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Post by pathwinder14 on Jul 18, 2012 5:38:22 GMT -7
O.K. so Will's thread on ultralight backpacking got me thinking. Are Backpacking and Bushcrafting polar opposites or can they be married? I think there is room for a marriage of the two. Here's my mentality.
Both are useful. Both are fun. However bushcrafting often requires an investment of time not afforded after a long day of backpacking. So how do we combine them?
I have found those saying they cannot be combined often bite off more than they can chew. They either want to do so much bushcraft there's no time left for hiking or vice versa. Time has to be alotted for both.
I have also found that multitasking and centering on just a few easy & fast bushcraft tasks after/while hiking combines them very well.
I'll use myself as an example: I carry a half empty full size internal frame pack, an REI traverse. I've carried it for 15+ years. I only have 20-25 lbs in it (Yes I carry a hatchet). I have lots of room in it left over to place stuff I find while hiking such as natural bedding or tinder.
Once I get to my campsite the first priority is a fire. While that is going I have my water boiling (for dinner or for purification). While that's going I set up my tarp and gather more bedding materials. I lay out my space blanket and my wool blanket. When that's done I give myself a quick wash and hoist my bear bag (we don't have bears here but other critters will eat it if I don't hoist it). This is maybe 1-2 hours of work (gathering wood is a little time counsuming).
Every other task I need to do can be done by the fire. Checking gear, taking care of blisters, tool care, fire side chit chat, etc.
I'm only trying to do a few bushcraft tasks. Set up tarp, use natural bedding, and make a fire. I am not trying to weave baskets, make cordage, set traps, etc. I know how to do those things if I need to survive. However, they are not necessary to enjoy myself unless they are the focus of my outing. All too often I see people trying to do more than they need. Their first question should be, "What do I NEED to do?". The second question should be, "What have I come to do?".
Thoughts? Opinions?
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Post by garret on Jul 18, 2012 6:44:44 GMT -7
as has stated before, when hiking from place to place then backpacking with the right gear makes life a lot easier, you can travel further as you dont have to spend the amount of time creating your base camp.
where i think bushcrafting knowlege comes into its own is as to a backup to standard backpacking, it gives you the comfort of knowing that if you lost a couple of pieces of gear you can still manage, yes it may take longer but you will survive and carry on.
and if you have good knowlege you can actually thrive rather than just eaking out a meagre existance till you either get back to civilisaton or are rescued (depending on the circumstances)
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Post by Cwi555 on Jul 18, 2012 8:34:17 GMT -7
I don't see them as different. There was once a general heading of 'outdoorsman/woman. That is how I see it even though that is not PC or in anymore.
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Post by Sctr22 on Jul 18, 2012 8:59:56 GMT -7
My opinion is, just like everything else, its a person to person basis. Personally my load out doesn't change drastically between the two, becasue I view it basically the same. Whether I have to hike for pleasure, or hike to bug out...I'm still hiking. I always opt for a tool heavy load out. Things can go wrong, even on a hiking trip, so I tend to pack with that in mind. I also carry a pistol. I know I usually end up carrying more weight so thats how I train as well. To be honest thats one of my favorite things about the whole ultra light weight backpacking craze. Companies keep coming out with gear that does the same thing at a lighter weight. So I'm able to upgrade gear to achieve what I want for les ounces...or add extra gear to the pack for the same overall weight. Not everyone is the same, and yea I get looked at, but not everyone shares my preparedness views...and guess who they always come running to when they realize they really did need something they opted not to bring.
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Post by WILL on Jul 18, 2012 9:02:05 GMT -7
First of all, let me emphasize that I really enjoy bush-crafting and back-packing, and I would never try to define what someone else should or should not be doing in the outdoors or their style. Everyone has their own way of doing things.
Me personally, I agree with Garret, bush-crafting is time consuming, thus detracts from traveling. Right now, bush-crafting is a back up plan for my back-packing trips. I don't care to be fire dependent as I've had many trips where fire wasn't happening due to the weather. Please don't anyone chime in here to tell me all the tips and tricks of building a fire. My fire building skills are probably on par with anyone here.
I also don't want to be dependent on gathering a bunch of materials for bedding every night. I've had trips where I've pulled into camp and it was slant raining or a blizzard was happening. Happens all the time. I don't want to be running around in that trying to put together a bed. I could in an emergency, but that's not my plan A for a back-packing trip.
Also, serious bush-crafting requires some heavy tools. Obviously these take a toll on any back-packing effort.
I think what I'm going to do is to plan some shorter hikes and bring bush-crafting and back-packing gear, but try to bushcraft and not use the back-packing gear. More emphasis will be spent on bush-crafting for its own sake. That way, if the bush-crafting becomes a significant burden, I can revert to the purpose built gear I brought for the save.
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Post by pathwinder14 on Jul 18, 2012 9:29:36 GMT -7
...I would never try to define what someone else should or should not be doing in the outdoors or their style. Everyone has their own way of doing things.... Agreed. Ultimately we all have to do what works for us as individuals. ...I don't care to be fire dependent as I've had many trips where fire wasn't happening due to the weather. Yep, had several of those. They ain't fun. I still prefer fire though. ...I think what I'm going to do is to plan some shorter hikes and still bring all my gear, but try to bushcraft and not use it. More emphasis will be spent on bush-crafting for its own sake. That way, if the bush-crafting becomes a significant burden, I can revert to the purpose built gear I brought for the save. That's how I roll. Long hikes (11+ miles) just tire me out anyways.
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Post by jmarshnh on Jul 18, 2012 9:31:42 GMT -7
I don't see them as different. There was once a general heading of 'outdoorsman/woman. That is how I see it even though that is not PC or in anymore. I agree 1000% When I was much younger I used to go on hikes, but I did not hike until near dark, or until I was too tired to do much. We stopped early, enjoyed the area, did a little fishing if we could, and snooped around the area. I think today's hikers/backpackers have different agendas than we did many years ago. We could not afford tons of money for name brand gear and ultra lite this/ultra lite that, but we did have fun (a lot of fun). Backpacking and bushcrafting was done long ago together, but we didn't call it that then. The terminology and mindset is what is new. At this point in my life these old joints have hiked the last trail and whacked the last bush. I still like to hear and read about experiences and learn interesting things on these boards as there is so much knowledge floating around. Of course all of this is IMHO ;D Jim
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Post by offtrail on Jul 18, 2012 9:51:29 GMT -7
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Post by pathwinder14 on Jul 18, 2012 11:49:18 GMT -7
What will said about fire is totally true,sometimes fire is NOT possible, I don't care who you are or how skilled you think you are. Sometimes it just won't happen......word up Unless you have a flamethrower! Seriously though, I have had my share of fire-less nights. Depending upon the weather they can be great...or they can suck.
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Post by thywar on Jul 18, 2012 11:53:45 GMT -7
I just bought an Army Large ALICE Pack and I plan on putting enough in it to build up my strength so I can put more stuff in it.. So I guess that designates me as just hardheaded or old fashioned.. I guess once I reach my endurance level I'll know to take the sink out..
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Post by angelhelp on Jul 18, 2012 17:27:21 GMT -7
I just bought an Army Large ALICE Pack and I plan on putting enough in it to build up my strength so I can put more stuff in it.. So I guess that designates me as just hardheaded or old fashioned.. I guess once I reach my endurance level I'll know to take the sink out.. You've made my day! I use an Alice and thanks to my penchant for being "properly" prepared, I've always hauled it in an absolutely stuffed condition. Yeah, it's heavy, and yeah, the hills around here make it hard for me. Still, for someone who's in her mid-50s, I guess I'm not doing too badly!
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