Bushcraft vs. Survival.

[dogstar]

Why do bushcraft? Maybe some of us like to use knives more than just keep buying them?

 

[Drop bear]

Make a list of the tasks you want to do. Prioritise those tasks into most likley least likley.

Buy a knife that suits.

Call that knife whatever you want.

Their isn't as much of an objective tier of importance as you may think.

 

[Drop bear]

Most ancient ancestors didn’t use stone axes to cut trees per se.’ They mostly used fire.
Stone “axes” were most often nothing more than something to crush.
One good whack with a sharp stone ax on a hardwood tree gonna destroy the edge.

 

[rhino]

Your second sentence deserves the quote to repeat it. Too many people think that survival is only about building shelter, building fire, etc. and fail to recognize that one of the ever present dangers in all of our lives is a major disruption in income or having some kind of disastrous event affect our savings and investments. Being prepared to survive (and thrive) also entails minimizing debt and having sufficient financial resources (both in terms of quantity and diversity) to weather bad times that don't happen in the wilderness or involve zombies coming through your windows. Long term unemployment can be devastating, even if you do have reasonable savings, and we all need to be prepared for those things.

I wrote the above in 2021. Little did I know what kind of inflation we'd be experiencing for the last year or so as was as the more recent big bank "difficulties."

The inflation rate here in Indiana has been close to double what is reported for the country as a whole. My grocery bills are at least 50% more than they were a couple of years ago (probably because the stuff I buy seems to be hit harder than some other items, I don't know). Preparing myself for financial problems to the best of my ability has helped get through this.

And I have knives, so there's that too.

 

[ROCK6]

I take the best from both worlds. You then become greater than the sum of both skill sets combined.

I too mange a hybrid between the two, and I would even add in much of my lightweight backpacking experience. I see bushcraft as a recreational activity where you can learn and improve a lot of outdoors skills, using technical means to minimalist and primitive.

Primitive skills are valuable, but not very efficient for survival. What they do offer is the ability to understand the basics, that can help make survival with more appropriate tools much more efficient…which is important in a real survival scenario where time and calories are gold.

Another aspect is improvising skills; using what you have on your person to make, repair, modify, etc. other tools to make the basic tasks more efficient.

I’ve carried a minimalist fishing setup in my survival kit and I’ve practiced with it. However, I’ve learned to improvise with bone gorge hooks and using live bait. While one is more efficient than the other, the skill of locating a potential fishing hole and actually fishing is still the same.

Having cordage (one of the essentials) is important, it’s light, compact, and easy to carry a good amount to make a variety of tasks much easier. That said, I’ve practiced making cordage with natural fibers, vines, roots, etc. I’ve found using vines for certain primitive shelters doesn’t take long to find and use and saves my other cordage for other tasks. Also, I can leave quickly and not worry about retrieving a valuable item.

I normally carry two compasses in the outdoors, but I still find value in making a primitive sun dial if not pressed on time.

I much prefer to pack along even a compact Sil-poncho/tarp for shelter, but I can still appreciate the need to practice primitive shelter building. Even with a tarp, you may need to fortify it with windbreaks, insulation, etc. The concepts of a shelter are the same, whether you have a tarp or not. Having a tarp can make shelter building much more efficient, but primitive shelter building skills can help improve efficiency.

I’ve dug tubers up with a large knife, but I prefer to find a suitable branch/stick and carve a digging stick.

Fire making is often debated. For me, the value of primitive/bushcraft fire starting is the effort necessary to put into the preparation, obtaining, collecting, and preparing good tinder, and having enough small stuff on hand to keep a fire going. Whether it’s a fire bow/drill or a Bic lighter, the preparation is the same. I do have prepared tinder (paraffin-soaked cotton pads), but if the weather is good, time isn’t a huge concern, I prefer to find, prep, and use natural tinder to save the more reliable tinder for when I need a fire going much master.

Survival is typically based on minimalist kit that is a very finite resource; there are uncontrolled environmental factors, limited calories to burn, and where time is usually a valuable commodity. For me, bushcraft is a recreational hobby that allows me to refine certain skills that will make survival more efficient, conserve those valuable resources, and offer me more solutions to potential problems I could face. They complement each other in my world.

ROCK6

 

[rhino]

The more practical knowledge you have and the more skills you can demonstrate on demand, the more you can accomplish with whatever resources are available. If you have sufficient resources, you don't have to use those skills. However, when resources are diminished or deficient, it may be too late to learn how to adapt and overcome.

 

[A.L.]

Bushcraft is when you want to do everything as inconveniently as possible.

/s

 

[rhino]

Bushcraft is when you want to do everything as inconveniently as possible.

/s

We think alike! See below:

I can define bushcraft with one sentence. Bushcraft is going outside and purposely making every task and activity more difficult, labor intensive, and time-consuming than it needs to be.

 

[Crag the Brewer]

I wrote the above in 2021. Little did I know what kind of inflation we'd be experiencing for the last year or so as was as the more recent big bank "difficulties."

The inflation rate here in Indiana has been close to double what is reported for the country as a whole. My grocery bills are at least 50% more than they were a couple of years ago (probably because the stuff I buy seems to be hit harder than some other items, I don't know). Preparing myself for financial problems to the best of my ability has helped get through this.

And I have knives, so there's that too.

I don't normally buy the groceries.... This week I paid $11.99 per pound for sliced oven roasted turkey...... Turkey!
:0

*remember, we all wanted This.
Not to get political, but it was Record breaking voting turnouts.
Most Popular president Ever.

 

[rhino]

I don't normally buy the groceries.... This week I paid $11.99 per pound for sliced oven roasted turkey...... Turkey!
:0

*remember, we all wanted This.
Not to get political, but it was Record breaking voting turnouts.
Most Popular president Ever.

It's mind boggling how much groceries have increased in the last year. Sliced turkey, as you noted, is about double what it was. Eggs seem to fluctuate, but they go as high as three times what they were a couple of years ago. It's demoralizing, especially since many (most) of us are not getting raises or COLAs at all, or if we do, it's not matching the real level of inflation we experience in our daily lives. I am fortunate to work remotely, so in addition to not losing those precious hours of my life every week commuting, I don't use much gasoline. If I did, I'd probably have to get a third job just to pay for the increased gas prices.

"Most Popular President Ever" is going to go down in history as one of the biggest lies ever. I try to laugh about it for now. Try. For now.

 

[MolokaiRider]

It's going to get even worse.

It is a good idea to get out and use your knives to gain experience in gathering resources.

Traits and characteristics of different designs start floating to the top during these outings.

I participated in an event that required people to do a bunch of different tasks for fun.

Cut fishing poles, and make your own cordage, and hooks.

Make spears and fire to flame harden tips.

Make shelters.

Harvest food, herbs, and medicine.

Make cookware, bowls from coconuts, and utensils.

Clean game that was caught.

Etc., etc.,

The knife I used was OH butcher knife, and later people were asking to use it after struggling with other knives.

 

[Crag the Brewer]

It's going to get even worse.

It is a good idea to get out and use your knives to gain experience in gathering resources.

Traits and characteristics of different designs start floating to the top during these outings.

I participated in an event that required people to do a bunch of different tasks for fun.

Cut fishing poles, and make your own cordage, and hooks.

Make spears and fire to flame harden tips.

Make shelters.

Harvest food, herbs, and medicine.

Make cookware, bowls from coconuts, and utensils.

Clean game that was caught.

Etc., etc.,

The knife I used was OH butcher knife, and later people were asking to use it after struggling with other knives.

Watch the movie "The Road"
It's usually what I think of as worst case scenario type of things.....

*Edit: or, read the Book.

 

[MolokaiRider]

Watch the movie "The Road"
It's usually what I think of as worst case scenario type of things.....

*Edit: or, read the Book.

The book "One Second After" was a good read as well.

That movie "The Road" was really good. Almost too good, as it is devastatingly emotional.

 

[Crag the Brewer]

The book "One Second After" was a good read as well.

That movie "The Road" was really good. Almost too good, as it is devastatingly emotional.

It's a movie you unfortunately think about for many days later.....
I have the book, too. I've heard it's "good" but I still haven't/won't read it.

 

[rhino]

I've been making excellent progress over the last year getting into better shape and regaining a much lost mobility as I can. On Wednesday I decided to get some practice with my machete and folding saw. I overdid and now my back is in really bad shape. Being in better condition allowed me to push myself harder, which was, in retrospect, a mistake. On the practical side, I have a better idea of what my limits are for physical activities that go beyond what I can control so easily in the gym.

 

[Mistwalker]

.... You can whittle and weave all of the neat little do-dads you want to, but it's all for naught if you starve to death.

Exactly. This is the main reason I tend to focus more on the wild edible and wild medicinal plants, and the situational awareness that goes along with harvesting them in the videos I do for my company's channel than I do on whittling feather sticks and carving line tensioners and stuff.

As I understand it, The first recorded use of the term bushcraft was in the book, ‘ The History of Australian Exploration from 1788 to 1888’ by Ernest Favenc, which was published in 1888. The term was apparent;y used by Australians and South Africans to describe the skillsets and primitive living practices and crafts of the people who lived in the bush.

It's spring and berry season here, so I've been filming the various berries and coming along and situations that go along with them. For someone new to this area who found themselves stranded out in the wilds, or even just out on a long day hike miles from town, knowing how to recognize the obscurred black bear tracks in the soil around the mullberry trees and blueberry bushes, and knowing how to determine the age(s) of the bear(s) that made them, could serve them far better than know how to make a proper try stick.

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