DirtCraft

DirtCraft

Dirtcraft, we are Dirttime, and Dirttimers, and Dirtbaggers. “DirtCraft” is the art, skill, knowledge, experience and the blending of  crafts, tools, and the study that boils down to “owning the skills”. Not only is it woodcraft, desertcraft , bushcraft, for us the name is “DirtCraft” . A part of DirtCraft is  “self-reliance, for they do go hand in hand.

 Once one can see many ways to get the same end result, of any skill, you are on the way to “owning those skills”. I do feel though, that many have not really learned “skills” or are not as accomplished as they might think they are. Why? Gadgets! tools that take the place of real skills, or so many think. Many of these tools are  good to so so, I have used many of them myself. And then rejected most of them.

 I feel if the old timers had a chance they would have jumped on many of these gadgets, and then would discard most of them. However, my point is the true skills, and the art of those skills, is undermined by “the latest gadget”. A poor substitute for real “Dirttime Skills”. They are selling us a marketing scheme and not much else.

“…with an infinity of contraptions, all offered as aids to self-reliance, hardihood, woodcraft or marksmanship, but too often functioning as substitutes for them” . Aldo Leopold wrote that about 50 years ago. I know of no one who can say it better. Fifty years ago they were seeing the old skills taking a back seat, and men like Aldo Leopold saw it happening.  Take away certain “gadgets” from many outdoorsmen and women, and they are lost, lonely, cant start a fire, or build a proper shelter, or obtain something to eat, cannot ID a plant or how to use it. Skills? Anyone?

 Many throw money at the gear, as if that will be the “fix”. These new tools will do a very good job at separating you from your money. Marketing is a wonderous animal, that is cunning, sly and lies a lot. Some things are just dressed up a little different and a catchy name is attached. Lets look at knives as an example.

 We have all kinds of herosuperchargedsteels. They are magic. Designed by, the great woods man of the month, month after month we are tempted by these “pied knifers” and many follow along shouting and singing their tune and shelling out tone of bucks.  True, some knives are way better than others. Some cost in the thousands, some cost a few dollars. Ahh, but then the design has to be taken into account. Some are really no more than prybars, some are very cool indeed.

 In truth a slight angle is about all that is new, maybe, and the use of hightech high tech names that are lost on most of us, are made up by the marketing department.

 In truth the knife is a tool that can only do a job  as well as the person using it. No  herosteel or designer is going to help you in the Dirt. You have do it.
 

 I have some high end knives, because I like them, and have a certain appeal for me. I have some inexpensive knives that I like just as well. We can only carry so many knives. The thing to remember is, it is not a contest. For many years like three hundred years, give or take a few, the common butcher knife, in a few different forms, was the woods knife, the fighting knife, the skinning knife, the knife to create crafts, carve, make trap triggers, bows , arrows, and such. 

 Many times I only take a “butcher knife” into the Dirt, they are very handy, a real tool, and I do not feel as if I’am under tooled, so to speak. The butcher, for me will answer all I need it to do. I might carry a few sizes for special work. Sheaths are easy to make, or not, meaning sometimes you do not really need a sheath.

 Some are aware that I’ am a big fan of the Skookum Bush Tool, still am, and I turn to that knife all the time. This was put together , not by a knife maker, or some big deal outdoor guy, but by a guy like us, who read a bit and saw an idea explode in his head, and sold some items to go into business, thinking by some goofy chance he might earn a living . I liked that. Not really pricey as a custom knife goes in todays world and he put together a great knife.  However, I still use several butcher knives that are wonderful tools, why?  they work. You can buy these knives mostly for under 30 bucks, carbon steel or stainless, your choice. Most are not real pretty because the are the “workers”  In the “Backwoodsman” magazine, ( a fine publication), Charlie Richie sells all kinds of knives, most of them are old butchers, and they sell for anywhere  from ten bucks to 35 or 40 bucks.  Only a few years ago most of them were 10 to 20 bucks. But real carbon steel butchers type knives are getting harder to find. Grab then while you can. Low tech.

 My point is you dont need a multitool/other gadgets, that do not really do a single great job with any one of its functions. Learn how, and what a knife is used for, it is a skill set. Let the skills be first and foremost. Study and learn those skills. Then turn to the primitive skills, if you do not already know them, learn how to use a discoidol blade. How to make a bow in the Dirt using rocks, how make a primitive trap, using a sharp rock to cut what you need.

 These are skills that are not expensive to learn. My friend Paul Campbell , is experimenting more in depth about how to use what is around us and how to use it. What he is finding will be a huge eye opener for most.  No gadget can step in and replace earned  knowledge. The truth is, even with the gadget you still have to know a few things. But by taking the time , and reading, finding mentors, practising, researching, experimenting, and being open to what others have to say and show/teach you , who may have a different way of doing the same skill.  Now that is what learning is about. A set of skills will emerge that will own.

 At some point you will suddenly find that you know how to do “that”, and you are now showing/teaching someone else how to do it. Dont let technology rob you of real life skills. After you own those skills , then hit the gadgets if you still think they are worthy. Or give them away.

 “Own the skills of DirtCraft”

By Dude McLean