Bushcraft is usually seen as getting back to the basics and using only what is around you at the time. The mental attitude is that you will be working with nature in harmony and living there for the long term.

Your existence is sustainable and you are learning to live and cope with the situation.

Wilderness Skills is the setting of traps and snares with elements from Bushcraft and Survival.

Survival, on the other hand, is seen as the opposite. You are using whatever you can to overcome your problems and relying upon man-made items.

The mental attitude is that of overcoming a disaster and returning home as soon as possible. You are trying to dominate the environment and being destructive in the process, whilst having to cope with a large amount of fear.

At O.W.L., I believe that this modern division of definitions can limit your enjoyment of the outdoors, and impose unnecessary boundaries upon what you are supposed to be doing and feeling. With O.W.L. a large part of attending is about making it enjoyable and achievable.

If you attend a day, and need a few 'items' to start you off in the outdoors, you can have them. Then, as you develop your skills and confidence, these items tend to become less and less sort after until eventually you can go as natural/native as you want. After all, when you look at photo's of the tribes that exist today, no-one would say that they are not living in harmony with their surroundings (bushcraft?!), however, look closely and spot the large metal knives or pots that they use after trading for them (survival?!).

Here at O.W.L. we prefer to use the term WILDERNESS LIVING SKILLS. So when you find yourself in the outdoors, either as the result of a disaster or intended adventure, you can feel confident, relaxed and comfortable by knowing what to do to live there for as long as is possible.

'Don't limit your experiences, limit what you don't know about the outdoors.'