Ancillary pursuits

[John Joseph]

There are hobbies and skills that go hand in hand with camping
Home made camping equipment can be made or improved by a creative wood, leather, or metal worker.
Old equipment can be restored to usefulness with judicious application of skills
Trailers, 4x4s, tents, even canoes need maintenance which may require specialized skills and tools
Axes, knives and saws will require sharpening at some point
Get into snow shoeing, skiing or packing in on critters, and the field broadens considerably.

Which related hobbies do you enjoy? Which skills are you in the process of learning?

[toedtoes]

One of the main reasons I enjoy camping is to do photography. I am more likely to see wildlife than when on day trips. And it's more convenient to take nighttime shots.

[Happy Joe]

The skill and tool list is long, the learning list is relativity short (currently experimenting with baking breads... baked some brownies last week because I needed a chocolaty cake fix).
...Still considering if/ how/whether to take the air fryer tent camping...

Other than fabrication/modifying gear I find a regularly used skill set is online shopping... (very basic)... Only if I cannot find an acceptable product, at a reasonable price, do I bother to fabricate one.

Sharpening is a given, when a cutting edge pulls, it gets sharpened (not a major operation/big deal).
I don't remember the last time I needed or used an axe (the stone for axe sharpening is the tool cabinet with the hard and soft stones the carbide edge profiler and the chainsaw files, etc. , Etc.
Other than chainsaw chains I don't mess with sharpening saw blades I either replace them or take them to a professional especially those with carbide edges ... one of my camping saws still has its original (still sharp) blade from the 1980s although it has been largely retired since the frame is showing signs of fatigue.

I use whichever skill/tool is necessary to fabricate (as quickly and easily as possible) what I want. Recently used the small table saw to fabricate several pieces of gear from PVC and Lexan/polycarbinate.
...Had to get out the taps and dies along with soldering and crimping equipment to help complete the solar controller and LiFePo4 battery project.

My strategy; if I need a tool and use it once, it has paid for itself.
I have been accumulating skills & tools all of my life...

Enjoy!

[Malamute]

My interest in camping is integral to most of my lifestyle interests. History of the American West, frontier life, hunting (though I dont do it much any more), cabin building, leather work like holster making, buckskin pants i used to wear, various small deerskin projects, I made saddlebags for my motorcycle long ago and a fair deerskin carbine scabbard with some beaded trim, Ive read tons of books on various places and times, and spent time in those places, often sleeping out under the stars beside my motorcycle or in truck or in the back of the truck. Waking up out in the wilds, Ive watched the critters going about their normal business, seen in one morning elk, deer, antelope, coyote, eagles, ravens, a hawk, cottontail and jack rabbits. Normal morning Id at least often see deer, small critters and sometimes fox and coyotes.

Firebuilding skills come into play, some shelter building depending on place and weather, and just being able to appreciate nature in various times of the year. In places with more people, going when its damp and raily or snowy is often the most rewarding, as you can have the place and trails to yourself. Mostly, its just the love of being out, and living some of the life that people have lived through the ages of time, but in our modern life tend to try to isolate ourselves from to a degree. I dot mind comfort and being warm, but can still appreciate a little inclement weather to add a bit of edge to the day. Light misting rain and snow also make some places, like the canyons around Sedona, or the Rockies, turn into a magical place, even more so than usual.

My interest in old motorcycles is related to camping and outdoors, its a part of my renewed interest in riding, to be able to get back out on Forest Service roads exploring. I dream about having my cargo trailer camper rig done, bike and sidecar in the back for short rides once base camp is set up. I think about all this while Im building the sidecar setup, and working on the bike making it more how I like it.

[John Joseph]

I find the ancillary hobbies are what gives a work bench a real work out. Reconfiguring a workspace to fettle camp stoves and lanterns one season to tuning snow skis the next, then reloading shotgun shells after that, just before carving some new canoe paddles but not before packing the bearings on the trailer or sharpening the chain on the Stihl.
I find it truly amazing all the arts to be learned that go into camping!