Why the obsession with 'living off the land'?

You never know what may happen. Because of this forum and the books I have read , I am much more prepared than my brothers and cousins, who would not even have a sharp knife with them. They always use mine. Ive been lost, hurt, caught in storms...Twice Ive had to tend to my friend Bob , who is a lot better woodsman than I . Once for head trauma, {he fell down a steep hill} and another time for seizures that started happening after the fall. EMT training helped there.


No one here goes out for a year with minimal gear. Awhile back one guy[ not a regular here] took a several day hike with nothing but a knife. He didnt even take water and food. The forumites advised against it but he did it and made it ok.

On a side note, my brothers are so unprepared that I am amazed that one of them hasnt died from one of their foolhardy kayak outings .
 
Last edited:
OP, if you have to ask you dont get it and probably never will. I don't know your background or where you came from. To some it is second nature to be in the woods and the bush. I grew up in a small German settlement built into the bluff side in Southern Illinois. My house was 1 mile from the Mississippi river. I hunted the land with my grandfather and he taught me many things. When I was in my teen years I would Pack a small tent and a back pack on my ATV and head to the river for the weekend. I would camp right along side the OLD MISS. Those nights out there sometimes cold and hungry and alone are the ones that stick with me the most. Sitting on the sand watching the Robert E Lee steam buy.

I have been living in the St.Louis suburbs for five years now. My Grandpa passed this summer and since then something in me changed. I have been getting back to my country roots. It feels right. I truly am happy in the country.
Luckily my family owns a lot of ground so I have much woods and creeks to explore.

Sorry for the long post.


J.W.
 
I can only speak for me.

I will never live off the land, nor do I want to. I have pretty serious doubts that the S will actually HTF during my lifetime....and that is not the point.

I also like to sharpen my knives so that they will whittle free hanging hair which serves about zero utility other than I ENJOY DOING IT!

[youtube]yH12Cld6_sA[/youtube]

Last night I made a fire in my back yard with my kids using a knife and a length of cord. I have several lighters, matches, a warm house, even a furnace! But we all enjoyed going outside and warming our hands over the fire (and generally making our cloths and hair smell like smoke).

Do I need to live off the land? I never even contemplated this before...I guess the answer is probably not....but I have discovered one thing for sure in my life:

I NEED to learn new stuff all the time if I want to be happy. The skills I am learning from these guys on this forum absolutely fall into that category....skills I am learning for no other reason than to make myself happy. What other purpose does life hold?
 
It sounds to me like the OP has some kind of animus against survival skills, knowledge and practice.

Am I wrong?
 
jimh0220 said:
Why do so many folks here want to learn every bit of minutia about everything you can make, eat, hunt, fart, and lick off the land?

I get the interest in honing one's outdoor skills, and survival skills are a crucial part of that, BUT why plan to live out there with nothing but a knife for a year? When was the last rescue of a victim that survived that long? Why would you deliberately intend on oing out to the woods and hunt critters and eat native plants to survive for months. Not a good plan! Your body uses more than it gains in that situation.

If the shiz hits the fan, how about having a plan that involves what you have already,and not munching ferns and squirrels?
Click to expand...

All inclusive man, this sub forum has a bunch of different viewpoints, from the primitive living (long term) fans to the survivalist of the modern sense (high speed, low drag). A resounding love from all of the outdoors and getting back to our roots; knowing that you can, IF you had to live off of said squirrels, letting the ferns tell you when it's going to rain and knowing which mushroom is chicken of the forest and how to deal with a broken leg in the middle of nowhere.

I for one, believe that this forum more than any other on Bladeforums contains good, relevant information on everyday life, sometimes you have to look behind the nickel to see the dime my friend.
 
I love all aspects of being outdoors. Whether it's going on a day hike, a backpacking trip in the Sierra, or trying to make a fire by friction. If you spend any time in the woods, it only makes sense to learn a few skills that could help you out in a scrape. Besides it's fun and everyone needs a hobby.
 
I'm not to that extreme, but I enjoy learning primitive skills because they are a lost art for the most part. You would see the looks I get from people just by telling them I start my fires with tinder and a ferro rod instead of a lighter.

Life isn't always about doing the easiest thing possible, but for many it is and I've been guilty of it myself.

I don't go out and eat nothing but wild edibles and trap for fun. I take a pack with a few items and see what I can do with the things I have. YMMV.
 
jimh0220 said:
Why do so many folks here want to learn every bit of minutia about everything you can make, eat, hunt, fart, and lick off the land?

I get the interest in honing one's outdoor skills, and survival skills are a crucial part of that, BUT why plan to live out there with nothing but a knife for a year? When was the last rescue of a victim that survived that long? Why would you deliberately intend on oing out to the woods and hunt critters and eat native plants to survive for months. Not a good plan! Your body uses more than it gains in that situation.

If the shiz hits the fan, how about having a plan that involves what you have already,and not munching ferns and squirrels?
Click to expand...

Your problem is that you have little idea of what you're talking about.

This forum isn't for people who enjoy running around the woods, cold, hungry, weak, and naked like some disease ridden dog.
Its the direct opposite. We practice and learn in order to live comfortably.

Watch the first video, and if you still don't get it watch the second one, and the rest of the series that follows

[youtube]UsbSMplJ6g4[/youtube]

[youtube]ozJvg0hOwb4[/youtube]
 
Because we as parents owe it to our children to teach them things about the land we live on or someday, nobody will ever go outdoors and history will be lost. Entire cultures have vanished because people chose to give up on the past as they progressed into the future. Never forget the basics.
 
I think Jim is sort of succumbing to all or nothing thinking.

Most people here (I think) are into the eating wild food and making stuff to "smooth it" not rough it.

If you can cook with wood you don't need to carry fuel.

If you can cook over a fire you don't need to carry a stove.

If you can supplement part of your provisions with food you can pick along the trail gourmet aspect aside, you don't have to carry as much food.


To me there are a couple aspects to the mindset:

First is the practical aspect like the things mentioned above that don't make your trip in the woods harder but SMOOTHER.

Second is, for a lot of people you need some sort of things when you are recreating to pull you out of the mindset of the workaday world. By doing a few of these things instead of say reading a book around camp you pull yourself more into the woods and slow down your mind which is a great relief to some of us.:thumbup:
 
Actually in rethinking the OP, I don't see many (if any) of the guys here trying to live off the land with only a knife. So either you are misinterpreting what you read on here, or are purposely trying to stir up trouble.
 
hollowdweller said:
I think Jim is sort of succumbing to all or nothing thinking.

Most people here (I think) are into the eating wild food and making stuff to "smooth it" not rough it.

If you can cook with wood you don't need to carry fuel.

If you can cook over a fire you don't need to carry a stove.

If you can supplement part of your provisions with food you can pick along the trail gourmet aspect aside, you don't have to carry as much food.


To me there are a couple aspects to the mindset:

First is the practical aspect like the things mentioned above that don't make your trip in the woods harder but SMOOTHER.

Second is, for a lot of people you need some sort of things when you are recreating to pull you out of the mindset of the workaday world. By doing a few of these things instead of say reading a book around camp you pull yourself more into the woods and slow down your mind which is a great relief to some of us.:thumbup:
Click to expand...

Don't see how this explanation can be beat.

"Roughing it" is eating stink beetles and drinking your own pee like Bear Grylls. Not sure if anyone here likes roughing it.
 
"Knowledge is invisible and weighs not at all. Be mindful that in times of crisis if you can find shelter in the forest, rub sticks for fire and know which wild plants around you can be eaten you cannot easily be denied access to a home, hearth and a meal. All that is necessary is that we preserve wild places and our knowledge of them." - Ray Mears.

I also think the OP may be trolliing.

Doc
 
DOC-CANADA said:
"Knowledge is invisible and weighs not at all. Be mindful that in times of crisis if you can find shelter in the forest, rub sticks for fire and know which wild plants around you can be eaten you cannot easily be denied access to a home, hearth and a meal. All that is necessary is that we preserve wild places and our knowledge of them." - Ray Mears.

I also think the OP may be trolliing.

Doc
Click to expand...

I knew my mentor would appear once eating weeds was mentioned !:D:thumbup:
 
What else is there to live off of? The grocery store? The moon? The government?
I like to know how to provide for myself and my family. Even if I don't rely on it currently, at least having the knowledge and practice is useful. That's why I fish, hunt, have a vegetable garden, keep chickens and chop wood, etc.
 
jimh0220 said:
Why do so many folks here want to learn every bit of minutia about everything you can make, eat, hunt, fart, and lick off the land?

I get the interest in honing one's outdoor skills, and survival skills are a crucial part of that, BUT why plan to live out there with nothing but a knife for a year? When was the last rescue of a victim that survived that long? Why would you deliberately intend on oing out to the woods and hunt critters and eat native plants to survive for months. Not a good plan! Your body uses more than it gains in that situation.

If the shiz hits the fan, how about having a plan that involves what you have already,and not munching ferns and squirrels?
Click to expand...

Everything in your post was ok until the last word -- squirrels.

Squirrels are readily availabe, easy to harvest, and delicious. Same for rabbits. If you can kill 1 squirrel a day or 1 rabbit every othe day you can survive forever. Often while out squirrel or rabbit hunting the guys I'm hunting with and myself will skin out one or two of them and have them for lunch on the spot.

I don't camp out anymore but when I used to, I'd take 3 tins of sardines, 3 tins of potted meat, and a handful of Slim-Jim pepperoni (sp?) sticks no matter how long I was going to be gone. That way I always had enough to eat for at least 6-days no matter what came up.

I do think some guys over plan for the what if the SHTF scenario but Hey!!!!, that's their gig and if it makes them happy .............. . Me. In the old days, I'd go out and practice woodsmanship but at the end of the day, I climb into a nice snug sleeping bag in a nice tent so as to rest up for more practice the next day.
 
DOC-CANADA said:
"Knowledge is invisible and weighs not at all. Be mindful that in times of crisis if you can find shelter in the forest, rub sticks for fire and know which wild plants around you can be eaten you cannot easily be denied access to a home, hearth and a meal. All that is necessary is that we preserve wild places and our knowledge of them." - Ray Mears.

I also think the OP may be trolliing.

Doc
Click to expand...

Ya think? He's totally trolling. He's just spouting things to inflame. It doesn't seem like he really wants to hear reasons, he only wants to tell us his opinion about how we're idiots.

To the OP, yes we're idiots. There's nothing of value to be learned about primitive living skills nor is the self reliance that comes with it something worth having. Carry on.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top