What is bushcraft ?

[Haggis]

I have the whole of my 64 years used an axe, a hatchet, a skinning knife, read "sign" of animals, cooking over an open fire, built fires with everything from matches to flint and steel, tanned hides, trapped fur, made baskets, cups, bowls, spoons, and furniture from green wood. I've never thought of myself as a "survivalist" and only recently have I heard the term "bushcraft". When I was very young, folk who could do all these things were simply called "handy", and I always aspired to being "handy". Today, in this age of computers and urban living, it is easy to understand the need of some men and women to to want to reconnect with their ancestors, and a way of life that is only read about in books. I don't have a clue what bushcraft means to other folk, but to me, it seems to mean a need to not let old skills be forgotten, a need to feel cold when the weather is cold, wet when the weather is wet, hungry when the food poke is empty, and the need to prove they can, without aide of any but themselves, to alter their condition for the better.

 

[tent peg]

prove they can, without aide of any but themselves, to alter their condition for the better.

this :thumbup:

 

[THOaken]

I have the whole of my 64 years used an axe, a hatchet, a skinning knife, read "sign" of animals, cooking over an open fire, built fires with everything from matches to flint and steel, tanned hides, trapped fur, made baskets, cups, bowls, spoons, and furniture from green wood. I've never thought of myself as a "survivalist" and only recently have I heard the term "bushcraft". When I was very young, folk who could do all these things were simply called "handy", and I always aspired to being "handy". Today, in this age of computers and urban living, it is easy to understand the need of some men and women to to want to reconnect with their ancestors, and a way of life that is only read about in books. I don't have a clue what bushcraft means to other folk, but to me, it seems to mean a need to not let old skills be forgotten, a need to feel cold when the weather is cold, wet when the weather is wet, hungry when the food poke is empty, and the need to prove they can, without aide of any but themselves, to alter their condition for the better.

Great post.

 

[John Fenna]

Erm - the OP was asking for a basic kit list.....

 

[THOaken]

Erm - the OP was asking for a basic kit list.....

The OP was indeed, but there's probably a tendency of some to not read the thread title which, to be fair, is called "What is Bushcraft?", and just post straight away. Can't blame them. Some of us has given kit list recommendations anyway.

 

[boatman]

Post 61 actually includes a basic kit list- axe, a hatchet, a skinning knife, ....built fires with everything from matches to flint and steel, tanned hides, trapped fur, made baskets, cups, bowls, spoons, and furniture from green wood.

 

[THOaken]

Post 61 actually includes a basic kit list- axe, a hatchet, a skinning knife, ....built fires with everything from matches to flint and steel, tanned hides, trapped fur, made baskets, cups, bowls, spoons, and furniture from green wood.

On the first page several of us were posting about kit lists anyway. I reckon it's good that we've covered OP's actual question and also the sub question in the form of his thread title.

 

[atlatlman]

Bushcraft is an excuse to be a kid all over again.

 

[rik_uk3]

So today the mrs was ''asking a question'' about what actually is bushcraft and said that isnt it about taking nothing and surviving.

i seem to look at it like you take as little as you need and survive, and what you dont have you improvise.

So come on guys ultimate basic kit list and what do you take that you dont need or could do without ?

mandos

My hiking days are over but a typical basic/core list for me up to about 2009 would be the following, not ultra light and not ultra heavy

Core kit:

Army Bergen
Golite Hex 3
Self inflating mat or cell mat
Sleeping bag
Head torch and LED torch to hang off tent pole
Laplander saw and Mora knife
Stove, something like an Optimus 123 or 8, spare fuel
Bulldog billy cans, KFS, can opener
Radio
A few tea lights
Leatherman
Few metres of garden twine
FAK

Clothes worn and carried would be a reflection of the season.
Food would vary and be what I fancied, rat packs to dried food.

 

[tsitenha]

My usual bag is:
A small canvass day pack
Long handled hatchet, 4" blade knife
First aid kit, Silva guide compass
GI SS cup with a newer model stove (nested), SS lid, spoon, 1" knife with a piercing point, trangia alcohol burner, SS Klean canteen
Wooden strike anywhere matches, lighter, ferro rod (proven)
A sportsman blanket, poncho
A water purification straw (new addition)
3 days "E" rations, trail meal.
May sound a lot but does not come close to filling the small pack.
550 cordage
Extra socks (wool), seasonal jacket

 

[Widgy grub]

Bushcraft....
I have a wood that I'm legally allowed to "play " in....
I find a nice spot ... Set up my hammock and tarp, strike up the firebox, get a brew on.
I sit , write a little, watch nature enjoy peace and quiet,
Go home more relaxed than any day in front of the tv could ever provide me...
I'm not into basket weaving , making spoons and cups ( although it is an amazing skill and I envy those that do it well)
I think bushcraft is just enjoying the more simpler things.... We are all to busy going 200 mph in our day to day lives .

 

[Jonbodthethird]

Bushcraft....
I have a wood that I'm legally allowed to "play " in....
I find a nice spot ... Set up my hammock and tarp, strike up the firebox, get a brew on.
I sit , write a little, watch nature enjoy peace and quiet,
Go home more relaxed than any day in front of the tv could ever provide me...
I'm not into basket weaving , making spoons and cups ( although it is an amazing skill and I envy those that do it well)
I think bushcraft is just enjoying the more simpler things.... We are all to busy going 200 mph in our day to day lives .

Hit the nail on the head.



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[hog]

Survival- the art of getting out alive
Bushcraft- the art of going in and being comfortable.

 

[rg598]

Survival- the art of getting out alive
Bushcraft- the art of going in and being comfortable.

...with 100lb of gear.

 

[hog]

...with 100lb of gear.

You said it LOL.

 

[Jonbodthethird]

...with 100lb of gear.

100lb?! You lot taking the kitchen sink too? Lol.


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[BlueTrain]

I am an American (holds up the starry flag) and we don't use the term very much, although it seems to be in vogue among(st) the more Anglophile outdoor crowd. The older expression was "woodcraft," which has a slightly different connotation, as well as the common garden variety "camping out," which is easily the more accurate of all these terms. But none of those can be the same thing to everyone or, the same thing all the time to anyone, at least in American, because this is a big country and conditions vary. What you do and why you go will be somewhat different from place to place, that is, beyond the basic and primeval urge to get out of the house. That seems to be admitted by the more honest individuals who sometimes pass this way.

One can camp just about anywhere, I suppose, trivialities of land ownership and permits notwithstanding, but I imagine you absolutely need "woods" to practice woodcraft and presumably bushcraft. There are such places in this country, though not in this neck of the woods, where very little if anything grows, yet which places are still of great attraction to visitors. I can personally attest to the fascination of the desert in the Great Southwest even though forests are found here and there. But they aren't why you go to the desert.

I cringe when I hear the word "survival" or "prepping." My confidence in the near future is evidently wildly optimistic, given what I have read. It is as if some are hoping and praying for the breakdown of civilization. Methinks it is a sales gimmick for paracord. I also get red in the face when I hear questions prefaced with a statement that is plainly false, usually like this: "With crime on the increase..."

None of the old-timers thought that way. For them, it was pure recreation. True, they wanted to learn things and to do things in an efficient way but that was about it. Most of them never talked about things like bowhunting or starting a fire with flint and steel, or whatnot, although some did. Dan Beard was big on what I call primitive things. He sometimes came across as a little contrary and very right wing. He even said that Americans shouldn't live in a bungalow because it was a foreign design. He never went so far as to suggest we live in wigwams or teepees but I would call him anti-modern. I hope no one here is a devotee of his.

My recreation these days is mostly indoors and largely limited to making ridiculous posts on internet forums.

 

[THOaken]

I cringe when I hear the word "survival" or "prepping." My confidence in the near future is evidently wildly optimistic, given what I have read. It is as if some are hoping and praying for the breakdown of civilization. Methinks it is a sales gimmick for paracord. I also get red in the face when I hear questions prefaced with a statement that is plainly false, usually like this: "With crime on the increase..."

I have to agree with you here, BlueTrain. I said I wouldn't post in threads like these anymore as clearly it's very subjective and there's no point arguing over the definition, but it's good to hear other people's opinions, I guess.
But I really do not like the words survival or prepping. Especially not "extreme survival" or anything that clearly is trying to be "macho". I simply enjoy the outdoors from an educational and aesthetic perspective. I enjoy crafts, flora and fauna identification and the study of natural history as a hobbyist. I have no interest or urge whatsoever to try and act tough or do idiotic things in the outdoors. I'm very much someone who just loves the quiet green spaces of the world and appreciates all of it in said manner.

Cheers.

Edit: And if I can just add one thing... The word survival has more negative connotations than it might first appear to. Think about it, why would you call this hobby "survival" or yourself a "survivalist" unless you thoroughly hated nature and wanted to escape from it?

 

[rik_uk3]

I have to agree with you here, BlueTrain. I said I wouldn't post in threads like these anymore as clearly it's very subjective and there's no point arguing over the definition, but it's good to hear other people's opinions, I guess.
But I really do not like the words survival or prepping. Especially not "extreme survival" or anything that clearly is trying to be "macho". I simply enjoy the outdoors from an educational and aesthetic perspective. I enjoy crafts, flora and fauna identification and the study of natural history as a hobbyist. I have no interest or urge whatsoever to try and act tough or do idiotic things in the outdoors. I'm very much someone who just loves the quiet green spaces of the world and appreciates all of it in said manner.

Cheers.

Edit: And if I can just add one thing... The word survival has more negative connotations than it might first appear to. Think about it, why would you call this hobby "survival" or yourself a "survivalist" unless you thoroughly hated nature and wanted to escape from it?

Think about it? Survival is a situation that you can easily find yourself in if you choose to indulge in a passion for spending time in the outdoors camping. Why would a 'survivalist' hate the very thing that may well throw him or her a lifeline? As Freddie Chapman said in the title of his book, 'The Jungle is Neutral' (read it if you've not already), the title sums it all up. Nature does what nature does, its not there to harm you unless you put yourself in a poor position for surviving your camp, nature really does not give a toss one way or another about you so hate has no place in comprehending nature for crying out loud

 

[THOaken]

Think about it? Survival is a situation that you can easily find yourself in if you choose to indulge in a passion for spending time in the outdoors camping. Why would a 'survivalist' hate the very thing that may well throw him or her a lifeline? As Freddie Chapman said in the title of his book, 'The Jungle is Neutral' (read it if you've not already), the title sums it all up. Nature does what nature does, its not there to harm you unless you put yourself in a poor position for surviving your camp, nature really does not give a toss one way or another about you so hate has no place in comprehending nature for crying out loud

No, I agree with you entirely. It's the word survivalist, though. It implies that one will learn these skills just to be able to survive and get out of nature. That's not what Bushcraft is, as we know it. It's about enjoying nature, of course. I'm not saying that someone would hate the skills that will throw him or her a lifeline, I'm essentially saying exactly what BlueTrain said earlier. " It is as if some are hoping and praying for the breakdown of civilization."