What is bushcraft ?

[Jonbodthethird]

My Bushcraft is about being happy and comfortable in the "non-urban environment", learning to be at peace with that which mankind has not overly warped to its will, learning my place in Creation, passing on the skills and understandings that I gather on my life adventure, caring for that which seems uncared about, appreciating the good that man can do and can achieve by the sweat of its brow and the love in its heart - and having a couple of drinks with my good friends in a nice place

My thoughts exactly!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Mandos]

Is admin clearing up this thread quite a few posts have gone missing

Sent from my XT1032 using Tapatalk

 

[Gabe]

To para-phrase RM -

"[bushcraft] is more about how you live within an environment rather than just exist."


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Miniwhisk]

I still think I am in study mode. Perhaps bushcraft is all about gaining skills to be as comfortable and self sustainung as you can. So its really a pathway, or a collection of skills -?

 

[Laurentius]

Here we go again. Strangely (or maybe not) considering I am here on this forum I don't think of myself as a "bushcrafter" I am no Ray Mears nor Mors Kochanski. I sleep under canvas (well it's modern equivalent) rather than leaves and bracken, not that I could not do the latter if I wanted to, but I don't as it is all rather uneccesary. I may go out with more means of making fire than most, but that's not bushcraft is it, it's overkill?

I sometimes wonder whether what makes you a bushcrafter is instead of going out for an Sunday afternoon stroll with nothing more than a couple of sarnies and a pacamac you go out for the same stroll as if you were about to cross the Andes by frog, and I may well be guilty of that.

We are stuck with the word it seems. I generally like to disturb nature as little as possible, never mind I drive a 4WD (that is stereotypes and contradictions for you) I guess I want to appease for my motoring sins by being gentle on the rest of nature. I garden organic and I much prefer the old ways of doing things when craftsmanship was appreciated. However I wouldn't be happy on a desert island unless I had the internet

 

[Blaidd]

I may have said this before (and possibly in this thread if I could be bothered to read back), I think that the term wild camping is a better umbrella for what we do, after all some of us use canvas and leather and wood, others use cuben or nylon, but the common thread is that were not doing it on commercial campsites (usually). Its unfortunate that the term has become associated with camping illegally, a habit for which the term stealth camping seems more suited.

 

[John Fenna]

I may have said this before (and possibly in this thread if I could be bothered to read back), I think that the term wild camping is a better umbrella for what we do, after all some of us use canvas and leather and wood, others use cuben or nylon, but the common thread is that were not doing it on commercial campsites (usually). Its unfortunate that the term has become associated with camping illegally, a habit for which the term stealth camping seems more suited.

How can anything with the word "camping" in it cover all the skills covered by the term "Bushcraft". I often enjoy using bushcraft skills when sleeping out is not part of the agenda - foraging, tracking, wildlife observation etc etc.
"Camping" is too limiting - "Bushcraft" is so vague as to cover so much more with camping skills only forming a small skills sub-set!

 

[mountainm]

The fact that this is still under debate is testament to how vague it is!

 

[Blaidd]

How can anything with the word "camping" in it cover all the skills covered by the term "Bushcraft". I often enjoy using bushcraft skills when sleeping out is not part of the agenda - foraging, tracking, wildlife observation etc etc.
"Camping" is too limiting - "Bushcraft" is so vague as to cover so much more with camping skills only forming a small skills sub-set!

Yep, fair do's. BTW, when did what happened at Scout camps become 'bushcraft' ? My Dad was, I think, a District Commissioner with them and I never heard the 'b' word until I came back to it recently. He may have used the word 'woodcraft' and I used to have his copy of Kephart until last year (don't ask).

 

[John Fenna]

Yep, fair do's. BTW, when did what happened at Scout camps become 'bushcraft' ? My Dad was, I think, a District Commissioner with them and I never heard the 'b' word until I came back to it recently. He may have used the word 'woodcraft' and I used to have his copy of Kephart until last year (don't ask).

We used to do "backwoods" style cooking and I used to run "survival" camps when I was a VSL.... no mention of "Bushcraft" then ... but that was 20 odd years ago

 

[Blaidd]

Yeah, er, I was talking nearer 40-50 years ago. Now I feel really, really old. Thanks. LOL.

 

[tsitenha]

Along with my previous post, bushcraft for me is to be home after a long day day, sit in my living room and start to plan my nights shelter.
See what I have on hand and what is available to me, out of the wind, water nearby and available materials.
Bushcraft is being in the wilderness and being at home all the while, never having left the "wilds".
You have to be comfortable in spirit, real abilities, experience and knowledge.
Just because you don't have 4 walls and roof over you, you can still be "home".

 

[Blaidd]

I like it. T^

 

[John Fenna]

I was never a Scout - I joined as an instructor then was tricked into getting a Warrant ("It is only one hour a week" - yeah - one hour off! ) starting as an ASL then taking over the Ventures as VSL. When the Scouts in their wisdom binned Ventures it coincided with my getting my 15 years Long Service Decoration and as none of the units locally met on a night that I could do I drifted away from Scouting...
I was invited back to work on the Training Team but - again - I find that other things get in the way.
"Bushcraft" seems to be the Buzz word these days - in my day it was "Survival" that got the Scouts fired up but, as far as Scouting goes at least, it seems to be the good old core "Backwoods" skills that are being taught ... I think BP would approve of the skills being passed on - but horrified at the Red Tape and paperwork involved in teaching them these days!
Not only does the Term "Bushcraft" cover a great deal but it is becoming a widely recognised term - even the least interested has probably heard of Ray Mears, even if they are not quite sure what it involves!

 

[backpacker]

What is Bushcraft?

The term 'Bushcraft' covers a broad spectrum of things; a range of skills, practices, ethics and even the way of thinking....It doesn't have to be a combination of all of those things for you, Bushcraft can be different for every person; whether it be learning how to carve wood or how to find clean water in the wild or even making your own DIY meat-smoker! It doesn't matter as 'Bushcraft' is so broad for many Bushcrafters it's about getting out and enjoying nature and learning to become at ease with the natural world, Some find learning traditional techniques and skills to live within the natural world gives a sense of achievement and self-reliance

For me Bushcraft is about learning to become comfortable in living in the outdoors, learning to live within nature, using it's resources in a suustainable manner, always striving to learn more about flora, fauna and wilderness skills, for knowledge is the most important tool, it weighs nothing and gives you the ability to not only Survive but to flourish.

Dave

'TO DREAM IS TO LIVE, TO LIVE IS TO SHARE THE DREAM'

 

[cranmere]

I was never a Scout, they wouldn't let girls in back then and Guides were namby-pamby softies. I had a collection of Scout booklets though and to my pleasure many of them are available online here. I got side-tracked browsing through this one.

 

[backpacker]

I was never a Scout, they wouldn't let girls in back then and Guides were namby-pamby softies. I had a collection of Scout booklets though and to my pleasure many of them are available online here. I got side-tracked browsing through this one.

Wow! The Dump thats really old school reading I remember seeing some of that reading material back in the day when I was just going from the Cub's into the Scouts!

Memories!!

Dave

 

[backpacker]

I was never a Scout, they wouldn't let girls in back then and Guides were namby-pamby softies. I had a collection of Scout booklets though and to my pleasure many of them are available online here. I got side-tracked browsing through this one.

Back again! I have just spoken to my Brother about the 'The Scout Book of Gadgets and Dodges' my Brother seems to think he has seen this book in my Dads book collection when we were clearing out the house and putting the books into storage after he died, will have a look at the weekend and see if we have an original?

Dave

 

[MegaWoodsWalker]

To each their own. I think the experience probably differs with each person.

 

[cranmere]

Back again! I have just spoken to my Brother about the 'The Scout Book of Gadgets and Dodges' my Brother seems to think he has seen this book in my Dads book collection when we were clearing out the house and putting the books into storage after he died, will have a look at the weekend and see if we have an original?

Dave

The one I would love to find again was about making lanyards, it had an excellent collection of decorative knots but I lost it somewhere along the way.