Is Bushcraft dead? Has the subject of bushcraft turned into folks doing the same 3 or 4 things? What if your new to bushcraft.....how do you learn whats important and what isn't? Lets start a conversation.
Oh, I like this. Alot. I've been wanting to make a parody, but lack a camera, a laptop, or even a clue about video making. These people with $250 pants, weilding $200 small forest axes, using $4-500 knives... its very amusing. I, too, believe that woodscraft (as it was known in my 70's era Boy Scout days) should be frugal, simple, and most of all, fun. Just getting out there and enjoying nature, thats what its all about. With my yard sale equipment, even. *GASP!* This will be a great series, Dave. I know we share many of the same ideals on many subjects. I look forward to seeing what you think about this subject, what is fluff and what is important. I think I already know:) Have a great day, Dave. I'm heading back out to handle more pokey-stabby blanks. Coffee break is ovah:)
You sir said exactly everything that I was thinking while watching this video. it's almost to the point to were its getting out of control with the marketing and modern day equipment to make this so called bushcraft a thing that has basically.. turned into a fad! I too was in the scouts in the seventies and it's always been im learning to be a "always prepared..self reliant" woodsman not a bushcrafter. to me to be a true woodsmen a person of the forest I guess if you want to use the term bushcraft that was our basic skill set to be able to be a true woodsmen In the seventies we didn't need have or want or know about a feral rod a $400 knife $300 pants $200 tarps or $500 backpacks..you had a scout knife and if you were lucky a hatchet .you went out and made your shelter learned to start fire primitively and caught fish to eat .I too can't wait to see what Dave throws up in his next video!
I'll be looking forward to hearing/seeing your take on the subject. Many of those who are doing videos on the subject are not personally experienced in backwoods life. I have sensed in the few videos of yours that I have watched that are related to this present subject, you really have "been there and done that" in the backwoods.
Thanks Lonnie. I feel the same way about what you do. I'm glad your out there putting out your vids. Its a breath of fresh air to hear from someone who lives a rustic life in a wild area of the country.
Far North Bushcraft And Survival I seen a lot of good in what you have to say if I was way back in the woods I like have you with me I know I come home live
You guys are both the real deal. I particularly enjoyed watching you, Lonnie, dunking birch bark in a stream and lighting it on fire after some tinhorn "bushcrafter" on youtube swore it couldn't be done. Anyone with experience in anything knows a bulls***er when he hears one. God bless you both and your families.
I feel like Bushcraft is more of a lifestyle. Some people are just enthusiastic about practicing their natural "caveman" instincts out in the wilderness.
the internet is killing bushcraft, almost every vid on youtube of bushcraft is camping vids. Hightech gadgets and 5 expensive blades, saws, axes, tarps, tents, etc. Ppl takes all they need in to the wilderness and go camping for few days call them self bushcrafters. They think they are bushcrafters if they can do feather sticks and start a fire
I think the market just got flooded with bushcraft and too many people tried their take on it to make a dime because it became so popular. Now it's overdone and people are tired of seeing/hearing about it and have either given it up or are just out doing and practicing. Either way, I think there just isnt the interest to watch or listen to it. One of the reasons I love watching your videos is that while you do talk about bushcraft some, you also do many videos on other stuff. You do a great mix and you do it all from a practical, laid back common man's standpoint. For that I thank you, Dave.
Statistics don't back you up on all of what you said.... You're right when you say there are a lot of people out there making Bushcraft videos and to many of us it may be overdone....but statistically there are more and more people watching these videos...its just that the audience is spread out to more and more content providers.
Like I said, "I think" that's what it is. I have a couple of bushcraft youtubers that I watch their videos that they put out every other day and I enjoy them. But it is their only topic, which ok, that's their forte. But on Dave's channel here, he covers some bushcraft but also a lot of different stuff. Kind of like the old saying "jack of all trades", the common man, little bit of this and a little bit of that.
Hey Timberdogz, I'll all for whatever anybody wants to do out in the woods. Have fun. What I don't like is the idea that you need to get a certificate from a bushcraft school to go out and enjoy the woods. A lot of so-called bushcraft skills are unimportant or over emphasized IMO.
Also...that comment you made about me being a "guy that no one would have known if it wasn't for those shows" .....you're totally right. Those shows and this RU-vid channel. That being said I got on Alone easily, because of what I did with my life for the 18 years before alone. And for "Yukon River Run" I didn't "apply" to get on that show....that show was filmed on my stomping grounds in Alaska....My kids were both born not more than an couple hour drive from there.....the show was all about my friend Neil Eklund, who Ive known for 15 years . Had it not been for Alone and the camera training I got I probably would have never got around to starting a RU-vid channel and we wouldn't be having this conversation.... I'll go check out your channel, and try to figure out where your coming from.
To me Bushcraft is a rather broad term. To me it means just getting out and doing a little camping and having some fun. Use whatever gear you got or gear you want, it doesn't matter. Camp in the wilderness, the local campground or even your own backyard. Use an RV, tent or primitive shelter. Do it the way You want and just have fun.
I been giving this some thought and your both correct in your assumptions. Bush Crafting is a set of skills you can use no matter how you stay in the woods. Sure you can have an RV and still bush craft your bowls, make a bow or fishing rod. Light your fire with a ferro rod. Btw ferro rods are not a bush craft skill. Its a store boughten device same as a lighter. I think where people get misled is wilderness survival. Knowing bush craft skills will sure help in that situation. How many people will ever have to actually survive in a wilderness setting unless you purposely put yourself in that situation. So take your bugout bag next time you go camping. Probally the only time you'll really ever need it. Set up your tent or hammock and use what bush crafting you know. Many only have a weekend and Im not going to be widdling sticks to make a shelter. Were not surviving, were just enjoying nature. Through hikers are not survialists. Campers are not survivalists. But anybody can learn bush crafting skills. There are hard core bush crafters and their are hobbiests. Neither makes you a better person. It's just how people choose to spend their time. When I watch Dave I dont see a true Bush Crafter in light of what Ive seen of bush craft people whom that is their life. I see a superior outdoors man who can make just about anything work with what's available to him. The guys very talented and thinks outside the box. Some is bush craft and alot isn't. And it doesn't matter.
I always called it woods lore, I think there are too many people trying make a Buck or two from all this stuff so they regurgitate the same ole things that they themselves have watched videos on.
I find the gear often becomes fluff and filler. Buy this saw or that one - this knife is much better that this one. I like gear'n'knives and like watching reviews. But it is not bushcraft. I think for me bushcraft is just an excuse/purpose to get outside.
I make Camping Videos and I avoid the word Bushcraft as much as possible. When it comes to Camping, Survival, Bushcraft it all runs together and there really isn't a defining line that separates any of them. I think it makes it extremely confusing to the people just getting started and depending on who they are listening to, you never know what they are actually talking about when they use the word Bushcraft. Bushcraft is very much alive, it's just accidentally being mixed into every outdoor genre there is.
Hey Dave, nice to see you back! I too believe that "bushcraft" has been beaten to death by a bunch of utubers that really have no actual backwoods experience. It will be good to get your take on what really matters, like foraging for sustaining food sources, finding one's way (like reading a topo map, or learning to work back on roads and trails, or following terrain to a possible get out area), learning to read the skies and get an idea of what the weather is going to be bringing, or what some of the dangers of exposure are for people (Yes, you can be exposed even in the warmer months). Beginning to grow your own foodstuffs or hunting/fishing for food. There's so much that can be covered and isn't. For one i'm pretty tired of seeing how to build a shelter, lol. How's the maple sap flowing? Cooking it off yet?
I hear ya Dave!!!!! I am an OUTDOORSMAN with skills!!!! Period!!! I don't care for the word "bushcraft". I will not watch another how to make a fire video or I will PUKE!!!
It's a lifestyle not a hobby the most beautiful sophistication in the world is simplicity my brother and when we see that nothing else matter peace and comfort to you sir
Great video series idea, Dave. Been watching you since Alone and always enjoy your practical, self-reliant approach to things. Really looking forward :)
Great topic Dave, I'm kinda new to "bushcraft" but I've been learning how to not die in the Southwest my whole life. The most important thing for me is to be flexible, I get so irritated at some of these people that want to make entire videos about how not to do something and "proper" equipment. I use a harbor freight hatchet, ozark trail canteen and a backpack I bought on clearance for $10.
Could it be as easy as being able to cook up some fresh caught fish on the side of the river? Or picking wild blueberries for pancakes at camp? Whittling a stick for roasting marshmallows? Travis
Hey Dave, Bushcraft is with small words, to keep all up, what´s needed. Same hug to you like by your friend girlfriend or women, thump up, i seen a video on "Girl in the woods", this about the log, i´, impressed, and wish all best luck to you, i comment her, but it is not meaned flirty. I like you both, with best wishes to you, and may someday we see us real, i´m a fan of you both, and wished i had have this kind of neighbors. Hug as friend, Dirk from Germany
A lot of the "Bushcraft" channels I used to watch all seemed to start emphasizing on gear the vintage pack the high end knife all stuff that looks old school but with a modern price tag but not a lot of skills being shown. Swedwoods is a really good channel, and yours Dave of course. And I'll be checking out the series for sure
I am not so much interested in bush craft as I am in self sufficiency. I need to learn more farming, fishing, trapping, plant identification, first aid, ham radio, orienteering and the like.
I totally agree man! Plus everytime I see a bushcraft video and click it and there is a bunch of tarps everywhere. I don't mind tarp camping, I do that but i don't call it Bushcraft unless its bushcraft....
Totally agree that the internet bushcraft is getting way out of hand. Like everything else its all about$$$$$$. Looking forward to some down to earth keeping it real bushcraft
I couldn’t agree more. While the need to have some gear can be important, it almost seems that most of these Bushcraft channels are about spending more money. You NEED a bigger pack. You NEED a better knife. You NEED titanium gear etc.........you made a great point. Thanks for sharing
Sadly many so called bushcraft youtube channels became advertising channels, more gear reviews and gear endorsements instead of sharing skills or ideas.
Thank you!!! This is something that needed to be addressed. There is certain things that are core, but not absolute. Meaning everyone needs a knife, but not the same knife. And this runs all the way through bushcraft, or ass my grandfather called it, forest craft.
Money and elitism seem to creep in to almost every aspect of life. A handful of RU-vid "celebrities" have changed the face of Bushcraft, but they have not changed the brain that that face is attached to. There are an overwhelming majority of people living simpler lives and doing things on far smaller budgets that find joy in Bushcraft, for the joy of it, rather than for the money they can make from it. We are those who find the joy. Very nice video.
I totally agree with you. I've never considered myself a bushcrafter. I consider myself an outdoorsman. I always ask what's the difference between a hunting knife, survival knife and a bushcraft knife? Why do you have to have a $300 bushcraft knife but carry a $10 mora as a backup? I have never made a bow drill fire, or a flint and steel fire. 8ve made a fire c with a Farro rod, but if I want a fire now, I'll use my matches or a lighter. I want the fire now, not 5 hours from now. I'll be watching your new series.
Well first off as a North American I prefer the term as woodscraft or field craft as bushcraft was a European name lol. I think people get turned off from woodscraft or take so long to evolve into a true woodsman because they feel the need to fit into the culture itself for instance it doesn't matter if your operating a cottage industry or a full fledged business you want to get (Your) products out there so you give out products out to (followed) bloggers or Utubers pretty soon everyone for the most part thinks they need this particular product because it's toted as the best all around forums and Utube to have something of less than the best isn't really fround upon but rarely talked about in mass quantities on the inter web. Personally I never was one to follow the crowd I couldn't afford such luxuries so I made gear ,repurposed items, bought surplus and generally worked with what I had or made or bought at a reasonable price. And I had and still have great times still today with some of that same gear bought frugally or made by my own hand 30+ Years later. I'm not technology savvy so I don't have a blog,Utube channel or Facebook even lol but real woodsmen still exist today like you me and others here we don't follow no stinken trails we blaze them ourselves and we surely don't follow the gear junkie masses because we know the real deal and what it takes out in the wilds.
This is much needed from a guy like you. What you need to know: 1). how to light a fire (mainly with a lighter), 2). pitch a tent, 3). use an axe and knife safely-for me, this means knowing how to sharpen and maintain these tools as well. That’s about all I knew most of my life, and I’ve spent countless nights in the bush with no troubles.
Carolyn Salzano I suppose. Hunting and fishing are actually much more important skills to learn if you’re practicing self-reliance than how to make a shelter and bow drill set. But I think most people, including myself, who are going wild camping for the weekend bring food in with them. I also suppose you could add things like how to dress for the weather and how to pack properly, but if you need a corse in that you’re better off staying inside.
Bushcraft to me is simple. Crafting what you need to supplement what you carry, or do not have, from the bush. That’s what it should have stayed as. I agree that there are tons of “new” and “modern” techniques for every single little thing to the point where someone who wants to learn like myself gets completely overwhelmed. Throughout my learning experience that I’ve documented on my channel, I’ve been trying to show all my mistakes and screw ups and also show my solutions to those problems I have as I progress through my videos. I do this by feedback and researching what I need to. The thing is, I find the hardest part lately is learning the “right” way to do things since there are so many ways to do it now and so many opinions on whats right and wrong. To me, it seems like the whole “bushcraft” fad is a bit washed out lately on the social media side of things. At least we’re talking about it!
Again, you approached the subject with honesty and wisdom. The more I watch bushcraft videos the more I realize it was how I grew up in the woods. Practically approaching camping with the idea of getting home dirty, but alive. In college we called it backpacking ( the 70's) and then just camping and some fishing. Is bushcraft dead? No, just the shine has rubbed off. Younger folks are impressed by my svea 123 stove (from the 70's). A quart of gas will last a lot longer than one of those $8 cartridges. Lol. Can't wait for the series.
What alot of our youth do is....go to the bush for 2 days...go home, and back to their gaming....they don't return to the bush on a regular basis, but they have no probs, calling themselves bushcrafters..LOL Some other youth, go to the provincial park hike trails...they say they roughed it for an overnite hike and used all the best gadgets and that's their bushcraft experience. It is diminishing in alot of areas of Northern Ontario, Canada ...Bushcraft vs Gaming & technology The Bushcraft/ Survivial Market really took alot of fun outta the 7 day bush grind, experience. Seems RU-vid bushcraft is more focused on Gear Sales, and/or competition against other Bushcraft Schools than actually getting the paws dirty, food caught & cooked and the enjoyment of the outdoors. There has been a massive Mindshift on what is Bushcraft.
For tactical reasons, my SHTF bugout plan is to disappeaer into the jungle on Kilauea here in Hawaii. Turned out I needed to learn more bush craft skills to live in the cloud rainforrest jungle up there for any length of time so I joined a bushcraft weekly livestream, which, unfortunately is now defunct. I did however pick up quite a bit discussing bush craft and watching the panelists videos which was mostly UK bushcrafters. A lot of they time the UK guys would set a bush craft topic and for comedy relief I would come on and talk about guns, and that made the whole show a barrel of laughs. So I think bushscraft streams should be fun first and serious second. Fun fun fun! It was the past fox company prepping streams and that guy changed his channel name to Survivng life. Unfortunately he ended those bush craft livestreams. They were a blast.
It is indeed a parody of itself. Q- What is bushcraft? A- Bushcraft is a set of skills applied in the wilderness to either survive or make life easier. So, if channels are “bushcraft experts” in a studio, home, backyard or on private property with an emphasis on products then, no they aren’t demonstrating true bushcraft. They may demonstrate certain techniques and skills but this is besides the point of what bushcraft actually is. Naturally, there’s always exceptions to the rule so the readers can figure those out themselves. Bushcraft still exists but true bushcrafters don’t have RU-vid channels as they’re too busy living outside; the rest is simply poor and not so poor entertainment. Bushcraft isn’t comparing ferro rods, reviewing knives, cups and forks. All the big “bushcraft” channels have made the parody what it is. It’s become a selling point, a marketing tool, and is all about selling and consuming more product; the very antithesis of bushcraft! If the average person were to buy all recommended “essential bushcraft kit” then they’d need a pickup to carry it all in. “The more you know the less you carry” - Mors Kochanski Note: Edited for clarity.
Can not wait for new series,im sure it will be great.Same old, same old on bushcraft channels, unrealistic buildings example , viking house, for example. How will that help with survival in the bush.
I'm looking forward to your version of bushcraft Dave. I am also pre-bushcraft age, I still think we called it woodsmanship back in my day. Is it possible some folks are lumping bushcrart and survival into one basket?
Greg Outdoors "There's more than one way to skin a cat." I'm from Nova Scotia, 77 years old. I've heard that saying all my life, and I'm pretty sure it's used all across Canada too.
I'm definitely not a controversial person. We're a small community. I'd like to learn,experience, feel,smell,live the outdoors when ever possible. Not looking to making a competition out of it. They way I look at it,SOMETIMES, NOT ALL THE TIME,JUST SOMETIMES, people talk way too damn much. Let's have fun,be safe,be nice and enjoy the oxygen.
When I think about Bushcraft I think about what happens in the woods to survive and thrive. Shelter, fire, water ,food and keeping from loosing your mind. Living in general.
Interesting question. Not having English as my first language I have had some problems with what to call the outdoor skills I learned growing up by just being out in Nature learning from others and experience. I couldn't use the word survival because it did not mean what I thought it meant. I have noticed that the Scandinavian channels I follow have a different tempo in them, less "action" more about just being out in Nature. Maybe it is a different attitude to the outdoors and the skills you learn on your "journey". I am not sure what the answer is but I am looking forward to see where the conversation will lead.
Honey, a lot of that other "bushcraft" stuff is BS. I suspect they're trying to make a buck from youtube. Don't look behind you. You've got your sh*t together and that's all that matters
Bush craft is like you said a way to live off the land. A lifestyle that lives close to nature, a lifestyle that lives in balance with nature. Use or make use of everything you take from the land and be good care takers and protectors of the resources.
I think anyone doing anything outdoors related is a good thing. You never know if you will pick up a tip or two. Also a lot of people are in the process of building their own skills so they do repeat some of the basic stuff!
i would like to see knowledgeable ppl that would say thing that are edible and other stuff not just how to light a fire and cook his own steak (although its pretty pleasant to watch) now i pretty much just skip to see his shelter and cook his thing hehe
I'm in! You're right, it's stale! Click on most "bushcraft" videos, and you're likely to see a 5 minute video of someone making feathersticks, or batoning through a stick! Can't wait to see/hear your input, in this video series!
What? Bushcraft is more than just lean-tos and carving spoons!? As I think that I've said before, I grew up looking at many outdoors books from the 1940s-1960s. They were full of "woodcraft". We imported a new term for woodcraft from other parts of the world, I guess because it sounded cooler or something..."bushcraft". I really think that some time back in the 1960s, woodcraft did die out (among most outdoors people). With fancy, new outdoor gear, people quit looking as much to nature to provide materials to fill their needs outdoors. Not only that, but in most public places these days, it is completely unethical to cut down trees and living materials in order to construct semi-permanent structures. In the book "Backpacking One Step at a Time" there is a little cartoon picture which shows a somewhat grizzled-looking outdoorsman who appears to be lashing together some sort of structure, standing near tree stumps, while a kid behind him (wearing a peace sign t-shirt) says to him, "Woodcraft is dead". [I put a photo of this cartoon on my Instagram account] When I first saw this, I thought that it was funny. I recognized the use-lots-of-natural-materials-who-cares-the-impact "woodcraft" from old books. I myself did think that this practice was dead. We have tents these days, who needs to hack down a pine tree to make a lean-to? But then something began to happen without me knowing it. While some surely had just kept doing the same things outdoors that they always had done, many more got tired of the high tech, equipt to the gills, buy half to the local REI store and then head outdoors way of outdoor recreation. People began to want to know how to work with nature in order to live in it, rather than just how to overcome it with gadgets. A number of years later I ran across this thing called "bushcraft". Bushcrafters seemed to like going out and using natural materials to supplement a simpler gear load-out. It was a return to outdoor basics. I myself began to relay less on fancy gear. I quit using a tent every single time that I went camping. Sure I have the fancy gear, and I still like to use it when I feel like it would get the job done. But I love getting back to the roots of outdoors living from time to time. I think that you are right.....something has happened in the bushcraft world. It seems to be more of a tagline that goes with cooking over a campfire (lit with a ferro rod, or flint and steel), possibly in a stainless steel water bottle, with a spoon you carved out of a log, while sleeping in a wool blanket under a lean-to. I'm not sure that I really like the term "bushcraft". I think that "outdoorsmanship" is probably better. It should be a wide ranging collection of knowledge and know-how that helps you just survive and thrive outdoors.....like you said. A lot of the time, it seems to come down to being able to "think outside the box" when outdoors. I think that a lot of folks these days have lost a lot of the folksy common wisdom that prior generations had because they used it on a regular basis. Like John Muir said, people are over civilized and know that returning to the mountains, is returning home. Many people want to leave the cubicle and computer, TV, Internet, "24-7 entertainment and distraction business" and get outside, get a bit dirty, light a fire, and cook a chunk of meat on a stick. That's a human activity! And yes, many also only return to the wilds with a car full of fancy gadgets from REI, but you've go to start somewhere. Anyway, yes, somehow this whole "bushcraft" thing has often been distilled into a rather limited bit of redundant topics. I guess that I feel pretty lucky that growing up I had a wide range of sources of outdoor knowledge, from books, to the best mentors that I could have ever asked for, to simply lots of time spent outdoors, in several different North American environments. Going outdoors when it wasn't always "nice" outside was just something we did, and we learned a lot by doing so. I know that probably most people didn't have this luxury. And, of course, it's a great thing that we have things like RU-vid where people can learn. That's where you come in ;) I think that this will be a great series! Sorry that a comment turned into an essay, but I've thought a good deal about this topic in the past. I guess that what happens when you try to turn what should be a fireside conversation over coffee into a video comment! -Gareth
I hope the videos will be useful for new people interested in the outdoors , and bring a fresh perspective to folks who feel "worn out" by modern bushcraft
Because of work, family, and other obligations most people can only be weekend warriors in bushcraft but you can’t do much bushcraft in a weekend. A shelter alone takes many, many, many hours so people are forced to take full camping gear and do a little bushcraft. That’s me most of the time. Though I’ll do long trips on occasion. I’ve got a 7 day catch my own food trip here soon.
Yes, it's getting boring. Every body n there brother is overnight camping with a tarp n cooking a steak. Don't watch them much anymore. Build a cabin. Much more enjoyable to watch.
I'm a retired U.S.Army Grunt, we just used to call it Field expediences, It's making whatever you have work,and coming up with some crafty Ideas. Hooah. And it comes from a can do spirit,I.E. Never Quit, Never give up,there's always a way, As Gen. Hal Moore said "Just try one more thing"
I'm 32 years old. All my life I've been in the woods, as means of recreation. Camping, hiking, canoeing. Being safe and confident in what you make in the beautiful setting of nature. I use to hunt, I still would if I had to, just don't have the heart for it anymore. I was never a trophy hunter, I did it to put meat on the table. It was something different than beef or chicken. I never even heard the term "bush craft" until youtube! I maybe younger but have an old soul. The simplest of things in life make me happy. An axe, knife and chainsaw. I'm NOT one who is always on the internet or have my cell phone with me. I have no internet or fancy apps on my cell phone, its for emergency purposes but if you're in the deep woods, its basically a paper weight or stripped for survival purposes. I maybe trending a little off topic. My point is, bush craft means nothing to me respectfully, to me its a trendy, snowflake term. Society these days, has to classify everything. Just go back to simple times and don't make everything so complicated. I'm not bashing on everyone. The majority of society is good but there are some real knuckleheads out there, thank you Dave for opening up this conversation.
Holy crap, Dave, you just said what I've been thinking for years. There are tens of thousands of us old guys and girls that were "bushcrafters" fifty or more years before RU-vid was invented. I, for one, am sick to death of the promotion of such ridiculous ideas as, "if you don't spend $400 on a custom made knife, $600 on a wool anarak, you're gonna die the minute you walk past a tree." And just exactly why is it sinful to start your fire with a match? The biggest issue I see is the ludicrous idea that bushcraft and survival are synonymous, when the reality is that a true bushcrafter will be scrubbing out his pan after a hot meal while the survivalist is still squatting in the rain rubbing his sticks together.
Not dead..I think we have just weeded out the posers. .I like vids that show real people in the woods. Not just someone showing off there new pot or titanium dodad. That's why I like your channel..real people living the life.... Fuckin Radical. ..
Hey Dave, it's another Dave from Alberta, I think what used to be a wilderness skill set has become a money making ploy, the best knives, the best Axes, the best gear. How about just plain old fashioned knowledge, I've spent my entire life in the back country in one form or another, I've always got by with knowledge, tools are useless with knowing how to use them. A tarp from the dollar store will work fine with some good skills, outdoor clothing can be as effective from Value Village instead of north face. How did our founding fathers ever get by without a jet boil. This country country with founded on skills and knowledge, lets get people back to that, thanks Bud.
Awesome!! Can’t wait for the videos!! What irks me is the thousands of dollars you need to spend to be considered a bushcrafter. It is to much commercialism. You do not need a 300 dollar ax or 400 dollar knive etc to enjoy bushcraft.
Papa Bear I’ve noticed this as well. The stereotypical “bushcrafter” wears 200$ pants, uses a 500$ bag, 200$ axe, 500$ knife, not to mention they almost always have to have their kuksa lol. I’ve been getting by using an axe I found rusted and rotten on the forest floor 3 years ago. Goes to show how unnecessary and over saturated the market is for “bushcraft” stuff.
IMO, bushcraft is just the trendy name for what was once called woods lore or Boy Scout Stuff or even just camping skills. The only thing that really changed was the introduction of firesteels and Bics for fire starting and synthetic materials for tents and sleeping bags. The skills needed go back over hundreds of years.
You don't know what your talking about. That is not an official bushcraft sweater or scarf. I cannot see a logo on that hat. Where are all the unused knives and axes? Where is the $200 tarp? Your probably not even Canadian.
The fact that some make it sound like you have to have this knife or this axe or one type of pack over another. A lot of folks can't afford a 400 dollar bag from Deluth or some fancy knife From bark river. It's insane.
Most kids and people now days don't even no how to boil water let along survival thanks Dave. And to in most states we have burning bands because people play with fire and don't think or care about the woods and they think its fun and all games then peoples houses get burn and people also lose love ones in the fire that other people started
When I was a kid in the 50's and 60's we just called it "going camping". I see a lot of so called "bushcraft" on youtube that is over complicated, expensive, and more focused on "zombie apocalypse" than getting out and enjoying nature and simple camping. And today's youth are less and less interested in enjoying nature if they can't have their cell phones, game consoles, microwave ovens, big screen TV, and $1000 tennis shoes. I feel blessed to have had parents and grandparents that taught me the simple joys of camping.
Besides camping and hiking, my grandpa would take me out exploring abandoned mines, Indian caves, and ghost towns in California, Nevada, Arizona, and Mexico. Back then old mining ghost towns were still for the most part intact. Now they are all defaced, tagged, and destroyed, and probably been used for meth labs. I continued exploring abandoned mines, since I lived in Gold Rush Mother Lode country, till 12 or 13 years ago. Wish I had the camera equipment then that I have now.
Dave your going to do a great series with all in mind (Bushcraft), please keep up the great work please. God Bless you and your family have a great day. 🇺🇸
The problem for me watching Bush craft videos or survival shows on discovery are the restrictions. Like Zack Fowlers 30 day challenge, he couldn't hunt this, can't fish for that. When you do catch something, you tube demonitzes it you show the processing method. Then some you tube channels become one long commercial for sponsored products. I wonder if "Alone" would be better in a location where anything goes. In a true survival situation anything goes. Restrictions lead to failure. I always appreciate when you say, "This saw, $4 at a yard sale". I know you need viewership, I can appreciate that, it would be cool to see some "Gary Paulsen" type of Bush Craft Survival. To be totally honest, I am tired of people thanking a dead animal for its sacrifice. Food is life.
Deja vu. I was just thinking the same thing the other day. I appreciate a good, educational, woodsy video just as much as the next girl or guy, but as I click through RU-vid your stale comment rings true. Lots of guys dumping out their packs showing off expensive gear which looks oddly shiny and clean. There is usually a compass, but many will admit in the video that they don't really know how to use it. A lot of shoddily built camp setups that you know in your heart are truly miserable. And tons of high dollar knives and Granfors Bruks axes and Pathfinder water bottles. Just like the guys who train hard in tactical/gunning pursuits who would be killed in minutes by a run of the mill Marine just out of boot camp, a lot of these bushcrafters would die in the woods if they were dropped in the wilderness. A good old boy from the mountains of Eastern Kentucky would think them quite entertaining sneaking away from the sad little lean-to and way too big fire having never been seen by the bushcrafter. I will keep combing through the content and every now and then I'll turn up a gem like Bushradical or Advoko Makes or Lure of the North. But I'll keep the BS detector turned way up.
OUCH!!! Wow, was that a spot on comment!!! You notice I never mentioned axes......but I will have to get to that subject sooner or later...talk about kicking a hornets nest...wish me luck.
A few years ago I had the time of my life teaching Boy Scouts some of the primitive Bush skills. They really got into it!!! Great video man, looking forward to your series!!!
Dave. You and your wife have taught me so much. But I was getting depressed about Bushcraft because what I was being told always wound up costing me way more than I could afford Then I learned it doesn't have to be that way.I am SO looking forward to your new series. Thanks, Dave
Stinging nettle ftw! That and pine needle tea... or chaga... don’t need to focus too much on food believe it or not. Cant stand the channels that focus so much on food!
To me bushcraft is using as much as possible natural and renewable resources found in nature to improve your odds of survival if you should find yourself in a situation by using basic tools such as a knife and flint & steel. Making fire to me, is the single most important thing to lean how to do in multiple ways.
I don't think bushcaft is Dead.. but I do agree it is stail and over complicated. Bushcraft to me is about being able to survive in the woods with minimal gear, the more skill you have the less gear you need.
Brush-craft to me is a bunch of city slickers who fumble around in their back yards. When you click on a video and hear neighbourhood dogs barking, car horns, children yelling, etc... It's not bush-craft it's copycatting. Someone watches a video then goes into their backyard to make their own... We never called it Bush-craft, if you were skilled in the woods you were called a Woodsman.... Period... People are growing huge channels because of the Bush-Craft titles used in their videos...
yes bushy, lol bushcraft is dead, no not really just kidding but it is definitely stale,, I believe its up to an individual to enter the woods and exit the woods in anyway you can without injuring yourself or someone else, educate yourself in the field or call it hands on learning, because bushcraft is different in all parts or the world, like what I may want to survive on may not be what you would want or have available to you in a woodsy survival situation depending on where you're at, so education is key
Nice Rant! I am so with you on this topic! I have also said "I am not a bushcrafter" on my channel. For me, outdoor competency and 'bushcraft' are slightly different. To me 'bushcraft' is a style choice. I can stay warm and be under shelter with common sense and haphazard skills. But, a bushcrafter would have a well made fire reflector and an adjustable tripod for their pot.
I totally agree. I'm a builder. I'm a carpenter. I love being in the wilderness. But I don't build my shelters. However if I ever get stuck out there I know how to build one now due to watching you and Brook, your videos and the TV shows. I know how to survive out there because of people like you. But when I go camping, exploring or just wheeling out there in the "bush", I take all my creature comforts with me. Propane stove, lamps, kitchenware, tents or trailers and a number of other things including a lap top and cameras. I don't do "bushcraft" as a hobby. But I sure know how to do it if I ever need to survive for a while and I thank you and Brook and some others on You Tube for that. If you ever want to know how to fix a trailer visit my channel and perhaps I can reciprocate.
