Which bushcraft era or style ?

[Retired Member southey]

I think this statement encapsulates a lot of my dream trip (one of them anyway) A modern expedition type camping trip to study historical or ancient cultures. Sorta Indiana Jones. I don't think that's exactly what you were trying to say though so forgive me for detouring you post.

No not at all matey, that sounds like a brilliant idea, I would like to see what it's like to evolve through different ages whilst out on a single long trip , kind of a constant comparison of skills and equipment, using what works till a better way comes along, but not just jumping from knocking stones together to a zippo.

 

[santaman2000]

...Era - that would be round about where Samon mentioned with a bit of Lewis and Clark, Native American, Inuit, Sami thrown in. The proper cowboy era has held a real influence with me. This is probably where my passion for slipjoints has come from as it was really only in the movies that cowboys had huge Bowie knives, simply because a knife fight between the goodie and the baddie with two 2 1/2" Stockmans would look crap on screen ...

LOL. You're exactly right. I like bowies but the real cowboys (and I used to do that for a living as a teen) used their knives (mostly) for normal camp chores as we do and for one other task common only to ranch hands and shepherds; they constantly were castrating the young of the herd. Imagine trying to do that with a large bowie!

 

[Landy_Dom]

biggest influences to my way of thinking have been
horace kephart
nessmuk
Baden powell
and currently i am starting to lean towards their views on kit etc although i also have a few choice items from the current times, the ability to pick and choose from the lst so many millenia is a great blessing in this hobby

What he said. Totally.

 

[Landy_Dom]

Mainly from the Boer war onwards (esp since 1907 and the publication of a certain book (that was behind only the Bible, Koran and the little red book in its sales in the 20th century)
but that’s where my interest in bushcraft comes from (you could say its a secondary hobby by its being an intrinsic part of my primary hobby)

I like to use and lean a large range of techniques from many differnt eras and areas

Scout leader by any chance?

 

[Mountainwalker]

Sigurd Olsen, John Muir and Les Hiddens all influential for me. The cattlemen of the Australian high countries also.

 

[finite]

For me survival skills are about just that. Survival only.

I consider bushcraft to be the skills required to survive and thrive in the wilderness. To live confortably and enjoy nature.

Personaly I have no bias toward any era, i dont care if it is 1000 years old or 10 years old. If a technique can convince me that it is the best then it will take precedence. Old techniques tend to be favoriable because they are usually simple and proven over time and therefore reliable and that is king in the bush. However there is plenty of modern equiptment and techniques which i utilize.

My big influences are Les Hiddins, Ray Mears, Malcom Douglas, Richard Proenneke and Lofty Wiseman

 

[Humpback]

Post rapture style?

 

[Lee Wright]

Richard Proenneke

The man, the legend and an idol.

 

[dasy2k1]

Scout leader by any chance?

How did you guess?

 

[Samon]

do you reckon the guys 200 years back who ventured out in the woods on hunting trips or travel would dream of different eras?



I think it's in our modern nature to be a bit unhappy with out current lifestyles and to dream of more simple times, whereas those who live nomadically across seemingly inhospitable lands are contempt with its simplicity and use a variety of historical and modern materials/equipment without it crossing their minds.

 

[tree beard]

How good would that be ? . . . .

I think I'd like an old school bar fight too, the sort where the women carries on playing the piano why we all break flimsy chairs over eachother..[/QUOTE]

 

[Xunil]

do you reckon the guys 200 years back who ventured out in the woods on hunting trips or travel would dream of different eras?



I think it's in our modern nature to be a bit unhappy with out current lifestyles and to dream of more simple times, whereas those who live nomadically across seemingly inhospitable lands are contempt with its simplicity and use a variety of historical and modern materials/equipment without it crossing their minds.

I can agree with some of that, but for the most part longing for historical integration is a more or less doomed affair at best: language barriers, the massive sugar crash some of us would experience in suddenly giving up today's largely processed foods, hygiene issues by comparison to today's norm (well, OK, some folks still have them now despite options not to... ), etc, etc.

Me ?

I'd miss far too many elements of modern life to want to immerse myself in an ancient culture's lifestyle completely, but it's nice to be able to 'dip a toe' when the opportunity presents

Most 'modernised' cultures are actually struggling on many levels with full integration into 'today's world'. For some peoples we are talking two, maybe three generations tops where they have made the jump from more or less exclusively primitive lifestyles to 'modern' folks and it isn't without a whole raft of problems.

Government quotas limiting their hunting/fishing opportunities, general lack of gainful employment, higher priced consumables and other resources with an often significantly lowered ability to afford them, etc, etc

Increased instances of mental illness, substance abuse, diabetes and other serious illness, general social disassociation and, well...

To all - I'm surprised and rather pleased that this thread has enjoyed the input is has to be honest - it's nice to see that some folks have a particular area of interest or feel that a particular historical period holds the most appeal, for whatever reason.

I think there is a lot we can find as individuals to inspire us, drive us, and capture our hearts and minds. Sometimes it may be a practical thing, other times something spiritual (I hesitate to use that word) or, at least, something that sufficiently engages our imagination to draw us further down a particular path.

I have no illusions about wanting/wishing to suddenly wake up in Viking Norway days, or in the middle of Apache country 300 years ago, or...

I can relate entirely though, to various skills, belief systems, cooperative spirit and many other elements of our ancestors. Some peoples/regions/eras hold a particular appeal for me, and others less so, often for reasons I can't really entirely rationalise.

Funny old world...

Thanks again

 

[Samon]

I think alot of our dreams are down to the feeling of freedom.


'We aren't free in our world, we aren't free to roam, live and survive where we please.'

The man who said that to me had been homeless for most of his life and still felt he had no place in our claustrophobic and controlled country. His story was very sad and even though I do think he was suffering from some mental problems I can still understand to a lesser degree what he felt.

Some of us just want to escape, take Christopher McCandless as an example.