From 2005 until 2022 I was invited to develop and teach a class focusing on the history and development of the camping movement in the US. Rather than let that course disappear, we have included the course curriculum as well as PDFs of the Case Studies developed for the course. Each Case Study had a hands-on skill associated with it, so each class had a discussion session followed by a workshop experience for the students.
A Post-Modern Approach to Life Outdoors
By David Wescott, © 2018
Traditional Camping
• This course will look at living/teaching in the outdoors utilizing traditional skills and classic camping style. Skills will reflect the philosophical underpinnings presented in the Case Studies discussed during the course.
• The focus of the course will look at the changes to American camping techniques over the past century – how they have changed, why they have changed, what impacts have been created by these changes, and how recapturing traditional skills might affect program outcomes and our future.
Elders of the Tribe
Each Case Study has a number of biographies of
historic/influential people that should be reviewed.
You will be assigned three Elders of the Tribe that
you must research and present in class – this is a
short biographical sketch along with any unique bits
of information about that person as well as their
contributions to our camping traditions. (Elders are
listed at the bottom of each Case Study question form).
Here are 2 sample reports - John Burroughs and
Horace Kephart.
Projects
Each Case Study will have specific skills that relate
to the topic of discussion – Woodcraft to LNT =
Traditional Edged Tool Use; Camping As Commodity =
Fire Making (From Flint to Matches); Why Teach
Woodcraft = Bindcraft to Ropecraft, etc. Specific
projects may include knife/sheath making, bow saw
making, Bushcookers, rope making and uses, Ditty
Bags, spoon carving, as well as many practical
skills like hearth management, fire lighting, cooking,
tent and tarp use, knife/saw/axe use and more.
Course Study Guide
As designed, this course relates directly to the text – Camping In The Old Style - but contains a variety of readings, links to on-line resources, study questions and a file of resources that you may wish to consult for additional study on the subject. Much of this material is from the instructor’s files and has influenced his thinking about the subject.
Which brings us to a topic of concern. It is no secret that your instructor does not agree with much of the dogma that is presented in many of the outdoor-related (Adventure Education) courses offered for study at most universities in this country. It will be his task to present you with materials that will help you see why he feels that way. It will be his goal to unabashedly bring you to a more centrist point of view than has been offered to you in the past. This will require you being exposed to some “radical” * ideas about outdoor education and how it is being used as a pedagogy (a way of teaching).
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rad’ ikel 1. of or pertaining to roots or origins; fundamental. Radical emphasizes the idea of going to the root of a matter, and this often seems immoderate in its thoroughness or completeness: radical ideas; radical changes or reforms. Random House Collegiate Dictionary
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NOTE – Compare this definition to what is available on-line. All reference to this word meaning “roots” or “fundamentals” has been updated to imply “change” rather than “origins”. “Radically New” should be an oxymoron.
Is it safe to disagree with the instructor? Absolutely yes, and you will not be penalized for it so long as you have a valid argument to the contrary. This may require some study on your part. You do not have to “out debate” the instructor, but you should have a valid argument for your counterpoint. Hopefully this will be an enriching exercise and fun for everyone rather than an “I win – You lose” process.
How This Study Guide Works
Now that you understand the ground rules, let’s get started. Each class will start a new Case Study.
• Open the file for the Case to be discussed. In the file will be a document entitled – Case Study #_ Overview – this will contain the Case Study and the study questions. Review it first and it will speed up the reading process.
• Next, open the file entitled – Case Study #_ Text - this document will contain an overview of the case, reading excerpts and links to complete text files if you want to read them, reference resources to help you with your study questions, links to videos as well as links to other interesting bits of information.
• Additional sub-files contain background information that may be of interest to you in the future should you wish to continue further study.
Elders Report Criteria
Case Study Elders
Traditional Camping
Course Overview ©2019
A Syllabus of Readings and Assignments
By David Wescott
Author of Camping In The Old Style
Ever since the days of Dan Beard, Ernest Thompson Seton, Bernard Mason, Horace Kephart and other “masters of the woods,” the skills of the historic guide and “outer” have been available to those who long to live the outdoor life.
Traditional Camping Skills teach us how to live rather than survive in the woods. Today’s
lightweight tack lets you extend the umbilical of modern technology to the limits of your
ability to pack it. The ways of the traditional woodsman let you really escape the grasp of
the modern world and live in the “woods” with all the comforts and ease of the self-reliant life.
COURSE DESCRIPTION
Skill and leadership development through the medium, aims and skills of traditional camping*. The course focuses on simple, minimum impact technology and mastery of technique. Skills will be land-based and relate directly to the environment in which they are taught. The course also has a strong academic component, requiring reading, writing and critical thinking skills as needed to address 7 Case Studies and contemporary issues in the field of Outdoor/Adventure Education.
STATEMENT OF PURPOSE
The purpose of this course is to provide students with a working knowledge of the principles, techniques, and associated outdoor living skills creating the foundations for Adventure/Environmental Education paradigms. The course will focus on those who will be preparing for leadership positions and who may apply these skills for therapy, personal experience, and/or interpersonal/family development.
OUTCOMES
1. Students will come to honor the depth and richness of our 100+ year camping heritage by studying the writings of early leaders. This will create a solid historic context for training and critical thinking lacking in most AE/EE curriculums.
2. Students will address the literature of the field and celebrate the variety and quality of early literary contributions.
3. Students will complete a course of study that is founded on historic principles and practices that are experiencing a renaissance in our field today (Classic Camping / Bushcraft). This is a hands-on program and will require competence to complete.
4. Students will create a “post-modern” wilderness ethic that reflects contemporary issues facing our field, and address them using historic writings, theories and developmental philosophies.
5. Students will create parts of a classic trail kit typical of those historically found in the field. We will address the issue of how equipment impacts program outcomes, and how that affects the way we apply our practice.
6. Students will cultivate a new perspective regarding stewardship and the importance of embracing an ethic based on sound thinking.
7. Students will discover how these ideas and skills may be applied to their field of training for the benefit of others.
8. Students will obtain knowledge that allows them to make informed decisions and choices, as well as establish a foundation for continued learning.
Case Studies
• Case Study #1 - The Classic Camping Revival;
The Theory Behind Teaching Traditional Camping Style
• Case Study #2 - Woodcraft to LNT –
How Did We Get Here and Why?
• Case Study #3 - Camping As Commodity
Sporting Goods and the Shaping of Leisure
• Case Study #4 - The Importance of Traditional Woodcraft
• Case Study #5 - Camping As A Democratic Pastime: Ethics vs Style
• Case Study #6 - Camping As Art, Science and Craft
• Case Study #7 - Classic Camping Applied -
The Liminal Experience and The Woodcraft Woman
Course Skills Projects
This list may vary and is not complete
• Toolcraft
The Ideal Bush Knife
The Buck Saw
The Same Axe Twice
Upcycling - Tin Can & Wire Craft
• Firecraft
What Makes Fire Burn?
The History of The Match
The Tent Stove
Ignition Kits
• Coookcraft
Fixed Camp Hearth Management
Bushcooker Stove
• Brigand's Kitchen
Tools of the Trade
• Bindcraft - In Three Parts
Rope Making and Splicing
Knotcraft – Knots, Bends and Hitches
Pioneering – lashing and Anchors
• Sheltercraft
The Camp Tarp Rig
Blanket Tech
Kitcraft – The Ditty Bag
WHY TEACH TREADITIONAL CAMPING?
Traditional Camping Objectives
Camping out may well be classed as one of the liberal arts, so wide
is its application. Warren H. Miller, Camping Out 1918
COGNITIVELY
• Define the field – What is Woodcraft, Classic/Traditional Camping
• Recognize the pioneers – both historic/contemporary
• Comprehend the history of our unique American camping tradition
• Establish a personal context – A Manifesto
• Re-define your learning with a post-modern view - Deconstruction
AFFECTIVELY
• Appreciate the context that is the foundation of our camping heritage
• Respect those who were/are the pioneering leaders in the field
• Become confident in working with edged tools and natural/upcycled materials
• Develop a crafting ethic for each skill set and subset
• Cultivate a relationship with the wild-land handiwork of the Creator
EXPERIENTIALLY
• Use a variety of edged camp tools to create projects
• Use simple hand-tools to create a variety of woodcraft projects
• Incorporate natural and upcycled materials into camp projects
• Make 1 practical item per skill set
• Create and live in a model camp using classic style and techniques
• Apply the skills learned in a field setting © 2017
Why Should Woodcraft Be Taught
In the Modern World of Outdoor Education
David Wescott, © 2015
(Compare with Notes from Van Horn, 2002)
5 Tenents of Traditional Camping
I. Traditional Camping requires skill and knowledge.
A. Survival skills
B. Campcraft, Woodcraft, Fieldcraft to Woodslore
C. Crafting
D. Gear construction
E. Soft skills: problem solving, creativity, improvising etc.
II. Traditional Camping fosters a reconnection with Nature.
A. Greater reliance on local resources
B. Greater awareness of local environment (i.e. weather, bugs, etc.)
C. Relates directly to specific location - place-based, bio-regional
III. Traditional Camping encourages awareness of local impact.
A. Localized impact
1. opportunities to learn about, and improve local environment
2. impacts are immediate and manageable
B. Reliance on renewable resources, simpler gear
1. cotton, wool, leather
2. simple, unprocessed foods
C. Less reliance on more/newer gear, far-off locales for recreation
IV. Traditional Camping builds a bridge to our past.
A. Part of our heritage
B. Insight into past lifeways and philosophies - context
C. Time tested - gear and techniques
D. Skills taught in sequence - bridges gap of Prim Tech and Tech-Rec
V. Traditional Camping is a beautiful way to camp.
A. Meets goals of contemporary AE pedagogy
B. A viable alternative to emerging technologies
C. Spans the distance between disciplines
D. Explores the world just beyond your doorstep
E. Meets the needs of the Revival Movement
Arguments against woodcraft include:
A. Creates impact - inappropriate in some locations
B. It's unnecessary - an anachronism