Bushcraft is a new term that doesnt mean a lot to me. I call everything survival, even prepping. Everything you do to prolong your life is survival. Then there is long term survival like prepping or off grid living, and short term survival like urban survival, wilderness survival and so on... I believe its good if you have skills both from wilderness survival and prepping. That is my goal: Be a survivalist and a prepper :) No need to be only a one winged bird.
Survival Lilly yes ma'am that's what I say any means possible to survive and as coffterble as you can if they had what we have now in the 1700s they would have used it
This is comparing apples with oranges. It's where the worlds of prepping, survivalism and bushcraft collide. Why would you use a silky saw when you could use a chainsaw? Why would you use a chainsaw when you can buy your lumbar from a sawmill? Why would you walk when you could ride a horse? Why would you ride a horse when you could drive a car? Why would you use a bowdril when you could use a firesteel? Why would you use a firesteel when you could use a bic? Why would you use a bic when you could use peizo? Bushcrafters dont insist on doing things in the most basic way because that is the best way, they do things in the most primitive way because they enjoy it. Bushcrafters do what they do for fun. Unlike survivalists and preppers, they are not in training for the apocalypse. They just enjoy the simplicity of getting back to basics. There is overlap, obviously, but the main difference between preppers and bushcrafters is not what they do, but why they are doing it.
Bingo it's called bush CRAFT not survival or prepping. It is a craft. I practice it myself because i enjoy doing it i like the fact that the simplicity of the craftsmanship going into it can create so many different things. Are they necessary in a survival situation; No not to the extent in wich you see in some of these videos but knowing how will most certainly be of help. And thank you sir for pointing that out to close minded people who may believe they've got it all figured out. (I don't think anyone will ever have it ALL figured out ; we continuously learn through trial and error, i believe this how we evolve).
Martyntd5 thanks man, i was not gonna say that so polite but you covered the point I wanted to make really well without the expletives i would have used
You took the words right out of my mouth. I like having the knowledge and the experience just in case I need it. And with the way things are looking these days, I probably will need to know these skills at some point. Plus it is satisfying practicing these skills, it is fun as well
There are people who get great satisfaction from knowing they can perform basic outdoor functions without having to buy thousands of dollars worth of survival toys from Amazon. Sure, technology is great but there is nothing wrong with knowing how to get by with a little less. You can balance your outdoor skills with the use of modern gear, as most bushcrafters do. There are far too many "preppers" who know nothing about the real outdoors because they think that if they buy a garage full of "survival gear" they are ready for anything.
Yeap, it does not hurt to have the very basic knowledge to know the simplest of tools to make something like fire, collecting water and building a shelter. reliance in technology is a bonus, but knowing these fundamentals can give you confidence that you will survive even without the "survival toys"
And good luck to people who rely so much on technology that they have no options when these gadgets break. The more complex a tool is the easier it is to break/malfunction and harder it is to replace.
I like Mors Kochanski’s view that the more you know, the less you need to carry. Otherwise, you’re just dependent on gadgets that are designed to have short lifespans so you have to buy more.
Yeah that’s what I was going to say. Bushcraft relies on skill not gadgets and more gear. That being said I would prefer to gain skills and lose gear so I can add my iPhone, Kindle, rechargeable battery and solar panel.
Knowledge is more expensive in time, but less expensive in currency, and less expensive on your back and legs over a long hike. Maybe you can trade that weight and space in your pack for some luxury items, or maybe lightweight hiking is a luxury itself. In extreme situations, knowledge can't be stolen from you, and you have an unlimited supply of the stuff to trade in exchange for goods. I take a very knowledge-heavy approach to camping, prepping, etc. Things are just a back-up, or a buffer, but I never want things to become a crutch. Knowledge is also a confidence-builder, and keeping one's morale high and stress low in a survival situation is extremely important. What are you going to do when your water bottle runs out, your knife breaks, your bic runs out of fuel, your last freeze-dried meal packet is eaten, and you've just shot your last cartridge out of your gun? If your answer is "panic, then die" I'd say you're not very well prepared after all. Me, I'm already working the problem. I certainly do own a lot of stuff. I carry stuff when it's lightweight, low-maintenance, and reliable. I don't use unreliable gimmicks, or heavy stuff that makes things easier at camp but harder on the trail. When it comes to certain redundancies (firestarters in particular), I'll take a lot of stuff, I just won't use it unless I absolutely have to, and I keep my weight and size down. Out in the woods, I'm more likely to use a bow drill than a lighter or match. I know I'll probably always have a couple shoelaces with me, no matter what happens in the future; I may not have a lighter or a match. In a real survival situation, though, I'll use whatever I have to to survive. Stuff becomes buffer instead of back-up, a way of saving energy for the hard times ahead. Skills become the back-up if I'm not able to continually replenish my stuff. The time to practice skills is when times are easy, and the technology is plentiful and available in case your skills fail. if you always cut corners, you'll never have any skills to fall back on at all. Also, I just gotta say, when you do start bow-drilling at a public campsite, and are actually good at it and start a fire pretty quickly, you get instant camp cred and everyone wants to be your friend. I suggest practicing plenty before you attempt this with an audience, or you might not live it down.
Well there are the rules of 3 ... and ehrm, the rules of nature and biology, and the rules of physics (gravity f/e) and chemistry ... actually, there are quite some rules involved in surviving. :P
I hate all the bushcraft, prepping, etc... labels since they mean so many things to so many people. In their narrowest definition, they are all important aspects to "survivalism" in my opinion. I would choose to be called an outdoorsman, but understand that if I am sliced up different parts would look like different labels. I'm a prepper, a bushcrafter, a hiker, a camper, wilderness survivor, a tacticool wanna be, a fisherman, kayaker, pyromaniac, etc... I like studying the climate, animal life, plant life, geology, etc.... Balance. Always shifting focus so as not to limit myself to one aspect or discipline. Yes, perhaps that puts me in the "master of none" category, but with enough diversity I am comfortable with that.
Survival Theory FANTASTIC ANSWER!!!!! I have problems because people I meet call me a survivalist or a Bushcrafter or a prepper. I'm all of those and more. Your definition hit it on the head. I just like being in the woods and comfortable. 30+ years ago, a weekend or week in the woods required a pickup full of gear. Nowadays, it's barely more than a backpack. I follow mors kochanski's principal of "the more you know, the less you need". which, BTW, DOES include modern tech.
I prefer the "outdoorsman" label as well, given the choice. Bushcraft is an activity, prepping is an activity, hiking is an activity; being the sort of person who is comfortable being outdoors is an identity.
Best answer!! I don’t like titles for example I have a garden but that doesn’t make me a farmer!! But I do my homework so my garden thrives soil samples, water, light etc. but at the end I know what I need to do to get it done!! I’ve been playing in the woods for over 30 years and thankfully I have learned many skills to get it done, I was taught that the best tool I have is between my ears “brain” take care and stay safe!!
I think i can explain this situation very simply: -If you are trying to prove yourself to yourself, that you can survive even with like no equipment with primal way, thats ok. -But if you are in a shtf situation your gonna need to go more easy and fast. So having some modern technology equipments are absolutely necessery when things get serious.
Modern technology is great and like gold in a survival situation, but having the knowledge of how to do it all without modern technology IS the key to surviving, especially for the long-term. Lighter fluid runs out, matches are single use, ferro-rods have limited strikes, etc, etc, etc, and in the end you WILL end up being left with the primitive ways of obtaining the basic survival needs. It’s about the skill and knowledge to do those tasks if you ever needed too, even if it’s unnecessary in the shadow of modern alternatives. It’s essentially practice, which is MOST important - more important than collecting piles of gear you don’t know how to properly use or have to completely rely on. In my opinion, modern technology is almost always a gimmick and relies on way too much to be self sufficient and worthy of carrying, even if it convenient and easy. Gasoline, fluids, oils, elaborate parts, are all a good example. I tend to stick to 1860’s to 1930’s gear or their modern *equivalent* because it was truly made to be relied on and has the years of proof to back it all up. It’s not made to sell off a shelf as quickly as possible by boasting ridiculous claims, and it’s not cheaply made. Food for thought.
Being brought up on bushcraft because we didn't have the tech that is available now,I believe we need a balance between old and new (I think that is part of what you are saying). I love the comforts of "modern" camping, however, I love the security of knowing that when the modern toys break down, I still have the old school tools and knowledge to stay happy and healthy. It's the same reason I carry cash, because the debit systems do go down from time to time, yet I have the means to purchase my whatever with cash. Walk through life happy and prepared...and in comfort. Cheers!
So you think that the world will someday collapse. But it seems you might also think that it might someday, in our lifetime, miraculously repair itself. Are matches, lighters, ferro rods, magnesium sticks, saws, tents and wood-stoves not still consumables? When they're used up then what? Silky saws are truly awesome but will eventually dull. Some swear the won't but no one that I know has cut wood year round, year after year with one. That super hard metal will be horrible or impossible to sharpen. Wood stoves are dandy (except for portables) but eventually rust or burn through (even the best ones) and most tents are only suitable for a season or two. A bushcrafter can make it happen with a sharp rock or a stick. Anyone relying on technology will eventually have to endure a nasty learning curve, reinventing the wheel as they fumble along without primitive knowledge. Bushcraft knowledge is free and easy to access, so why not grab it up. Gadgets are often nifty and make bushcraft seem archaic. Going without them will really suck in a WROL but going without bush know how may be deadly. No one should ever encourage technology above bushcraft.
It's unlikely humanity will ever revert to the stone age. Even if an asteroid comes and wipes out almost everything, there will be some people emerging from bunkers with knowledge of the world before, and they'll reinvent things pretty fast with what they already have. Most of what has held humanity back over the tens of thousands of years was metallurgy and the knowledge of how to generate enough energy. Reset the world tomorrow, but keep a few people alive, and within a year there will be local electrical power grids, combustion engines, basic computers, and the assembly line. Advanced metallurgy and plastics like the sort we have now might take a few more years, but not that many. I definitely prefer skills over stuff, and I do view stuff as consumables that won't last forever, but that doesn't mean stuff is bad. The kind of stuff is what really matters, and the quantity. In a true survival situation, stuff is a buffer, a way of prolonging the point at which you'll need to start falling back on your skills, which may require more precious calories to use, so the longer you can stay in a consumer mindset the safer you'll be. The larger this buffer, not just for yourself but for everyone around you, the more chances people will get organized and get rebuilding before that buffer runs out. If your plan come doomsday is to simply leave home with a small amount of stuff, go out into the woods somewhere, and live the rest of your life out in the woods alone, well, good luck with that. My guess is within a year, you'll run into somebody else with your same pessimistic view of humanity and the encounter is a violent one, or you'll have an accident and succumb to infection or exposure. If your plan is to build a local community and work together as that community for mutual survival and to restore the world to normal, I'd say you have a much better plan and somebody with your skills will end up having a statues and schools named after them someday. Unless rising waters, fire, an army, or a hurricane is headed your way, bugging out and leaving your support base and all your existing resources behind is simply insanity. One of the skills that is so often overlooked by preppers is social skills. Understanding how to mediate conflicts, deescalate tense situations, and leading/organizing people are the most valuable survival skills there are. It's what differentiates us from mere animals, and it's why we have a nice comfortable civilization to begin with. Get to know your neighbors. Get them interested in prepping so that they will have more resources in an emergency and have less need of yours (which, if you have any humanity in you at all, you'll want to share). Talk to them, today, about what you'll do as a neighborhood to survive together, in the event of major natural or unnatural disaster. Develop a reputation for being a smart, skilled, and trustworthy leader in your community, today. If the S hits the F, do you want to be surrounded by neighbors who aren't prepared and don't trust you, or do you want to be surrounded by neighbors who have plenty of resources, and skills, and view you as their leader? In the first situation, maybe you will have to bug out. I know I'd much rather be in the second situation. The world will repair itself, for the simple reason that humans are problem-solvers. The human species is resourceful, and social. We didn't build civilization on a lark, we built it because the world was broken when we found it, and we wanted to make it better, then worked together to do so. Learn skills so you can be one of the builders, and make it so your children and grandchildren get to have the same stuff, better stuff, than what you can get now.
Bushcraft is enabling yourself to have more tools for your tool box so you don't have to rely on technology to live comfortably in the woods. The best example of a bush crafter is Ray mears, you ll see he takes alot of gear with him into the woods. It enables him like you to live comfortably when out there. If he lost all of his comfy and cosy gear, you can still be comfortable with the skills that are in your head. I Think you need to re evaluate this video and or re-educate yourself in the actual meaning of bushcraft. I got halfway through this video and had to switch it off because it was painful. How often do you see gear reliant people getting themselves into trouble nowadays. I ve seen it tobMany times.
@R.A.W Skills Bushcraft I fully agree with you there. I watched the whole video because I like to hear ALL viewpoints, but definitely agree with you. I like my modern "accents" too, but have a friend that believes bushcraft skills are BS. One weekend, I called him out. We "lost" all our gear but what we had on our person for one night to prove a point. I slept warm and comfortable by my fire, while he slept (?) fitfully the whole night with NO fire. Funny how he doesn't say those things anymore
Amazing topic! I think the bushcrafting skills or primitive skill set is critical, but the reality is it's -25 C outside. Is someone really going to take the time to do it in the official Bushcraft way, or are they going to pull the FatRope stick from the firekit and light the fire? You bet your ass I'm going to use the fat rope stick if I have it! Bushcrafting is a hobby which helps one to develop excellent primitive skills. Those skills only become useful when one has the luxury of time and conditions to apply them. Bushcrafting skills can be applied in a survival situation, but a survival mentality is a completely other thing! Awesome video CP, keep them coming. Julian STN
+ to the rule of 3 days/hours/min Bowdrill + moss/wood shavings/hair/pelts + animal fat... they probably had something almost as good as fatrope but no need for feathersticks at the extreme.
the main idea is that although it might be easier to do something like that, it weighs more, and most importantly is a limited resource. Practice makes perfect, using a knife and ferro rod might take a lil longer than using a firestarter, but when your surrounded by trees and you have the skills, you never run out of firestarter :)
I agree, it's nice to know how to do and it's best practice when you don't really need it as an insurance policy against the day you do. I'm a homesteader, so I have to live in the cold so I just want to like the damn fire LOL
CP, I think you said the most important word in the whole video. "Balance" Technology can become so dependent that you forget how to survive, but technology can also assist in your survival. Balance in your whole life is important.
Shure, you don't throw away the GPS when you're lost in the woods, just because you know bushcraft. But bushcraftskills shure could come in handy, if you lose your GPS or the batteries expires.
Not sure what Nate's point is here. Firstly, bushcrafters are not usually trying to live off-grid. The ones I know are fully integrated into modern society, but practice bushcraft in their spare time. It's an aspect of prepping, and rightly involves coping with less than ideal tools, or none at all. After all, there could be a HTF situation which drives you into arenas you'd rather not be in, such as the wilderness, possibly having had everything stolen from you, so learning how to cope in unusually difficult situations has to be seen as a bonus (although I admit that bugging out into the woods is a last resort). The curved saw is great and all, but if it was about using the best tool we can, we could use a petrol chainsaw. Odd.
The key is to be a survivalist. A survivalist takes from all disciplines. To me prepping is one of the lower level aspects of survivalisum. I understand what your talking about here but from what I see most people that like Bushcraft do it because it's a craft. It's not about preparing for the zombie apocalypse. Why do I some times start a fire with sticks when I have a lighter in my pocket? Because it's fun and high level survivalisum. If the zombies attack I will reach for my lighter before I think about sticks, but at least I'd be OK if I have no lighter. Don't get me wrong I prep to but I'm no pepper because from what I see thats mostly about hoarding stuff. I do hate to see people do things like add flint and steel to survival kit rather than sure fire stuff like lighters but that just a miss understanding of the point of knowing how to use something like flint and steel.
Bushcraft is all about enjoying outdoors in armony with nature. You have time, you like to exercise, you light a fire with a bow-drill or hand-drill. You have no time or you are not in the mood, you light a fire with your Zippo fuel and a match. The important thing is to enjoy the outdoors. Survival is all about be prepared to stay alive. If you are outdoor for survival training, you should train in the most ways you can, cause you will not know in which condition you will need to survive. So, bushcraft is like holidays, survival training is like homework and real survival is the real test.
Hahaha! Wow! There are Merits in my opinion to learning primitive skills but... with that said. Modern Innovation has helped us as a society Create, Thrive, and Grow! Which is why not combining the Old and New is Asinine in my humble opinion.
SO true. I think everyone concerned with prepping should learn some primitive skills, because while an all-tech method might get you through a short term SHTF situation, in TEOTWAWKI that tech will only last so long, and you may not be able to replace it, so you'll need to know how to get by without it. That said, particularly at the beginning stages of an Event, advanced gear will give you a head start. You might be done building your survival camp (just for example) by the time most people even realize they need one. Balance in everything, that's my philosophy.
Knowledge is the most important thing whenSHTF. All that technology is useless if it is stolen, lost, or breaks down. That is why I watch bushcraft videos more than prepper. All your technology costs money, and alot of ppl can't afford it.
Bushcraft brings ease of mind, knowing one can survive (however cumbersome) if you find yourself in a situation without any modern tools. View it as carrying the bugoutbag or survivalkit between your ears. In a real survival situation, one uses what one have, high- or lowtech. Anything to save calories and do your tasks efficiently. You do not waist energy on bushcrafty tasks when it gets real, and you have a better solution. But it is good to know, and to have practiced it, should you ever need the skills.
Johnny Good, takes a lot to make those videos then just sitting and talking in front of a camera like this guy not just that it’s a whole different category he doesn’t do it in a prepped mind set he just wants to teach and make money
Is there a better litmus test, than actually struggling to survive? In a true survival situation, you take advantage where you find it. If you stumble upon an abandoned cabin, that's a huge win, not a cheat. Another thought provoking vid, Thanks!
shit, I play bush craft on a regular basis. Not gonna go live like that but its a great set of skills to have and practice regularly. I do love modern amenities though.
Where I live we don’t even have trees. I’m jealous of all of you! Damned Academy sporting good selling hammocks, like what the hell are we going to do with this damn thing. Need to make the damn strap big enough to go around a big ass rock. We got plenty of damn rocks. Prolly need to start importing birch bark just for people that watch these vids.
I've enjoyed many channels on bushcraft and prepping. The technology makes the camping and preparing for emergency situations easier for me due to my disabilities. Thanks for the conversation.
I think the point is going back to being connected with the land. The more you know the less you carry. Making a living connection with the land. You don't and shouldn't need a bunch of gear to survive. Whats with your time obsession? There is nothing wrong with a bow saw. If you can't take the time to cut your wood with a bow saw your in to much of a hurry and need to slow down. That being said there is nothing wrong with faster tools. I like to take a small chain saw and there not that heavy and are even faster :P Stop rushing life. No one ever died because they had a bow saw vs silky. If they did they were probably in a rush. Also if you have proper fire techniques you don't need you to cut would just have it gathered, so why wast the time at all eh? Your putting limits on Bushcraft. Bushcraft isn't a limited hippy thing, true bushcrafters should be well rounded. You should have survival skills, bushcraft, firecraft, woodcraft, prep skills, tool skills among many others. Bushcraft is a mesh of many skills including survivalism which people haven't fully learnt this lesson yet. There are no Restrictions. The idea behind Restriction is to get good at certain skills but they should not be your only or even main skills. Its just a learning platform and technique. Life is about knowledge and bushcraft teaches you to think more creatively than having a bunch of gear. There is nothing wrong with proving stuff to yourself either. Bushcraft doesn't have an real official definition it should not be limited stop trying to give it one. Bush is wilderness, craft are the skills you have. The skills you take to the wilderness. All skills. Ill rest my case for now.
We built a summer home in Sweden near a lake, solar for charging cell phones, generator to pump water, sleep under the stars, bushcraft if we want. Then jump in the car and drive to the grocery store, There ya go.
I have found that a lot of new technology items may work better then old, BUT....they also break much faster! Old school tools are made to last and last and that gives you peace of mind when your life is on the line. Just my two cents worth.
Reliability, and size and weight are the two things I consider. Sometimes that means taking something that's modern technology. Sometimes that means taking something very primitive indeed. New isn't always better.
I think bushcraft has a huge place in the prepper world. Any natural disaster could leave a person without equipment. Knowing primitive skills is a great tool/skill set to have. There are extremes on both sides (gear heads/primitive)...which is not good. But knowing both just add to survivability imho. No bushcrafter will not use a lighter in an emergency though. It's a huge confidence builder to know, for example, you can start a bow drill fire if needed though.
You make a lot of good points, well one main point described in several ways actually. The word for it, though I don't know if I heard it, is efficiency. Survival, i for an extended time period, is all about living efficiently. You have to be efficient with your body, your resources, your tools (they wear down/out), etc. As my woodworking teacher in high school always said: "Work Smarter, not Harder."
I'm getting the feeling that Nate is going to start selling Sham-wows. Knowing (and doing) bushcraft in a traditional way, ... for a SHTF/WROL event, when there won't be all that free money, free time, and gobs and gobs of goods, gear, and cr*p to take care of them - makes common sense. Have the recent Southern California rain storm and landslide wipe out your stuff - or the 64 forest and grass meadow fires burn across CA - and you are on your own having lost all your stuff ... and now w/o having all that high technology - and only wearing your panties. (A true Red Cross story of a tornado devastation and a man walking into disaster shelter - need to see ID ... then only stuff he had from a tornado was his briefs !!! all else was lost and destroyed - vehicle, house, goods, gear, stuff ....). While I won't go into black gunpowder muzzleloaders and wear buckskins and go frontiersman retro ... and enjoy the YT Primitive Technology and Primitive Lifestyle and watching them make jungle/tropical lifestyle up to near-Iron Age technology is enlightening. And knowing how to do brain-tanning and making leather, rawhide, and buckskin is a worthy skill and knowledge. But being a techno-crafter (techno-cr*pper ...playing bush-crafting) vs being a more self-reliant bush-crafter is also part of the same going to extremes. Going "camping and native" with their 34 ft mobile home, with gas stove, refrigerator, and TV (! actual event and statement by a fellow employee in So CAL) that was ~roughing it~ for them (!?!). Reality check will come quick with no fuel, dead battery, no energy-production, no heat/cooking, and having only a big plywood box on a wheeled chassis to shelter in. If you want to know (and being able to work) trapping and snaring, is a handy skill to know, but obtaining all kinds of traps and snare kits - when you probably won't use them is a waste. Other than maybe having some various sized havahart traps ... that I agree about ... for small critter trapping ... then that would be a regional issue. Can always trap possums, coons, (skunks), and rabbit/hares. Having an enclosure (and hutches) and raising/breeding up those wild critters into semi-domesticated "livestock" would be a future food asset. Just be reasonable and logical. Prep for what you can prep (and afford). Know what you know, and be able to perform that knowledge into experience. Know what you don't know ... and work on correcting that weakness.
Sir, I just read your comment and they are wise words. Thank you for making me think of a few things that in the past short while I have forgotten. Now all I need to do is get rid of this dang cold that won't let me be, even with all the really good VitC powders, antibiotics and magic mushrooms. Have a good day Sir, with best wishes from Australia!
As someone who is chronologically challenged, (I'm a senior) I have no illusions of surviving in a primitive shelter in Canada in the winter. It's presently -23 here on the North shore of Lake Ontario. In a survival situation if I were forced to bug out I will welcome any edge technology can give me. I think CP is right on the mark in his attitude of bush craft vs modern equipment. An acquaintance who converted a small school bus into a brilliant bug out vehicle has inspired me. There are many factors that influence how one prepares for an emergency and willingness to embrace any advantage is critical. Great video CP. Thumbs up.
To be able too live without modern equipment or limited modern equipment means that you do not depend on the things that you can drop Society step out of the box of society and drive with limited gear means you truly are self sustainable which means you are survivor
Outstanding perspective! This will help many of us reflect on why do what we do. I consider myself an outdoorsman and enjoy spending time in the woods either alone or with others. I find the older I get the more important it is to go light, since I often do backpacking trips involving considerable distances. So I will incorporate my bushcraft knowledge to eliminate items which aren't really necessary. It is about balancing weight with comfort. In order to achieve that knowledge it is sometimes necessary to do outings with minimal gear because sometimes you can't replicate certain conditions in your backyard. I do practice some primitive skills as a hobby because to me it is more fun and productive than watching tv. Many people also find it very entertaining when I demonstrate these skills. In the end it is all about maximizing your enjoyment in the outdoors.
First time commenting, but I have been watching your videos for years and lately been ordering some much needed gear too, thanks for great pricing and service, and of course for all the thoughtful content you provide. I 100% agree on bushcraft being "play", I was a boyscout in my youth and acquired those skills, practiced them just for the practical need of it in a survival situation, but I haven't played at bushcraft since I was probably 15. My son is now 13 and I want to show his city grown butt how to do things efficiently and strategically in the woods. I'm not teaching him feather sticking, that's easy to figure out and not really needed, he's seen how it's done. More practical is to pick the right tools for the job for efficiency and safety sake. Plan well and execute the plan. Find water, purify if needed, make shelter, make fire, find food. That kind of stuff. Technology is advantage, and in a survival situation I want all the advantage known to man or alien that I can get my hands on. One that you mentioned in other videos, drones. I don't get why people don't see the major advantage in having an eagle eye view up to 8 kilometers around you. It changes everything for fishing, hunting, trapping if you use it right. You can drone fish, drop the bait way past your ability to cast from shore. I know, "not fair", right? If I have a village to feed I'm not sitting by a brook with my rod thinking of fairness, I'm dropping shark baits and scouting salmon runs from hopefully a connected off grid location with creature comforts. If I can feed more with less effort, I would always take it over arrested development. But that's the INTJ in me, always looking to improve systems in an effort for that perfect function of a system, machine or algorithm. Keep up the good work, thanks again!
Very good points, you bring up what is becoming a very popular trend. Creators are selling what is more or less a romantic distortion of peoples fantasy life.... and viewers now want it so that the seller makes said goods in silence so that the viewer can even better pretend to be in the fantasy. My personal position, as it relates to the video title... I like the idea of "bushcraft" but I am normally too busy for it. When I am outdoors hunting, fishing, hiking, exploring new areas or trying out new gear I just don't have time for it, not to mention the expense of the specialized tools/clothing. As for prepping I am just too poor and disorganized to be a serious "Prepper". As to "Survivalist", well I guess I am damn stubborn and ornery so would fight tooth and nail to stay alive... I really have a thing against labels and "rules". What really gets me is all these "hardcore minimalist" guys camping naked and eating bugs for views. People watch and applaud it and in the same breath bithc at the snow plow driver who has been out for 14 hour straight plowing snow for their lazy butts because he bermed their driveway. SMH
Wow. Couldn't have said it better myself. I have to say, I was not expecting such a deep, philosophical experience. You literally covered every angle of the topic with pure common sense. Definitely one of the most riveting videos I've watched lately. Thanks!
Hi from the UK, Canadian Prepper. Firstly thanks for all the very informative and entertaining vids. I love the Silky saws also. As to your comment about the 19th Century mentality I really do see what you mean about the romanticised notions that some people have expressed. My background is in Mechanical and structural engineering so have seen a huge amount of technological development over my 35 year career. Mostly those developments have lead to an improvement in either workflow and/or safety and I have embraced those changes with enthusiasm. Here though are some of my thoughts on LONG TERM survival. Perhaps a situation may arise where we are not dealing with an issue for one or two years , but grid down for a generation, perhaps more. Under those circumstances it maybe prudent to become familiar with the 19th century options as those are more likely to be replaceable from the resources and knowledge available. For instance, I spent 5 years in the Outer Mongolian countryside with the gold mining community. Many of the westerners I encountered brought hi tec clothing such as Gortex etc and in the short time of their stay that was fine. The gear did what it was meant to do over that period of months. My hi tec gear lasted only one mining season. I had to go out of the country to replace that gear as back in 1991-95 it was just not locally available. What happens when that route for gear replacement is not available? In my case I adopted local clothing while out of the city and it served me well and on several very scary occasions saved my life. It struck me that Silky Saws and indeed many other forms of tec that rely on current levels of industry and infrastructure to maintain and replace may not last someone a lifetime of hard daily use to the same high standard after 10 years? Can you sharpen them back to that level without modern equipment? I would respectfully suggest that it may be worth considering some 19th century technology if you are planning for multi year grid down head down scenarios. Once you have melted your gortex jacket getting too close to the fire while in -60 degree C you no longer have a jacket. On the other hand, my local felt and wool clothing is repairable and replaceable with locally sourced materials and well within the skill set of myself and the locals who have been doing so for hundreds of years. Just a thought and in no way wishing to bash your views or anyone else, only throwing that out there for consideration. Once again many thanks for your vids I will continue to watch your channel with great interest and keep a Silky Saw in my kit along side my romantically inclined older tec.
While i can't speak for others, i came into prepping from the 'bushcraft/camping' side of things, and i found that Bushcraft is ALL about TECHnology ... but, it's not about taking that technology and comfort with you when you go into the bush, but taking the knowledge and some basic tools with you to try and create a semblance of that technology and comfort. Where the challenge seems to always lie in taking less stuff and more knowledge with you, while remaining at a fairly comfortable level ... and the result generally is that you have to carry less stuff, and due to that less of a burden of weight and bulk. The reason why a lot of things are self made is threefold: one it looks cool; two: once you know how to do it you can recreate it again given you have access to the same materials and tools (or you become interested in how to attain and process those, both materials and tools); and lastly: you can make these things the way 'YOU' want them to be, so that they do what you need them to do (custom is more than just design, generally it's also got to do with functionality) ... so, (again for me personally) it's not about an 'arrested development', it's about not being dependent on bringing that development with you ... so, basically, if you know how to navigate by sun, moon, stars, tree and plant growth and some stones or twigs, you do not need to bring a compass and beads, and certainly not a Garmen (which needs power and in the long term some way to replenish that power). But you haven't given up on any 'knowledge' that is behind that technology, you may have simply replaced some of that knowledge with some other knowledge, which in turn means you do not need all that stuff, and are certainly not hindered by loosing it or breaking it. And given you practice the skills, it's unlikely you will loose it. And what i found is that in order to truly learn and understand these primitive skills (and practice them), you generally need to understand a lot about the technology behind the modern stuff. F/e Trapping is basically a technological advancement for hunting, making the traps yourself on the spot is a technological advancement for dragging that stuff in (at least, if you see it from yourself as a standpoint, you now 'own' that technology, instead of depending on somebody else's creation) ... Some simple examples, you bring a fishing rod and go fish all day, i could spend a day to make a fish trap. You have to be there every day fishing, i dunk the trap and go do something else ... so you bring a net, well then i bring twine and make a netting needle and gage, when your net is damaged (which it will be) you are done for, i repair it and keep on netting ... SO then the question is, 'whos more technologically advanced?' ... You bring your technology and are instantly 'comfortable', i bring nothing and work hard to achieve that same comfort, though once your stuff inevitably breaks you are done for, i just repair or use other knowledge and technology to best recreate what is broken ... another would be that you would say bring a jetburning stove, i want to know how to make one out of clay, to do so i need to understand what makes the thing tick, so that i can recreate it, need to know where to get clay how to work it, how to fire it; you instantly have it, it might take me a couple of weeks to figure out how to make one. Still though, in the end i will likely have one, for ever in my head, you got one forever in your wallet (though arguably the thing is bombproof, but you get my point by now i think ^^ ). Ending with, there is nothing wrong with bringing all the kit you want and long for with you, heck when i go camping i do not build my own shelter (i bring what makes camping comfortable); Nor btw. do i think many bush crafters, grew their own linnen, then rotted it, processed it, carded it, spun it, woven it, while raising bees (or finding wild ones) to get their wax, to then also quarry stone, mason it to make two mill stones to then also harvest all the seeds from the plant to then grind it to get linseed-oil, to combine the two (i think at least it's those two combined) to impregnate their woven linnen to get a tarp. They just bought one, and brought it with them!) ... It is cool to know how all of that is done though, and maybe try bits and pieces of that technological process yourself to see what it would be like if you had to, if only to know how you would have to, if you would have to. So i'dd like to truly end with saying 'again' that BushCraft is anything but 'primitive', it actually strives to be the complete opposite (or at least how i look at it)
bush craft for some is definitely a hobby, bush craft for me is learning how to manage with minimal gear and also practicing different techniques with varying equipment and teaching my kids the same.
Agree 100% with the points you made. One perspective you haven't touched on is that Bushcrafter get a lot on hands experience with what works and what doesn't. A few preppers I have talk to say that they will force themselves and family into spending a weekend in ''Fort Living Room'' ....by turning off the power in their houses and going full offgrid. They will check out what works and what doesn't in their plan and gear and work out the kinks. That's a level of awareness bushcrafters are much closer to. Being prepared is awesome... but lots of preppers don't realize that their plan won't actually work as well as they think and gear will fail them when they least expect it. Bushcrafters are a bit more prepared for that (I DO emphasize that I have used ''a bit'')
To me, I think the trick lies in a balance between having your creature comforts, and not having to carry 80 lbs of crap on your back. Nothing wrong with using a little technology to make your life easier and more comfortable when in the woods, but at the same time, you can only carry so much comfortably. If what I am bringing into the woods, wears me out to the point I can't enjoy myself, than it is counter productive. You have to ask yourself, with each piece of equipment you pack, do I need it, and if not, how much easier or comfortable will it make my experience, and is it worth the extra weight. That is something that will differ for each person. Nothing wrong with it either way, as long as YOU are happy with it.
The way I see it, knowledge and skills don't weigh anything, and there's something fun about roughing it and challenging oneself. I don't go camping just to get bit by bugs and sweat a little, I go out there to also challenge myself mentally, and feel proud of what I've accomplished. I don't have a problem with modern technologies. I got a GPS on my wrist, a titanium rescue whistle, and some thoroughly modern firestarting methods at my disposal. I'm also hoping I won't have to use any of those things, they're just back-ups and emergency gear in case something goes very wrong. Modern technology, to end up in my gear on a hike or camping trip, needs to basically do two things. It needs to weigh less than previous methods, and it needs to be more reliable than previous methods. Things that just make my life easier aren't really a consideration, just those things that are more reliable at doing things I want to be doing anyway. I love modern materials and manufacturing methods, if they're applied in a sensible way to sensible products that work when you need them to.
I was taught by my grandfather both prepping and bushcraft. He lived through the great depression. He learned that both skills were a necessity. He learned that without both bushcraft and prepping combined you were at a great disadvantage.
Spot on. Bushcraft is an amazing skill set that I think everyone should learn for the options it allows when things fail. I still like to sit under the canvas on my BOV next to a fire it took a matter of minuets to make the modern way.
I have no problem with people doing bushcraft and I think u brought up a lot of good points and counter-points. It was a good debate consisting of one person, lol. In a true survival situation, i would use the most efficient way, but if im just camping to have fun, i enjoy trying out some bushcrafty things. To each their own.
It's good to have something to focus attention on, & bushcraft focuses the mind while out in nature. The craft element helps develop psychological flow & a sense of self mastery. I work as a craftsman with stone & porcelain, clay, even leaned the process of making tiles & decorating. This is when you have spare time, but like you say it's important to work skills within the discipline of limitations.
I went through a Bushcraft phase. Now I like to enjoy the wilderness in a similar fashion that you do; which is to say that I use numerous cutting edge technologies to make things easier and more comfortable outdoors. I value the skill set of being able to light a fire using flint and high carbon steel or a fire steel. I also like lighters. My point is that whatever modality a person finds enjoyable in the woods is good. The judgement of others' choices though is where it becomes problematic. Snobbery of any sort should be eradicated. Live and let live. Get outdoors, prep, maintain a connection with the wilderness and other people, be a good person, take care of your family, and enjoy the years you have in this world.
Probably one of your best videos! I don't care what Bushcraft Shamer's my say about my rig! In war or camping, it's about my enjoy/need! I also understand that if I am with others I have a responsibility to them (Hunter/gathers) but otherwise you cannot help others until can take care of yourself! Today Bushcraft is about enjoyments, no difference to reenactment folks! Freedom & Enjoyments
The clock is ticking... 3 sec to safety or in the right mind, 3 min Air, 3 hours shelter, 3 days water and food. Anyone that played computer survival sandbox or had real emergency, know you don't stall your technology level in a survival situation. You use the best tools you got to make the job done. More job done, mean more time to fix or prepair for the next problem. Bushcraft is for learning to use your time and tools more efficiently. Also how to prolong tools life and therefore your own life. -25 in Canada right now... Without winter clothing, my guess is a few min for frostbite, about an hour for severe hypothermia and you die in a few hours of shivering. Yes, we are annoying about the cold, but for good reasons. Difficulties in the environement, bring order out of chaos. That is how civilisations evolved. Everyting is too easy now, so politicians and the like, make poor decisions and don't think of the consequences... "The budjet will balance itself" He said... I can go on and on... Talk about a need to prep !
As a guide and outfitter here in Alaska... there is always a balancing act where traditional meets modern. Same runs the balance between perceived risk vs. real risk and old school understandings to better utilization for new innovations.
There is a sense of comfort knowing you can start a fire 10 different ways. Knowing the control of fire could mean life or death for you or others. There is more comfort if you know many ways to shelter yourself and still more comfort if you can obtain food in various ways. I enjoy fishing and I eat what I catch. It is nice to know how to smoke that fish to preserve it. You may never have to use that knowledge yet it is calming knowing you can take care of your own basic needs in the woods.
I think there is a lot of value in "bushcrafting" and maintaining our knowledge of primitive survival skills. They're too easily forgotten. Once upon a time it was common knowledge, now those of us who strive to learn and practice these things are considered to be practicing an alternate lifestyle/hobby. I'm definitly taking all shortcuts available to me in extreme weather situations, etc... but I practice and perfect my primative survival skills because they ARE important to know and could easily be lost within a generation if we're not sharing them and passing them on.
do you mean 'you bought the popcorn', or did you actually build a plow, plowed the field, cultivated wild corn, to then harvest it, while finding and cultivating sunflowers. Quarried stone, than hewn it into millstones to mill those seeds into sunflower oil ... ohw wait, i do assume you also mined the iron ore and processed it into steel to then blacksmith it into tool so you can actually make some of the tools, and obviously cast the iron pan to make the popcorn in ... man it must have taken you years to accomplish all of that, and for some mere popcorn... do hope you managed to quarry some salt to go with it :) i like it salted ;)
I am a pragmatist. If it works, I use it--regardless whether it is new technology or primitive. From my perspective, I use what is efficient, and is doggedly reliable.
I think I get it. There is a strange dichotomy in me - on one hand I enjoy learning and using primitive skills and practicing minimalist methods, but on the other hand I am a chronic over-packer when I get out in the bush. Which is one of the reasons why I bought one of your bugout bags. I see bushcraft/primitive skills as an extension of my preparedness toolkit.
Bushcraft could be seen as something to honor our ancestors and make some kind of a spiritual connection with them and also with all the other living creatures surrounding you. But it's more a holiday than real survival. If there is some kind of a disaster and I will be on my own I would grab everything what might be useable from primitive rocks and wood to modern plastic and metal. Otherwise i might die.
Something I don't think you mentioned, or perhaps neglected its importance, is what you learn by using different technology. You will never, ever learn as much about wood using a saw as you will using an axe. With an axe: your angle of cut is different in each piece of wood; chip size is different; you may have to sharpen the axe to a different grind; the hinge is different; you have to spend a lot of time caring for the axe and watching that you do not damage it in various sections of wood (knots, follow-through); you always have to position yourself around knots, and develop precise aim; you can feel the wood much better; etc. Aside from this, it is very hard to outwork a saw, but very skilled axe users can indeed outwork saws, and in doing so one learns so much more concerning techniques and reading the wood. A similar argument concerns that of skis and snowshoes. It is possible to learn everything about snowshoe technique in 2 days whereas skis will take 2 years or more. If someone is going into the woods frequently anyway they may prefer to continue learning while they do so. Another thing is that these arguments often rely on a fallacy, people assume that technology always improves. But this is not the case. One reason that a Silky may seem as good as a bow saw is that bow saw blades have severely degraded in quality, yet quality blades will cut just as fast, or faster if you get the large ones. Axes were perfected between the 1920s and 1950s (depending on the maker) and most of the axes you can get today are garbage in comparison (a Gransfors would probably be a 7.5 or 8/10 compared to the old ones). There are also changes in boots, caulked boots were superior for working in the woods, and few companies make them today. What people buy today are a standardised fit, and they tend to fall apart rather quickly, while old boots would last many years and were precisely measured to fit the user. Another example would be clothing, although this suggests tradeoffs more than degradation, I think. Certainly plastic clothing offers advantages such as durability, lightweight, form-fitting, water-resistance, and wicking ability. However, there are many downsides compared to wool and cotton canvas: loud, stinks and gets dirty much quicker, tears easily, melts around fire, feels cold and damp on the skin, is not as breathable and thus accumulates ice at low temperatures, and has potentially damaging properties for your skin and the environment. Interesting discussion nonetheless. And I do think a lot of these gadgets are interesting, so I won't claim any philosophy is superior. Just get out there and try to learn about nature while you enjoy it. I think that is what matters most, then you will find what works best for you. It was a well thought out video, as usual.
I love modern tools because they make tasks quick and easy, but humans don't learn by means of the quick and easy. We require habit, rote, and the repeating of a task over and over to gain mastery of it. So while older methods may take more time, ultimately one will be left with a greater respect and skill with that tool. Moreover once that skill is applied to a modern tool, the end result will be that much greater.
In my humble opinion, knowledge of basic bushcraft is critical in the sense that it may allow oneself to source shelter, water and (to an extent) food, should you lose your gear or evacuate in an emergency ( attack, fire, other unforeseen circumstances...). As a long term solution however, for the vast majority of people, it seems to be pretty unrealistic to rely solely on those skills, it's one thing making it through a week or so with a machete, a water container and some rope in the wild, it's another thing entirely to survive long term with such methods (which is why historically settlers would remain in large groups, carry as much gear as possible, knew what they were doing in the wild, and even then they faced great hardship). No matter what, it's my belief one should have some understanding of one's specific flora and fauna, just in case :) Another great video CP, much appreciated :)
You are highly intelligent. Very good understanding of human nature. Edit: Actually you hit the nail on the head about people who are actually living a survival life and they don’t limit their technology. They use what’s available which may not be a lot because of resource and economics. Best way to learn is to see what locals do with things and techniques. For example, in tropical environments you could see locals use gasoline to start fires. I’m sure someone would say it’s “cheating” but that would be how they do it based on learning what works in their environment. Bush crafting used to be called camping when I was young. It’s definitely a nice hobby where you can learn some skills that apply to a very specific scenario. It’s become a elitist way of thinking much like being vegan. Limiting yourself to only traditional “bushcraft” methods is cheating as well. Your using modern tools that wouldn’t not exist before that. But it’s a fun hobby that I get. As long as people realize that.
I use very little bushcraft in practicing survival. You are correct in what you are saying. But its also very self rewarding. Its what you make it. You can make it very hard on yourself or fairly easy. Its also having the ability to make something that maybe you are missing or broken. Bushcraft is a skill that is dying. Young people dont know what it is becausr if it doesnt involve pressing a button....they dont want nothing to do with it. Im 63 years old. My grandfather did most of this and taught it to me. Enjoying a little bit of bushcraft is better than getting depressed. I have spent 31 years practicing alot of survival and self defense. I learned in the military and expanded my knowledge past that. I still enjoy it. Love my life.
*_Bushcraft_* is going out with nothing, or a knife at the max, and thrive. Using what nature gives to make tools. *_Survival_* is going out with basic survival gear. When you carry a tent and a gas-stove, you're *_camping_* When you add a bed and a silkysaw, you're *_glamping_*
Mr. Right *Survival* is simply continuing your existence in a dire situation. *Bushcraft* is simply utilizing the natural resources of the forest. *Camping* is going on vacation & living comfortably in the wilderness. *Glamping* is camping in a motor home.
There is a Great deal to be said for learning and practicing basic bushcraft so You have a fallback in case the modern equipment fails. I once read a book, "The Hatchet," about a young boy living Canadian wild with only a hatchet for many months. Interesting situation.
I my self like to play bushcraft and practice skills but in my pack I have very modern gear to make me more comfortable and enjoy the limited time I have in the forest. Best of both worlds.
Efficiency is my best friend, so I enjoy the modern survivalist as well as the minimalist perspective on self reliance. Learning bushcraft is redundancy on the highest level.
I am not sure what the actual issue is and probably we are comparing things that are not the same. However for me buschcraft is more like a discipline that people may want to learn, like martial arts. There are modern ones and ancient ones, it's up to the individual what he wants to learn and if those skills can eventually be applied or not. Survival instead is more of a concept and again it's down to the individual if he wants to survive or not. Survival rate might depend on acquired bushcraft skills and/or new technology, yet the difference is made by the amount of knowledge.
I see bushcrafting as about estethics and personal challenge but still with a lot of overlap with survival. Most of the neccesary skills are the same regardless of the tools you choose. Wether hunting, trapping, making fire etc.
To me bushcraft isn’t putting yourself out there and necessarily testing yourself by putting yourself into situations, to me it is about going outside enjoying yourself.
My bush crafting is a way for me to learn how to survive when my 500lbs of light weight camping gear is at the bottom of a river, and I’m standing there wondering what to do next.
Thank you for this episode! This is exactly the topic I wanted to address for a long time! I always used to say that... I personally dont like this whole notion of even calling it a "survival" when these so called survivalists are going out playing bushcraft by literally bringing half of the Walmart with them. I mean if you ( i mean them ) are going to show us some real survival you should go and do it Les Stroud way.. bringing only the realistic stuff people might have with them self when they might get lost or stranded and really need to survive. Or show us doing it using nothing but a stone. Because THAT.... is what I call a real need and a challenge to survive. Anything else should be called a planned camping with as smartest tech as we can get to save us the work and energy, or using the more primitive technology for the purpose of practicing.... but as you said... its a level of arrested development which people chose just for the sake of it....and that can turn into a self torture when some really overly zealous buschrafters are doing it.... and that is not neither survival , nor getting things done properly but just foolishness. If Im ever gonna do a serious survival/bushcraft/prepper channel... I dont want to be one of the countless hipsters out there who are selling us the lie that we should buy half the walmart from their Amazon affiliate links and that we will be safe from anything up on some mountain.... NO. I would simply do it to show the people the following fact: 1) In the Bible in the Book of Job, there are certain people mentioned who were living out in the wilderness naked or covered in plant material as clothes, they would sleep in caves and eat herbs and roots but even they would occasionally come closer to civilized villages and cities to steal clothes and livestock (how an ironic parallel). And the Bible calls them the "sons of fools", because in those times the only people who lived in caves were some who HAD TO (like travelers and also some of the people groups dispersed from Babel, who didnt bring enough technology or knowledge with them and ended up in some inhospitable climates or they had to use stone tools and live in caves (that is the true identity of the cave people we know of, not some imaginary descendants of apes) And there was the other group who didnt technically have to torture them selves to live out in the wilderness in an arrested development and in scarcity, but they were fugitives, criminals and people expelled from their communities, and others who did it out of their volition, just for the sake of it. 2) Which brings me to the very famous fact about a tribe in Thailand which was a subject of research by evolutionary anthropologists and geneticists who came with a traditional starting point that all humans supposedly started as hunter gatherers and then developed the agriculture and cities. (even though the Bible says its the other way round, and sometimes they existed both in the same time)... So those scientists had a quite a puzzle to solve, especially because the tribe had a tradition passed on that they were the descendants of a few kids who were expelled into the jungle from their own village, and then their descendants became hunter gatherers and lived like that in the jungle.... And then finally the geneticists caught up with the facts finally and confirmed it. Which brings me to my conclusion about what the whole bushcraft thing should be in order to be useful teaching tool (in my humble opinion): 4) It is none other than GREAT, to learn, practice all levels of buschraft , preparedness and self reliance. To know how to do it when alone or when we have to care for others out in the wild if there is a need for it or emergency, or even for fun. It is great to learn and have to knowledge how to use anything we have with us, from nothing, or just a stone and a knife, to any other advanced modern tool. 5) But! ... just as the nations and people groups who have dispersed from Babel, they consisted of individuals some of which had certain knowledge how to make stuff, others had less or none. Some brought enough technology with them, some brought close to none. Some continued to build cities, some even forgot how to make basic things like making fire and producing clothes (like Australian aborigines who used to make clothes in the beginning as archaeologists have found out, and some of them even forgot how to make fire so they had to keep it lit as long a they could or rely on others to make it for them and regained that knowledge again form some mysterious "traveler from the north" as one of their dream time legends says) or to forge tools out of metal, etc. - And this exact situation would happen to all of us today, if such mass exodus would happen today in our modern times. Which brings me to the final CONCLUSION & TO MY POINT: It is great to show and teach survival for the purpose of showing how to survive real survival situations with nothing or close to nothing or at least some basic tools which a person might have or should have if they are venturing in the wilderness or traveling. But when it is not survival, but camping or living off the grid or simply bushcraft, then a person owes to them selves to stop playing survival and make it to be as comfortable living as possible, and call it living. (living of the nature)... and then its not a shame to bring with us the best and most advanced tools to help us do it.. at least some most essential ones. But in order to truly live in the nature and truly thrive, a person cant do it alone, because a single person doesnt have all the energy, time, skills, means and knowledge to make all of the things needed which a group of people in a connected community, a village or a city can produce and exchange. That is why we have a civilization, cities, and villages, potters, blacksmiths, rope makers, clothes makers etc. Because we are made to live together in a society and help each other and trade and help each other survive and live. Because the best survival item anyone should have.... is another human being. Now that... is a true and serious survival.... anything other is either foolishness and play or learning or an emergency. :) (or doing it for the sake of Amazon affiliate sales of counterfeit Chinese survival gimmicks ;) And I love that you mentioned Richard Proenneke.. now he did a real survival and turned into a living ...and even filmed it for us all... bless his soul! :)
I stocked my kitchen with unelectrified tools like a slap chopper, mortar/pestle, rolling pin, nut cracker, grater, and scissors. They are technology that works when the winter storms knock out electricity.
I’ve always like your vids and opinions. What you put out is educational and informative. I truly think you have to have both new tech and bushcraft. On the other hand I love doing things the old fashioned way so to speak It’s calming to me
The Bushcraft skills leave their Mark when you get caught out there with damn near no gear - you will survive! I enjoy my gear as it helps me to thrive & prosper✌️
It’s like PC or Mac. I somehow think it’s more interesting if someone is doing bushcraft or whatever out in the wilderness rather than sitting in the living room;-)
I have always said "Take what you need, leave what you don't". Any training, of any sort, will have pieces of knowledge that you can use, and others that you can ignore. Bushcrafting has its place, in my prepping and planning but I also have the tools that I need in my vehicle. Being able to make things in the bush is important, learn to use the tools you have to make the ones that you don't. At the same time the more tools you have, the less that you have to make.
I agree with Survival Lilley. It's really about survival and preparedness. Bushcraft is one of the skills you develop along with martial arts and basic trade skills, or other forms of skills. Love your conversations and videos.
Yeah kinda rambled there lol. No right or wrong answer, people going to do what makes them happy. Free Will, choice. Example, why would someone want to learn traditional carpentry with only hand tools, or bushcraft, or many other traditional skills, because it's their choice and what they love, and that's awesome and I say more power to them. I really like when people demonstrate these skills and lifestyles on an online forum for the modern day to help educate, preserve and share what they love to do, the world is lucky indeed to have these types of people in it.
Bushcraft skills ARE survival skills and practicing your skills will never be a waste of time. When SHTF modern technology will be useless after a short period of time. Then what? Get a fire going when all your bics are gone, build a shelter. Forage and survive. Without bushcraft skills your fucked.
But not everything will be destroyed or? So it would be good to be an engineer or mechanic and a somewhat Bushcrafter to get the stuff back running? (Maybe I'm just very naive)
Survival is the main thing. The skill sets you develop will either allow you to flourish or fail. Having gear is great and being able to properly use that gear is key. To many people waste their time obtaining gear but don’t cultivate the skill to use them. Now, I enjoy the fact that I can feel confident in a survival situation with minimal gear. Primitive/bushcraft skills can help elevate survival ability when gear fails or it’s become lost to you. Which in some cases is an eventuality. Honestly if an item allows me to accomplish something with less effort I’m for it. But I still want to be able to accomplish the task without that gear if I have to.
i look at bush-craft skills as a long term back up plan to prepping and survival. i always carry a map and compass as a backup to my GPS. we should always have a backup to our backups.
As an old wilderness skills instructor, I think it's a mistake to think living in the wilderness long term to escape SHTF is a viable option. While I think everyone should have some wilderness skills, only a very few will be able to survive for more than a month living in the bush, depending on the weather.
The key to discerning the elements of this topic are in defining "arrested development". Everything is bushcraft. Nothing I have came from Mars. Joe Rogan said it best "...what makes that bright? Bright shit? I don't know." If an individual could mine the ore, build the forge, develop the tools, refine the fuels ...etc., ...etc. You would have your chainsaw. The only differences in people are the varying degrees of how ridiculous that concept is deemed to be. Yet, in what? Five generations? Here we are. Think about that everyone. Then get to work understanding your own educational shortcomings and limitations. Arrested development indeed. Lol.
yup ... in that sense we've become pretty dumb ... but even our 'state of the art technology now' will look and be pretty primitive in a couple of centuries. But i think the lesson to take from that is not that technology advances, but that any technology (deemed how ever primitive) was state of the art when it was first conceived/discovered. (or at least that i how i look at it)
Dutch Courage - Precisely. And I'm working on a presentation that attempts to encapsulate how Arthur C. Clarke's Three Laws pertain to preparedness. Especially, in regards to both the beginner and the more advance prepper. Essentially redefining what it could potentially mean to be an "advanced" prepper. It is staggering to admit the amount of knowledge and skill a prepper could acquire if he or she truly wanted to.
i can't think of one prepper/survivalist youtuber that i've watched over the years who didn't at some point extol the virtue of skill over all else. if i had to put my money on who would survive any given situation i'd give odds on primitive technology in every case, hands down, bar none.
A lot of bushcraft skills I learned in the boy scouts in the early 70's I became a survivalist in the late 70's because of the cold war now fit into being a prepper
Interesting, I was very into in bush craft when young, have practiced very little as an adult but think there is value in learning basics and planning using a combination of basics and tech! Thanks for video!
If believe bushcraft is one of the skills a true survivalist needs. I teach my self and my wife bushcraft, military Technics, Survival, medical skills. Prepping to me is al out. I dont just need to survive the wild but thrive.
I totally agree. Preparedness became an interest of mine a few years ago which led me to bushcraft. I love using an axe and my Olight headlamp lol. Great vid and POV on the topic
for me bushcraft is a way of improvising the things I do not have, if I have tools I use them and I embrace anything that adds value to my day, there is so much filler on the market sold as "survival" kit that I have to step back and remember the old saying of the more you know the less you need.
Primitive means are by definition not very productive. Neither are hand tools for that matter. If you really want to strike a balance on getting things done with your "woods kit"... read a backpackers manual. Pack the shelter and food you need for the time it takes to get whatever you need to do in the woods done. When you are done, leave the woods. As we saw in the TV show Alone. It's bloody tough in them woods.
bobba fett problem is, Alone is a tv show. In reality, NO survivalist or bushcrafter is gonna purposely go on a longterm stay in the woods with just a few items like the TV show. Alone is NOT about "surviving" (like it may be advertised) but who can starve the longest. Also, if you watched all the episodes, there are many times the "contestants" passed over many plant items to effect their "survival". A true Bushcrafter or Survivalist will also have in their "kit, if you will" the knowledge of plants and trees for food and medicines. White Pine, for example is both a pharmacy and a kitchen. (alot of vitamins in the inner bark) Not saying the woods isn't tough. It is! BUT, it's a whole lot more unforgiving for those who don't "bother" to add the extra skills to their "kit". THAT is the difference between most (not all) preppers and bushcrafters (woodsmen - I prefer) or survivalists. I respect the "prepper approach" but in a real, genuine long-term SHTF they talk about, once their "goodies" are all spent. THEN WHAT???
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wait wait your all American prepper he looks nothing like you
Hi, can you also send your products to europe? And do you still have those toiletpaper pils?
How about shipping out the ones you've already sold? It's been 2 weeks and my order page says "we're getting it ready".
Canadian Prepper if Bush crafters had those tools in the 1700s they would have diffently used the tools any means to get the job done
Canadian Prepper I don't think they wanted to work hard to get a fire going they just used what was available at the time
Bushcraft is a new term that doesnt mean a lot to me. I call everything survival, even prepping. Everything you do to prolong your life is survival. Then there is long term survival like prepping or off grid living, and short term survival like urban survival, wilderness survival and so on... I believe its good if you have skills both from wilderness survival and prepping. That is my goal: Be a survivalist and a prepper :) No need to be only a one winged bird.
Very well put and wise
Survival Lilly I was about to write the same exact thing. You hit the nail on the head!!
Right on point survival Lilly! I have learned so much from your videos!!
Survival Lilly yes ma'am that's what I say any means possible to survive and as coffterble as you can if they had what we have now in the 1700s they would have used it
💪 😎 👍
This is comparing apples with oranges. It's where the worlds of prepping, survivalism and bushcraft collide. Why would you use a silky saw when you could use a chainsaw? Why would you use a chainsaw when you can buy your lumbar from a sawmill? Why would you walk when you could ride a horse? Why would you ride a horse when you could drive a car? Why would you use a bowdril when you could use a firesteel? Why would you use a firesteel when you could use a bic? Why would you use a bic when you could use peizo? Bushcrafters dont insist on doing things in the most basic way because that is the best way, they do things in the most primitive way because they enjoy it. Bushcrafters do what they do for fun. Unlike survivalists and preppers, they are not in training for the apocalypse. They just enjoy the simplicity of getting back to basics. There is overlap, obviously, but the main difference between preppers and bushcrafters is not what they do, but why they are doing it.
Best comment by a wise ol’ feller I bet
Bingo it's called bush CRAFT not survival or prepping. It is a craft. I practice it myself because i enjoy doing it i like the fact that the simplicity of the craftsmanship going into it can create so many different things. Are they necessary in a survival situation; No not to the extent in wich you see in some of these videos but knowing how will most certainly be of help. And thank you sir for pointing that out to close minded people who may believe they've got it all figured out. (I don't think anyone will ever have it ALL figured out ; we continuously learn through trial and error, i believe this how we evolve).
Totally what I was gonna say
Well u would do all these things because u dont have the money for the more "Tech Shit".
Martyntd5 thanks man, i was not gonna say that so polite but you covered the point I wanted to make really well without the expletives i would have used
I look at bushcraft as an insurance policy. If the worst case happens I at least have the primitive skill set to fall back on.
Rather Be Bushcrafting That is how I also look at prepping.
I agree with you, Mike. For me, it's a combination of thriving with technology while appreciating the craft, the sustainability.
my feelings exactly Mike Mayor
You took the words right out of my mouth. I like having the knowledge and the experience just in case I need it. And with the way things are looking these days, I probably will need to know these skills at some point. Plus it is satisfying practicing these skills, it is fun as well
There are people who get great satisfaction from knowing they can perform basic outdoor functions without having to buy thousands of dollars worth of survival toys from Amazon. Sure, technology is great but there is nothing wrong with knowing how to get by with a little less. You can balance your outdoor skills with the use of modern gear, as most bushcrafters do. There are far too many "preppers" who know nothing about the real outdoors because they think that if they buy a garage full of "survival gear" they are ready for anything.
Well said.
Greenspace Explorer
Yeap, it does not hurt to have the very basic knowledge to know the simplest of tools to make something like fire, collecting water and building a shelter. reliance in technology is a bonus, but knowing these fundamentals can give you confidence that you will survive even without the "survival toys"
And good luck to people who rely so much on technology that they have no options when these gadgets break. The more complex a tool is the easier it is to break/malfunction and harder it is to replace.
Instead we spend the thousands on custom knives and axes.
I like Mors Kochanski’s view that the more you know, the less you need to carry. Otherwise, you’re just dependent on gadgets that are designed to have short lifespans so you have to buy more.
jjdogbutte agreed
Yeah that’s what I was going to say. Bushcraft relies on skill not gadgets and more gear. That being said I would prefer to gain skills and lose gear so I can add my iPhone, Kindle, rechargeable battery and solar panel.
Knowledge is more expensive in time, but less expensive in currency, and less expensive on your back and legs over a long hike. Maybe you can trade that weight and space in your pack for some luxury items, or maybe lightweight hiking is a luxury itself. In extreme situations, knowledge can't be stolen from you, and you have an unlimited supply of the stuff to trade in exchange for goods.
I take a very knowledge-heavy approach to camping, prepping, etc. Things are just a back-up, or a buffer, but I never want things to become a crutch. Knowledge is also a confidence-builder, and keeping one's morale high and stress low in a survival situation is extremely important. What are you going to do when your water bottle runs out, your knife breaks, your bic runs out of fuel, your last freeze-dried meal packet is eaten, and you've just shot your last cartridge out of your gun? If your answer is "panic, then die" I'd say you're not very well prepared after all. Me, I'm already working the problem.
I certainly do own a lot of stuff. I carry stuff when it's lightweight, low-maintenance, and reliable. I don't use unreliable gimmicks, or heavy stuff that makes things easier at camp but harder on the trail. When it comes to certain redundancies (firestarters in particular), I'll take a lot of stuff, I just won't use it unless I absolutely have to, and I keep my weight and size down. Out in the woods, I'm more likely to use a bow drill than a lighter or match. I know I'll probably always have a couple shoelaces with me, no matter what happens in the future; I may not have a lighter or a match. In a real survival situation, though, I'll use whatever I have to to survive. Stuff becomes buffer instead of back-up, a way of saving energy for the hard times ahead. Skills become the back-up if I'm not able to continually replenish my stuff. The time to practice skills is when times are easy, and the technology is plentiful and available in case your skills fail. if you always cut corners, you'll never have any skills to fall back on at all.
Also, I just gotta say, when you do start bow-drilling at a public campsite, and are actually good at it and start a fire pretty quickly, you get instant camp cred and everyone wants to be your friend. I suggest practicing plenty before you attempt this with an audience, or you might not live it down.
@@fakecubed Well said, good on you
There's nothing wrong with traditional bushcraft. It's when they try and shove their rules down everyone else's throat that it becomes annoying.
PREPAREDMIND101 There are no rules to survival other than rule #1 - survive. Anyone saying different is delusional or selling something.
PREPAREDMIND101
Agree 100% with you there. BTW, absolutely LOVE the latest rant
What’s up preparedmind101 did I win that Bowie I luv u 😍
PREPAREDMIND101 Can't be around them, way to many cameras and there is only so many spoons a man can carve. Other than that the skills are handy.
Well there are the rules of 3 ... and ehrm, the rules of nature and biology, and the rules of physics (gravity f/e) and chemistry ... actually, there are quite some rules involved in surviving. :P
I hate all the bushcraft, prepping, etc... labels since they mean so many things to so many people. In their narrowest definition, they are all important aspects to "survivalism" in my opinion.
I would choose to be called an outdoorsman, but understand that if I am sliced up different parts would look like different labels. I'm a prepper, a bushcrafter, a hiker, a camper, wilderness survivor, a tacticool wanna be, a fisherman, kayaker, pyromaniac, etc... I like studying the climate, animal life, plant life, geology, etc....
Balance. Always shifting focus so as not to limit myself to one aspect or discipline. Yes, perhaps that puts me in the "master of none" category, but with enough diversity I am comfortable with that.
Survival Theory
FANTASTIC ANSWER!!!!! I have problems because people I meet call me a survivalist or a Bushcrafter or a prepper. I'm all of those and more. Your definition hit it on the head. I just like being in the woods and comfortable. 30+ years ago, a weekend or week in the woods required a pickup full of gear. Nowadays, it's barely more than a backpack. I follow mors kochanski's principal of "the more you know, the less you need". which, BTW, DOES include modern tech.
Same here you got it right
You and I would get along well, godspeed brother.
I prefer the "outdoorsman" label as well, given the choice. Bushcraft is an activity, prepping is an activity, hiking is an activity; being the sort of person who is comfortable being outdoors is an identity.
Best answer!! I don’t like titles for example I have a garden but that doesn’t make me a farmer!! But I do my homework so my garden thrives soil samples, water, light etc. but at the end I know what I need to do to get it done!! I’ve been playing in the woods for over 30 years and thankfully I have learned many skills to get it done, I was taught that the best tool I have is between my ears “brain” take care and stay safe!!
I think i can explain this situation very simply:
-If you are trying to prove yourself to yourself, that you can survive even with like no equipment with primal way, thats ok.
-But if you are in a shtf situation your gonna need to go more easy and fast. So having some modern technology equipments are absolutely necessery when things get serious.
Modern technology is great and like gold in a survival situation, but having the knowledge of how to do it all without modern technology IS the key to surviving, especially for the long-term. Lighter fluid runs out, matches are single use, ferro-rods have limited strikes, etc, etc, etc, and in the end you WILL end up being left with the primitive ways of obtaining the basic survival needs. It’s about the skill and knowledge to do those tasks if you ever needed too, even if it’s unnecessary in the shadow of modern alternatives. It’s essentially practice, which is MOST important - more important than collecting piles of gear you don’t know how to properly use or have to completely rely on.
In my opinion, modern technology is almost always a gimmick and relies on way too much to be self sufficient and worthy of carrying, even if it convenient and easy. Gasoline, fluids, oils, elaborate parts, are all a good example. I tend to stick to 1860’s to 1930’s gear or their modern *equivalent* because it was truly made to be relied on and has the years of proof to back it all up. It’s not made to sell off a shelf as quickly as possible by boasting ridiculous claims, and it’s not cheaply made. Food for thought.
Being brought up on bushcraft because we didn't have the tech that is available now,I believe we need a balance between old and new (I think that is part of what you are saying). I love the comforts of "modern" camping, however, I love the security of knowing that when the modern toys break down, I still have the old school tools and knowledge to stay happy and healthy. It's the same reason I carry cash, because the debit systems do go down from time to time, yet I have the means to purchase my whatever with cash. Walk through life happy and prepared...and in comfort. Cheers!
Speaking of old and new...my Silky Big Boy 2000 arrived today!! ;)
100% true IT is Just fun to do,and better to know Both worlds
So you think that the world will someday collapse. But it seems you might also think that it might someday, in our lifetime, miraculously repair itself. Are matches, lighters, ferro rods, magnesium sticks, saws, tents and wood-stoves not still consumables? When they're used up then what? Silky saws are truly awesome but will eventually dull. Some swear the won't but no one that I know has cut wood year round, year after year with one. That super hard metal will be horrible or impossible to sharpen. Wood stoves are dandy (except for portables) but eventually rust or burn through (even the best ones) and most tents are only suitable for a season or two.
A bushcrafter can make it happen with a sharp rock or a stick. Anyone relying on technology will eventually have to endure a nasty learning curve, reinventing the wheel as they fumble along without primitive knowledge. Bushcraft knowledge is free and easy to access, so why not grab it up. Gadgets are often nifty and make bushcraft seem archaic. Going without them will really suck in a WROL but going without bush know how may be deadly. No one should ever encourage technology above bushcraft.
VERY WISE and true!!!
I completely agree👍
It's unlikely humanity will ever revert to the stone age. Even if an asteroid comes and wipes out almost everything, there will be some people emerging from bunkers with knowledge of the world before, and they'll reinvent things pretty fast with what they already have. Most of what has held humanity back over the tens of thousands of years was metallurgy and the knowledge of how to generate enough energy. Reset the world tomorrow, but keep a few people alive, and within a year there will be local electrical power grids, combustion engines, basic computers, and the assembly line. Advanced metallurgy and plastics like the sort we have now might take a few more years, but not that many.
I definitely prefer skills over stuff, and I do view stuff as consumables that won't last forever, but that doesn't mean stuff is bad. The kind of stuff is what really matters, and the quantity. In a true survival situation, stuff is a buffer, a way of prolonging the point at which you'll need to start falling back on your skills, which may require more precious calories to use, so the longer you can stay in a consumer mindset the safer you'll be. The larger this buffer, not just for yourself but for everyone around you, the more chances people will get organized and get rebuilding before that buffer runs out.
If your plan come doomsday is to simply leave home with a small amount of stuff, go out into the woods somewhere, and live the rest of your life out in the woods alone, well, good luck with that. My guess is within a year, you'll run into somebody else with your same pessimistic view of humanity and the encounter is a violent one, or you'll have an accident and succumb to infection or exposure. If your plan is to build a local community and work together as that community for mutual survival and to restore the world to normal, I'd say you have a much better plan and somebody with your skills will end up having a statues and schools named after them someday.
Unless rising waters, fire, an army, or a hurricane is headed your way, bugging out and leaving your support base and all your existing resources behind is simply insanity. One of the skills that is so often overlooked by preppers is social skills. Understanding how to mediate conflicts, deescalate tense situations, and leading/organizing people are the most valuable survival skills there are. It's what differentiates us from mere animals, and it's why we have a nice comfortable civilization to begin with. Get to know your neighbors. Get them interested in prepping so that they will have more resources in an emergency and have less need of yours (which, if you have any humanity in you at all, you'll want to share). Talk to them, today, about what you'll do as a neighborhood to survive together, in the event of major natural or unnatural disaster. Develop a reputation for being a smart, skilled, and trustworthy leader in your community, today. If the S hits the F, do you want to be surrounded by neighbors who aren't prepared and don't trust you, or do you want to be surrounded by neighbors who have plenty of resources, and skills, and view you as their leader? In the first situation, maybe you will have to bug out. I know I'd much rather be in the second situation.
The world will repair itself, for the simple reason that humans are problem-solvers. The human species is resourceful, and social. We didn't build civilization on a lark, we built it because the world was broken when we found it, and we wanted to make it better, then worked together to do so.
Learn skills so you can be one of the builders, and make it so your children and grandchildren get to have the same stuff, better stuff, than what you can get now.
Bushcraft is enabling yourself to have more tools for your tool box so you don't have to rely on technology to live comfortably in the woods. The best example of a bush crafter is Ray mears, you ll see he takes alot of gear with him into the woods. It enables him like you to live comfortably when out there. If he lost all of his comfy and cosy gear, you can still be comfortable with the skills that are in your head. I Think you need to re evaluate this video and or re-educate yourself in the actual meaning of bushcraft. I got halfway through this video and had to switch it off because it was painful. How often do you see gear reliant people getting themselves into trouble nowadays. I ve seen it tobMany times.
@R.A.W Skills Bushcraft
I fully agree with you there. I watched the whole video because I like to hear ALL viewpoints, but definitely agree with you. I like my modern "accents" too, but have a friend that believes bushcraft skills are BS. One weekend, I called him out. We "lost" all our gear but what we had on our person for one night to prove a point. I slept warm and comfortable by my fire, while he slept (?) fitfully the whole night with NO fire. Funny how he doesn't say those things anymore
100% true IT is Just fun to do
Amazing topic!
I think the bushcrafting skills or primitive skill set is critical, but the reality is it's -25 C outside. Is someone really going to take the time to do it in the official Bushcraft way, or are they going to pull the FatRope stick from the firekit and light the fire? You bet your ass I'm going to use the fat rope stick if I have it! Bushcrafting is a hobby which helps one to develop excellent primitive skills. Those skills only become useful when one has the luxury of time and conditions to apply them. Bushcrafting skills can be applied in a survival situation, but a survival mentality is a completely other thing!
Awesome video CP, keep them coming.
Julian STN
Yeah, for example, don't go to places where it freezes -25C ... geesh 3h rule ... though i am fairly sure no innuit has ever used a fatrope !
+ to the rule of 3 days/hours/min
Bowdrill + moss/wood shavings/hair/pelts + animal fat... they probably had something almost as good as fatrope but no need for feathersticks at the extreme.
the main idea is that although it might be easier to do something like that, it weighs more, and most importantly is a limited resource. Practice makes perfect, using a knife and ferro rod might take a lil longer than using a firestarter, but when your surrounded by trees and you have the skills, you never run out of firestarter :)
I agree, it's nice to know how to do and it's best practice when you don't really need it as an insurance policy against the day you do. I'm a homesteader, so I have to live in the cold so I just want to like the damn fire LOL
CP, I think you said the most important word in the whole video. "Balance"
Technology can become so dependent that you forget how to survive, but technology can also assist in your survival. Balance in your whole life is important.
Shure, you don't throw away the GPS when you're lost in the woods, just because you know bushcraft. But bushcraftskills shure could come in handy, if you lose your GPS or the batteries expires.
Not sure what Nate's point is here. Firstly, bushcrafters are not usually trying to live off-grid. The ones I know are fully integrated into modern society, but practice bushcraft in their spare time. It's an aspect of prepping, and rightly involves coping with less than ideal tools, or none at all. After all, there could be a HTF situation which drives you into arenas you'd rather not be in, such as the wilderness, possibly having had everything stolen from you, so learning how to cope in unusually difficult situations has to be seen as a bonus (although I admit that bugging out into the woods is a last resort).
The curved saw is great and all, but if it was about using the best tool we can, we could use a petrol chainsaw. Odd.
The key is to be a survivalist. A survivalist takes from all disciplines. To me prepping is one of the lower level aspects of survivalisum. I understand what your talking about here but from what I see most people that like Bushcraft do it because it's a craft. It's not about preparing for the zombie apocalypse. Why do I some times start a fire with sticks when I have a lighter in my pocket? Because it's fun and high level survivalisum. If the zombies attack I will reach for my lighter before I think about sticks, but at least I'd be OK if I have no lighter. Don't get me wrong I prep to but I'm no pepper because from what I see thats mostly about hoarding stuff. I do hate to see people do things like add flint and steel to survival kit rather than sure fire stuff like lighters but that just a miss understanding of the point of knowing how to use something like flint and steel.
In good times, use skills as a buffer to your back-up stuff. In bad times, use stuff as a buffer to your back-up skills.
Bushcraft is all about enjoying outdoors in armony with nature. You have time, you like to exercise, you light a fire with a bow-drill or hand-drill. You have no time or you are not in the mood, you light a fire with your Zippo fuel and a match. The important thing is to enjoy the outdoors. Survival is all about be prepared to stay alive. If you are outdoor for survival training, you should train in the most ways you can, cause you will not know in which condition you will need to survive. So, bushcraft is like holidays, survival training is like homework and real survival is the real test.
Hahaha! Wow! There are Merits in my opinion to learning primitive skills but... with that said. Modern Innovation has helped us as a society Create, Thrive, and Grow! Which is why not combining the Old and New is Asinine in my humble opinion.
DropForgedSurvival Amen!
DropForgedSurvival Well said! Why restrict ourselves to no tech? isn't that as bad as someone restricting themselves to ONLY tech?
Mordion Possibly. Always good to round out skill sets and gear
SO true. I think everyone concerned with prepping should learn some primitive skills, because while an all-tech method might get you through a short term SHTF situation, in TEOTWAWKI that tech will only last so long, and you may not be able to replace it, so you'll need to know how to get by without it. That said, particularly at the beginning stages of an Event, advanced gear will give you a head start. You might be done building your survival camp (just for example) by the time most people even realize they need one. Balance in everything, that's my philosophy.
Knowledge is the most important thing whenSHTF. All that technology is useless if it is stolen, lost, or breaks down. That is why I watch bushcraft videos more than prepper. All your technology costs money, and alot of ppl can't afford it.
Bushcraft brings ease of mind, knowing one can survive (however cumbersome) if you find yourself in a situation without any modern tools. View it as carrying the bugoutbag or survivalkit between your ears.
In a real survival situation, one uses what one have, high- or lowtech. Anything to save calories and do your tasks efficiently. You do not waist energy on bushcrafty tasks when it gets real, and you have a better solution. But it is good to know, and to have practiced it, should you ever need the skills.
@@Mr_Right A bugout kit between the ears. I love that. I'm gonna use that.
When Rambo jumped out of that airplane and got tangled he had to cut all of his gear off...just sayin.
exactly,.
It all depends on climate and access to resources - and time. Why does primitivetechnology not produce more videos?
Johnny Good, takes a lot to make those videos then just sitting and talking in front of a camera like this guy not just that it’s a whole different category he doesn’t do it in a prepped mind set he just wants to teach and make money
Great catch, lol. Which war movie was it that the veteran went through the greenhorns gear and started tossing shit he wouldn't need, lol?
Platoon
Is there a better litmus test, than actually struggling to survive? In a true survival situation, you take advantage where you find it. If you stumble upon an abandoned cabin, that's a huge win, not a cheat. Another thought provoking vid, Thanks!
Thanks for all the info,I learned a lot from your chanel!
shit, I play bush craft on a regular basis. Not gonna go live like that but its a great set of skills to have and practice regularly. I do love modern amenities though.
So jealous you have birch...
PREPAREDMIND101 come on up to Canada :P birch aplenty
In Canada, tree are using winter camo to avoid getting their bark eaten by animals.
Where I live we don’t even have trees. I’m jealous of all of you! Damned Academy sporting good selling hammocks, like what the hell are we going to do with this damn thing. Need to make the damn strap big enough to go around a big ass rock. We got plenty of damn rocks. Prolly need to start importing birch bark just for people that watch these vids.
Ebay sells birch for bushcraft check it out very decent prices!
I've enjoyed many channels on bushcraft and prepping. The technology makes the camping and preparing for emergency situations easier for me due to my disabilities. Thanks for the conversation.
Heidy Blalack Yes yes yes...
I think the point is going back to being connected with the land. The more you know the less you carry. Making a living connection with the land. You don't and shouldn't need a bunch of gear to survive. Whats with your time obsession? There is nothing wrong with a bow saw. If you can't take the time to cut your wood with a bow saw your in to much of a hurry and need to slow down. That being said there is nothing wrong with faster tools. I like to take a small chain saw and there not that heavy and are even faster :P Stop rushing life. No one ever died because they had a bow saw vs silky. If they did they were probably in a rush. Also if you have proper fire techniques you don't need you to cut would just have it gathered, so why wast the time at all eh? Your putting limits on Bushcraft. Bushcraft isn't a limited hippy thing, true bushcrafters should be well rounded. You should have survival skills, bushcraft, firecraft, woodcraft, prep skills, tool skills among many others. Bushcraft is a mesh of many skills including survivalism which people haven't fully learnt this lesson yet. There are no Restrictions. The idea behind Restriction is to get good at certain skills but they should not be your only or even main skills. Its just a learning platform and technique. Life is about knowledge and bushcraft teaches you to think more creatively than having a bunch of gear. There is nothing wrong with proving stuff to yourself either.
Bushcraft doesn't have an real official definition it should not be limited stop trying to give it one. Bush is wilderness, craft are the skills you have. The skills you take to the wilderness. All skills. Ill rest my case for now.
We built a summer home in Sweden near a lake, solar for charging cell phones, generator to pump water, sleep under the stars, bushcraft if we want. Then jump in the car and drive to the grocery store, There ya go.
I have found that a lot of new technology items may work better then old, BUT....they also break much faster! Old school tools are made to last and last and that gives you peace of mind when your life is on the line. Just my two cents worth.
Reliability, and size and weight are the two things I consider. Sometimes that means taking something that's modern technology. Sometimes that means taking something very primitive indeed. New isn't always better.
I think bushcraft has a huge place in the prepper world. Any natural disaster could leave a person without equipment. Knowing primitive skills is a great tool/skill set to have.
There are extremes on both sides (gear heads/primitive)...which is not good. But knowing both just add to survivability imho. No bushcrafter will not use a lighter in an emergency though. It's a huge confidence builder to know, for example, you can start a bow drill fire if needed though.
I like to mix the best of both worlds
You make a lot of good points, well one main point described in several ways actually. The word for it, though I don't know if I heard it, is efficiency. Survival, i
for an extended time period, is all about living efficiently. You have to be efficient with your body, your resources, your tools (they wear down/out), etc.
As my woodworking teacher in high school always said: "Work Smarter, not Harder."
I would like to c what “THE ALL AMERICAN PREPPER” has to say about this topic 🤘
Steelhuskers 1 I miss him 😅
I'm getting the feeling that Nate is going to start selling Sham-wows.
Knowing (and doing) bushcraft in a traditional way, ... for a SHTF/WROL event, when there won't be all that free money, free time, and gobs and gobs of goods, gear, and cr*p to take care of them - makes common sense. Have the recent Southern California rain storm and landslide wipe out your stuff - or the 64 forest and grass meadow fires burn across CA - and you are on your own having lost all your stuff ... and now w/o having all that high technology - and only wearing your panties. (A true Red Cross story of a tornado devastation and a man walking into disaster shelter - need to see ID ... then only stuff he had from a tornado was his briefs !!! all else was lost and destroyed - vehicle, house, goods, gear, stuff ....).
While I won't go into black gunpowder muzzleloaders and wear buckskins and go frontiersman retro ... and enjoy the YT Primitive Technology and Primitive Lifestyle and watching them make jungle/tropical lifestyle up to near-Iron Age technology is enlightening. And knowing how to do brain-tanning and making leather, rawhide, and buckskin is a worthy skill and knowledge. But being a techno-crafter (techno-cr*pper ...playing bush-crafting) vs being a more self-reliant bush-crafter is also part of the same going to extremes. Going "camping and native" with their 34 ft mobile home, with gas stove, refrigerator, and TV (! actual event and statement by a fellow employee in So CAL) that was ~roughing it~ for them (!?!). Reality check will come quick with no fuel, dead battery, no energy-production, no heat/cooking, and having only a big plywood box on a wheeled chassis to shelter in.
If you want to know (and being able to work) trapping and snaring, is a handy skill to know, but obtaining all kinds of traps and snare kits - when you probably won't use them is a waste. Other than maybe having some various sized havahart traps ... that I agree about ... for small critter trapping ... then that would be a regional issue. Can always trap possums, coons, (skunks), and rabbit/hares. Having an enclosure (and hutches) and raising/breeding up those wild critters into semi-domesticated "livestock" would be a future food asset.
Just be reasonable and logical. Prep for what you can prep (and afford). Know what you know, and be able to perform that knowledge into experience. Know what you don't know ... and work on correcting that weakness.
John Lord only camo sham wows
she maughs and sham wows ... now to get he maughs and he wows.
she maughs and sham wows. Next he maughs and ham wows.
Sir, I just read your comment and they are wise words. Thank you for making me think of a few things that in the past short while I have forgotten. Now all I need to do is get rid of this dang cold that won't let me be, even with all the really good VitC powders, antibiotics and magic mushrooms. Have a good day Sir, with best wishes from Australia!
As someone who is chronologically challenged, (I'm a senior) I have no illusions of surviving in a primitive shelter in Canada in the winter. It's presently -23 here on the North shore of Lake Ontario. In a survival situation if I were forced to bug out I will welcome any edge technology can give me. I think CP is right on the mark in his attitude of bush craft vs modern equipment. An acquaintance who converted a small school bus into a brilliant bug out vehicle has inspired me. There are many factors that influence how one prepares for an emergency and willingness to embrace any advantage is critical. Great video CP. Thumbs up.
To be able too live without modern equipment or limited modern equipment means that you do not depend on the things that you can drop Society step out of the box of society and drive with limited gear means you truly are self sustainable which means you are survivor
Outstanding perspective! This will help many of us reflect on why do what we do. I consider myself an outdoorsman and enjoy spending time in the woods either alone or with others. I find the older I get the more important it is to go light, since I often do backpacking trips involving considerable distances. So I will incorporate my bushcraft knowledge to eliminate items which aren't really necessary. It is about balancing weight with comfort. In order to achieve that knowledge it is sometimes necessary to do outings with minimal gear because sometimes you can't replicate certain conditions in your backyard. I do practice some primitive skills as a hobby because to me it is more fun and productive than watching tv. Many people also find it very entertaining when I demonstrate these skills. In the end it is all about maximizing your enjoyment in the outdoors.
First time commenting, but I have been watching your videos for years and lately been ordering some much needed gear too, thanks for great pricing and service, and of course for all the thoughtful content you provide.
I 100% agree on bushcraft being "play", I was a boyscout in my youth and acquired those skills, practiced them just for the practical need of it in a survival situation, but I haven't played at bushcraft since I was probably 15. My son is now 13 and I want to show his city grown butt how to do things efficiently and strategically in the woods. I'm not teaching him feather sticking, that's easy to figure out and not really needed, he's seen how it's done.
More practical is to pick the right tools for the job for efficiency and safety sake. Plan well and execute the plan. Find water, purify if needed, make shelter, make fire, find food. That kind of stuff. Technology is advantage, and in a survival situation I want all the advantage known to man or alien that I can get my hands on.
One that you mentioned in other videos, drones. I don't get why people don't see the major advantage in having an eagle eye view up to 8 kilometers around you. It changes everything for fishing, hunting, trapping if you use it right. You can drone fish, drop the bait way past your ability to cast from shore.
I know, "not fair", right? If I have a village to feed I'm not sitting by a brook with my rod thinking of fairness, I'm dropping shark baits and scouting salmon runs from hopefully a connected off grid location with creature comforts. If I can feed more with less effort, I would always take it over arrested development. But that's the INTJ in me, always looking to improve systems in an effort for that perfect function of a system, machine or algorithm.
Keep up the good work, thanks again!
Very good points, you bring up what is becoming a very popular trend. Creators are selling what is more or less a romantic distortion of peoples fantasy life.... and viewers now want it so that the seller makes said goods in silence so that the viewer can even better pretend to be in the fantasy. My personal position, as it relates to the video title... I like the idea of "bushcraft" but I am normally too busy for it. When I am outdoors hunting, fishing, hiking, exploring new areas or trying out new gear I just don't have time for it, not to mention the expense of the specialized tools/clothing. As for prepping I am just too poor and disorganized to be a serious "Prepper". As to "Survivalist", well I guess I am damn stubborn and ornery so would fight tooth and nail to stay alive... I really have a thing against labels and "rules". What really gets me is all these "hardcore minimalist" guys camping naked and eating bugs for views. People watch and applaud it and in the same breath bithc at the snow plow driver who has been out for 14 hour straight plowing snow for their lazy butts because he bermed their driveway. SMH
Wow. Couldn't have said it better myself. I have to say, I was not expecting such a deep, philosophical experience. You literally covered every angle of the topic with pure common sense. Definitely one of the most riveting videos I've watched lately. Thanks!
Hi from the UK, Canadian Prepper. Firstly thanks for all the very informative and entertaining vids.
I love the Silky saws also. As to your comment about the 19th Century mentality I really do see what you mean about the romanticised notions that some people have expressed.
My background is in Mechanical and structural engineering so have seen a huge amount of technological development over my 35 year career. Mostly those developments have lead to an improvement in either workflow and/or safety and I have embraced those changes with enthusiasm.
Here though are some of my thoughts on LONG TERM survival. Perhaps a situation may arise where we are not dealing with an issue for one or two years , but grid down for a generation, perhaps more.
Under those circumstances it maybe prudent to become familiar with the 19th century options as those are more likely to be replaceable from the resources and knowledge available.
For instance, I spent 5 years in the Outer Mongolian countryside with the gold mining community. Many of the westerners I encountered brought hi tec clothing such as Gortex etc and in the short time of their stay that was fine. The gear did what it was meant to do over that period of months.
My hi tec gear lasted only one mining season. I had to go out of the country to replace that gear as back in 1991-95 it was just not locally available. What happens when that route for gear replacement is not available?
In my case I adopted local clothing while out of the city and it served me well and on several very scary occasions saved my life.
It struck me that Silky Saws and indeed many other forms of tec that rely on current levels of industry and infrastructure to maintain and replace may not last someone a lifetime of hard daily use to the same high standard after 10 years? Can you sharpen them back to that level without modern equipment?
I would respectfully suggest that it may be worth considering some 19th century technology if you are planning for multi year grid down head down scenarios.
Once you have melted your gortex jacket getting too close to the fire while in -60 degree C you no longer have a jacket. On the other hand, my local felt and wool clothing is repairable and replaceable with locally sourced materials and well within the skill set of myself and the locals who have been doing so for hundreds of years.
Just a thought and in no way wishing to bash your views or anyone else, only throwing that out there for consideration.
Once again many thanks for your vids I will continue to watch your channel with great interest and keep a Silky Saw in my kit along side my romantically inclined older tec.
While i can't speak for others, i came into prepping from the 'bushcraft/camping' side of things, and i found that Bushcraft is ALL about TECHnology ... but, it's not about taking that technology and comfort with you when you go into the bush, but taking the knowledge and some basic tools with you to try and create a semblance of that technology and comfort. Where the challenge seems to always lie in taking less stuff and more knowledge with you, while remaining at a fairly comfortable level ... and the result generally is that you have to carry less stuff, and due to that less of a burden of weight and bulk. The reason why a lot of things are self made is threefold: one it looks cool; two: once you know how to do it you can recreate it again given you have access to the same materials and tools (or you become interested in how to attain and process those, both materials and tools); and lastly: you can make these things the way 'YOU' want them to be, so that they do what you need them to do (custom is more than just design, generally it's also got to do with functionality) ... so, (again for me personally) it's not about an 'arrested development', it's about not being dependent on bringing that development with you ...
so, basically, if you know how to navigate by sun, moon, stars, tree and plant growth and some stones or twigs, you do not need to bring a compass and beads, and certainly not a Garmen (which needs power and in the long term some way to replenish that power). But you haven't given up on any 'knowledge' that is behind that technology, you may have simply replaced some of that knowledge with some other knowledge, which in turn means you do not need all that stuff, and are certainly not hindered by loosing it or breaking it. And given you practice the skills, it's unlikely you will loose it. And what i found is that in order to truly learn and understand these primitive skills (and practice them), you generally need to understand a lot about the technology behind the modern stuff.
F/e Trapping is basically a technological advancement for hunting, making the traps yourself on the spot is a technological advancement for dragging that stuff in (at least, if you see it from yourself as a standpoint, you now 'own' that technology, instead of depending on somebody else's creation) ... Some simple examples, you bring a fishing rod and go fish all day, i could spend a day to make a fish trap. You have to be there every day fishing, i dunk the trap and go do something else ... so you bring a net, well then i bring twine and make a netting needle and gage, when your net is damaged (which it will be) you are done for, i repair it and keep on netting ... SO then the question is, 'whos more technologically advanced?' ... You bring your technology and are instantly 'comfortable', i bring nothing and work hard to achieve that same comfort, though once your stuff inevitably breaks you are done for, i just repair or use other knowledge and technology to best recreate what is broken ... another would be that you would say bring a jetburning stove, i want to know how to make one out of clay, to do so i need to understand what makes the thing tick, so that i can recreate it, need to know where to get clay how to work it, how to fire it; you instantly have it, it might take me a couple of weeks to figure out how to make one. Still though, in the end i will likely have one, for ever in my head, you got one forever in your wallet (though arguably the thing is bombproof, but you get my point by now i think ^^ ).
Ending with, there is nothing wrong with bringing all the kit you want and long for with you, heck when i go camping i do not build my own shelter (i bring what makes camping comfortable); Nor btw. do i think many bush crafters, grew their own linnen, then rotted it, processed it, carded it, spun it, woven it, while raising bees (or finding wild ones) to get their wax, to then also quarry stone, mason it to make two mill stones to then also harvest all the seeds from the plant to then grind it to get linseed-oil, to combine the two (i think at least it's those two combined) to impregnate their woven linnen to get a tarp. They just bought one, and brought it with them!) ... It is cool to know how all of that is done though, and maybe try bits and pieces of that technological process yourself to see what it would be like if you had to, if only to know how you would have to, if you would have to.
So i'dd like to truly end with saying 'again' that BushCraft is anything but 'primitive', it actually strives to be the complete opposite (or at least how i look at it)
bush craft for some is definitely a hobby, bush craft for me is learning how to manage with minimal gear and also practicing different techniques with varying equipment and teaching my kids the same.
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Agree 100% with the points you made. One perspective you haven't touched on is that Bushcrafter get a lot on hands experience with what works and what doesn't. A few preppers I have talk to say that they will force themselves and family into spending a weekend in ''Fort Living Room'' ....by turning off the power in their houses and going full offgrid. They will check out what works and what doesn't in their plan and gear and work out the kinks. That's a level of awareness bushcrafters are much closer to.
Being prepared is awesome... but lots of preppers don't realize that their plan won't actually work as well as they think and gear will fail them when they least expect it. Bushcrafters are a bit more prepared for that (I DO emphasize that I have used ''a bit'')
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To me, I think the trick lies in a balance between having your creature comforts, and not having to carry 80 lbs of crap on your back. Nothing wrong with using a little technology to make your life easier and more comfortable when in the woods, but at the same time, you can only carry so much comfortably. If what I am bringing into the woods, wears me out to the point I can't enjoy myself, than it is counter productive. You have to ask yourself, with each piece of equipment you pack, do I need it, and if not, how much easier or comfortable will it make my experience, and is it worth the extra weight. That is something that will differ for each person. Nothing wrong with it either way, as long as YOU are happy with it.
The way I see it, knowledge and skills don't weigh anything, and there's something fun about roughing it and challenging oneself. I don't go camping just to get bit by bugs and sweat a little, I go out there to also challenge myself mentally, and feel proud of what I've accomplished. I don't have a problem with modern technologies. I got a GPS on my wrist, a titanium rescue whistle, and some thoroughly modern firestarting methods at my disposal. I'm also hoping I won't have to use any of those things, they're just back-ups and emergency gear in case something goes very wrong.
Modern technology, to end up in my gear on a hike or camping trip, needs to basically do two things. It needs to weigh less than previous methods, and it needs to be more reliable than previous methods. Things that just make my life easier aren't really a consideration, just those things that are more reliable at doing things I want to be doing anyway. I love modern materials and manufacturing methods, if they're applied in a sensible way to sensible products that work when you need them to.
I was taught by my grandfather both prepping and bushcraft. He lived through the great depression. He learned that both skills were a necessity. He learned that without both bushcraft and prepping combined you were at a great disadvantage.
Spot on. Bushcraft is an amazing skill set that I think everyone should learn for the options it allows when things fail. I still like to sit under the canvas on my BOV next to a fire it took a matter of minuets to make the modern way.
I have no problem with people doing bushcraft and I think u brought up a lot of good points and counter-points. It was a good debate consisting of one person, lol. In a true survival situation, i would use the most efficient way, but if im just camping to have fun, i enjoy trying out some bushcrafty things. To each their own.
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It's good to have something to focus attention on, & bushcraft focuses the mind while out in nature. The craft element helps develop psychological flow & a sense of self mastery. I work as a craftsman with stone & porcelain, clay, even leaned the process of making tiles & decorating. This is when you have spare time, but like you say it's important to work skills within the discipline of limitations.
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I went through a Bushcraft phase. Now I like to enjoy the wilderness in a similar fashion that you do; which is to say that I use numerous cutting edge technologies to make things easier and more comfortable outdoors. I value the skill set of being able to light a fire using flint and high carbon steel or a fire steel. I also like lighters. My point is that whatever modality a person finds enjoyable in the woods is good. The judgement of others' choices though is where it becomes problematic. Snobbery of any sort should be eradicated. Live and let live. Get outdoors, prep, maintain a connection with the wilderness and other people, be a good person, take care of your family, and enjoy the years you have in this world.
Probably one of your best videos! I don't care what Bushcraft Shamer's my say about my rig! In war or camping, it's about my enjoy/need! I also understand that if I am with others I have a responsibility to them (Hunter/gathers) but otherwise you cannot help others until can take care of yourself! Today Bushcraft is about enjoyments, no difference to reenactment folks! Freedom & Enjoyments
The clock is ticking... 3 sec to safety or in the right mind, 3 min Air, 3 hours shelter, 3 days water and food.
Anyone that played computer survival sandbox or had real emergency, know you don't stall your technology level in a survival situation. You use the best tools you got to make the job done. More job done, mean more time to fix or prepair for the next problem.
Bushcraft is for learning to use your time and tools more efficiently. Also how to prolong tools life and therefore your own life.
-25 in Canada right now... Without winter clothing, my guess is a few min for frostbite, about an hour for severe hypothermia and you die in a few hours of shivering.
Yes, we are annoying about the cold, but for good reasons. Difficulties in the environement, bring order out of chaos. That is how civilisations evolved.
Everyting is too easy now, so politicians and the like, make poor decisions and don't think of the consequences... "The budjet will balance itself" He said... I can go on and on... Talk about a need to prep !
As a guide and outfitter here in Alaska... there is always a balancing act where traditional meets modern. Same runs the balance between perceived risk vs. real risk and old school understandings to better utilization for new innovations.
There is a sense of comfort knowing you can start a fire 10 different ways. Knowing the control of fire could mean life or death for you or others. There is more comfort if you know many ways to shelter yourself and still more comfort if you can obtain food in various ways. I enjoy fishing and I eat what I catch. It is nice to know how to smoke that fish to preserve it. You may never have to use that knowledge yet it is calming knowing you can take care of your own basic needs in the woods.
I think there is a lot of value in "bushcrafting" and maintaining our knowledge of primitive survival skills. They're too easily forgotten. Once upon a time it was common knowledge, now those of us who strive to learn and practice these things are considered to be practicing an alternate lifestyle/hobby. I'm definitly taking all shortcuts available to me in extreme weather situations, etc... but I practice and perfect my primative survival skills because they ARE important to know and could easily be lost within a generation if we're not sharing them and passing them on.
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To each his own. I'm glad to hear your side. I like to bring my modern steel knife n the woods, but when i go i like to enjoy the wilderness.
I brought enough popcorn for everybody. :)
LOL
do you mean 'you bought the popcorn', or did you actually build a plow, plowed the field, cultivated wild corn, to then harvest it, while finding and cultivating sunflowers. Quarried stone, than hewn it into millstones to mill those seeds into sunflower oil ... ohw wait, i do assume you also mined the iron ore and processed it into steel to then blacksmith it into tool so you can actually make some of the tools, and obviously cast the iron pan to make the popcorn in ... man it must have taken you years to accomplish all of that, and for some mere popcorn... do hope you managed to quarry some salt to go with it :) i like it salted ;)
@@dutchcourage7312 😆
I am a pragmatist. If it works, I use it--regardless whether it is new technology or primitive. From my perspective, I use what is efficient, and is doggedly reliable.
IMO there is value but it is highly romanticized. It is like anything really... Knowledge is the lightest thing you can carry with you in the woods!
I think I get it. There is a strange dichotomy in me - on one hand I enjoy learning and using primitive skills and practicing minimalist methods, but on the other hand I am a chronic over-packer when I get out in the bush. Which is one of the reasons why I bought one of your bugout bags. I see bushcraft/primitive skills as an extension of my preparedness toolkit.
Bushcraft could be seen as something to honor our ancestors and make some kind of a spiritual connection with them and also with all the other living creatures surrounding you. But it's more a holiday than real survival. If there is some kind of a disaster and I will be on my own I would grab everything what might be useable from primitive rocks and wood to modern plastic and metal. Otherwise i might die.
I like your point about "Honoring our Ancestors" 💪 😎 👍
Something I don't think you mentioned, or perhaps neglected its importance, is what you learn by using different technology. You will never, ever learn as much about wood using a saw as you will using an axe. With an axe: your angle of cut is different in each piece of wood; chip size is different; you may have to sharpen the axe to a different grind; the hinge is different; you have to spend a lot of time caring for the axe and watching that you do not damage it in various sections of wood (knots, follow-through); you always have to position yourself around knots, and develop precise aim; you can feel the wood much better; etc. Aside from this, it is very hard to outwork a saw, but very skilled axe users can indeed outwork saws, and in doing so one learns so much more concerning techniques and reading the wood.
A similar argument concerns that of skis and snowshoes. It is possible to learn everything about snowshoe technique in 2 days whereas skis will take 2 years or more. If someone is going into the woods frequently anyway they may prefer to continue learning while they do so.
Another thing is that these arguments often rely on a fallacy, people assume that technology always improves. But this is not the case. One reason that a Silky may seem as good as a bow saw is that bow saw blades have severely degraded in quality, yet quality blades will cut just as fast, or faster if you get the large ones. Axes were perfected between the 1920s and 1950s (depending on the maker) and most of the axes you can get today are garbage in comparison (a Gransfors would probably be a 7.5 or 8/10 compared to the old ones).
There are also changes in boots, caulked boots were superior for working in the woods, and few companies make them today. What people buy today are a standardised fit, and they tend to fall apart rather quickly, while old boots would last many years and were precisely measured to fit the user.
Another example would be clothing, although this suggests tradeoffs more than degradation, I think. Certainly plastic clothing offers advantages such as durability, lightweight, form-fitting, water-resistance, and wicking ability. However, there are many downsides compared to wool and cotton canvas: loud, stinks and gets dirty much quicker, tears easily, melts around fire, feels cold and damp on the skin, is not as breathable and thus accumulates ice at low temperatures, and has potentially damaging properties for your skin and the environment.
Interesting discussion nonetheless. And I do think a lot of these gadgets are interesting, so I won't claim any philosophy is superior. Just get out there and try to learn about nature while you enjoy it. I think that is what matters most, then you will find what works best for you.
It was a well thought out video, as usual.
thanks for sharing....your points are helpful. cheers
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I love modern tools because they make tasks quick and easy, but humans don't learn by means of the quick and easy. We require habit, rote, and the repeating of a task over and over to gain mastery of it. So while older methods may take more time, ultimately one will be left with a greater respect and skill with that tool. Moreover once that skill is applied to a modern tool, the end result will be that much greater.
"Great power comes great responsibility"... Lol. I almost spit my coffee everywhere. Awesome...
In my humble opinion, knowledge of basic bushcraft is critical in the sense that it may allow oneself to source shelter, water and (to an extent) food, should you lose your gear or evacuate in an emergency ( attack, fire, other unforeseen circumstances...).
As a long term solution however, for the vast majority of people, it seems to be pretty unrealistic to rely solely on those skills, it's one thing making it through a week or so with a machete, a water container and some rope in the wild, it's another thing entirely to survive long term with such methods (which is why historically settlers would remain in large groups, carry as much gear as possible, knew what they were doing in the wild, and even then they faced great hardship).
No matter what, it's my belief one should have some understanding of one's specific flora and fauna, just in case :)
Another great video CP, much appreciated :)
You are highly intelligent. Very good understanding of human nature.
Edit:
Actually you hit the nail on the head about people who are actually living a survival life and they don’t limit their technology. They use what’s available which may not be a lot because of resource and economics.
Best way to learn is to see what locals do with things and techniques. For example, in tropical environments you could see locals use gasoline to start fires. I’m sure someone would say it’s “cheating” but that would be how they do it based on learning what works in their environment.
Bush crafting used to be called camping when I was young. It’s definitely a nice hobby where you can learn some skills that apply to a very specific scenario. It’s become a elitist way of thinking much like being vegan. Limiting yourself to only traditional “bushcraft” methods is cheating as well. Your using modern tools that wouldn’t not exist before that.
But it’s a fun hobby that I get. As long as people realize that.
Its all about having a since of accomplishment, and learning old skills and abilities.
I use very little bushcraft in practicing survival. You are correct in what you are saying. But its also very self rewarding. Its what you make it. You can make it very hard on yourself or fairly easy. Its also having the ability to make something that maybe you are missing or broken. Bushcraft is a skill that is dying. Young people dont know what it is becausr if it doesnt involve pressing a button....they dont want nothing to do with it. Im 63 years old. My grandfather did most of this and taught it to me. Enjoying a little bit of bushcraft is better than getting depressed. I have spent 31 years practicing alot of survival and self defense. I learned in the military and expanded my knowledge past that. I still enjoy it. Love my life.
*_Bushcraft_* is going out with nothing, or a knife at the max, and thrive. Using what nature gives to make tools.
*_Survival_* is going out with basic survival gear.
When you carry a tent and a gas-stove, you're *_camping_*
When you add a bed and a silkysaw, you're *_glamping_*
Mr. Right
*Survival* is simply continuing your existence in a dire situation.
*Bushcraft* is simply utilizing the natural resources of the forest.
*Camping* is going on vacation & living comfortably in the wilderness.
*Glamping* is camping in a motor home.
wish this wold go viral! ;) lmao. damn humans.
Necessity is the mother of invention. Stimulates creativity and therefore creates positive growth. Hopefully based on good morals too.
There is a Great deal to be said for learning and practicing basic bushcraft so You have a fallback in case the modern equipment fails.
I once read a book, "The Hatchet," about a young boy living Canadian wild with only a hatchet for many months. Interesting situation.
I my self like to play bushcraft and practice skills but in my pack I have very modern gear to make me more comfortable and enjoy the limited time I have in the forest. Best of both worlds.
Efficiency is my best friend, so I enjoy the modern survivalist as well as the minimalist perspective on self reliance. Learning bushcraft is redundancy on the highest level.
I am not sure what the actual issue is and probably we are comparing things that are not the same. However for me buschcraft is more like a discipline that people may want to learn, like martial arts. There are modern ones and ancient ones, it's up to the individual what he wants to learn and if those skills can eventually be applied or not. Survival instead is more of a concept and again it's down to the individual if he wants to survive or not. Survival rate might depend on acquired bushcraft skills and/or new technology, yet the difference is made by the amount of knowledge.
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I see bushcrafting as about estethics and personal challenge but still with a lot of overlap with survival. Most of the neccesary skills are the same regardless of the tools you choose. Wether hunting, trapping, making fire etc.
To me bushcraft isn’t putting yourself out there and necessarily testing yourself by putting yourself into situations, to me it is about going outside enjoying yourself.
Fair enough! I can accept that
My bush crafting is a way for me to learn how to survive when my 500lbs of light weight camping gear is at the bottom of a river, and I’m standing there wondering what to do next.
Thank you for this episode! This is exactly the topic I wanted to address for a long time! I always used to say that...
I personally dont like this whole notion of even calling it a "survival" when these so called survivalists are going out playing bushcraft by literally bringing half of the Walmart with them.
I mean if you ( i mean them ) are going to show us some real survival you should go and do it Les Stroud way.. bringing only the realistic stuff people might have with them self when they might get lost or stranded and really need to survive. Or show us doing it using nothing but a stone. Because THAT.... is what I call a real need and a challenge to survive.
Anything else should be called a planned camping with as smartest tech as we can get to save us the work and energy, or using the more primitive technology for the purpose of practicing.... but as you said... its a level of arrested development which people chose just for the sake of it....and that can turn into a self torture when some really overly zealous buschrafters are doing it.... and that is not neither survival , nor getting things done properly but just foolishness.
If Im ever gonna do a serious survival/bushcraft/prepper channel... I dont want to be one of the countless hipsters out there who are selling us the lie that we should buy half the walmart from their Amazon affiliate links and that we will be safe from anything up on some mountain.... NO.
I would simply do it to show the people the following fact:
1) In the Bible in the Book of Job, there are certain people mentioned who were living out in the wilderness naked or covered in plant material as clothes, they would sleep in caves and eat herbs and roots but even they would occasionally come closer to civilized villages and cities to steal clothes and livestock (how an ironic parallel). And the Bible calls them the "sons of fools", because in those times the only people who lived in caves were some who HAD TO
(like travelers and also some of the people groups dispersed from Babel, who didnt bring enough technology or knowledge with them and ended up in some inhospitable climates or they had to use stone tools and live in caves (that is the true identity of the cave people we know of, not some imaginary descendants of apes)
And there was the other group who didnt technically have to torture them selves to live out in the wilderness in an arrested development and in scarcity, but they were fugitives, criminals and people expelled from their communities, and others who did it out of their volition, just for the sake of it.
2) Which brings me to the very famous fact about a tribe in Thailand which was a subject of research by evolutionary anthropologists and geneticists who came with a traditional starting point that all humans supposedly started as hunter gatherers and then developed the agriculture and cities. (even though the Bible says its the other way round, and sometimes they existed both in the same time)... So those scientists had a quite a puzzle to solve, especially because the tribe had a tradition passed on that they were the descendants of a few kids who were expelled into the jungle from their own village, and then their descendants became hunter gatherers and lived like that in the jungle.... And then finally the geneticists caught up with the facts finally and confirmed it.
Which brings me to my conclusion about what the whole bushcraft thing should be in order to be useful teaching tool (in my humble opinion):
4) It is none other than GREAT, to learn, practice all levels of buschraft , preparedness and self reliance. To know how to do it when alone or when we have to care for others out in the wild if there is a need for it or emergency, or even for fun.
It is great to learn and have to knowledge how to use anything we have with us, from nothing, or just a stone and a knife, to any other advanced modern tool.
5) But! ... just as the nations and people groups who have dispersed from Babel, they consisted of individuals some of which had certain knowledge how to make stuff, others had less or none. Some brought enough technology with them, some brought close to none. Some continued to build cities, some even forgot how to make basic things like making fire and producing clothes (like Australian aborigines who used to make clothes in the beginning as archaeologists have found out, and some of them even forgot how to make fire so they had to keep it lit as long a they could or rely on others to make it for them and regained that knowledge again form some mysterious "traveler from the north" as one of their dream time legends says) or to forge tools out of metal, etc. - And this exact situation would happen to all of us today, if such mass exodus would happen today in our modern times.
Which brings me to the final
CONCLUSION & TO MY POINT:
It is great to show and teach survival for the purpose of showing how to survive real survival situations with nothing or close to nothing or at least some basic tools which a person might have or should have if they are venturing in the wilderness or traveling.
But when it is not survival, but camping or living off the grid or simply bushcraft, then a person owes to them selves to stop playing survival and make it to be as comfortable living as possible, and call it living. (living of the nature)... and then its not a shame to bring with us the best and most advanced tools to help us do it.. at least some most essential ones.
But in order to truly live in the nature and truly thrive, a person cant do it alone, because a single person doesnt have all the energy, time, skills, means and knowledge to make all of the things needed which a group of people in a connected community, a village or a city can produce and exchange. That is why we have a civilization, cities, and villages, potters, blacksmiths, rope makers, clothes makers etc. Because we are made to live together in a society and help each other and trade and help each other survive and live. Because the best survival item anyone should have.... is another human being.
Now that... is a true and serious survival.... anything other is either foolishness and play or learning or an emergency. :)
(or doing it for the sake of Amazon affiliate sales of counterfeit Chinese survival gimmicks ;)
And I love that you mentioned Richard Proenneke.. now he did a real survival and turned into a living ...and even filmed it for us all... bless his soul! :)
I stocked my kitchen with unelectrified tools like a slap chopper, mortar/pestle, rolling pin, nut cracker, grater, and scissors. They are technology that works when the winter storms knock out electricity.
I’ve always like your vids and opinions. What you put out is educational and informative. I truly think you have to have both new tech and bushcraft. On the other hand I love doing things the old fashioned way so to speak It’s calming to me
There is a beauty in traditional things.
The Bushcraft skills leave their Mark when you get caught out there with damn near no gear - you will survive! I enjoy my gear as it helps me to thrive & prosper✌️
It’s like PC or Mac. I somehow think it’s more interesting if someone is doing bushcraft or whatever out in the wilderness rather than sitting in the living room;-)
I have always said "Take what you need, leave what you don't". Any training, of any sort, will have pieces of knowledge that you can use, and others that you can ignore. Bushcrafting has its place, in my prepping and planning but I also have the tools that I need in my vehicle. Being able to make things in the bush is important, learn to use the tools you have to make the ones that you don't. At the same time the more tools you have, the less that you have to make.
I agree with Survival Lilley. It's really about survival and preparedness. Bushcraft is one of the skills you develop along with martial arts and basic trade skills, or other forms of skills. Love your conversations and videos.
Yeah kinda rambled there lol. No right or wrong answer, people going to do what makes them happy. Free Will, choice. Example, why would someone want to learn traditional carpentry with only hand tools, or bushcraft, or many other traditional skills, because it's their choice and what they love, and that's awesome and I say more power to them. I really like when people demonstrate these skills and lifestyles on an online forum for the modern day to help educate, preserve and share what they love to do, the world is lucky indeed to have these types of people in it.
💪 😎 👍
Bushcraft skills ARE survival skills and practicing your skills will never be a waste of time. When SHTF modern technology will be useless after a short period of time. Then what? Get a fire going when all your bics are gone, build a shelter. Forage and survive. Without bushcraft skills your fucked.
But not everything will be destroyed or?
So it would be good to be an engineer or mechanic and a somewhat Bushcrafter to get the stuff back running?
(Maybe I'm just very naive)
I think the real value of bushcraft is it teaches you the value of carrying the essentials that can save you valuable time and energy.
Survival is the main thing. The skill sets you develop will either allow you to flourish or fail. Having gear is great and being able to properly use that gear is key. To many people waste their time obtaining gear but don’t cultivate the skill to use them. Now, I enjoy the fact that I can feel confident in a survival situation with minimal gear. Primitive/bushcraft skills can help elevate survival ability when gear fails or it’s become lost to you. Which in some cases is an eventuality. Honestly if an item allows me to accomplish something with less effort I’m for it. But I still want to be able to accomplish the task without that gear if I have to.
i look at bush-craft skills as a long term back up plan to prepping and survival. i always carry a map and compass as a backup to my GPS. we should always have a backup to our backups.
As an old wilderness skills instructor, I think it's a mistake to think living in the wilderness long term to escape SHTF is a viable option. While I think everyone should have some wilderness skills, only a very few will be able to survive for more than a month living in the bush, depending on the weather.
The key to discerning the elements of this topic are in defining "arrested development". Everything is bushcraft. Nothing I have came from Mars. Joe Rogan said it best "...what makes that bright? Bright shit? I don't know."
If an individual could mine the ore, build the forge, develop the tools, refine the fuels ...etc., ...etc. You would have your chainsaw. The only differences in people are the varying degrees of how ridiculous that concept is deemed to be.
Yet, in what? Five generations? Here we are. Think about that everyone. Then get to work understanding your own educational shortcomings and limitations. Arrested development indeed. Lol.
yup ... in that sense we've become pretty dumb ... but even our 'state of the art technology now' will look and be pretty primitive in a couple of centuries. But i think the lesson to take from that is not that technology advances, but that any technology (deemed how ever primitive) was state of the art when it was first conceived/discovered. (or at least that i how i look at it)
Dutch Courage - Precisely. And I'm working on a presentation that attempts to encapsulate how Arthur C. Clarke's Three Laws pertain to preparedness. Especially, in regards to both the beginner and the more advance prepper. Essentially redefining what it could potentially mean to be an "advanced" prepper. It is staggering to admit the amount of knowledge and skill a prepper could acquire if he or she truly wanted to.
i can't think of one prepper/survivalist youtuber that i've watched over the years who didn't at some point extol the virtue of skill over all else. if i had to put my money on who would survive any given situation i'd give odds on primitive technology in every case, hands down, bar none.
A lot of bushcraft skills I learned in the boy scouts in the early 70's I became a survivalist in the late 70's because of the cold war now fit into being a prepper
Interesting, I was very into in bush craft when young, have practiced very little as an adult but think there is value in learning basics and planning using a combination of basics and tech! Thanks for video!
If believe bushcraft is one of the skills a true survivalist needs. I teach my self and my wife bushcraft, military Technics, Survival, medical skills. Prepping to me is al out. I dont just need to survive the wild but thrive.
I totally agree. Preparedness became an interest of mine a few years ago which led me to bushcraft. I love using an axe and my Olight headlamp lol. Great vid and POV on the topic
for me bushcraft is a way of improvising the things I do not have, if I have tools I use them and I embrace anything that adds value to my day, there is so much filler on the market sold as "survival" kit that I have to step back and remember the old saying of the more you know the less you need.
These real value in a video like this, most certainly, is the comments it inspires.
Long time listener, first time caller.... You’re on point with this narrative, thanks for sharing.
Primitive means are by definition not very productive. Neither are hand tools for that matter. If you really want to strike a balance on getting things done with your "woods kit"... read a backpackers manual. Pack the shelter and food you need for the time it takes to get whatever you need to do in the woods done. When you are done, leave the woods.
As we saw in the TV show Alone. It's bloody tough in them woods.
bobba fett
problem is, Alone is a tv show. In reality, NO survivalist or bushcrafter is gonna purposely go on a longterm stay in the woods with just a few items like the TV show. Alone is NOT about "surviving" (like it may be advertised) but who can starve the longest. Also, if you watched all the episodes, there are many times the "contestants" passed over many plant items to effect their "survival". A true Bushcrafter or Survivalist will also have in their "kit, if you will" the knowledge of plants and trees for food and medicines. White Pine, for example is both a pharmacy and a kitchen. (alot of vitamins in the inner bark) Not saying the woods isn't tough. It is! BUT, it's a whole lot more unforgiving for those who don't "bother" to add the extra skills to their "kit". THAT is the difference between most (not all) preppers and bushcrafters (woodsmen - I prefer) or survivalists. I respect the "prepper approach" but in a real, genuine long-term SHTF they talk about, once their "goodies" are all spent. THEN WHAT???