What does "bushcraft" mean to YOU?

L

lmalterna

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This is not meant to be an end all decision on what the term should be. Just a conversation about what comes into your mind or how you apply it to your life/hobby.

For me: I think of living off the land for an extended period. The techniques and tools that would make that possible. What supplies would I need? What tools would I want in ideal circumstances- meaning planned out and able to transport to the spot versus unplanned-- aka "What am I most likely yo be carrying with me on a hike or just woods bumming?"

In reality- this opportunity will never come for me. IF it did, it would be planned and I would start with a veritable pickup load of tools and supplies. If it were unplanned and just what I was carrying on a hike- for me that is impromptu survival or "being comfortable until the situation passes" and not real bushcraft.

But, absent hobbies, our minds and world get pretty boring- filled with the pressure of daily work and paying bills and maintaining homes= we need an escape. For some it is the gym, sports, or fantasy football. My time living on a farm pointed me to dream of living off the land. Now I know it is MUCH less glamorous than we want to paint it. Something as simple as a tooth absess becomes a miserable and dangerous problem. Man was not meant to be alone for long periods, we need contact, hence the rondevous of the mountain man days. Boys have dreamed of being adventurers and frontiersmen since we started living indoors. No harm is ever done in pursuing that dream in our free time.
Bill
 
In my opinion, nomenclature as applied to social constructs, behaviour or activities tends to underdescribe such things.
Bill, I think the term Bushcraft doesn't do what you describe justice.
For me, the term bushcraft simply describes the acquisition, practice and perfection of a certain skillset that what in the past facilitated survival, but today enriches the outdoor experience of a certain group of individuals. I don't think the the term can be as far reaching as say Homesteading skills like subsistence farming, but it can include certain gathering, camping, trapping, fishing and hunting techniques. It can include certain internalized skills of observation however like tracking and divining. For me there is no such thing as "Bushcraft hunting", it's just hunting. It is a specialization whereas Bushcraft as a skillset can be both generalized and limited in scope and depth and for each individual then, a deeper incursion into what interests him/her can take place.
 
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I like what Marcelo had to say.

Honestly, "Bushcraft" doesn't mean anything to me, and I tend to avoid it, since I think it's been overused and watered down. I hunt traditionally, I fish, I've spent a lot of my life in remote wilderness settings (up to 70 days at a stretch) and I'm continually expanding my knowledge and skills of how to live simply and as self-sufficiently as possible in the backcountry. I've never really felt the need to have a term for all of that, it's just what I prefer to do whenever possible.
 
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I have always felt "labels" are a way of cheapening things but we do use terms to refer to activities or values so I thought it would be interesting to see how people apply the term to their activities.

I think "skillset" is a very good word to associate with bushcraft.... a skillset that allows one to manage living(or spending extended time) outdoors with a few essentials? Again, not trying to nail a resolution down, just a conversation.

Bill
 
I suppose applying it to outdoor survival....

What Bear Gryhlls teaches to me is E&E heavy on the E... he intends to escape the situation as quickly as possible.

Bush Living gets into long term homesteading in a fixed location. Planting crops, etc.

Bushcraft for me is in between. Maybe a little like Longhunters? A matter of staying put a week, month to 6 months even- making shelter that provides protection, fire, water, food... enough to stay in good shape for a period of time.

Bill
 
lmalterna said:
I think "skillset" is a very good word to associate with bushcraft.... a skillset that allows one to manage living(or spending extended time) outdoors with a few essentials? Again, not trying to nail a resolution down, just a conversation.

Bill
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That works for me. I might add "knowledge" in there. Splitting hairs a bit, I suppose, but I think it's good to also emphasize that a lot of living successfully and safely outdoors comes down to knowledge - of place, of the things that inhabit it, of weather, etc, in addition to hands-on skills.

If more people put as much effort into learning tracking, plant ID and being able to read atmospheric signs, as they do into carving wooden spoons and batoning for Youtube videos...well, I think that would be a good thing.
 
Well, I think the term means different things, to different people. Take me for an example. I'm a physician. I live a perfectly routine life. Do I expect an apocalypse? No. Am I prepared for one? Not really. But: What can we really expect a total breakdown of society, like, tomorrow? Really? Ask yourselves this: What event or combination of events is powerful enough to totally disrupt the fabric of modern society? I've been watching the National Geographic show "Preppers" and at the end of every episode, the opinion of the experts is that, all the events or catasthrophes that the preppers prepare for are, to say the least, highly unlikely. There have been events like Katrina, the tsunami in Southeast Asia, etc., and none of them caused even a ripple in the normal functioning of the world at large. Of course, locally, they caused destruction and loss of life but GLOBALLY? No. So, I think that yes, one needs to be prepared to deal with local emergencies, like floodings or earthquakes but the point is, the rest of the world is going to be there, to help if need be.
I took a course in advaced CPR about 10 years ago, and fortunately, never had to put it to test. So my opinion is (for whatever is worth) that yes, you need to be prepared for emergencies, you need to have a plan to deal with them but, basically, for the forseeable future, nothing is going to radically change. In Dec. 22nd., 2012, is going to be, just 3 days before Xmas.
 
Self reliance, the ability to make or utilize something out of virtualy nothing.
 
Bushcraft is just a nouveau label for the skills that outdoors men have practicing for years or even centuries.

While it's a convenient term to describe what a lot of us do, it seems like it's use is becoming not much more than a slick gear marketing ploy.
 
To me, the literal definition means subsistence and survival by knowledgeable basic and economical self-reliance in any natural setting, with readily available and/or improvised materials and tools at hand.

But I believe it's a mindset and ethic as well, based on the total self reliance aspect.
 
I am self admittedly limited in regard to "bushcraft skills". My work is city oriented and I am a drone much like many that don't live in the country. For myself, bushcraft means being outdoors and using tools that enhance my outdoor experiences. I have been like this since childhood. Lacking bushcraft skills doesn't mean not spending time outdoors, far from it for myself and likely many others. But as of late I have taken more of a serious interest in outdoor self reliance. A couple of years back I came very close to being really lost in some isolated bush. That spooked me up and was a splash of sober reality. Yes, I had enough foresight to take some basics and I actually stumbled out a mile or two from were I came in with the aid of a bubble compass on my shirt. I came out from wading through multiple icey tea coloured bogs up to my arse in dense bush with shredded pants, totally exhausted. There was a lighter, a folding knife, water (far from enough, I drank out of ponds with back swimmers poured out of the container first), a tin or two of sardines I believe. Anyway, the situation was bad, a little frightening a few times, and it sucked. I decided to learn a bit about bush survival after that experience. My impression of myself didn't match my reality.
 
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Alvaro- not that bushcraft skills would be appropriate but I think one thing we worry about as far as breakdown of what we accept as normal daily life and serfvices is political infrastructure. Look at what happened in Bosnia anad Somalia as examples. I am not really a prepper but I do keep in mind what I could do if what I accept as normal were no longer available. You average Joe handyman suddenly looks like the guy you want to be ;)

Upnorth- again- bushcraft skills were not my saving grace but I also got in a pinch once and it was not a good feeling. Hunting an area I knew "reasonably" well. Shot two deer not long before dark. Field dressed and got one out. Decided to strip down to light clothing and pack frame to go back for the second one. I knew the spot and got to the deer. Problem is by the time I got it on the pack, it was fully dark, battery died in lght and I was in a large bowl. Patches of thicket all around with open alleys of hardwood and no stars as it was cloudy. Staggered around for a bit. Hypoglycemia kicked in with heavy sweating and shaky(left snakcs in buttsack at truck. Stupid decisions left me sitting ona log, cold , dark and not sure what I was going to do. After calming down some, I heard the train whistle blow at a crossing. I knew tracks were between me and the distant highway as was my truck. I closed my eyes and pictured the layout and then walked out until I got through the bowl and sounds from the highway could be picked up. 30 minutes later I was at the truck, with a new lesson learned. That was over 20 years ago and I will never put myself in a jam like that again.

Bill
 
I would call it a mind set with a set of developed skills that allow you to "smooth it" outside of your home base. Without the practice of skills, things would go much rougher. To know what, when and where to apply these skills in a seamless transition developed from habit. You are not aware of your progress till you are performing these tasks and someone else is amazed by your ability.
 
lmalterna said:
Alvaro- not that bushcraft skills would be appropriate but I think one thing we worry about as far as breakdown of what we accept as normal daily life and serfvices is political infrastructure. Look at what happened in Bosnia anad Somalia as examples. I am not really a prepper but I do keep in mind what I could do if what I accept as normal were no longer available. You average Joe handyman suddenly looks like the guy you want to be ;)

Upnorth- again- bushcraft skills were not my saving grace but I also got in a pinch once and it was not a good feeling. Hunting an area I knew "reasonably" well. Shot two deer not long before dark. Field dressed and got one out. Decided to strip down to light clothing and pack frame to go back for the second one. I knew the spot and got to the deer. Problem is by the time I got it on the pack, it was fully dark, battery died in lght and I was in a large bowl. Patches of thicket all around with open alleys of hardwood and no stars as it was cloudy. Staggered around for a bit. Hypoglycemia kicked in with heavy sweating and shaky(left snakcs in buttsack at truck. Stupid decisions left me sitting ona log, cold , dark and not sure what I was going to do. After calming down some, I heard the train whistle blow at a crossing. I knew tracks were between me and the distant highway as was my truck. I closed my eyes and pictured the layout and then walked out until I got through the bowl and sounds from the highway could be picked up. 30 minutes later I was at the truck, with a new lesson learned. That was over 20 years ago and I will never put myself in a jam like that again.

Bill
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Thanks for your opinion; it is exactly the way I envision things. About 4 years ago, there were severe floodings in a province of Panamá called Bocas del Toro (literally "Mouths of the Bull -I don´t know where the name originated-) in the Atlantic coast, near the border with Costa Rica. I was stranded there because the mountain road between B. del Toro and Chiriquí (where I live, on the Pacific side), was cut by several landslides, because of the heavy rains. I had to stay for 4-5 days, with almost no water, no electricity, and by the second day, all the packed, canned and bottled food, had dissapeared from the supermarkets. I was in a small town called Changuinola. Eventually I was airlifted back home and eventually, could return to pick up my car. What I mean to say is that, most of the situations like these, are going to be local, not global. I don´t mean to say that buschcraft or survival skills are unimportant; sure they are, but mostly, what you need to do is to plan for probable emergencies. In your case, those where common mistakes that we all make, but you kept your head and in the end everything ended well.
The skills you need in an emergency, also include, first aid, a spare tire, spare batteries, etc. Don't you agree?
Alvaro.
 
Alvaro,
I do indeed. "emergency" can and often does come when we do not expect it. I was in Manila,Philippines Oct 2009 when Ondoy hit, bringing the worst flood in the area in 40 years. My fiance and myself found ourselves separated from her family and home by the Pasig River which was well out of its banks and flooding much of Eastern Metro Manila. Wading chest deep water through city streets was the only way to get through. I have worked in flooded city streets enpough to know the dangers of open manholes, loose cable and a thousand things under the water that will foot entrap and result in drowning. Not to mention falling power poles with transformers. We had no means of flotation devices handy. I was able to talk my fiance out of trying it but berated myself inside for having no means if we were FORCED to evac through the water. Back at home--- I was prepared but here when it really counted, I had nothing with me.
Today, when I travel, I keep some rapelling rope, a few locking carabiners and a medium dry bad in my day pack. In an emergency, the dry bag could be filled with air and zipped up in the pack, zippers tied and I have an increased chance of getting through. They take little space, the dry bag is useful for many other things and I have learned another lesson.
During the time your were isolated, did you find locals open to helping you? I know that can vary greatly but your expertise as a physician would have been a valuable asset that might garner good faith and help.

Bill
 
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lmalterna said:
Alvaro,
I do indeed. "emergency" can and often does come when we do not expect it. I was in Manila,Philippines Oct 2009 when Ondoy hit, bringing the worst flood in the area in 40 years. My fiance and myself found ourselves separated from her family and home by the Pasig River which was well out of its banks and flooding much of Eastern Metro Manila. Wading chest deep water through city streets was the only way to get through. I have worked in flooded city streets enpough to know the dangers of open manholes, loose cable and a thousand things under the water that will foot entrap and result in drowning. Not to mention falling power poles with transformers. We had no means of flotation devices handy. I was able to talk my fiance out of trying it but berated myself inside for having no means if we were FORCED to evac through the water. Back at home--- I was prepared but here when it really counted, I had nothing with me.
Today, when I travel, I keep some rapelling rope, a few locking carabiners and a medium dry bad in my day pack. In an emergency, the dry bag could be filled with air and zipped up in the pack, zippers tied and I have an increased chance of getting through. They take little space, the dry bag is useful for many other things and I have learned another lesson.
During the time your were isolated, did you find locals open to helping you? I know that can vary greatly but your expertise as a physician would have been a valuable asset that might garner good faith and help.

Bill
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. Well Bill, remember I was in my own country and the situation, although hard, was not dire; there were no riots for food or anything like that (some citizens were
pissed because some chinese grocers rised the price of the foodstuff by 50, 80%, but other than that, nothing). Since it kept raining you could collect rainwater and use it to flush the toilets, etc., and boil it for consumption. The people really affected were those who lost their houses and had to be placed in temporary shelters (mostly indians -of the teribe and gnöbe tribes mainly-, who lived in islands and in the mountains). The flooding was severe by our standards, but not like in other places. The government quickly organized the donations of food, water, clothing and distributed them. There where no epidemics of cholera or the like. I'm an ENT doctor, sm my skills in that situtation where not much in demand. What you need is sanitation, shelters, food, water, well, you know.
 
For me it is firemaking and wildfood to say specificly.

I understand it as re-discovering wisdoms of wilderness to enrich our daily life, rather than emmergency skills and tactics.
 
At Woodsmoke this year we had an open discussion on the subject. Input coming from Master Woodsmen such as Mors Kochanski, David Wescott, Steve Watts, David Holladay, Tim Smith and others including myself. Stuart Goring from the U.K. made a great point describing where Bushcraft originates in the Venn Diagram described by Tim Smith of Jack Mountain Bushcraft in the video below. In the U.K. they have been using the term much longer than we have here in the States.

[video=youtube;VxvVfgx9PBU]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VxvVfgx9PBU[/video]​

There was a time I was extremely adamant about it being defined for a couple reasons. Primarily, I was pursuing it from an academic standpoint (only). I also liked the term (at that time) and didn’t want to see it defined from the outside. Unfortunately, it has already been equated to survivalism by the media in articles and been abused by those seeking a profit… just the other day I saw an ad for a “Tactical Bushcraft Knife” (WTF?)!

Eventually the media and/or a manufacture will grab it and commercialize thus defining it for the masses OR it will simply fade away because it means so many different things to different people.

History tends to repeat itself. When the industrial revolution was occurring and folks moved to the city, they longed to get away from it all which sparked the Golden Age of Camping. Woodcraft was the popular term of that time. These days folks are again longing for more. I agree with Seton…whether you call it Woodcraft or Bushcraft, there is both an academic side and fun (sport) side. Now that I got my fun side back, could care less what you call it.

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