Just been thinking about my lack of skills outdoors,I've been MTB rider for 10 yrs but over last 2 yrs discovered bike packing and all the great things that go with it and I'm 45 .

Most of my pals are similar,some more skills than others but it's vaguely exciting learning to cope outside ,read maps ,set up tarps ,start fires etc etc
It's a lot easier these days cause of all the gadgets and YouTube is great .
I know Cubs and scouts are still about but it's amazing the amount of people who can't do the most simple things ,it would be better to have outdoors lesson than some of the crap they tried to teach me at school
So interested to hear people's stories of how they got into bikepacking and where they got their skills from

My ultimate trip would be to forage mushrooms and catch a fish for dinner but the whole mushroom thing seems to be a lost art ?

I was into bushcraft, and still am, before bikepacking. Lightweight hiking wild camping too

Bikepacking seemed like a way of joining up fun things

Was particularly useful for knots and general camp craft. No fires when bikepacking or hiking though

Was into climbing (lightweight alpine stuff) and fell running prior to bikepacking so have always aimed for the lightweight ethos.

Was in the scouts when at school but had no need for most of the skills imparted so have had to relearn them. I'm always interested in learning new skills.

I also think the cubs and scouts things is a generalisation. While there is obviously an outdoorsy nature to them, much of it is based on the leaders

I helped with the scouts for a few years, and was comfortably the most outdoorsy person. I was the only leader to do the DoE hike with all my kit and actually camp, I was also the only leader to bivi and tarp on a survival camp - in most cases the leaders prefer to stay in the bunkhouse or somewhere equally warm and dry!

The amount of crap they would bring on a hike was mental! Spare shoes, loads of spare clothes, full size toiletries, books etc, all for 1 night!

It's hard for parents though as they don't want to spend much on kids kit, which I understand. The stuff at the lower end of the pricing scale is robust over lightweight. And the DoE kit lists don't exactly help things

It's an interesting question and one that I don't really know the answer to although ..........

For as long as I can remember I've always wanted to be outside. I loved camping as a kid and birthday presents would often be things like a tent, sleeping bag, canoe etc but I wasn't in anyway a 'sporty' child.

I know it had nothing to do with any organisation - I was 'asked to leave' Cubs, which put me off clubs and organised activities to this day, so never entertained the idea of Scouts when I was old enough. During the summer holidays, it wasn't uncommon for a group of us to spend weeks on end camping in the woods above the village, usually in make-shift shelters or hammocks. I suppose it was almost inevitable that we'd learn things that people might describe as outdoor skills.

I've always had an independant character and much prefer to learn how to do something than ask for assistance ... and I've always found pleasure in solitude and if I'm honest, a degree of suffering.

Okay, I'm rambling now, I'll put the rose tinted specs away and someone else can have a go on the couch

benp1 wrote:I also think the cubs and scouts things is a generalisation.

In my case it was over forty years ago! You were expected to be able to bicycle a footbridge across a ravine using nothing more than your woggle and one of your shoe laces

benp1 wrote:The amount of crap they would bring on a hike was mental! Spare shoes, loads of spare clothes, full size toiletries, books etc, all for 1 night!

Here's the kit list: http://www.dofeshopping.org/expedition- ... n-kit-list

I've seen a few (obviously) DoE groups out recently - sacks nearly as big as the poor sods carrying them. No wonder many get put off for life.

I've been doing some bushcraft style base camping with mates in the woods on my mates farm. I give them a kit list of stuff to bring (booze, chair, sleeping kit, cutlery etc) and I do everything else - firewood, fire, cooking over the fire in a dutch oven, making coffee, cleaning up (of the big stuff). We also do a bit of shooting and I'm the only one that can prep a rabbit or a pigeon to eat

Sadly, I'm only one of us that can make it happen - I'm surprised by how little they know but in fairness they also aren't interested in knowing, we're all townies. They can't make a fire for toffee, despite amusing attempts. Fire lighting, and use of fires is a bit of a skill that doesn't come naturally - it takes a bit of effort to learn it, or lots of practice. Same as knots etc

It all sounds like an effort, but it means I get to camp in the woods with my mates so I enjoy it, and I quite like doing all that stuff anyway. I don't really trust some (most/all?) of them with my nice kit! And they seem to enjoy it

whitestone wrote:

benp1 wrote:The amount of crap they would bring on a hike was mental! Spare shoes, loads of spare clothes, full size toiletries, books etc, all for 1 night!

Here's the kit list: http://www.dofeshopping.org/expedition- ... n-kit-list

I've seen a few (obviously) DoE groups out recently - sacks nearly as big as the poor sods carrying them. No wonder many get put off for life.

I guess they must need this for risk assessment purposes of something equally H&S related

I've always been a city boy but as I've got older I'm always drawn to the woods either riding or dog walking so the idea of adventure just really appeals and the use of a bike as a tool to carry stuff and take me places is great

Cubs and then Scouts for a while for me before I got bored with them not doing enough outdoorsy stuff and then I left to do my own thing.

Growing up in the country, I've always messed about with dens and fires in the woods and lots of walking and camping, which evolved in to rock climbing, hillwalking, backpacking and bushcrafty stuff for many years. Work has always been outdoors related too as rights of way officer and countryside management officer in North Yorkshire/Cleveland and now outdoor access officer in Shetland. I can hardly remember not having a bike of some sort from Raleigh grifters to mountain bikes with road bikes in between.

After several years illness with CFS/ME I've managed to get back a fair degree of health and fitness (and full time work); cycling and bikepacking gives me a way to go further with relatively less toll on me than if I was walking/backpacking.

Camping, navigation, rope/knot work and other skills have just built up over the years due to a general interest learning and in being self-sufficient and competent in those areas, but definitely took hold in cubs as we had a fantastic pack leader who we all thought was super cool.

My parents had always camped and I spent four years at a boarding school set in its own woodland on the edge of the Yorkshire Moors so got up to all sorts of shenanigans at a young age. Within three months of getting an MTB twenty odd years ago I was away off road touring and have never looked back. Like Stu I also like time to myself and be as self reliant as possible.

The potential dogging aspect has been somewhat of an attraction.

Unfortunately Mrs Perrin won't let me have one. Says they bring her out in a rash and leave little presents on the carpet.

RIP wrote:The potential dogging aspect has been somewhat of an attraction.

You lost me after that

Cubs and scouts for me, and family holidays where I camped whilst the rest of them crammed themselves into a little caravan. I still spend all my spare time outside, whether it is in the garage, in the garden/wood, or walking or biking. My worst fear is getting old and not being able to be outside, even if it is just sitting watching nature happen. Not sure if I have lots of outdoor skills, but I guess I can make shelter, keep warm. Foraging is something I have never done though, unless Spars count.....

Bearbonesnorm wrote:I was 'asked to leave' Cubs:

..after diverting the annual hike over Crib Goch and then on to a five mile tussockfest...

Bearbonesnorm wrote:
I was 'asked to leave' Cubs:



..after diverting the annual hike over Crib Goch and then on to a five mile tussockfest...

That's the trouble Dave, I've been largely misunderstood my whole life

The parents always took us out of camping/climbing/walking holidays in the Alps when my sister and I were nippers (and on into teenagers I suppose) and by doing things like 10 Tors I learnt how to deal with being outside carrying my own stuff, navigation etc. That said I couldnt build a shelter at all and my fire skills are far below what they should be as a red blooded man. I certainly couldnt catch anything to eat (which is quite depressing, realising that you can be outsmarted by a rabbit...)