the difference of opinion and comment upon how others are subjectively 'wrong' for not seeing it in the same manner.

Its about HOW you explain your difference of opinion, - Not that you possess one.

Maybe you would be best served in returning to what you posted and re-read it.



P.S Thanks for cleaning up the outstanding issue regarding Clowns and circus folk in general - it was a real concern for a while but now that we have an authority on the subject present I can sleep easier.

 

[Paul_B]

I remember watching a RM programme about those us rangers from the past who led a raid far across country. A real tale of backcountry exploits. I doubt that most here would say their skills used weren't bushcraft but I also doubt they were using 50% primitive skills.

And what are primitive skills anyway? Are you talking Fflint napping or the skills of say first nations? I don't think the skills of first nations as being primitive at all but quite sophisticated. If a hunter gatherer society uses boiling and leaching to remove toxic compounds from a good source of carbohydrates in my opinion that's a technology that's actually quite sophisticated and not primitive.

I also wonder, going back to my first paragraph, whether those rangers would have preferred modern rangers or special forces kit if it was available back then. It makes me wonder whether LP is just choosing his era of human tech for enjoying the outdoors with, AIUI there's a guy on here that uses older style kit that those rangers might have appreciated. I think he's called le loup. Whatever you choose to carry to get out there is your choice and criticism of it because its not your way can get backs up.

PS not understanding the Walt reference does imply a younger mind IMHO. I think some could be on the right track. Although I'll continue with the benefit of doubt and keep reading his wisdom.

 

[Erbswurst]

Nowadays you can camp in the woods using a modern mountaineering equipment and nearly don't need any old skills.

Otherwise there isn't really such a huge difference between Ötzi's equipment and the equipment that I currently use myself. Or if I compare that with my old WW2 stuff or the equipment from @Le Loup.

You need with each of these equipments nearly the same skillset. And in my opinion this skillset is bushcraft in a closer meaning.

I am no bow hunter. But otherwise I could swap my equipment with Ötzi without any problem, we just would need to teach each other how the fire lighter works exactly. The rest of the stuff is more or less the same.

 

[oldtimer]

I was grateful to cipherdias for starting this thread because I share the same problem and despite 75 years of Bushcrafting, I too, need to learn something new.

I knew that sensible replies to the OP would follow because over the 16 years I have been a member here, I have been impressed by the varied expertise and experience of members. Although some new, young members have also recently made useful contributions to the pool of wisdom. For example, I have learned a lot about varieties of cheese recently!

It is a pity that this useful thread has been diverted and degenerated. I am reminded of some sayings of my grandmother:-

"When you are new anywhere, keep your eyes open, your ears open and your mouth shut."

"You are never too old to learn."

"Empty barrels make the most noise."

 

[TLM]

"When you are new anywhere, keep your eyes open, your ears open and your mouth shut."

"You are never too old to learn."

"Empty barrels make the most noise."

This is not from anyone's grandmother but fits at the end well:
"The older I get the more exceptions I learn."

 

[Erbswurst]

Ladies and Gentlemen, I own a very well tested lightweight equipment that is really affordable and currently easily available.

The selection contains outstanding practical, very light equipment, that mainly is further developed classical stuff, patterns that most of you surely have used or seen during the last decades, but made in a lighter version.
Most of it is currently issued very light modern NATO equipment. Less important pieces are civil good quality items.

I currently don't have the time and energy to write an article about it but I will do that later. When I will do it, I will do it like this, that also a beginner has a chance to understand it.

But if there is someone who has decades of experience and a bit of pocket money, I could easily give him a shopping list.

For him the equipment that I use is self explaining, because the patterns are to the older generation as usual as a roll of toilet paper.

So, if someone really wants to invest into some lightweight equipment now, he should drop me a personal message.

I can imagine that we would develop together another lightweight version and bring that later back to the forum.

I got during the last two years a few perhaps better ideas and someone who needs a new lightweight equipment anyway could try that out. It would become even more handy than my own equipment and fit better into British weather conditions, as my own stuff is selected for France and Germany.

 

[Wayland]

I've not put you on ignore, I've just been doing things far more interesting than listening to your whining.

If you cannot tell how much you are irritating people from the responses you are getting, then, as I mentioned before, you seem to lack the social skills that I would expect from a person with the broad experience that you claim to have.

You mentioned in your own posts that you were surprised that no one jumped to your defence. Have you considered the fact that perhaps no one wanted to defend you because they just didn't like the way you were behaving?

 

[Limey Pete]

I've not put you on ignore, I've just been doing things far more interesting than listening to your whining.

If you cannot tell how much you are irritating people from the responses you are getting, then, as I mentioned before, you seem to lack the social skills that I would expect from a person with the broad experience that you claim to have.

You mentioned in your own posts that you were surprised that no one jumped to your defence. Have you considered the fact that perhaps no one wanted to defend you because they just didn't like the way you were behaving?

I did not say you put me on ignore, I suggested that you do. Me whining. check the posts I am not the one whining.
Yet again a member here does not read my post properly. Go back and read my post.
I want to make clear I do not value social skills but do Bushcraft skills. Your statement that I lack social skill does not offend me one bit.
If the way I behaved stopped members agreeing with me, I do not want their support. I am not a politicians trying for votes. I am sorry I hurt some member's feelings and lost their support.
I hope they get over it.

 

[Limey Pete]

In addition I have just checked your website and see that you do not use a four pound ten ounce frying pan. You use a billy can. please explain why you do not use a four pound ten ounce frying pan. or is that an embarrassing question?

 

[Tvividr]

Many years since I used to be active here, but as I was lurking in the shadows I got provoked by the comments on using a certain weight frying pan was not bushcraft…
Kak man !! Why should a certain weight define what is and what is not bushcraft ??
I grew up in Africa, and my brother and I used to bushwalk either alone, or together with the herdboys. Sometimes we were out for several days at a time with only very basic equipment (blanket, knife, kettie/slingshot and not much more), doing what we all now call bushcraft, although we ourselves did not have a name for it then. Sometimes we cooked directly on the fire, and sometimes in a pot.
A four pound ten ounce frying pan is a piece of cake. On several trips in the bush we used a halfsize (1/2) Falkirk cast iron potjie with a weight of about 8 pounds (I still have the pot, and I just checked), and yes we did carry the blimming thing with us as far as 14-15 km from the nearest gravel road.
That pot was all we had available to use, and yes…we did buy more lightweight stainless steel billycans as soon as we could afford it, but don’t tell me that by using that heavy potjie we were not doing bushcraft.

I have a photo here to prove it, but it seems that I can not post photos directly from my computer, only urls Anyway….with regard to the thread title, my advice will be…..don’t buy a potjie for travelling light…!

 

[TeeDee]

Many years since I used to be active here, but as I was lurking in the shadows I got provoked by the comments on using a certain weight frying pan was not bushcraft…
Kak man !! Why should a certain weight define what is and what is not bushcraft ??
I grew up in Africa, and my brother and I used to bushwalk either alone, or together with the herdboys. Sometimes we were out for several days at a time with only very basic equipment (blanket, knife, kettie/slingshot and not much more), doing what we all now call bushcraft, although we ourselves did not have a name for it then. Sometimes we cooked directly on the fire, and sometimes in a pot.
A four pound ten ounce frying pan is a piece of cake. On several trips in the bush we used a halfsize (1/2) Falkirk cast iron potjie with a weight of about 8 pounds (I still have the pot, and I just checked), and yes we did carry the blimming thing with us as far as 14-15 km from the nearest gravel road.
That pot was all we had available to use, and yes…we did buy more lightweight stainless steel billycans as soon as we could afford it, but don’t tell me that by using that heavy potjie we were not doing bushcraft.

I have a photo here to prove it, but it seems that I can not post photos directly from my computer, only urls Anyway….with regard to the thread title, my advice will be…..don’t buy a potjie for travelling light…!

I can't think of anywhere more 'bush' than Africa.

 

[JonathanD]

I know a certain well known authority on the subject of bushcraft that carries a 4/5 pound long handled pan on his canoe trips. He cooks everything from bannock, fish, meat and bacon in there. Not something I’d want to carry, but as long has he’s carrying it and not me, what’s the problem? And he’s forgotten more than 90% of the members here will ever know.

 

[Erbswurst]

I was told that the British army issues a little multitool that is similar to the US GI can opener P 38 but it is one full gram lighter and works the other way round and is called a TTP 65, a Tommy Tin Opener, created in Portsmouth in the year 1765, according to British traffic regulations. Nickname in the navy would be just "The Nelson".

Is that true?

 

[billycoen]

I had a quick look,and there was a British Army opener with MORFED stamped on it,i think it may have been from WW1 .I'm not too sure,but with ration packs as they are now there may not be a reason to have an opener issued.

 

[JonathanD]

There’s only one can opener I’ve ever used. Both military and civilian life.

 

[JonathanD]

In fact this is the very one. Had it since 1988 and still used as it sits in the kitchen drawer.