Bushcraft in my eyes is not simply knowing the skills to survive in the woods. It is a chance to reconnect and renew ourselves with nature & our ancestry. Too few times do we ever go out into the middle of the nowhere, lay back, and watch the show across the night sky. My 2 year old reminds me of this any time we get out of the car at night: I’ll get her out of her car seat, she looks up at the sky, and shouts out “MOON!”. The simple rock that sits up in the sky never ceases to captivate her full attention and wonder. Sadly, for so many of us distracted by stress, work, technology and entertainment, we rarely appreciate the grandeur of our own world through our own eyes.
Les Stroud said it best in a recent interview:
With that monologue out of the way, I figured I would share with you some of my favorite Bushcrafters on Youtube. While some are the epitome of teaching you great survival skills, many of them gracefully encompass the appreciation of nature and its beauty.
In no particular order:
MCQ Bushcraft – Great HD video, commentary, filming and knowledge. This is probably my most favorite channel in terms of quality bushcraft video.
Taromovies – Swisss Bushcraft – Great personality, amazing mountain landscapes, and innovative bushcraft ideas!!
Sigma 3 Survival School – The one bushcraft school that puts all the knowledge out there for free! Incredible knowledge on shelter building, trapping, and other bushcraft skills.
Nature Reliance School / Dans Depot – A very earnest bushcraft school covering a variety of bushcraft and tactical topics. Great to have them local to my area!
alonewolverine1984 – Girl Power – A lone Swedish woman and her companion dog explore the art of bugging out and bushcraft. Very well compiled HD footage.
SargeFaria & The Woodsman School – Sarge has thrown himself out into the wilderness for long periods of time and video taped his bushcraft skills. He’s one that is focused on survival, but also creating a sense of renewal of the pioneer spirit.
Primitive Living Skills – Joshua Hamland(sp?) runs this channel and I believe he works or did work for Sigma 3 Survival. Josh had lived in the woods without modern survival tools for 2 years (I believe). He is an incredible wealth of knowledge and puts it into his videos.
The Pathfinder School – Dave Canterbury used to be on Dual Survival. There was some controversy over his resume and leaving the show. That point aside, he has an excellent Youtube channel where he shares all his learnings freely.
Bushcraft Bartons – A nice and diverse channel of a Canadian’s bushcraft. Well filmed and definitely conveys a love of nature.
North Survival – A younger bushcrafter from Europe, but by no means an amateur. With almost 74,000 subscribers and tons of videos, he serves as a great outdoor resource.
I hope you enjoy these outdoorsmen (and woman), and that you learn some essential survival skills AND an appreciation of nature. The internet is indeed a big place, so I cannot attest that there are not more amazing Bushcrafters out there on YT. If you have a favorite bushcraft personality on YT, share them with the community in the comments.
Thanks,
Mike
