my local Works book shop is selling Bushcraft by Ray Mears for only £2.99 so hurry down to your local works and see if they have any
Ray Mears Bushcraft going for £2.99
- Thread starter warthog1981
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Cor, very good value then!
I've had long conversations with people (they know who they are) who are annoyed and critical of this and the cut down version, because it doesn't appear to go into enough detail as to how to actually do the things illustrated. I can grant these points, but feel that the book has most value as something to spark inspiration in people.
Back in 2002 a group of Scoutleaders in my district had a weekend get-together at a local camp site. One of them brought along this (as I saw it at the time) extraordinary book, that was crammed full of ideas, pictures and advice. I'd seen a few of Ray Mears programmes before, but never really looked below the surface of them. Then there was this book, Bushcraft...
All of a sudden I saw - really for the first time - what Scouting could be about: Getting out, learning what you're capable of, building shelters, making fires, axework, knifework... This was all stuff that I had been trying to learn as I muddled my way through trying to lead my Troop (The role of Scoutleader had been thrust upon me when "Skip" dissapeared off the scene a couple of months previously), but now I had a context to put it into and it seemed to fall into place. All thanks to that book.
So as I said above, I'll accept that Bushcraft may not be the best "How to" book on the subject - but as an introduction and an inspiration it is dead on.
I've had long conversations with people (they know who they are) who are annoyed and critical of this and the cut down version, because it doesn't appear to go into enough detail as to how to actually do the things illustrated. I can grant these points, but feel that the book has most value as something to spark inspiration in people.
Back in 2002 a group of Scoutleaders in my district had a weekend get-together at a local camp site. One of them brought along this (as I saw it at the time) extraordinary book, that was crammed full of ideas, pictures and advice. I'd seen a few of Ray Mears programmes before, but never really looked below the surface of them. Then there was this book, Bushcraft...
All of a sudden I saw - really for the first time - what Scouting could be about: Getting out, learning what you're capable of, building shelters, making fires, axework, knifework... This was all stuff that I had been trying to learn as I muddled my way through trying to lead my Troop (The role of Scoutleader had been thrust upon me when "Skip" dissapeared off the scene a couple of months previously), but now I had a context to put it into and it seemed to fall into place. All thanks to that book.
So as I said above, I'll accept that Bushcraft may not be the best "How to" book on the subject - but as an introduction and an inspiration it is dead on.
Well said Womble.
I find either version of Ray's "Bushcraft" much more easy to interpret and understand than Kochanski's "Bushcraft" too.
Dave
I find either version of Ray's "Bushcraft" much more easy to interpret and understand than Kochanski's "Bushcraft" too.
Dave
Womble
All the bushcraft stuff is what BP wanted Scouts to do along with animal tracking spooring.. deductive reasoning etc... that's what i thought when i read Scouting for Boys as a Wolf Cub. I didnt join the scouts. But as a young adult helped scouts do all the adventurous things that BP wanted them to do.
Now i have recently returned to scouts as a helper i see that scouts have moved from the active, outside, bushcraft, survival, adventurous activity to a boys club with "safe" activities.... certificates to make activities safe and therefore not adventures.
The recent reprint of the 1908 edition of Scouting for Boys reminded me how good BP's original ideas were and how similar to Ray Mears's (ex Scout i believe) survival techniques.
Scouting is still a good way of carrying out bushcraft activities but as i've always said, "Scouting is too good for Boys".
All the bushcraft stuff is what BP wanted Scouts to do along with animal tracking spooring.. deductive reasoning etc... that's what i thought when i read Scouting for Boys as a Wolf Cub. I didnt join the scouts. But as a young adult helped scouts do all the adventurous things that BP wanted them to do.
Now i have recently returned to scouts as a helper i see that scouts have moved from the active, outside, bushcraft, survival, adventurous activity to a boys club with "safe" activities.... certificates to make activities safe and therefore not adventures.
The recent reprint of the 1908 edition of Scouting for Boys reminded me how good BP's original ideas were and how similar to Ray Mears's (ex Scout i believe) survival techniques.
Scouting is still a good way of carrying out bushcraft activities but as i've always said, "Scouting is too good for Boys".
I have to agree with above the adventure has been lost and so are many of the skills.
Camping without a tent is surivial training. To me that's just silly.
Also in Scouting for Boys the woodcraft(campcraft) section is taken straight from Nessmuks Woodcraft.
Ray has but the information in to easy and colourful snippits th get the mind working so actually get out there and experiment which is what BP wanted as well.
Camping without a tent is surivial training. To me that's just silly.
Also in Scouting for Boys the woodcraft(campcraft) section is taken straight from Nessmuks Woodcraft.
Ray has but the information in to easy and colourful snippits th get the mind working so actually get out there and experiment which is what BP wanted as well.
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