Bushcraft?

DunkEm

DunkEm

Joined
Dec 9, 2013
Messages
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I'm going to show my ignorance here, and as you get to know me, you'll find it won't be the first or last time.

When someone refers to "bushcraft," what kind of things are they talking about? Fire making? Cutting down small trees? Building a shelter? Just depends on who is using the term?

Also, should this be an "Off topic" post because it doesn't strictly relate to Becker knives? Just trying to learn the lay of the land around here.
 
Generally I think it means the craft of surviving in "The Bush" with the tools that you can carry. IE Shelter building, improvised tool crafting, traps, fire prep, things of that nature, including foraging and such. I am far from an expert though, but there are some pros on here that will chime in soon.
 
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Becker content involving bushcraft.

Thorny pretty much summed it up to what I know. Using the basic of tools and things on your persons to survive/ thrive in the wild. A knife being one of the most important pieces of equipment (in my personal opinion).
 
It started in the U.K. where the average person does not really have access to wilderness so what used to be simply skills one would use in the woods became an end unto themselves.Sort of like a fly casting competitions where a lot of the contestants do not even fish.Now it is what our catch word craving culture calls such skills as starting a fire or carving a tent peg.Sort of like calling a garbage man a sanitation engineer.
 
Bushcrafters intend to be in the "bush" to practice their craft. First, carve a spoon. :D

It also applies to, and probably originated from, the same activity in Australia where there is plenty of wilderness on a par with anything in the U.S.. A back-country type there is a "bushman."
 
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willis said:
It started in the U.K. where the average person does not really have access to wilderness so what used to be simply skills one would use in the woods became an end unto themselves.Sort of like a fly casting competitions where a lot of the contestants do not even fish.Now it is what our catch word craving culture calls such skills as starting a fire or carving a tent peg.Sort of like calling a garbage man a sanitation engineer.
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Whatchoo talkin bout, Willis?

Sorry, I just couldn't resist.
 
This was recently discussed on the Knife Journal podcast. They said basically it's the practice of making yourself comfortable while out in the bush, but not directly "surviving"...

Personally I think the best answer was a landing strip... But I'm an idiot.
 
I agree with C-bear, it's about having enough skills to make yourself comfortable while spending time in the woods. You are not just surviving, you are thriving and living off of the land.
 
It is what we all called "wilderness survival" back in the 90's. Before that you had the muzzleloading / rendezvous in the 70's where you had more or less the same skills but more revolving around BP firearms. Before that you had a time when people actually used these skills for daily living. Now it is just a way to advertise and sell stuff most people really do not need. If it says "Bushcraft" in the title or description it is the in thing.

Funny thing is that what a lot of these "Bushcraft" people think is new stuff they are discovering, is stuff I grew up doing in the 80's. None of it new, just has a new label.

I think it is great people are getting into spending time in the woods and learning these skills, but I am not big into the commercialization and "fad" aspect of it.

Good example is all the "Axe Is Back" nonsense on Youtube. Was the axe ever gone? I have been trying to convince people for years that an axe is better for processing wood then batoning with their "Bushcraft" Knives, but no one listened, or did they? Now it is the new thing, like somehow these people discovered the axe and it is a revelation. However most people making videos and such are not actually using their axes, just collecting, which again is not my cup of tea.

Do I sound jaded? Maybe, but I am tired of people taking the things I love and commercializing them. I was a big time climber in the 80's and 90's. At that time we were the outsiders, people risking their lives for adventure. That was just the way we liked it. Then they started commercializing it and everyone was a climber if they owned one carabiner and went to a climbing gym once in their lives. That ruined it for a lot of us.

That is where my beef is. Taking something that a few of us enjoy doing and turning it into a poser sport or activity, just for commercialism.

Rant over. Sorry if I got a little crazy, but as Larry Potterfield says, "and that's the way it is!". Hehe:D
 
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Greebe said:
Do I sound jaded? Maybe, but I am tired of people taking the things I love and commercializing them. I was a big time climber in the 80's and 90's. At that time we were the outsiders, people risking their lives for adventure. That was just the way we liked it. Then they started commercializing it and everyone was a climber if they owned one carabiner and went to a climbing gym once in their lives. That ruined it for a lot of us.
That is where my beef is. Taking something that a few of us enjoy doing and turning it into a poser sport or activity, just for commercialism.
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I don't understand. How does that ruin it for you? Did you not participate because you enjoyed what you were doing?

Doc
 
Greebe said:
Do I sound jaded? Maybe, but I am tired of people taking the things I love and commercializing them. I was a big time climber in the 80's and 90's. At that time we were the outsiders, people risking their lives for adventure. That was just the way we liked it. Then they started commercializing it and everyone was a climber if they owned one carabiner and went to a climbing gym once in their lives. That ruined it for a lot of us.

That is where my beef is. Taking something that a few of us enjoy doing and turning it into a poser sport or activity, just for commercialism.
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DOC-CANADA said:
I don't understand. How does that ruin it for you? Did you not participate because you enjoyed what you were doing?

Doc
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Well back in the days when the climbing community was small and tight knit, we had a lot more secluded crags and they were much better taken care of. Then you had a bunch of want-a-be Valley girls and boys wanting to get out there and "be a climber" for the image, not for the passion of the sport. Then places started getting trashed out, our routes that we set got trashed, and the accountability was lost. Then areas got closed because these want-a-be climbers were more interested in the image of climbing and not the sport or our access. They just wanted to go out and party and trash the place. This has really ruined a lot of areas and in turn ruined it for us. I love climbing and cherish those times back then.

That would be akin to having a nice house you like, but then having a bunch of trashy neighbors move in. Despite the fact that you still like your house it would ruin your experience living there. Would it not?
 
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