Ultimate Survival Week
Ultimate Survival Week
Gain the ultimate skill set for the outdoors, with the popular combination of our 3-day Primitive Skills course and our 2-day Wilderness Survival course. This five day/four night training class will show you all the necessary primitive living skills to survive with almost nothing, and finish the week strong with all the contemporary outdoor skills in our modern wilderness survival curriculum. Camp out, learn amazing new skills, make new friends by the campfire, come back with a whole new outlook on the outdoors.
The 3-day Primitive Skills content will focus on the outdoor survival skills of our ancestors, and as you camp over at our woodland campground – we’ll share the skills of shelter building, water procurement, primitive tool production, fire making, trapping, archery, foraging and so much more! Here’s just a taste of what you will you will learn:
How to build warm shelters from the materials of the forest
Which stones make sharp tools and which bark makes strong rope
How to rub two sticks together to make fire
What plants can be used as food and medicine
How to cook a delicious meal with primitive methods
Where to find safe water
How to make jerky in the smoke of a campfire
And much more!
Day one of this course is available by itself as our Primitive Skills Crash Course, covering debris shelters, friction fire, water collection, tool making and signaling for help. This segment runs from 9 am to 5 pm.
Day two is available by itself as our Primitive Traps and Weapons Course, covering hunting sticks, primitive archery, snares and deadfall construction. This segment runs from 9 am to 5 pm.
Day three is not available by itself, but consists of a two hour foraging walk, a primitive cooking demo (and lunch!), jerky production, wicker basketry with vines and a friction fire materials walk. This segment runs from 9 am to 4:30 pm, and it is usually on a Monday or Wednesday, based on the scheduling of the “parent” course, Primitive Skills.
The 2-day Wilderness Survival content will include modern approaches for shelter, water, fire, food, and other survival necessities.
Learn the priorities of survival, both mental and physical
Knot tying and tarp shelter construction
Modern water purification methods
Fire building in many ways, including optics, electricity and spark rods
Learn camp skills and top survival tricks, like sharpening your knife on a rock
Build lethal traps, and discover nutritious wild edibles
Learn about survival kits, how to signal for help and how to avoid getting lost in the first place
Dates: Ultimate Survival Week runs August 2-6, 2025 (Saturday through Wednesday) - with Primitive Skills running Aug 4-6 and Wilderness Survival running Aug 2-3.
Course Times: The 5-day class runs from 9 am on Saturday to 4 pm on Wednesday.
Course Location: Held at our home location near Hartwood, Virginia. Detailed driving directions are emailed after enrollment.
Required Equipment: Bring food and drinks for yourself for five days, appropriate clothing and wet weather gear for the expected weather, a knife (fixed blade preferred), a tarp for shelter (6x8 or 8x10 feet, or some similar size), 100 feet of cord, a sleeping bag and a pen to take notes. This will be a lot like “car camping” and you’ll have full access to your vehicle during the course. No need to “backpack” everything in. Parking is 100 yards from camp.
Recommended Equipment: We highly recommend that you bring a tent. Some seating is available at camp, but please bring a camp chair if you have one. Personal camping gear like sleeping pads, pillows, stoves, lights and other gear are welcomed and encouraged. A full gear recommendation comes with your welcome email from us.