Why isn't Ron Hood given enough Credit?

[korvin karbon]

I should stay out of this one, very interested in the replies though.

what if you were politely invited to share your views LOL.

 

[Forest fella]

well I don't work for them or sell there products,And I did assume on a Bushcraft site readers could handle a discussion,But point taken I will end my endorsement

 

[spamel]

well I don't work for them or sell there products,And I did assume on a Bushcraft site readers could handle a discussion,But point taken I will end my endorsement

You've lost me there. Has somebody told you off by PM?

 

[Forest fella]

No probs ,I have been a tad pro Mr Hood,I just wanted to know if anyone else has shared my viewing enjoyment,And I'm glad to see some of you have.and some haven't heard of him,which is a shame I think.What with everyone being on the net.And seemingly interested in the same things as myself,I'd thought I would share it with you.
And I see that I have done that in spades.

 

[crazydave]

a lot of it is marketing and the rest is prejudice. because they are american they market themselves as survival not bushcraft instructors just like mors and doug ritter. the americans quite rightly do not understand what this bushgcraft stuff is all about as its all exactly the same so its like coke and pepsi. as such they are considered to be to aggressive by those of smaller minds and less worldly knowledge because they think a bushcraft knife is pointless purchase when a swiss army knife will do. the kind who complain that last of the summer wine isn't very bushcrafty when there's nothing else to complain about.

the hoods woods dvd's, website and the forum are informative, friendly and not survivalist.

bushcraft is a uk thing inspired by a new zealand expression with a few from other countries thrown in. interestingly watching rm's repeats the other day he says he has studied 'bush skills' most of his adult life. I also think he enjoyed the survival based series more as there is greater scope for usable material which is why the bushcraft series has died away for lack of useable material and we wont see a second series in the same vein. we might get a vanishing world series after the book but I doubt it. mainstream tv has got bored with it unless a reality tv format can me made with a survival idol show and accompanying series.

like all survival/bushcraft/whatever shows/dvds they do get boring after a while as no-one has cracked the secret of not sounding like an open university lecturer after 5 mins which is why regular tv cuts away so much to scenery and stories or we get a bear grylls type of show with lots of pointless action. except maybe for myke hawke who is what bear grylls should have been before he got jk rowling to write his cv for him. Interestingly enough he has a manual coming out 2009 and going by the clips on you tube for the science of survival series on discovery you learn more in a 5 min clip than a whole episode of rm or bg once the dross has been removed.

just my opinion which should keep everyone busy typing ripostes, if nothing else it stops the site stagnating -

 

[Dan1982]

Type in Ron Hood survival on youtube and theres afew of his videos on there!

Dan

 

[weaver]

what if you were politely invited to share your views LOL.

Do I have to be polite?

I have seen at least a dozen DVDs of Ron Hood and his lovely wife teaching SURVIVAL skills. They are just that - survival. They don't pretend to be anything else.

Survival when you are lost, injured or searching for someone in those conditions in the wild is not sanitary, pretty, exciting nor entertaining. It is survival, plain and simple.

It is not the same as spending a lovely evening in the park with all your kit and the car only meters away and help as close as a phone call if you run out of Grey Poupon.

Here in the States there are still vast areas of wilderness. People go hunting, camping, backpacking, exploring and many other activities in these wild places. Sometimes they get lost or injured. Sometimes we have to go find them. Sometimes we find a corpse.

Having the knowledge, skills, resources and tools to get back home alive makes life better for everyone concerned.

Ron and Karen do a good job of telling it like it is, no fluff and no illusions of grandeur.

And I think that flaky tool is weird too, don't know why he endorsed it except maybe for the money.




CrazyDave makes a good point that I missed first time round.

Survival to us is the same as your Bushcraft.

Then there are Survivalists, which is a totally different thing all together. Nut jobs really. Not at all in the mainstream here or anywhere else that i know.

 

[crazydave]

one thing I have noticed while reading the miriad US survival forums over the years is that if you took out all the british members you would have a sizeable uk forum but it probably wouldn't be a quarter as interesting as there's nothing really to do here and even survival wise you only really have to stay alive for three or four days. thats probably got more to do with the evolution of bushcraft (or dumbed down survival) as most dont see why they need to round off their skill set when they never lose their mobile phone signal and a gps is so much easier than learning to read a map. you only have to talk to the mountain rescue guys to realise that the general public have lost all common sense regards the outdoors and that watching a few hours of the woodsmaster basics could be usefull.

I think that as a country we havent needed a survival mentality for a couple of hundred years unlike the colonies where being eaten by the wildlife or local population was a distinct posibility. Thats probably why we have had to import skills from around the world and rebrand them so the bushcraft schools can run nomad courses without feeling quilty. For the most part the closest thing we have had to what are now bushcrafters for the past few hundred years were the tramps and didacois.

thats probably why we go abroad for knowledge and experience of things we lost before the industrial revolution.

if anyone is interested in proper survival skills to add to their bushcraft ones then the hoods woods forum is an excellent source of information we wouldn't normally consider over here but applied to most of norther europe. for the uk then there is only the trueways site holding its own as a survival forum but its very watered down and just like here it doesnt get as much traffic as it should do as people seem afraid to post questions incase they get slapped down for asking old questions or trade information to avoid clashing with someone else who thinks they know better and have a louder voice.

there are clips of ron hood on you tube if anyone is interested you cant mistake him in his purple coat and headscarf - considering the calls for a proper survival - sorry bushcraft series with content as opposed to stories then the work of ron and karen should be given more consideration I reckon

 

[maddave]

I like his stuff. It is interesting and informative and put in an easygoing light hearted way. He's passionate about what he does and just gets out there without all the media glamourising. He gets my vote

 

[sam_acw]

I've seen a couple of his videos, not too bad and better than many there just not easy to get hold of.

 

[Cairodel]

I've seen a couple of his videos, not too bad and better than many there just not easy to get hold of.

The DVD's are really good - if you have a credit card, delivery to UK is usually
around a week... I've found their service impeccable...

As for bushcraft knives, they are becoming more and more popular over there, and if
you check out the Hoodlums Forum, you will see a number of U.S. makers are getting
involved. While you're there, check out their on-line shop as well..

 

[Wayland]

Interesting the distinction between "survival" and "survivalists"....

That could settle a few arguments we have around here.

 

[Tadpole]

one thing I have noticed while reading the miriad US survival forums over the years is that if you took out all the british members you would have a sizeable uk forum but it probably wouldn't be a quarter as interesting as there's nothing really to do here and even survival wise you only really have to stay alive for three or four days. thats probably got more to do with the evolution of bushcraft (or dumbed down survival) as most dont see why they need to round off their skill set when they never lose their mobile phone signal and a gps is so much easier than learning to read a map.

In the UK, you are right, there is nothing much between sitting cold, wet, miserable hungry, scared, on your own, for three day until you are rescued. Or sitting next to a nice warm fire with a brew and a dry place to sleep for three or four days whilst you are rescued. The first is survival the second is bushcraft, if you can’t tell the difference by now then there is no point being here, you may as well go join a survivalist forum. Just make sure that you wear something bright orange, so no one mistakes you for food and shoots you, or a government agent coming to spy.

 

[weaver]

In the UK, you are right, there is nothing much between sitting cold, wet, miserable hungry, scared, on your own, for three day until you are rescued. Or sitting next to a nice warm fire with a brew and a dry place to sleep for three or four days whilst you are rescued. The first is survival the second is bushcraft, if you can’t tell the difference by now then there is no point being here, you may as well go join a survivalist forum. Just make sure that you wear something bright orange, so no one mistakes you for food and shoots you, or a government agent coming to spy.

Actually the difference is living through the threat of danger or living with no threat of danger. That is the only difference between survival and bushcraft.

 

[Tadpole]

Actually the difference is living through the threat of danger or living with no threat of danger. That is the only difference between survival and bushcraft.

Not sure what you mean, let me get this right, You think that if a numpty is lost and spend three/four miserable days/nights lost in the middle of a wood or on the edge of a moor, with the threat death by hypothermia, and by more luck than judgement on his part he is rescued by others, wet, miserable and close to shuffling off this mortal coil, that is the panicle of survival.
However, if a person with half an idea of what to do, finds himself in the same situation, and using his brain, and experience , and only with what he can find about him, makes himself comfortable and is rescued having spent a few days in relative comfort (of his own making) that is someting you feel is of a lesser achievement.

The threat/danger is equally applied to both, however one persons actions removes himself from the danger and the others inaction increases it. The situation is identical, the danger is also identical, and how the danger is dealt with, is the measures the person. In a any situation, any fool can be miserable.
So in short are you saying...
If you are “sitting cold, wet, miserable hungry, scared, on your own, for three day until you are rescued.” Then you are in a survival situation even if it is one of you own making.
However, given the same identical circumstances, you manage to make the best of a bad job and spent the identical amount of time in the same situation but through your own skills/knowledge, you have an ok time, then that is just camping/bushcrafting.

Bushcrafting I guess is reducing the danger your are facing by skill and knowledge. Would survival be the opposite?

 

[weaver]

Not sure what you mean, let me get this right, You think that if a numpty is lost and spend three/four miserable days/nights lost in the middle of a wood or on the edge of a moor, with the threat death by hypothermia, and by more luck than judgement on his part he is rescued by others, wet, miserable and close to shuffling off this mortal coil, that is the panicle of survival.
However, if a person with half an idea of what to do, finds himself in the same situation, and using his brain, and experience , and only with what he can find about him, makes himself comfortable and is rescued having spent a few days in relative comfort (of his own making) that is someting you feel is of a lesser achievement.

The threat/danger is equally applied to both, however one persons actions removes himself from the danger and the others inaction increases it. The situation is identical, the danger is also identical, and how the danger is dealt with, is the measures the person. In a any situation, any fool can be miserable.
So in short are you saying...
If you are “sitting cold, wet, miserable hungry, scared, on your own, for three day until you are rescued.” Then you are in a survival situation even if it is one of you own making.
However, given the same identical circumstances, you manage to make the best of a bad job and spent the identical amount of time in the same situation but through your own skills/knowledge, you have an ok time, then that is just camping/bushcrafting.

Bushcrafting I guess is reducing the danger your are facing by skill and knowledge. Would survival be the opposite?

Not at all what I said.

Bushcrafting is practicing camping activities in a very safe environment where there will never be a threat of danger.

Survival is using those same activities, skills, tools, knowledge, or what ever to live in a place that has some danger or threat to life.

You are comparing a fool to an experienced camper. I am comparing the same person, a prepared camper in one situation verses another situation.

The only difference between survival and bushcraft is where it is done, not by who does it or how well.

You are trying to say bushcrafting is a special art that is elevated above survival, I am saying they are the same except for the lack of danger in your more controlled and much safer environment.

 

[sam_acw]

The idea of bushcraft is surely to make more of the natural world a safe environment through skill, preparedness and understanding.
Survival and bushcraft are, to me, the same thing. Different goals, different fashions, different people but similar skills, literature and forums
Survivalism is another beast. In my opinion common sense, planning, self sufficency and preparation are important and good things. Sitting around with 2000 crates of ammo hoping for the end of the world is not.

 

[Tadpole]

You are trying to say bushcrafting is a special art that is elevated above survival, I am saying they are the same except for the lack of danger in your more controlled and much safer environment.

I'm not saying that it is a special art, I'm just saying IMHO that bushcraft is not some “dumbed down version of survival”.

Survival is mostly a situation; a person finds themselves in when they fail to prepare.

Bushcraft is keeping alive practices that were everyday skills that kept our forbears alive. Skills that could come in useful in the highly unlikely even you ever need them. I feel that by thinking of them as “survival skill” you are already preparing to fail, because you almost never get the chance to really practice survival skills

A question was asked on this board, about what method did people use to lit their camp fires, a few people used lighters, the reason given by some was they didn’t want to have to wait for a brew. To me, that defeats the whole point of practicing bushcraft. The more you practice the better you get at it.

 

[weaver]

I'm not saying that it is a special art, I'm just saying IMHO that bushcraft is not some “dumbed down version of survival”.

Survival is mostly a situation; a person finds themselves in when they fail to prepare.

Bushcraft is keeping alive practices that were everyday skills that kept our forbears alive. Skills that could come in useful in the highly unlikely even you ever need them. I feel that by thinking of them as “survival skill” you are already preparing to fail, because you almost never get the chance to really practice survival skills

A question was asked on this board, about what method did people use to lit their camp fires, a few people used lighters, the reason given by some was they didn’t want to have to wait for a brew. To me, that defeats the whole point of practicing bushcraft. The more you practice the better you get at it.

I never said it is dumbed down either, I will give you the benefit of the doubt and hope you aren't trying to quote me as saying that. That is not my intention.

Survival is a situation you may find yourself in whether you prepare or not. Survival means living through a difficult or dangerous situation, nothing more nor less.

Learning and practicing primitive skills is a fruitless endeavor if you never put those skills to the test. My 10 year old camps out in our back yard, she knows if she gets uncomfortable she can, at any time, come into the house where it is warm and dry.

My 17 year old son just got back from a ten day canoe trip in Canada. If he had a problem he had to deal with it, no easy way out. He was prepared for almost any event and luckily nothing major happened. But the threat of danger was there and he had to depend on his skill, knowledge and experience to get him home safely.

So, it is the situation that makes the difference.

We practice the same skills you practice, we cook over a campfire started with flint and steel, we can forage for wild plants, kill wild game to eat, make wood crafts, twist rope from natural fibers, make shelter from natural materials and even brew a cup of tea. We may seldom use a lighter but we carry one in the bottom of our pack just in case.

The difference I see is that we do go to places that are not accessible by motor car, have no cell towers and are far enough from help that we do have to depend solely on our skills to see us through, it is not a game or historic study for us as it seems to be with you.

We don't go blindly into harms way as you seem to suggest. But we don't fear to go beyond the reaches of civilization either. Stepping outside your comfort zone is a test of your skills, sleeping in a park or some farmers pasture is not.

Again, I am not disparaging bushcraft, only your idea that it is someway superior to or different from survival. You see, I think they are the same, I have said that in every post.

If you can accept the fact that the skills you practice kept your ancestors alive, and you are proof that they did, then you should be able to accept that those skills are survival skills.

 

[British Red]

Tomayto or Tomarto. I'll stick to what Mors Kochanski calls it till someone who know more than him comes along to correct him. He seemed to pretty much coin the term "bushcraft" but when I was listening to him talk he used the term "survival" far more often.

If its good enough for him to use the terms interchangeably its good enough for me

Red