Debunking the Bushcraft Kit Myth by Paul Kirtley

Just a few paragraphs in he makes a point I very much agree with: As your skills/knowledge goes up, the amount of gear you need to get along will tend to be less.

One of the reasons I like larger, overbuilt knives outdoors - I don’t overestimate my skills/knowledge and I know I might need a bigger crutch in some situations than a true expert might…
 
I agree in principle, but I have a problem with the use the word "need", because of the purity spiraling.

I mean if you want to get down to it, you can pretty much practice 99% of the bushcrafting (and camping -- they are different things) in your back yard, and a good majority of them at your kitchen table.
 
scdub said:
Just a few paragraphs in he makes a point I very much agree with: As your skills/knowledge goes up, the amount of gear you need to get along will tend to be less.

One of the reasons I like larger, overbuilt knives outdoors - I don’t overestimate my skills/knowledge and I know I might need a bigger crutch in some situations than a true expert might…
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I don’t know about that. I have been playing in the woods with knives since I was 10 and was gifted a sea bee’s knife. As I sit writing this I’m camping in Bentonville AR and mountain biking on a little get away from the northern snow.

I brought my mora bushcraft black that I have been beating on for about 7 years, Chris Reeve Inkosi Insingo and a wenger SAK. I brought some cut oak and was lucky enough to find a hackberry that was just removed and put in huge chunks I can barely move. If you want a big fire or have an emergency where you need to cut bigger wood you need a big blade or axe or saw. No other way around it. I brought my baton from home too. I’m used to having a large bow saw with me in my own woods.

Cutting all the wood I have would require a large amount of effort unless you had a chainsaw but the point is you aren’t making a big fire with a mora unless you do a lot of heavy lifting or transporting of wood you found. I’ve always known this but I don’t do much away from home camping.
 
SubaruSTi said:
I don’t know about that. I have been playing in the woods with knives since I was 10 and was gifted a sea bee’s knife. As I sit writing this I’m camping in Bentonville AR and mountain biking on a little get away from the northern snow.

I brought my mora bushcraft black that I have been beating on for about 7 years, Chris Reeve Inkosi Insingo and a wenger SAK. I brought some cut oak and was lucky enough to find a hackberry that was just removed and put in huge chunks I can barely move. If you want a big fire or have an emergency where you need to cut bigger wood you need a big blade or axe or saw. No other way around it. I brought my baton from home too. I’m used to having a large bow saw with me in my own woods.

Cutting all the wood I have would require a large amount of effort unless you had a chainsaw but the point is you aren’t making a big fire with a mora unless you do a lot of heavy lifting or transporting of wood you found. I’ve always known this but I don’t do much away from home camping.
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You ever notice that the guys that write articles like this always use tropical people as the example?
 
Do you take gear in order to be able to do bushcraft?

Or do you do bushcraft in order to be able to use gear?

Lot's of people love gear (bladeforums is a case in point). They get the gear and then look for excuses to use it. If gear is the trigger that gets people outdoors, learning new things, improving self-reliance, and being healthy, then it serves a great purpose. Bushcraft isn't always for survival, sometimes it's just for fun.
 
Currawong said:
Do you take gear in order to be able to do bushcraft?

Or do you do bushcraft in order to be able to use gear?

Lot's of people love gear (bladeforums is a case in point). They get the gear and then look for excuses to use it. If gear is the trigger that gets people outdoors, learning new things, improving self-reliance, and being healthy, then it serves a great purpose. Bushcraft isn't always for survival, sometimes it's just for fun.
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I go camping in lieu of doing a hotel. Much more interesting. As I get older sleeping in a bed is more valuable but I enjoy a thermarest now and then.
 
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