Backpacking and Bushcraft

In my mind, carrying a piece of char cloth and a fire steel is bushcraft. The char cloth doesn't weigh anything and a fire can be LNT, and be a lifesaver. Sounds like some people think if you have bushcraft skills you must make a lean to every night. You can have bush craft skills and use them at appropriate times.

BobS: +1

Akin to , on the first aid front, knowing how to put someone in a traction splint doesn't mean you do so on every trip.

Broadly, a mini Bic is hard to beat. But there are some stove / windscreen configurations that are just easier to light with a fire steel.

I find the two almost mutually exclusive, simply because of the time involved.
I think "bushcraftily" in terms of automatically noting shelter opportunities and availability of materials, but haven't really practiced it since I was a kid, and my interests lie elsewhere.
My time is limited, and I'd rather my playtime be spent around a waterfall or exploring a drainage than in camp.
If I was into bushcraft, I'd camp more and hike less to facilitate that.
Sometimes when it's cold and I'm in the mood for a fire, I'm prone to "area maintenance" with my folding saw in places with lots of deadfall. That's planned, though.

One way to do both is to learn bushcraft skills, and use the skills when they are useful on a backpack. You can practice using a bow drill to make fire, and if you ever need to do that, you can. You can learn to make cordage with natural material, and that skill is in your toolbox for when it's useful. You can learn to catch fish with your hands, and use that skill at appropriate times. You can learn to make a cutting blade from a chunk of rock, and use that skill if you need it.

BUT it's perfectly alright if you don't learn those skills. They are just interesting to me.

"BUT it's perfectly alright if you don't learn those skills. They are just interesting to me."

Everyone should know how to build an emergency shelter, start a fire without modern aids, forage for food in the area they are in, etc.

These are not skills of a 'fringe' activity, they are basic survival skills that any independent and responsible human being should know how to do. Just like knowing basic CPR, or how to change a tire…

Ignorance is never an excuse, especially today when the information is literally at your fingertips 24 hours a day.

Or you can choose to be a welfare case and expect the government to bail you out. "Why learn to take care of myself?! I have a PLB!!"

Building shelters of snow is pretty LNT and also pretty crafty. Leave your tent out of your pack and use the avalanche shovel you carry anyway. Very ultralight.

Bushcraft is the knowledge and skills for living in the bush (wilderness).

Lightweight backpacking is one bushcraft technique.

Just like some focus mostly on fire techniques and shelters, others focus mostly on traveling with gear optimized for lighter travel. Some enjoy a specific segment of bushcraft, while others enjoy exploring the broader field.

I'm a "whole picture" person, and I think learning general knowledge and skills helps me understand and be better at the more specific activities. For example, learning how to start a fire with a bow drill makes me appreciate the faster methods of firestarting and the importance of carrying something I can use to start one under the worst conditions possible.

On the issue of respect for nature, there are people who lack this in both the backpacking and the "bushcraft" groups. People who understand bushcraft (whether they prefer to backpack or focus on fire and bombproof gear) know better than to disrespect and destroy the thing which sustains their interest, and even their very existence.

If one doesnt constantly keep in practice with starting fires, its questionable whether you can start one quickly when you most need it … Cold tired hungry in the dark wet and possibly going hypothermic

Some of these skills and knowledge is pretty basic, but like anything else needs to be practiced

They can be practiced on private land with the owners permission or your back yard, etc …

But theres been enough cases of folks needing some of these skills especially on dayhikes where you may not be carrying the full enchilada

Even with a PLB you need to be able to survive at least the night under possibly poor conditions … A bit of knowledge and practice can save yr noggin

As to trees … Up here small trees n shrubs are weeds, they grow back in a few years … Every climber whose seen a climb get vegitated over in a few years understands this

It was pretty hilarious when some folks complained about BC hydro cutting small trees to protect the power lines recently up here … Theyll grow back in a few years and theyll need to do it again

The BC coast is a rain forest

;)

Yup, there is a difference in having a fire at 12,000 ft in the Sierra Nevada with a 1 month growing season and tens of thousands of visitors and having a fire in a recent burn area with deadfall everywhere to your waist, a nine month growing season, in a location where only 1 person a year signs the summit register.

When I was newly married in the '70s I had little money for backpacking gear. I was forced to fall back on my Boy Scout "Pioneering" merit badge skills.

I use dead, downed limbs for lean-to frames and DID cut a few hemlock boughs for the ends while putting a plastic tarp on top for shelter. Lashing skills learned in the BSA in the '50s helped a lot. Lean-tos were for hunting base camps. A lashed potty seat between two trees kept all our human waste in one place in a one foot deep hole.

I used dead wood for fire (natch)

Rocks were my "stove"

But when breaking camp everything was scattered to look very natural. All cords, rope and trash were packed out. That's the LNT part and the BSA did teach it.

Reviving another thread  because I find it interesting.  I have been walking a couple miles though burned land just about  every day for the last few months. Lots of downed trees and a few slides already. The fire left quite the trace. This area will be where I practice going out with my dog. I am decent at starting a fire but not from scratch so that would be a fun skill to develop ( for safe areas only/ don’t worry). It will be interesting to see if and what mushrooms grow back around here. I still find random roasted rats and squirrels but not for food ;)
Getting better at site location and at setting up a shelter under weather would be good skills as well. Navigation too..

Anyone else here interested in some bushcraft along with backpacking?

Maybe you can find some morel mushrooms. The come out after fires around here and are quite tasty sauteed in butter or added to your noodles.

^^^ do they grow at near sea level ?