Like a thousand times!
I think I posted a rather long winded reply but younailed it in just two sentences.
Please teach me brevity, Sensei!
What are the aims & purpose of Bushcrafting?
- Thread starter Le Loup
- Start date
I think I posted a rather long winded reply but younailed it in just two sentences.
Please teach me brevity, Sensei!
Your bush-fu is weak! Go home, wax on and wax off for 5 years, then come back.Please teach me brevity, Sensei!
If it keeps you sane... its Bushcraft. One thing I have seen is that some folk have all this amazing reproduction / hand made kit but then need a 4x4 vehicle to get it to site. Me, I sleep in a hammock which is pure 21st century but I sleep warm and sleep well in a wood which "could" be 3000 years old.
In the places where you camp, aka "hang your hammock", how do the major nutrient elements flow through your environment? Follow sulfur as the other will be in tandem. Who benefits most immediately from eroded and dissolved mineral sulfur? Who is next? Sulfur poor from scrap iron or sulfur rich?
If I compare my own packing list with Ötzi's equipment I am quite unsure if in the last 5300 years the stuff really did change so much and surely my stuff was cheaper than his:
At the man:
fur cap, bearskin
hide coat, sheepskin and goatskin
belt, cattle leather
attachment tool for small game
leggings, goat skin
loincloth, sheepskin
shoes, cattle leather, bear skin soles
shoelaces, cattle leather
grass instead of socks
belt pouch
scraper
drill
flint flake
awl, bone
medical fungus
flint & pyrite (lighter)
tinder fungus
backpack with outer frame
cloak / insulation mat of woven grass
axe, copper with 60 cm yew handle
knife chert blade / ash handle
longbow, yew
14 arrows with flint heads
sharpening tool, antler
birch bark tin contains
fire lighting kit
embers in fresh leaves
birch bark tin contains
berries
An other theory is that he didn't carry a rucksack and the frame is a part of snowshoes. In this case he probably didn't carry an insulation mat but the degraded material was a flexible basket, comparable with a breadbag.
At the man:
fur cap, bearskin
hide coat, sheepskin and goatskin
belt, cattle leather
attachment tool for small game
leggings, goat skin
loincloth, sheepskin
shoes, cattle leather, bear skin soles
shoelaces, cattle leather
grass instead of socks
belt pouch
scraper
drill
flint flake
awl, bone
medical fungus
flint & pyrite (lighter)
tinder fungus
backpack with outer frame
cloak / insulation mat of woven grass
axe, copper with 60 cm yew handle
knife chert blade / ash handle
longbow, yew
14 arrows with flint heads
sharpening tool, antler
birch bark tin contains
fire lighting kit
embers in fresh leaves
birch bark tin contains
berries
An other theory is that he didn't carry a rucksack and the frame is a part of snowshoes. In this case he probably didn't carry an insulation mat but the degraded material was a flexible basket, comparable with a breadbag.
Last edited:
Wax on wax off...isn't that Barbour-Ryu.
As for aims and purposes...
Eight years on, and this is still the best description out there that I have seen.
I don't mean any offence here, but an older practitioner seeing that standards are slipping, the young are all about gadgets, not about learning skills, etc, well, I think that coming to see things that way is all but mandatory as you get older, and I am sure that people in their 70s were saying the same sort of thing in the 1960s!
I don't "do bushcraft" either, I just like to travel, camp, hunt, fish and make things that use skills that fall within the centre overlap of that Venn diagram. I think the number of people who go as far as Keith has done have always been a rare minority, rarer still that they stick at it for so long. In years past one might meet such people in person at events, but that was hit and miss. Now with the internet there is greater visibility and accessibility, lots of people who just dabble here and there. There are still people who practice a lot of skills, but a lot of them do not post on forums, do not make videos, and with all the noise from those that do, they are easy to overlook.
As for aims and purposes...
Eight years on, and this is still the best description out there that I have seen.
I don't mean any offence here, but an older practitioner seeing that standards are slipping, the young are all about gadgets, not about learning skills, etc, well, I think that coming to see things that way is all but mandatory as you get older, and I am sure that people in their 70s were saying the same sort of thing in the 1960s!
I don't "do bushcraft" either, I just like to travel, camp, hunt, fish and make things that use skills that fall within the centre overlap of that Venn diagram. I think the number of people who go as far as Keith has done have always been a rare minority, rarer still that they stick at it for so long. In years past one might meet such people in person at events, but that was hit and miss. Now with the internet there is greater visibility and accessibility, lots of people who just dabble here and there. There are still people who practice a lot of skills, but a lot of them do not post on forums, do not make videos, and with all the noise from those that do, they are easy to overlook.
I think, that reading in forums gives a wrong impression.
If I need a new rucksack or rain jacket or gas stove I might ask in a forum what people recommend and why.
I don't ask here how to ignite a fire, or where to set up a poncho shelter, because I know that very well.
I assume that most of us know it too.
If I need a new rucksack or rain jacket or gas stove I might ask in a forum what people recommend and why.
I don't ask here how to ignite a fire, or where to set up a poncho shelter, because I know that very well.
I assume that most of us know it too.
At some point, early or not, many people have a curiosity about the lifestyle of our paleo peoples.
Clearly, the paleo people were capable of living well. Doing what? Was called "camping" in my family.
As I recall, most of it had to do with foraging, fishing, hunting and food preparation.
It is possible to catch and kill wild ducks bare-handed.
It's so very different here, paleo life style activity is alive and well.
There are so many different biogeoclimatic zones that what you see done in Eastern Canada
just won't work in the west coast cedar forests. Must be the same across the UK.
There's a mature adult cougar prowling my end of the village. Big enough to kill the village deer.
Foot prints in fresh snow each night.
Indoors is recommended, don't go out after dark. Never leave your children unattended.
Be very clearly aware of your surroundings even during the day time.
Clearly, the paleo people were capable of living well. Doing what? Was called "camping" in my family.
As I recall, most of it had to do with foraging, fishing, hunting and food preparation.
It is possible to catch and kill wild ducks bare-handed.
It's so very different here, paleo life style activity is alive and well.
There are so many different biogeoclimatic zones that what you see done in Eastern Canada
just won't work in the west coast cedar forests. Must be the same across the UK.
There's a mature adult cougar prowling my end of the village. Big enough to kill the village deer.
Foot prints in fresh snow each night.
Indoors is recommended, don't go out after dark. Never leave your children unattended.
Be very clearly aware of your surroundings even during the day time.
Only Wax On, the off part is kind of automatic.
I find myself agreeing with lots of people here.First I thought one might call that getting actually wiser but then realized that calling it experience is better. First there is gadget A when that fails there are plans B, C, D etc. one tends to become at least slightly cynical with age.
The change from paleo to even late iron age is not really all that much, better tools did not change that one did have to know what to do without them.
When Mors Kochanski used to come to the BushMoots to spend time with us 'bushcrafters' and share his vast knowledge of Bushcraft, he mentioned a couple of times at his frustration with the focus of some people on old skills = bushcraft, he taught us that the people from all those years and centuries ago would have used and taken advantage of any technological developments they could and so we should be happy to do the same.
He wasn't advocating that we abandon older materials and ways of doing things, it's good and sometimes essential that we have a solid foundation and a reliable skill set, but he was pointing out that we should not be blinkered or become too proud to progress and push the boundaries of what is possible now that often wasn't before.
People have the area of skills that they're happy with, want to dwell in and orientate their experiences around and that's cool, but that's not bushcraft, that's a single or just a few aspects of a many faceted lifestyle or hobby that comes under a large umbrella.
I think that was one of the key things I learned from Mors, it wasn't the carving stuff, or the survival shelters, crafts and skills, many of which are essential for general enjoyment and even survival if it hits the fan, it was the open mindedness of what it is to be a bushcrafter and the reminder that back in those old days they used the best of what they could get to survive and flourish.
Those that choose to only practice traditional skills from before the year 1800 or 1900 or 1500, good for them, I think they're amazing, those that combine skills from a hundred years ago with modern materials, good for them, I think they're amazing.
They're amazing because they're doing stuff that gets them out, they're learning about something they're interested in, they have at minimum a base level of skills that they can apply successfully in a tight spot and they've had to work for that. They enjoy the outdoors, respect it and want to share it's good influence with others. If your a traditionalist, I can learn from you, if you're modernist I can learn from you and I personally can become more than I am now. If I view things as there's only one way, my growth is stunted, those that only see bushcraft within fixed parameters are doing themselves a disservice and in my opinion are stunting their own growth and development.
Obviously this is just my opinion, but it's one of the reasons that conversations like this can happen on the forums, alongside conversations about homesteading, camper vans, knives, photography, friction firelighting, cordage, wooden cabins, foraging, gardening tools, soldering, mental health, fitness, conservation, hammocks, books, courses, leatherwork and much much more...
He wasn't advocating that we abandon older materials and ways of doing things, it's good and sometimes essential that we have a solid foundation and a reliable skill set, but he was pointing out that we should not be blinkered or become too proud to progress and push the boundaries of what is possible now that often wasn't before.
People have the area of skills that they're happy with, want to dwell in and orientate their experiences around and that's cool, but that's not bushcraft, that's a single or just a few aspects of a many faceted lifestyle or hobby that comes under a large umbrella.
I think that was one of the key things I learned from Mors, it wasn't the carving stuff, or the survival shelters, crafts and skills, many of which are essential for general enjoyment and even survival if it hits the fan, it was the open mindedness of what it is to be a bushcrafter and the reminder that back in those old days they used the best of what they could get to survive and flourish.
Those that choose to only practice traditional skills from before the year 1800 or 1900 or 1500, good for them, I think they're amazing, those that combine skills from a hundred years ago with modern materials, good for them, I think they're amazing.
They're amazing because they're doing stuff that gets them out, they're learning about something they're interested in, they have at minimum a base level of skills that they can apply successfully in a tight spot and they've had to work for that. They enjoy the outdoors, respect it and want to share it's good influence with others. If your a traditionalist, I can learn from you, if you're modernist I can learn from you and I personally can become more than I am now. If I view things as there's only one way, my growth is stunted, those that only see bushcraft within fixed parameters are doing themselves a disservice and in my opinion are stunting their own growth and development.
Obviously this is just my opinion, but it's one of the reasons that conversations like this can happen on the forums, alongside conversations about homesteading, camper vans, knives, photography, friction firelighting, cordage, wooden cabins, foraging, gardening tools, soldering, mental health, fitness, conservation, hammocks, books, courses, leatherwork and much much more...
Last edited:
We will miss Mors
Didnt someone say that if an Old Master hujjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjxc[p-xxx
<cat tries to get attention..>
if the Old Master went in a modern art shop, he would get the cheapest art box he could, since it would be light years better than his
Didnt someone say that if an Old Master hujjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjxc[p-xxx
<cat tries to get attention..>
if the Old Master went in a modern art shop, he would get the cheapest art box he could, since it would be light years better than his
To be honest, the few professional artists I know, including one that sells his stuff for thousands, use the cheapest paint brushes they can find - they wear them down to stubble in no time anyway.
Bushcraft? Naah.
I don't do that. I go camping, keep an eye open for wildlife and generally ratch about outdoors. This site just happens to have a few other people on that seem into more or less similar stuff, some I learn from and other I can mebbe help out a bit.
So far I've not got the point where I feel I have to define the aims and purpose of this, other than to say I'm just following my interests. Zero pressure there then.
When it gets to the point where there is I'll be giving people an invoice for the time I spend doing it.
I don't do that. I go camping, keep an eye open for wildlife and generally ratch about outdoors. This site just happens to have a few other people on that seem into more or less similar stuff, some I learn from and other I can mebbe help out a bit.
So far I've not got the point where I feel I have to define the aims and purpose of this, other than to say I'm just following my interests. Zero pressure there then.
When it gets to the point where there is I'll be giving people an invoice for the time I spend doing it.
I thought that the Venn diagram sums it up very neatly.
It strikes me that 'bushcraft' is something of a rebranding exercise which makes traditional wilderness living skills seem somehow 'sexier' to a modern clientele. As far as I know, the term was one recycled from Richard Graves, an Australian, whose practices took place in 'the bush'; Le Loup makes the valid point that these skills are, as far as he's concerned, 'woodcraft' - perhaps a more appropriate label for those of us who live in the northern hemisphere.
Ultimately, it is an amalgam of skills, using both older and contemporary skills and equipment, that allows its practitioners to get out into the wilds and enjoy them in a way that isn't necessarily constrained by the need for campsites.
Like so many here, I don't 'do' bushcraft but the skills I have accumulated over time have allowed me to do things differently and to enjoy the outdoors in a broader variety of ways. I still get very excited when lighting a fire using a flint and steel; I feel a deeper satisfaction about sleeping out in the woods under a tarp, even if it is a nylon one. I value - and continue to value - any and all of the new skills that broadens my repertoire when out and about.
Above anything else, I am deeply thankful for being reintroduced to the U.K.'s wilderness areas and being to appreciate them more keenly through the knowledge I have acquired. If that's because of 'bushcraft', 'woodcraft', 'survival', 're-enactment' or 'camping', then I'm deeply thankful to all of them. Ultimately, it really doesn't matter one jot what you call it as long as you enjoy it responsibly, sensitively and considerately.
Last edited:
Love this thread.
I've spent many many years in nature, back packing, exploring, fishing, canoeing, a bit of mountaineering, a lot of navigation, mountain running, foraging the odd fungus, but never considered the word bushcraft. Then I discovered there was such a thing as a ferrocerium rod...
Seriously though, for me, a shift to what you might call bushcraft has been about slowing down. I've always loved navigation, but now I take the time to navigate by the sun. Instead of counting miles, I study the plants and trees around me; plant id is my main passion. I love improving my fire lighting skills and cooking on fire. Any skills and knowledge that help you live and operate in an outdoor environment count as bushcraft, as far as I'm concerned.
I've spent many many years in nature, back packing, exploring, fishing, canoeing, a bit of mountaineering, a lot of navigation, mountain running, foraging the odd fungus, but never considered the word bushcraft. Then I discovered there was such a thing as a ferrocerium rod...
Seriously though, for me, a shift to what you might call bushcraft has been about slowing down. I've always loved navigation, but now I take the time to navigate by the sun. Instead of counting miles, I study the plants and trees around me; plant id is my main passion. I love improving my fire lighting skills and cooking on fire. Any skills and knowledge that help you live and operate in an outdoor environment count as bushcraft, as far as I'm concerned.
One thing I should have added is what got me into bushcraft. Life goes in phases and I went through a phase in which I was unable to get out in nature much. I did what anyone would do under such circumstances and turned to YouTube. I came across two channels in particular - far north bushcraft and mcq bushcraft. From these channels I learnt not only skills and knowledge, but I learnt patience and calmness and the value of slowing down. I think anyone who has seen these channels will understand that. So I'm genuinely deeply grateful to Lonnie from far north bushcraft and Mike from mcq bushcraft.
