Bushcraft is about the art of surviving with less in nature. Surviving on nature’s conditions and at the same time minimizing the amount of gear you need.
To practice bushcraft is essentially the same thing as practicing survival in nature, while at the same time being comfortable. Instead of trying to get back to civilization as quickly as possible, perhaps you create a small shelter with the comforts you need; a campfire, a chair, a nice bed with protection against the envorinment.
The more you know, the less you carry.
– Mors Kochanski
To us Swedes, the term bushcraft is kind of a new one even though we’re no strangers to the outdoors! In other parts of the world, in particular the US, Great Britain and Canada, the term bushcraft have been used for a long time when speaking of survival in the wilderness. There’s a great charm in the simplicity and to be able to make it on your own with less. That goes as much for real life as it does for being in the woods!
Det är nästan så att elden blivit synonym med bushcraft. Att kunna starta sin egen eld, vare sig det handlar om kaffekokning eller för att hålla värme under natten så fortsätter elden att vara ett av våra viktigaste verktyg i naturen.
Vi klarar oss utan det mesta i en nödsituation. Även mat kan vi avvara ett par dagar, men vatten däremot måste vi få i oss tillräckligt varje dag!
Survival is the other side of bushcraft. This is where you focus on skills and techniques that may help you in a survival situation, i.e. making a fire, building shelter or navigating.
Rucking is a low-intensity form of exercise. That means you pack a rucksack with suitable weights and go for a walk at a brisk pace for a certain distance. The benefits of doing this are many, above all it builds muscle strength and builds up your fitness!
För drygt två år sedan så var begreppet beredskap något som den stora massan i mångt och mycket såg ner på som domedagsskräck. I sann svensk anda har man efter det gjort en 180˚ vändning utan att blinka. Numera har det snarare utvecklats till en folksport! Om man verkligen vill förbättra sina förutsättningar inför den stundande apokalypsen kan man snegla lite på hur bushcraftern tänker kring beredskap, kunskap och prylar!
Rucking är en lågintensiv träningsform som innebär att du packar en ryggsäck med lämpliga vikter och ger dig ut och promenerar i snabb marschtakt efter en viss distans. Fördelarna med att ägna sig åt detta är många, framförallt så bygger det muskelstyrka och bygger upp din kondition! Bushcraftlegenden Mors Kochanski myntade begreppen “Kunskap väger inget” […]
Being able to relate to your environment is an essential part of Bushcraft! It’s also very good for you and also enjoyable to get to know some edible plants, different methods for catching fish och small game!
Flora contains no less than all of the plants you find in nature! All trees, bushes, and herbs, down to the smallest summer flower. In Sweden we have about 250 edible plants, of which we only use a small number in our diet. Some of the plants are even great, or even nessecary for our well-being. A couple of examples of plants are: Ledum Palustre, a plant that some people are praising for its positive effects, while some claim it’s the viagra of the forests! Rosa Dumalis is one of our most C-vitamin rich plants in Sweden. Its berries can be picked fresh of the bush during the whole of winter!
Misteln är en liten, grön växt som växer på träd i Europa, Nordamerika och andra delar av världen. Den är delvis parasitisk, eftersom den får en del av sin näring från träden den växer på. Misteln är även en väldigt viktig växt, både i sitt lilla ekosystem, men även i vår historia och kultur! Som många är bekanta med är den en väldigt populär symbol för en viss stundande högtid! Den har även en del olika egenskaper som medicinalväxt och har använts i traditionell medicin väldigt länge.
Fauna, on the other hand, are members of the animal kingdom, of which we ourselves are actually included. However, people usually talk about the natural ecosystem in the forest, from which man has now distanced himself a bit. The wolf is a much-debated part of the natural system, but has come to compete with man in recent times.
This category includes all mushrooms, lichens, slime mold, and more! This is a very interesting group that we learn more about on a daily basis, everything from new natural remedies for various ailments to its properties for the shamanic rites of our ancestors. Some fungi have even been observed hunting their prey with everything from poison to arrows and traps, while others are helping scientists to streamline subway systems.
Among Slime Molds and Mushrooms We humans tend to be quite quick to congratulate ourselves on our achievements in creating vast worldwide networks, machines and other inventions. What was unknown to us until very recently is that we were not the first to do this! No, I’m not talking about the aliens who live under […]
Never trust a thought that comes to you indoors
– Friedrich W. Nietzsche
Bushcraft is not a gadget sport in that you need as many expensive things as possible. On the contrary, it is often the case that the one who gets by with the least number of gadgets is the one who is looked up to! It is very important to have proven, proper and durable equipment with you in the forest! In some cases, you are completely dependent on the knife to get through the night. Even when it comes to the axe, you rarely choose a small tactical variant with speed stripes on the sides over a classic normal-sized axe!
It’s pretty much impossible to recommend a backpack to someone else because there are so many different variables that have to be taken into account. The backpack manufacturing companies like this! This means that they can make endless variations of their backpacks just so that you will be able to carry the backpack that is perfect for you!
Om man skalar ner utrustningen till sina minsta komponenter utan att återvända till fullständig stenålder landar man oftast i den dynamiska duon kniv och yxa för turer i skogen! Ofta är även sågen ett välkommet komplement till dessa även om det är en betydligt mer sentida uppfinning än de första två!
Bushboxen är lite av ett gammalt men återvunnet fenomen inom friluftsvärlden. Själva principen har använts väldigt länge av bland andra luffare och hemlösa, men nu har den alltså tagit steget och lyckats attrahera bushcraft- och friluftsvärlden också!
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