What is bushcraft camping? Broadly speaking, it’s the application of bushcraft skills, i.e., surviving in the wilderness using only what you can find to support yourself, in a camping context. Today, we’ll discuss the concept at length, diving into what you need to know and which skills you should hone before setting out on a bushcraft camping trip, and provide you with some bushcraft camp ideas to challenge yourself while experiencing nature in this incredibly primal way.
Understanding Bushcraft Camping
As explained in the introduction, bushcraft camping emphasizes self-reliance and self-sufficiency. It’s just you, out there in nature, scavenging and fending entirely for yourself, with only the most basic gear available to you. No tents, no modern tools, no electronic devices, just man in nature, exactly how it was thousands of years ago. The key to a successful bushcraft camping trip lies in honing a diverse set of skills to get around in the wilderness without compromising your safety.
Bushcraft camping often contrasts with other forms of outdoor activities, such as glamping or car camping, both abundant in their use of modern conveniences. The added difficulty is recompensed by the sheer satisfaction of relying only on primitive survival skills and rediscovering humanity’s primordial roots and instincts.
Core Survival Skills Every Bushcraft Camper Needs
One thing that has to be said—bushcrafting is dangerous if you don’t know what you’re doing. It’s certainly not an activity you can just take up without practice and extensive preparation. To maintain your safety while camping, you’ll need to learn how to adapt to the wilderness, regardless of how harsh the conditions may get.
Some of these skills include:
- Fire-making: Fire is essential. It provides warmth, light, and a way to cook food or purify water.
- Water Purification: Untreated water poses a risk to your health in general, but when you’re out there, isolated, it’s a potential threat to your life. Thus, you need to know when and how to make water drinkable.
- Wildlife Expertise: This is useful for both safety and foraging. Knowing which animals or plants are safe to approach or eat helps with food sources and avoiding potential dangers.
Without a deep knowledge of all of these, setting out to the wilderness with nothing on you but a self-imposed quest for survival would leave you in dire straits rather quickly. Preparation and practice of these skills can mean the difference between a rewarding experience and a dangerous ordeal.
Bushcraft Camp Ideas – Surviving on Your Own
Once you’ve gotten a good grasp of these survival skills, you can begin to think about ways to challenge yourself with various bushcraft camping scenarios. Here are some interesting ideas that will help you get a rough idea of what this really involves.
Basic Shelter Building
Since you’re not packing a tent to sleep in, sorting out a makeshift shelter should be one of your first priorities. Challenge yourself by experimenting with different shelter types, such as a simple lean-to or a debris hut made out of forest scavenge. Utilize the resources available around you to get by and adapt to your environment.
Fire-Only Cooking
After establishing your shelter, sorting out food preparation is next on the list. Instead of bringing a camping stove, you’ll have to make do with more primitive methods, like a fire pit, cooking food on a stick or a flat rock.
Final Tip for Bushcraft Camping
Above all, remember that safety should always be your first priority. Therefore, always keep someone informed about where you’re headed and when you plan to return, and never set out without a way to contact emergency services in dire situations.
Make sure to also not stray too far from civilization, no matter how tempting it may be to throw yourself into the deep end immediately.
The Takeaway
Bushcraft camping is a phenomenal way to reconnect with nature, live off the land, and test yourself without the cushion of modern comforts. However, it’s not meant for the newbies and aspiring survivalists; rather, this kind of camping should only be attempted by experienced veterans who know the ins and outs of the backcountry like their own pocket.
You may also read: Bushcraft 101