What stops folk being fulltime bushcrafters?

[locum76]

There are a few people around the world who live in this way as part of the land, but most of us wouldn't know about them as they are not generally part of the society that we live in and therefore don't use computers, book publishers, TV crews etc.

what Avalon said.

I met a couple of folk when i was at a three day rave at Clunie Dam near Skye. They basically lived in the woods all year round, roaming over Knoydart, Lochaber and beyond. they are mental hardcases with outstanding criminal charges and they will never sit at a computer writing about what they do. it is possible but i think in this day and age, one needs extra motivation to persist with an extreme outdoors lifestyle.

There are still plenty of folk living in benders in the woods as well, some i know have done well at it.

 

[deeps]

Morality too.

There are many times in the course of your life when you need the state - the NHS often and schools for a little part. The state runs our society (not always the way we would like agreed) to ensure some things run well(ish).

We all take from this. The only way to put back is to pay tax. You pay tax by earning and spending, otherwise you are just leaching it from me and others like me who pay tax.

Minimalist is fine, but we are a collective and must pay a little in. No man is an island.

Quite right that man. For a few people to 'opt out' you need a lot of people to 'opt in'.

 

[inthewids]

I know someone who is lucky enough to have been given a plot of land on an organic farm, he has been living in a small round house he built for the last few years but at the moment is 3/4 way through building a larger eco house, he is an experienced carpenter and makes his income this way but does some work for the farmer too, the whole house is wooden with a tree trunk in the centre upstairs and down, will hopefully be finished soon so will try get some photos.

I would love to live full-time in the wilderness but im sure the romanticism would wear off after a while, well in Britain anyway, i find it quite hard being alone for a week! Just the lonelyness, if it were in a small community though on a plot of land would be great, i saw someone in a biggish camper van a few weeks ago, was parked beside a road with big chainsaw sculptures for sale, had a wood burning stove inside the van, unfortunately didnt have time to stop and have a chat, we should all sell everything off and buy a plot to start a community sure we would get on fine with the huge amount of talent between everyone!!

 

[firecrest]

The lack of ch-ching n' bling is stopping me! If you werent born into that kind of lifestyle already you need a surprising amount of money to be able to live their permanently.

 

[WoodWildling]

This post is reminding me of that Grand Designs episode - I think it was mentioned earlier - about a Mr. Ben Law who lived in the woods and built his house there.
Money and social responsibility (mentioned earlier about the NHS and tax etc..) is stopping me. So I went for the next best thing and am busy pursuing a career in outdoor education, with a view to moving into bushcraft instructing as I gain more 'life experience' (and if the market for it holds out!!!)
It's those little windows of opportunity when we can get 'out there' for a few hours, days or weeks and live our dream for a short while. Bushcraft is a lifestyle, so it can be included in every day activities even if it is not immediately apparent. I personally believe we do not need to go out into the wilds to practise bushcraft. Just my tuppence worth

Wild

 

[inthewids]

Where about are you studying outdoor education? What does it entail?

 

[WoodWildling]

inthewids - I'm not studying anywhere, I'm just starting out by finding apprenticeships, which will start in January - very exciting but a lot of hard work!!

 

[durulz]

I imagine the biggest obstacle is the law.
To do the full bushcraft thing and be entirely self-sufficient without having to use any trappings of a modern bourgeois life would almost certainly fall foul of the law at some point; either directly or indirectly.
I have an incredible amount of sympathy with the idea of turning one's back on a society that neither supports nor reflects one's own ideologies. However. It runs the risk of hypocrisy. For me, it's a bit like vegetarianism - it has to be all or nothing. If one is to refuse society and want to 'go it alone', then fair enough. But don't knock on the door of modern medical facilities when that tincture of nettle and mint poultice is ineffectual against an aneurism.
It's that kind of dilemma and ethical hypocrisy that's stopped me embracing the full bushcraft lifestyle.

 

[Karl5]

Even if you start out with modern equipment I don't think it would be able to live such a life alone and without contact and/or help from other people.
As soon as your modern gear breaks down, gets lost/stolen or simply wears out - many times you're hard put to fix it yourself, if it's at all possible.
If you get seriously ill or injured, you've got to get help from others.
Lets face it, even the ones roaming the woods alone and outside the law are somehow dependent on other people. I don't think they're running around in hides or grass skirts when their modern clothes are worn out, but instead beg, buy, borrow or steal new clothes. I don't believe these people build a blacksmith when their knife breaks in half, but get a new one from other people.
For all of this, you at least need contact to other people, and in most cases money as well (or at least something to barter with).
And living this lifestyle completely alone - I think you'd go crazy without company in the long run.

To have it as a hobby influencing your lifestyle though - Now that's a completely different story.

 

[Minotaur]

One of the things that is worth taking on board, is look what has just happened to savings inc pensions.

I agree that Bushcrafting permantly is not possible for a lot of reasons, but I would like to be as self reliant as possible in the future.

 

[Wallenstein]

I'm not sure I'd want to be a permanent bushcrafter

I like working with computers, I enjoy the challenge of tech implementations, I enjoy the buzz of the office.

I like the variety of food available at markets / supermarkets, I like films and music and chatting online, I like travelling to different parts of the world. All of which are missing from subsistance living.

Bushcraft as a hobby and a break from the norm cannot be beaten, but I think (for me, at least) it would quickly lose its appeal; I'm too much of a realist to think I'd cope with the isolation.

 

[locum76]

maybe its possible to live a life in the woods without completely isolating yourself, folks do still live in the woods in groups.

 

[Tengu]

Wallensteins right, the question would be `why?`

A lot of rural people (some of them even so called uncontacted tribes) visit town, and return and say "Nice to visit, but I dont want to live there"

 

[w00dsmoke]

I think we all know, being "alone" is not the ideal, nor would the evidence suggest that it is good for us.
http://www.scienceofloneliness.com/?q=readaboutthebook

Everyone I guess likes to enjoy "me" time as well as time with family and friends, but fulltime bushcraft is probably a "romantic ideal" for many of us as the harsh realities discussed would far outway the benefits of modern culture. Even when I've worked fulltime in the woods, I still had a desire for a hot shower or bath and check my emails! No matter how grumpy I get with stress in my job, nor how much I desire solitude in the "wild" to relieve me from it, I still yearn for good company (sometimes! ) and this is the key, we are social beings and struggle alone. It's nice that we have the choice, modern culture, social relationships...many in this world are denied the first and a few the second.

 

[WoodWildling]

I personally believe we only need three things:

1) The freedom to travel
2) The freedom to choose where we want to live
3) The freedom to interact socially as little or as much as we want...

But I'm an idealist (for my sins!) and will probably prevoke a barrage of contradictions, seeing as everyone on here is so informed and always gives excellents arguments

ATB

Wild

 

[Fallow Way]

What stops me from being a full time bushcrafter is my wife.

And I would not change that for the world.

 

[weaver]

We have a lot of full time Bushcrafters over here, but we call them Homeless.

 

[hen]

I'm not sure I understand the connection between full time bush crafting and living alone?

To me, bush craft is about a community gaining a deep understanding of their local environment and bringing together their skills in order to live successfully within it. This seems perfectly natural to me as we then enter into a symbiotic relationship with our environment - as we have to nurture that which nurtures us.

As an aside... Anyone heard of a place called Tinkers Bubble in Somerset? The way they are trying to live is probably as close as you can get to what is perhaps being talked about here, but I wouldn't say they had dropped out of society at all. Just living sideways from society as they would prefer to live, as much as possible, without the use of petro chemicals. They give a lot to the people within their immediate community and to the community at large.

 

[Wallenstein]

I'm not sure I understand the connection between full time bush crafting and living alone?

To me, bush craft is about a community gaining a deep understanding of their local environment and bringing together their skills in order to live successfully within it. This seems perfectly natural to me as we then enter into a symbiotic relationship with our environment - as we have to nurture that which nurtures us.

As an aside... Anyone heard of a place called Tinkers Bubble in Somerset? The way they are trying to live is probably as close as you can get to what is perhaps being talked about here, but I wouldn't say they had dropped out of society at all. Just living sideways from society as they would prefer to live, as much as possible, without the use of petro chemicals. They give a lot to the people within their immediate community and to the community at large.

See, that's far removed from what I view as "bushcraft"... that's more "alternative living / hippy commune" rather than "back-to-basics woodland camping", which is what I tend to see bushcraft as being.

Neither is the "right" interpretation - if there's one thing BCUK shows it's that bushcraft is a broad church! But the idea of living in a community like Tinkers Bubble has zero interest for me - it's a nice indulgence if you like that sort of thing, but is not (IMO) a realistic option for society as a whole.

But for me, getting out into the woods without a 4x4 and electric hookup and getting some dirt under my fingernails is just as much bushcrafting as living full-time in a yurt.

Horses for courses though, interesting to see the differing approaches!

 

[durulz]

And don't forget 'How To Be Idle' and 'How To Be Free' by Tom Hodgkinson. Both of which can be found in any high street book shop.