As a child my woodland dens and tree houses were basic but protected by highly technical traps and alarms I’d construct after reading whatever survival book I could get my hands on. Holidays saw me and my Brother equipped in the latest mountain tech in the Alps or camping in the latest tent on a European bike ride. On leaving school I nearly joined the forces thanks to the action and adventure articles that adorned the pages of Combat and Survival magazine.
Before Bushcraft was a buzzword me and my friends would forage in the woods searching for edible mushrooms, nuts or elderberries for my Dads wine. As far as our tech went it was pocket knifes, catapults and hand held CB‘s. The likes of civilian GPS was almost science fiction.
My love for travel and the outdoors truly became married to my fascination with technology during a ten year stint travelling the World. I soon learned that any tool or tech I wanted to buy had to fit inside my backpack. I didn’t have a house to fill with junk, instead I would make sure I had the best of everything in the pack on my back.
The best multi tool, the smallest water purifier, the most compact sleep system and the most versatile pack to put it all in. Different kit for different trips.
You may never have to call upon the knowledge of how to survive with only what’s in your pockets, nevertheless understanding ancient skills and old knowledge is both liberating and enabling. I feel It’s also our duty to archive these amazing skills.
Enter Bushcraft to the public arena. A long term extension of your survival skills and a way of reconnecting with the natural world around you. The term was first coined in the late 80’s but recently popularised in the mainstream by Ray Mears and his TV series.
Live in and travel the wilderness. Not just surviving but thriving. Using the skills of the ancients who did not have the modern tools we do to keep them safe and healthy.
And this is where I’d like to start a new adventure.
As much as I enjoy switching off my modern tools and devices and saturating myself in nature, there are times I love to head out and experiment with new and exciting technology.
Just as I was taught the basic needs; shelter, warmth, water, food. And in survival you P.L.A.N. Position, Location, Acquisition, Navigation. I now like to incorporate communication. Be it the ability to power devices to communicate with satellites for navigation, or communicating with the world outside the wilderness you are exploring.
I’d like BushTech to be a new way of exploring the great outdoors. I want to reconnect to the natural world, but when I feel like it, to maintain a connection to the modern world. Perhaps while communicating also sharing and inspiring others to get outside and enjoy nature in a new way. That communication could be solar powered and live through the twitter account @BushTech or it could be archived here on http://BushTe.ch
So if you too enjoy tech and the great outdoors, be it fabric technology, remote comms, portable solar power, GPS and mobile computing, please feel free to join in the conversation. Either on twitter, in the comments, or perhaps contribute to this blog.
BushTech: Where Bushcraft Meets Technology.
