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Is bushcraft still popular?

GaryHW

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Is bushcraft still Popular?

Back in the late late 80's, early 90's before the bushcraft craze really started those of us into what would become bushcraft didn't really have much of a "shopping" option for kit and gear, generally the stuff used was army surplus or regular camping kit. And that was all we seemed to need, if you couldn't buy it you made it yourself. My first billy can was a stainless steel coffee cannister from Sainsbury's with a 10 gauge fencing wire bail handle. All my clothing was army surplus except for a buffalo windshirt.

Then the early 90's into the new millennium saw the raise of Ray Mears and bushcraft tv, slowly over those years the wallet emptying bushcraft industry grew, it grew because bushcraft became very popular and there was suddenly a huge demand for kit as more and more people became interested in the subject. Bushcraft, suddenly popular, never cool, but popular found a lot of people with disposable income starting to buy anything and everything fueling the new industry.

Now I'm not a great one for buying kit, the kit I have has been whittled down over the years until I have what is the perfect kit for me, and it's been a couple of years since I even looked online for gear. So imagine my surprise last night when I did a search for bushcraft kit and found the cyber shelves almost bare!

The bushcraft shops are still there, and hopefully doing ok, but they seemed to have more limited ranges of kit than I remember, and most of it only one or two brand names. Pathfinder stuff seems popular so old DC must be pleased. Ebay, the place historically where we all traded old kit for cash to buy new kit seemed sadly devoid of anything decent or interesting! And even it's online presence seems dulled, BCUK the so called home of British bushcraft, once a thriving social event is quieter than a library at lunch time for example.

So this made me wonder if bushcraft is still as popular as it was or has it returned to that quaint little corner of the woods where us oldens originally found it? And if so why? Have all the fans of the great man disappeared back to the suburban idles now his TV presence has withered and waned? Or am I just missing something, do I remember the cyber bushcraft world being busier than it was, and as such an assumed reflection of the real popularity of bushcraft, or has the economy and covid and old tom cobbly n all effected it?

I'd be interested in your thoughts my friends.
 
Well out of curiosity I had a brief look on eBay and nearly fell into the trap of buying a 600gram Bison hatchet . The industry that has grown up around separating us from our money seems to be thriving.
 
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I think like fishing and shooting it will always have its followers.
Trouble atm is "people" dont see the need for it.
I'm willing to bet there are a lot of people in Ukraine at the moment surviving on foraged rations along with either the odd rabbit or what ever going in the pot that never envisaged living the "old ways" again.
With food prices still rising it wouldn't surprise me if more than a few people in the uk wernt thinking of getting food from alternative sources. Could be keeping the poachers busy soon. Poaching, the new goto career. šŸ˜‰
 
The main problem we have with bushcraft is all the shister,s running way over priced courses for the poor unsuspecting masse,s ...

many moons ago skills were passed down to different generations for free :)

Then the likes of mearsey come,s along and see,s a way of coining in and charging people for knowlage ... :mad::mad:

we often ask if theres anything you would like to learn at the meets and we try and incorperate whats needed (for free) :thumbsup:

so my thoughts are is making money from bushcraft done ???? Yes i think the goose is cooked on that one :)

but there will always be some one out there looking to learn .. with a bit of luck they will google it and stumble across this forum and get along to the meets we hold rather than get ripped of by some self apointed bushcraft instructor

rant over :rofl:
 
The other thing that boils my piss is the bushcraft tax that gets added to items of kit :rofl:

if you want to buy a knife you could prob get what your after for around Ā£20-Ā£30

but if you add the word bushcraft infront of it then your looking at Ā£100-Ā£200

rant is over now im sure :rofl:
:rofl:
 
Another reason that a lot of bushcraft has become knowledge that you have to pay for is the way that the Scouting and Girl-guide movement have gone. Since these days itā€™s assumed that anyone that works with children is a potential pervert a lot of the more knowledgeable people have stopped volunteering as Scout leaders, purely because of the hassle of getting CRB checks (or their modern equivalent). Every Boy Scout or Girl Guide habitually carried a pocket knife at one time (it was expected of them)ā€¦not anymoreā€¦knives = bad, fire=bad, patriotism=bad
These days Scout troops are more likely to be lead by older ladies with limited experience of outdoors, many of the badges that children could have earned in the past are simply unobtainable now after the closure of the last few outward bound facilities owned and managed by the Scouting movement.
When I was a kid there was a Scout troop in every town, usually with a scout hut, plot of land and flag pole. Not anymore.
 
Another reason that a lot of bushcraft has become knowledge that you have to pay for is the way that the Scouting and Girl-guide movement have gone. Since these days itā€™s assumed that anyone that works with children is a potential pervert a lot of the more knowledgeable people have stopped volunteering as Scout leaders, purely because of the hassle of getting CRB checks (or their modern equivalent). Every Boy Scout or Girl Guide habitually carried a pocket knife at one time (it was expected of them)ā€¦not anymoreā€¦knives = bad, fire=bad, patriotism=bad
These days Scout troops are more likely to be lead by older ladies with limited experience of outdoors, many of the badges that children could have earned in the past are simply unobtainable now after the closure of the last few outward bound facilities owned and managed by the Scouting movement.
When I was a kid there was a Scout troop in every town, usually with a scout hut, plot of land and flag pole. Not anymore.
Yay! I used to be a Boy Scout. It taught me a lot Iā€™ll admit in restrospect, although perhaps not the skills they aimed to impart.

Scouts were great. Have they been in decline lately? I always smirk when I think of Mr Baden -Powells foundational publication ā€˜scouting for boysā€™ šŸ¤£

Alan
 
I have my bush craft kit , it is quality and doesn't need on going replacement, I have however branched out into lightweight camping and the same pressure applies there . You tubers pushing donated kit ( Paul Messner et al ) as the greatest thing since sliced bread only to move it on in a raffle a month later and to have replaced it with the next greatest piece of camping gear ...... at the end of the day its about skills and ability not the most expensive gear ......

Just off to buy a Themarest Neoair Xlite NXT that I need desperately ;) :) šŸ¤”
 
Yay! I used to be a Boy Scout. It taught me a lot Iā€™ll admit in restrospect, although perhaps not the skills they aimed to impart.

Scouts were great. Have they been in decline lately? I always smirk when I think of Mr Baden -Powells foundational publication ā€˜scouting for boysā€™ šŸ¤£

Alan
Yup, that was a title that lacked any foresightā€¦šŸ¤£šŸ¤£šŸ¤£
 
Another reason that a lot of bushcraft has become knowledge that you have to pay for is the way that the Scouting and Girl-guide movement have gone. Since these days itā€™s assumed that anyone that works with children is a potential pervert a lot of the more knowledgeable people have stopped volunteering as Scout leaders, purely because of the hassle of getting CRB checks (or their modern equivalent). Every Boy Scout or Girl Guide habitually carried a pocket knife at one time (it was expected of them)ā€¦not anymoreā€¦knives = bad, fire=bad, patriotism=bad
These days Scout troops are more likely to be lead by older ladies with limited experience of outdoors, many of the badges that children could have earned in the past are simply unobtainable now after the closure of the last few outward bound facilities owned and managed by the Scouting movement.
When I was a kid there was a Scout troop in every town, usually with a scout hut, plot of land and flag pole. Not anymore.
There's a lot of truth in there. I volunteered with the cubs and scouts for a few years, I gave it up in the end because of the way it was being led, and all the ridiculous-but-essential health and safety, admin, and 'ooh no, I don't think our mums and dads would like little Johnny doing that' type comments from the leaders. And yes, it was led by what you might call 'an older lady' who had no real grasp of outdoor skills.

To be fair, I lost my patience with a few of the parents too. One poor kid turned up to a two day camp which included a day hike, his parents had sent him with all his stuff in two Tesco 'bags for life'. I spent ages writing a nice kit list for them too... :)
 
Bushcraft is still popular. Possibly more than it ever was. There are many local bushcraft groups around the country and I am in some local to me. There is also the national bushcraft scene with BCUK and The Great Bushcraft Group in the lead. BCUK organise two meets every year, summer and winter, and it is still well attended. At a local level the groups vary. Some are more of a get-together around the fire in a wood that involves a lot of alcohol. However, because they would like to consider themselves bushcrafters they do clean up and take their rubbish home afterwards. Other groups are more serious and although a few tipples are imbibed the stress is on the bushcraft. Seasonal activities like foraging are done and other skills are passed on. Apart from the things I learned as a kid, usually by trial and error, most of the knowledge and skills I have in my own armoury were learned at these groups as skills-sharing. No money changes hands unless there are materials involved. Newbies are welcomed with open arms and can take advantage of the range of skill-sets available. I have only once ever paid for a 'bushcraft' course and that was a bowyer course. I now pass on this knowledge and skill to anyone who wants to learn it.
There are also many courses catering for the casual bushcrafter. Typically kids, but also stag and hen parties. They want to do something outside their normal experiences, something which for them is a little strange. Most of them are city folk who want to see how the 'natives' live. I don't see a problem making a few bob from these people.
Although not strictly bushcraft, Forest School has become quite a phenomenon in the last 20 years. I grew up running around feral in a big forest opposite my house. Putting a bunch of city kids in a forest and letting them run around, whilst teaching them about nature and simple skills like firelighting, seems to me to be an eminently sensible idea.
Bushcraft is a very wide subject. At its most basic it is the knowledge to be able to go anywhere and survive with just a knife, billy can and a blanket. You may want to make a bow and arrow to hunt with - oh wait - that's two new skill sets. Making the bow and arrows and then learning the ability to shoot. Then you'll probably want a fire. Ok, but you'll need to know how to make a friction fire kit and then learn how to use it - two more skills. Chosing the right wood would be handy - more knowledge. The best wood to burn - more knowledge. Edible plants and fungi - more knowledge. It just goes on and on. To say nothing of the navigation skills to get where you want to go, or build and paddle a canoe down the river. The old adage is that knowledge weighs nothing.
And as for the kit - bushcraft kit is like fishing tackle, which catches more fisherman than it does fish - so caveat emptor. My first stove was a Primus, bought for me for my 14th birthday, I still have it (and it still works). However, in the intervening years I have built up a collection of about 10 stoves. (The other man's grass is always greener). Two of them I use regularly, the rest live in a draw. It's the same with all kit, you get what you can afford, usually starting with ex-MOD, and then build up to the quality gear, often via a series of mistakes.
Having the kit doesn't make you a better bushcrafter but it can widen the things you can do. Cutting down a tree is not easy with a knife, an axe makes all the difference. Ah, but a saw would make it even easier, and with a saw and axe you can log and split the wood. It's like this for many things and the shopping list can grow quite long.
 
Great reply Paul. Thanks to everyone so far for their feed back on the question.

Maybe it's me being a long term solo bushcrafter and not moving in those circles anymore so I'm not aware of the local group scene, Obviously I know of BCUK, but I find even there back in the day it was a busy hub of chat but these days its all very mediocre, lots of newbies asking advice which is great but very little else (IMHO) indeed I have to say while i pop in from time to time, to see what's being sold (fun how so many people flog stuff there and they even have a problem with scammers now) I find BCUK really boring and a little bit to clique these days and I've been a member there off and on since the day Tony and Stuart started it.

I've never heard of The Great Bushcraft Group so will research that.

Education is everything especially for city folk, I truly believe that if we don't teach these people and especially children to love the wilder places we will eventually lose them to housing projects etc, education also off sets the mindless vandalism we all come across too, problem their is like many things a little knowledge or the wrong knowledge can lead to misconceptions i.e people wanting a camp fire and taking axes to green wood and leaving scares everywhere.

Is bushcraft still popular? Clearly yes, as there's a big industry now as Paul says like the fishing tackle industry most of the dribble it turns out is to catch the naĆÆve rather than the knowledgeable.

But I do like the debate, so maybe I should have asked is it still RELEVANT? ;)
 
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But I do like the debate, so maybe I should have asked is it still RELEVANT? ;)
I think Bushcraft is probably a lot more relevant than it has been at any time since the Great War when there was the last great shift away from people working the land towards mechanisation. So many social changes took place during that period and along with all the gains in living standards and shifts in social equality a lot of the old country ways were lost.
 
Totally agree. So many skills and crafts have either been lost or are in danger of doing so since the beginning of the 20th century. Some of the bushcrafters I know have become experts in one or other of these fields and are passing their knowledge on to others. Long may it continue. I definitely think it's relevant.
 
I think Bushcraft is probably a lot more relevant than it has been at any time since the Great War when there was the last great shift away from people working the land towards mechanisation. So many social changes took place during that period and along with all the gains in living standards and shifts in social equality a lot of the old country ways were lost.
Hi Mike

Following this thread and read your comment. Why do you think this? Why at this particular point in time is bushcraft more relevant?

I see your point that the old knowledge is less used and in danger of being lostā€¦ But I would agree with OP that most have little need for it in their contemporary urban digital livesā€¦

I recently stopped on the highway because I passed two twenty -something euro backpackers standing by a hire car with a flat tire. They were trying to get You Tube on their devices to learn how to change the tyre, but had no signal coverageā€¦

I pulled over and put on their space saver tyre on their little car while they watched. I couldnā€™t believe two lads in their twenties couldnā€™t swap a tyre.

But I couldnā€™t pass them because there was no phone coverage and they didnā€™t have a sat phone or UHF in their town car.

šŸ˜‚

Incredibleā€¦..But it seems completely acceptable for contemporary urban youngsters to not be able to change a tire.

Alan
 
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In a world of digital technology we still use pencils. Some things don't and can't go wrong, these are the things we should rely on. Digital technology and other such things are wonderful and should be used, but relying on them - not such a good idea. One of the biggest reasons Mountain Rescue groups get called out here is because somebody has relied on technology, usually their phone, to navigate. A map and compass won't go wrong, knowing how to use them is essential knowledge. Rather like your two backpackers who lack lifeskills, Alan. Many of the skills learned in bushcraft are practical life-skills using technology that won't let you down. I sailed and navigated a yacht half way around Britain, the sat-nav was wonderful, but we had and used the charts and compass too. I like technology, I worked as a computer engineer for thirty years, but I never rely on it. Technology is not the problem, it's the reliance on it that bothers me, and the consequencial loss of the old skills and knowledge that have worked for centuries. So, how relevant is buchcraft and this old knowledge? I suppose the answer is - 'It depends how deeply you are stuck in the shit'!
 
I see bushcraft as one of the paths to self reliance and good mental health, being out in nature gives me perspective on other matters and helps me realise that I donā€™t need to control things, I just do what I can and recognise when Iā€™m truly happy. The simple act of learning skills and being outdoors encourages a certain enquiring mind set.. Probably best not to be putting ourselves at risk though and consequently forcing other people to risk or inconvenience themselves to help us. Whether itā€™s stopping to change someoneā€™s tyre or searching for people who have lost themselves on a hill side, it is usually a volunteer that picks up the piecesā€¦Itā€™s important to understand your limitations as well as your strengths.
 
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