Practicing bushcraft develops your awareness of the wilderness, encouraging a deeper connection with nature. It also fosters a sense of self-reliance in adverse situations and enhances your survival capabilities.
Start with the basics: fire-lighting, animal tracking and identifying edible plants. Then work on material preparation and crafting.
Bushcrafters often have a traditionalist streak, favouring old customs and natural resources over modern gear. They may also have a penchant for vintage weapons.
Origins
The exact origin of the term is unclear, but it is believed that it stems from the Aboriginal cultures of Australia. This tribe, and other indigenous cultures around the world, have used natural resources to their advantage for millennia, developing a deep connection with nature and gaining essential survival skills.
The popularity of bushcraft increased in the 19th and 20th centuries due to books like Horace Kephart’s “Camping and Woodcraft” and survival instructors such as Mors Kochanski. Military organizations also began to recognize the importance of these skills for their soldiers operating in remote or hostile environments.
Lizzy, the founder of Pippin & Gile, an outdoor training company in the UK, says that modern bushcraft is a curious patchwork of techniques, incorporating contemporary recreations of stone age processes, military survival training, and practices from colonized cultures. Nonetheless, it has become an important part of the outdoor scene today.
Purpose
Bushcrafters use their skills to live comfortably in nature for extended periods of time. This lifestyle emphasizes sustainability and self-reliance and fosters a deep appreciation for the natural environment. Unlike survivalists, who seek to prepare for unexpected emergency situations, bushcrafters seek to learn to thrive in the wilderness using only what is available locally.
A big difference between bushcraft and survival is that bushcraft involves learning to work with nature, whereas survival means fighting against it. For example, a good bushcrafter will be aware of the plants that can be used for medicinal purposes and will understand how to gather these without harming the plant or its environment. They will also know that wildlife should be observed from a distance and not approached. They will not leave food scraps behind, and they will carry a minimal pack so as not to attract unwanted attention.
Skills
Bushcraft involves a variety of skills that are useful in the wilderness. Among them are learning tree and plant identification and constructing shelters using natural materials. It also includes whittling projects like carving wooden eating utensils, which help foster a sense of connection with nature and self-reliance in the wilderness.
Other valuable skills are learning to find and collect water as well as purifying it for drinking. This is important because most natural water is contaminated and can make you sick.
Many people choose to learn bushcraft because of their desire to connect with nature and gain some level of self-reliance in the wild. While survival and bushcraft have some overlap, there is a difference in the motivation behind each skill set. Survival tends to focus on surviving a disaster or man made emergency while bushcraft is more about thriving in nature.
Equipment
Bushcraft is often seen as a primitive survival technique, and this can put some people off. In reality, it’s a lot more about learning to live with nature rather than against it.
Having the right equipment can make bushcraft much easier, especially when it comes to making your own tools. This includes things like a carpenter’s axe that’s designed for carving and whittling wood. It’s also helpful to bring a compass, which can help you navigate in case you lose your way.
Another crucial piece of gear is a first aid kit that’s specifically suited for wilderness environments. These kits are small, compact, and include items like a tourniquet and personal dressing. You should also carry a sleeping bag that can withstand cold temperatures.
Resources
Bushcraft is a fascinating outdoor pastime that fosters self-reliance and respect for nature. It involves a range of important outdoor skills, including shelter-building, tool-making, and foraging. Water purification is also a key skill, and it’s possible to use your bushcraft skills to find and harvest fresh, clean water in the wild.
Learning these skills requires patience and dedication. However, you can learn the fundamentals from various online resources. Some of the best sources include MCQ Bushcraft, which offers instructional videos on essential survival skills and wilderness adventures. Another great resource is WalkWild, which offers informative and entertaining content on survival skills and outdoor adventure. Lastly, the YouTube channel Bushcraftuk provides useful tutorials on basic knife skills, camp craft, and knot-tying.