He's not told you what you can or can't take, or what you can or can't do, his blog is just a reflection of his thoughts and observations. Its a good blog with many valid posts and well worth reading through them all.
Some food for thought...
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He's not told you what you can or can't take, or what you can or can't do, his blog is just a reflection of his thoughts and observations. Its a good blog with many valid posts and well worth reading through them all.
The blog post makes a number of points but the salient one for me is that
In the pursuit of skills, I had lost the spirit of adventure that originally drew me to the woods. I didn’t start this so I can barbeque in a camp site, carve spoons, or coordinate my wardrobe, so it looks more “authentic”. I got into it because I wanted to be like the explorers of old; travel through the woods; living with the gear I had on my back; discovering places I had never seen.
He does make some points I relate to, but for me, I go to the woods like other people go to the pub. The beer's cheaper, the company's often better and I find you get such dirty looks when you start making fires in pubs! Lol The "skills" I practise are more to pass the time than to make me in to Mr Survivor. Much like in the pub people play pool or darts with no intension of going pro. Having said that, I'm the years to come as the children get older and I get more free time I would like to venture further and for longer, and then what I've practiced may well come in handy even if it just means I can carry less kit.
But ultimately, if it makes you happy and doesn't hurt anyone else, who cares what you get up to!
Cheers
Mat
But ultimately, if it makes you happy and doesn't hurt anyone else, who cares what you get up to!
Cheers
Mat
He raises some really good and valid points, as do all the other contributors here. It reckon that it's the differing perceptions of bushcraft that present the main bone of contention. For the blogger (perhaps a bushcraft purist?), he seems disappointed by what he sees as the car camping brigade who simply prefer to pitch their shelters in the woods; but, as has been said, 'bushcraft' is a "broad kirk" in which everyone brings and does what they can and will in the woods, irrespective of their kit and the investment they made in that.
The ideal, perhaps, is that we should all "go wherever (we) want in the forest with the gear (we have) on (our) backs" but surely any interest in and engagement with the outdoors should be encouraged, even if you are only a few yards from your vehicle? For a good number, the bushcraft that they currently practise does take them to places they have never seen, does give them that sense of freedom and does allow them to live with the gear they carry in their (cavernous) packs.
Yes, there are a good number of valid points in the blog that will make me reassess my own practise of 'bushcraft'. It is an interesting personal reflection but it is not a call to arms to all bushcraft fundamentalists to get angry with those who might be seen as mere dabblers. As far as I'm concerned, anyone who makes the effort to get out and enjoy the woods or the outdoors in all its myriad guises, should be championed rather than reviled.
The ideal, perhaps, is that we should all "go wherever (we) want in the forest with the gear (we have) on (our) backs" but surely any interest in and engagement with the outdoors should be encouraged, even if you are only a few yards from your vehicle? For a good number, the bushcraft that they currently practise does take them to places they have never seen, does give them that sense of freedom and does allow them to live with the gear they carry in their (cavernous) packs.
Yes, there are a good number of valid points in the blog that will make me reassess my own practise of 'bushcraft'. It is an interesting personal reflection but it is not a call to arms to all bushcraft fundamentalists to get angry with those who might be seen as mere dabblers. As far as I'm concerned, anyone who makes the effort to get out and enjoy the woods or the outdoors in all its myriad guises, should be championed rather than reviled.
He He.. How true.
I hate hotels, I don't like guest houses much more. When I travel around either for work or my photography I'd rather camp out or even sleep in my van at times. I just like that independence I suppose.
I used to backpack more than I do now, truth is I suppose I'm getting older and I'm happy to base camp and explore an area without it all on my back these days.
I thoroughly enjoyed my recent trip to Norway but more for the chance to broaden my experience than for all the yomping about.
I do see learning as a means to expand the possibilities of what I can achieve, but it has more to do with being comfortable outdoors than being able to carry a pack 20 miles a day for me.
YAY! I like that one, I wonder if Ross (the blogger and a member here) is aware of our chat about his blog, Its a very good blog indeed!
The skills 'bushcrafters' practice are in fact a kind of living history re enactment. Most are essential living skills from prior to the industrial revolution. Making a fire is an essential living skill that was in regular use in every house up until about 40 or 50 years ago. The current generation have no idea what it is like to wake up in a house that has no central heating and have ice on the inside of the windows. This was commonplace in my childhood but has been lost in less than a generation.
I love central heating but it is reliant on the gas supply, if it runs out I have more skills than the average 'sit on my jacksee and watch TV in my warm house' kind of bloke so I can do something about it. But, I do enjoy the social interaction of sitting around a campfire with a group of guys I just met, downing tinnies and no electronics in sight.
I love central heating but it is reliant on the gas supply, if it runs out I have more skills than the average 'sit on my jacksee and watch TV in my warm house' kind of bloke so I can do something about it. But, I do enjoy the social interaction of sitting around a campfire with a group of guys I just met, downing tinnies and no electronics in sight.
I think people get to hung up on words and labels.
End of the day everyone here has a passion for the outdoors THAT's why i'm here.
That's really what makes this forum better than the others i've looked at.
We have canoeists, hikers, backpackers, foragers, hammock dwellers, tent dwellers, there are folks that like to make things rather than buy things and other folks that buy things rather than make things, then there are those at varying degrees of each.
I love reading about these foraging reports, personally i don't forage but i do enjoy learning.
I love reading the reports on journeys, from a trip to the local woods through to the trips to Norway.
I am astonished by the skills that some on here have with wood, steel, leather etc.
There is a certain amount of snobbery here no doubt.
Some folks seem to think that if you don't wear wool and make your own clothes that your less entitled to enjoy the outdoors, but that's their problem not the forums and these people are few and far between.
End of the day we are all here because we love the outdoors.
I don't honestly see as it makes any difference if we wear different clothes, start fires a different, as long as we enjoy it who cares what anyone else thinks.
and that IMO is where the writer went wrong.
If he enjoyed hiking more than car camping then why would he choose to do it over something he loves, makes no sense to me.
Cheers
Mark
End of the day everyone here has a passion for the outdoors THAT's why i'm here.
That's really what makes this forum better than the others i've looked at.
We have canoeists, hikers, backpackers, foragers, hammock dwellers, tent dwellers, there are folks that like to make things rather than buy things and other folks that buy things rather than make things, then there are those at varying degrees of each.
I love reading about these foraging reports, personally i don't forage but i do enjoy learning.
I love reading the reports on journeys, from a trip to the local woods through to the trips to Norway.
I am astonished by the skills that some on here have with wood, steel, leather etc.
There is a certain amount of snobbery here no doubt.
Some folks seem to think that if you don't wear wool and make your own clothes that your less entitled to enjoy the outdoors, but that's their problem not the forums and these people are few and far between.
End of the day we are all here because we love the outdoors.
I don't honestly see as it makes any difference if we wear different clothes, start fires a different, as long as we enjoy it who cares what anyone else thinks.
and that IMO is where the writer went wrong.
If he enjoyed hiking more than car camping then why would he choose to do it over something he loves, makes no sense to me.
Cheers
Mark
Ross does the car/base camping and the hiking IIRC
Bushwaker Bob said (snippet) "The skills 'bushcrafters' practice are in fact a kind of living history re enactment" That very statement does show how this forum has changed over the last six years or so. I said similar years ago and got a real verbal hammering off some folk here, nonetheless its very true however I believe that the shortage of space in the UK, no wilderness/bush in forest terms does restrict obviously just how far you can hike and by way of compensation the base camping/uniform/spoon carving has grown and nothing wrong in that.
Really when you look at some meets here where there is instruction in fire lighting, plant I.D. et al they are to all intent and purpose reminicent of the Boy Scout camps I attended as a child, the main difference being that the majority in attendance are adult and of course the uniform is different
Not having a pop, just my observations, the main thing is to get out and enjoy yourself whether you be 'Buscrafting' or glamping; the end result should be the same, i.e. time spent outdoors in good company if in a group or just chilling out if on a solo trip.
Bushwaker Bob said (snippet) "The skills 'bushcrafters' practice are in fact a kind of living history re enactment" That very statement does show how this forum has changed over the last six years or so. I said similar years ago and got a real verbal hammering off some folk here, nonetheless its very true however I believe that the shortage of space in the UK, no wilderness/bush in forest terms does restrict obviously just how far you can hike and by way of compensation the base camping/uniform/spoon carving has grown and nothing wrong in that.
Really when you look at some meets here where there is instruction in fire lighting, plant I.D. et al they are to all intent and purpose reminicent of the Boy Scout camps I attended as a child, the main difference being that the majority in attendance are adult and of course the uniform is different
Not having a pop, just my observations, the main thing is to get out and enjoy yourself whether you be 'Buscrafting' or glamping; the end result should be the same, i.e. time spent outdoors in good company if in a group or just chilling out if on a solo trip.
Bob, my thoughts are well known and if you or I post with similar views then great, no problem at my end
lets get that four season gear out and used and not used in the garden et al.
Aaaaah, who cares. I use 'bushcraft' skills in my job to get the best from my job and to obtain results as well as doing daft stuff in my spare time that also comes under that 'bushcraft' brolly of skills. What I term as bushcraft skills and what they mean to me will not meet 95% of this forums views on what bushcraft is. So in short, we should look under the vast umbrella that encompasses 'bushcraft' skills and take what we want and enjoy the outdoors in whatever way we wish without damaging it. And enjoy our time here discussing it too.
Well said. My thoughts exactly. It's about getting out, doing whatever you like, however you like and just enjoying yourself, alone or in the company of other like minded folks.
I've heard this said here many times before but I've never detected it myself.
Yes there are people, like myself, that make a lot of our own gear but I also buy gear if it does what I want it to or I buy stuff and modify it at times.
I don't think anybody looks down on people that lack the means or confidence to do that themselves. The most I've ever been aware of is encouraging people to have a go.
As for the wool and natural materials thing, there is certainly a polarisation of opinions on their benefits or otherwise and I will hold my hand up and say that I'm a strong supporter of the stuff.
That doesn't stop me having a Goretex jacket in the van for getting out in foul conditions. It's all about fitness for task.
On the subject of "uniform" that is an impression I can see how people easily form. I think it comes about because compared to the general outdoor equipment market we are a very small subsection and therefore of limited interest to manufacturers and suppliers.
What tends to happen is that someone finds an item that suits fits their requirements, posts about it on the forum and because many of us share the same requirements there is a natural tendency towards buying the same kit.
Ironically, it is the people that make their own stuff who stand the most chance of escaping this uniformity but often don't.
In the end, I don't think this is anything to get a bee in your wide brimmed leather hat about, as has been said, the thing we ought to celebrate here is the diversity of people and their interests.
Hi,
Very nice thread OP, as you said, food for thought.
Since I started practicing "bushcraft" I have often found myself thinking these same things, especially because where I live, not many people know about bushcraft.
So being the only one interested in bushcraft among a company of "backpapkers" or "campers" or w/e, I was somehow different from them. My gear was different, my clothing was different and my whole attitude was beginning to differ, while we ALL spent roughly the same amount of time in the woods and did similar things. And from some of my friends the question of "What's the point?" was raised to me.
Well, there is a great difference! For me bushcraft is a path to knowledge, nothing more nothing less. It is this deep understanding of nature that most of us seek here I believe. At the first steps of this path, such questions may arise. But its after some time that you begin to understand why you are doing it. Others that have not taken this path will never understand nature in the way that we do, and the gear can only take you so far.
Actions in bushcraft are based on knowledge. Knowledge that is very hard to come and that takes time. You begin to understand the surrounding better. You begin to understand the mechanisms that are in motion around you. You have to commit yourself to this process and give it some time. And then you see the results, not only compared to others, but you feel it. You feel like home more and more every day while being deep in nature.
So what I really want to say is that bushcraft is not the fancy knife, its a philosophy.
Very nice thread OP, as you said, food for thought.
Since I started practicing "bushcraft" I have often found myself thinking these same things, especially because where I live, not many people know about bushcraft.
So being the only one interested in bushcraft among a company of "backpapkers" or "campers" or w/e, I was somehow different from them. My gear was different, my clothing was different and my whole attitude was beginning to differ, while we ALL spent roughly the same amount of time in the woods and did similar things. And from some of my friends the question of "What's the point?" was raised to me.
Well, there is a great difference! For me bushcraft is a path to knowledge, nothing more nothing less. It is this deep understanding of nature that most of us seek here I believe. At the first steps of this path, such questions may arise. But its after some time that you begin to understand why you are doing it. Others that have not taken this path will never understand nature in the way that we do, and the gear can only take you so far.
Actions in bushcraft are based on knowledge. Knowledge that is very hard to come and that takes time. You begin to understand the surrounding better. You begin to understand the mechanisms that are in motion around you. You have to commit yourself to this process and give it some time. And then you see the results, not only compared to others, but you feel it. You feel like home more and more every day while being deep in nature.
So what I really want to say is that bushcraft is not the fancy knife, its a philosophy.
Whittler Kev
Bushcrafter (boy, I've got a lot to say!)
Well said. I do it when I get the chance and also dependent on this weeks mobility probs
The only snobbery Ive seen here is in reverse, when people get all high an mighty about the low cost of their kit, "my style must be better because I can do with my £1 kit what you can do with your £400 kit" silly really, WHO CARES! really what does it matter whether some thing is cheap or expensive, its all relative, just a reason for a moan I guess, a bit like this
I havent posted on here for ages, and maybe its time to jump back in...
I liked the observations in the OP, and most of the replies, though differing, have that ring of truth to them.
For me, and this is an honest, and laying myself open to ridicule answer, but;
I enjoy being outside, whether fishing, walking, eating or whatever, I love the sound of rain on canvas, and I love being warm n dry 'cos I'm wearing the right gear.
As a child I read and watched so many Tarzan stories where the hero strode through the jungle with just his knife and a rope, I watched Grizzly Adams living in the back woods and it all just appealled to me, so for me as for many people its just an oppurtunity to revert to childhood and do something pointless just for the sake of it!
I liked the observations in the OP, and most of the replies, though differing, have that ring of truth to them.
For me, and this is an honest, and laying myself open to ridicule answer, but;
I enjoy being outside, whether fishing, walking, eating or whatever, I love the sound of rain on canvas, and I love being warm n dry 'cos I'm wearing the right gear.
As a child I read and watched so many Tarzan stories where the hero strode through the jungle with just his knife and a rope, I watched Grizzly Adams living in the back woods and it all just appealled to me, so for me as for many people its just an oppurtunity to revert to childhood and do something pointless just for the sake of it!
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