The BCUK kit buy / mend & make do cycle is in force...

[Cobweb]

It seems as if there is a cycle with the types of posts we get on BCUK, for me I love it when the mend and make do cycle is in full force, sadly at the moment it's kit threads that are dominating the main topics, this should clear up in a few weeks.

I for one am looking forward to having the DIY threads back, which do you prefer?

 

[RAPPLEBY2000]

you've not notice we're all kit freaks then?

go on any Bushcraft/back country living/survival/adventure outdoor activity forum you will see a lot of kit talked about, half the fun of bushcraft is collecting the kit (be it right or wrong) to do the job.

the other reason we talk kit is because it bridges a huge social gap!

I may not know about accounting or butterflies but we all know what a tarp is...

I love the DIY stuff i do a lot myself partly due to funds partly for the hell of it.
only down side to DIY jobs is you need the right tools/experience to do the more extravagant projects, one i remember i have no chance of copying, a home made forge made from an old gas bottle...no chance

I'm afraid the kit chat is here to stay mate, always has been!

 

[BushEd]

I prefer threads where the Buy vs. DIY question doesn't even come up!!!

It seems to me theres a cycle of people moaning about Kit chatter.....i thought thats why it's in a seperate forum?!

Sorry, i'm feeling all cynical today!

 

[pwb]

Quite enjoy both really.

Like looking at the Gucci gear, window shopping mostly unfortunately

Have a preference for the hands on make do and mend though. Making your own stuff and adapting/improvising gear is pretty rewarding I find.
Nothing better than being inspired by someones post for a new project to try your hand at.

Pete.

 

[Toddy]

I read the kit stuff for ideas tbh
Then the brain goes to work and I either reject it utterly or I find some way of making it for myself if I really want it, or find a suitable barter with someone who can make the bit I'm needing so that I can do the rest for myself.

It's a brilliant forum that way, it's a social thing, it's full of creative people. It's like having a country wide network of knowledge and skills and resources to tap into


Take one Metre of fleece ( or uses for an old one) coming up

cheers,
M

 

[dwardo]

I get more satisfaction from things i have made my self but some things i just dont fancy trying to make. There is no rational behind it that i can think off really. I dont fancy making my own clothes yet i will make my own leather goods. I dont like making arrows but i will make my own bows

It all comes down to cost and time i suppose...

 

[durulz]

I always find my 'bushcrafting' is very seasonal.
During Winter is when I do most making/mending, so slightly at odds with your observation that now is kit time. If you look at my Blog (link below) you'll see some of the things I've been making.
But I wonder if that's because it's Winter, and people are trying out Wintry type things, or looking forward to Spring and treating themselves, or playing with Christmas presents yet to be used.
Either way, I do agree that topic emphasis comes in cycles.

 

[Chambers]

DIY and mending for me

 

[Ahjno]

I read about everything - comes with the job ... Within a few weeks people will go out and tap trees, by then a whole new load of "How do I tap a tree?" will pop up People start ask about plants, etc.

It's the (titanium) circle of life / bushcraft

 

[John Fenna]

Dont BUY kit - buy my DIY book then MAKE your own!
It is the best of both worlds!

 

[Shewie]

I'm a bit of a kit junky so I don't mind the new kit threads so much. As there's a constant flow of newbies the same questions and discussions often come up.

The recommend me a tarp, sleeping bag, boots, knife, axe, hammock, bivvy bag etc etc will always be prevalent on here, I suppose it comes with the territory.

I hold my hands up to chipping in quite a lot with kit chatter, but if nobody answers the questions then the newbies could get put off and then don't get involved with other threads.

I like to see the fantastic work of the clever folk on here but most of it's way out of my league, that's why I usually end up buying kit and talking about it more than having a crack at it. I do turn my hand to the simpler things though like leather bags or fabric cases for kit, I'm just not proud enough to show it usually.

 

[Ahjno]

Dont BUY kit - buy my DIY book then MAKE your own!
It is the best of both worlds!

Oye that's selfpromoting!



I'm with Rich - most things are out of my league: either I have not the skill or the tools ... or the time

 

[launditch1]

you've not notice we're all kit freaks then?

go on any Bushcraft/back country living/survival/adventure outdoor activity forum you will see a lot of kit talked about, half the fun of bushcraft is collecting the kit (be it right or wrong) to do the job.

the other reason we talk kit is because it bridges a huge social gap!

I may not know about accounting or butterflies but we all know what a tarp is...

I love the DIY stuff i do a lot myself partly due to funds partly for the hell of it.
only down side to DIY jobs is you need the right tools/experience to do the more extravagant projects, one i remember i have no chance of copying, a home made forge made from an old gas bottle...no chance

I'm afraid the kit chat is here to stay mate, always has been!

Well Rich, i can help you out with that idea if you like..(the gas bottle forge that is!)make a plan, get a gas bottle and we can go from there.(if you want..)
F.O.C by the way..

 

[MartinK9]

Dont BUY kit - buy my DIY book then MAKE your own!
It is the best of both worlds!

Snip> Oye that's selfpromoting!

In that case,

Dont BUY kit - buy John Fenna's DIY book then MAKE your own!
It is the best of both worlds!

 

[stovie]

you've not notice we're all kit freaks then?

I'm afraid the kit chat is here to stay mate, always has been!

Personally I thought the clue was in the title Bush"craft"...

...in other words "make do and mend."

Bush skills revolve around using whatever is around you at the time in order to remain comfortable with as little technology as possible...

...I'll give you a blade...

 

[Zingmo]

I did some of my growing up in a remote spot in East Africa. I learnt early on that if something broke, you had to mend it or do without. If you mended something, you had to make it better than it was before so it wouldn't break again. If you needed something, you had to make it from what you did have.

When I choose new stuff, I always consider how easily can I mend it should it break. (eg wood vs composite axe handles).

I think "make do & mend" is an essential skill and mindset for anyone who is intent on going more than a stones throw from civilisation.

Z

 

[Paul_B]

I'm too cack-handed to make a lot of my stuff plus don't have the tools or whatever. I'm also not patient enough to do that. Of course it means I have to spend money to sort my gear out. This means that gear chats on this site and others are good as you learn a different view to kit and perhaps can save money by going in a different direction. Of course it means people talking about gear not making or mending gear. So please keep talking gear.

Of course I do like the making threads too. I'm just not involved in them.

What I do like is when people occasionally surprise you and come up with a new use for something yyou already have that you never thought of. That sort of inventivness saves weight, money and time IMHO. With gear multi use is good as it cuts down what you need.

What have I just said? Less gear? I'm off to wash my mouth out with soap and water (biodegradable soap)

 

[John Fenna]

Interestingly enough I have had quite a few orders for my DIY bushcrafting book over the past couple of months, as well as orders for my Dragons Breath flint and steel kits, so I would say that despite all the signs in the threads that buying/making goes in cycles, sales of ready made kit and interest in making ones own runs about even, though I tend to sell more of both around Xmas and when the Spring weather starts tempting people into the woods again.

 

[Gailainne]

I'm afraid I'm in both camps on this one I really enjoy posts on new shinies, some I will buy to try out, some not, but I also really enjoy the DIY threads, myself I've recently completed the design and sewing up of a bridge hammock, (which held together at a recent Loch Lomond weekend) I also acquired a nice birch burl there which I hope will be suitable for a kuksa.
Btb wasn't there a recent post by Toddy on the uses of shrunken woollen clothing ? making hats, mitts etc ? (forgot the cuddly mouse )

We're a mixed bunch right enough ,wouldn't have it any other way.

 

[locum76]

Im a bit like Shewie on this one.

I love to read about making kit and I love all the artisanship, but I'm never going to get around to making it.

But because of this forum I bet I know some who will...

Good thread.