Cycling UK Forum

Has anyone used a mountain/hybrid bike in a bushcraft contexts?

ukbushman wrote:Has anyone used a mountain/hybrid bike in a bushcraft contexts?

Could you care to elucidate?
jonty

Jonty wrote:Could you care to elucidate

Is it legal to do that in public?

Edwards wrote:

Jonty wrote:Could you care to elucidate

Is it legal to do that in public?

Only if there's an 'R' in the month and you are standing on one leg in pink custard! IIRC

I have often used my bike as a frame for a basha. Propped up for headroom or laid down for a low sleeping shelter.

Not aimed at you personally ukb, you may be an environmentally aware bushcrafter, but....

My experience of "bushcraft" and "bushcrafters" is of far too many fires and their resulting scars, too much wood cutting, and a worrying obsession with knives. I think the likes of Mears and Grills have much to answer for. While it's an attractive idea to fend for oneself and live of the land, I don't think it is practical or sustainable anywhere in the UK.

I like to camp rough and wild but always with the overriding rule of leave nothing but a patch of flattened grass.

Jonty wrote:

ukbushman wrote:Has anyone used a mountain/hybrid bike in a bushcraft contexts?

Could you care to elucidate?
jonty

I think he means using a bike as a craft to ride through bushes BICBW. Doesn't work very well at all when I've tried it.

tramponabike wrote:My experience of "bushcraft" and "bushcrafters" is of far too many fires and their resulting scars, too much wood cutting, and a worrying obsession with knives. I think the likes of Mears and Grills have much to answer for. While it's an attractive idea to fend for oneself and live of the land, I don't think it is practical or sustainable anywhere in the UK.

I like to camp rough and wild but always with the overriding rule of leave nothing but a patch of flattened grass.

there's a good debate to be had here. whether the actions of someone who's stabbed, skinned and cooked a rabbit on an open fire is more or less sustainable than someone who's eaten a can of beans off a gas cooker, but the latter has tidied away their mess into the council's bin?

hubgearfreak wrote:there's a good debate to be had here. whether the actions of someone who's stabbed, skinned and cooked a rabbit on an open fire is more or less sustainable than someone who's eaten a can of beans off a gas cooker, but the latter has tidied away their mess into the council's bin?

Skinning a rabbit is only sustainable as long as few people are doing it. Otherwise you would decimate the rabbit population.

TonyR wrote: Otherwise you would decimate the rabbit population.

i doubt it, such populations are dependant upon resources, not predators. they breed like, well, rabbits

tramponabike wrote:I like to camp rough and wild but always with the overriding rule of leave nothing but a patch of flattened grass.

Hmmm,err,well...........

TonyR wrote:

hubgearfreak wrote:there's a good debate to be had here. whether the actions of someone who's stabbed, skinned and cooked a rabbit on an open fire is more or less sustainable than someone who's eaten a can of beans off a gas cooker, but the latter has tidied away their mess into the council's bin?

Skinning a rabbit is only sustainable as long as few people are doing it. Otherwise you would decimate the rabbit population.

hubgearfreak wrote:

TonyR wrote: Otherwise you would decimate the rabbit population.

i doubt it, such populations are dependant upon resources, not predators. they breed like, well, rabbits

Well with 45 million rabbits and 60 million people in the UK there's hardly enough to go round for a day or two so they'd better breed fast.

tramponabike wrote:My experience of "bushcraft" and "bushcrafters" is of far too many fires and their resulting scars, too much wood cutting, and a worrying obsession with knives. I think the likes of Mears and Grills have much to answer for. While it's an attractive idea to fend for oneself and live of the land, I don't think it is practical or sustainable anywhere in the UK.I like to camp rough and wild but always with the overriding rule of leave nothing but a patch of flattened grass

Tramponabike you have very much described a problem that Ray Mears does go quite a long way to avoid. You are totally correct in that living of the land in this country in not practical or sustainable. I feel that a lot of the fire scars are from people that do not know what they are doing and do not have the skills in this context.
Shame really as it is a good way the see nature properly.

It depends on what you are trying to achieve. If you want to move about unobserved and leave absolutely no trace, as in the old military survival methods then the bike parts could be used. Gear cables to make snares amongst other things.
It you want a real outdoor experience then I think a bike would be more of a hindrance. It is not a natural item and large enough that the wildlife will notice it and stay away from it.

Tony I have been told Rabbits do breed quite well and in certain parts the farmers would like their numbers reduced. I for one do not think that there are that many people who could catch the nice fluffy bunny wabit, then kill skin and cook something they had as a toy in their beds. So most Rabbits are safe.

TonyR wrote:

hubgearfreak wrote:

TonyR wrote: Otherwise you would decimate the rabbit population.

i doubt it, such populations are dependant upon resources, not predators. they breed like, well, rabbits

Well with 45 million rabbits and 60 million people in the UK there's hardly enough to go round for a day or two so they'd better breed fast.

Theres enough for a leg each

Edwards wrote:....... I for one do not think that there are that many people who could catch the nice fluffy bunny wabit, then kill skin and cook something they had as a toy in their beds. So most Rabbits are safe.

And anyway they prefere McDonalds