Journey through the world of survival courses with a sprinkle of humor. Explore Urban, Wilderness, and Medical Survival training while chuckling at misadventures, navigating course selections, and unearthing survival wisdom. The Survivalist’s Odyssey is your ultimate survival guide, with laughs guaranteed!
Introduction: The Survivalist’s Chaotic Start
A Brush with Survivalism
Like many good stories, my journey into survivalism started with a minor catastrophe. Picture this: it was a regular Tuesday, and I found myself standing in the middle of my kitchen, trying to cook a five-course meal with a malfunctioning microwave and a half-read cookbook. Suddenly, it hit me: if I could barely survive a kitchen without takeout, how could I survive an actual disaster?
An Enlightened Decision
So, in a bout of self-proclaimed brilliance, I decided to dive headfirst into the world of survival courses. After all, if I could learn how to make a soufflé rise (still working on that), I could learn to make a fire in the wilderness, bandage a wound in an emergency, or navigate an unfamiliar urban terrain. Piece of cake, right?
Welcome to the Urban Jungle
The first stop on my survival course world tour was the urban jungle. If you think ‘Urban Survival’ is about locating the nearest Starbucks or outrunning a yellow taxi cab, think again! It’s a strange blend of prepping for the unexpected, like a citywide blackout or learning how to bug out effectively when your peaceful neighborhood suddenly resembles a scene from The Walking Dead.
Where the Sidewalk Ends: The Wilderness Beckons
When I thought I’d become the Bear Grylls of cityscapes, I was introduced to the Wilderness Survival course, a realm where Google Maps won’t save you. Swapping Starbucks for bushcraft and taxi cabs for devising makeshift transports, I had to swap my city-slicker survival strategies for forest-friendly ones. While quite the hostess, I discovered that Mother Nature does not come with a user manual.
Paging Dr. Doomsday: Medical Survival
Now, after the urban circus and woodland adventures, you’d think I’d have seen it all. That’s where you’d be wrong! Next up was Medical Survival, where the biggest threat was not a bear or an earthquake but a humble first-aid kit. Imagine wrestling with a bandage while trying to recall which end is up – it’s not as easy as it sounds!
Navigating the Course Selection Jungle
Choosing Your Survival Classroom
Finding survival classes near you can sometimes feel like a survival challenge. Believe me, and the irony isn’t lost on me. But don’t despair. Thanks to the internet (heard of it?), there’s a wealth of information just waiting for you to explore. From Urban Survival to Bushcraft Basics, there’s a course out there with your name on it.
The Pros and the Not-So-Pros (because “Cons” is such a harsh word)
Now, let’s discuss the pros and the not-so-pros of choosing local survival courses. On the pro side, you get hands-on experience and face-to-face instruction, which beats YouTube tutorials daily. Plus, nothing prepares you for real-life scenarios like trying to start a fire while your classmate unintentionally creates a smokescreen that rivals a foggy day in London.
On the not-so-pro side, local courses can sometimes be pricey and require some travel time. But hey, think of it this way: it’s a small price to pay to become the next survival superstar. Remember, your brain is your premier survival tool; there’s no better investment than investing in knowledge.
Tips, Tricks, and a Dash of Survival Wisdom
Now, let’s tackle some tips and tricks to help you navigate the course selection process. First, choose your course based on your comfort level and interest. If you faint at the sight of blood, jumping headfirst into a Medical Survival course might not be your best opening move. Second, do your research. Look for courses with good reviews and experienced instructors.
Remember, your survival education is only as good as your teacher’s. It’s like baking a cake – if your recipe (read: teacher) is subpar, the end product (read: your survival skills) may look like something the dog brought in.
Lastly, don’t stress. Survival courses are designed to be fun and informative, not intimidating. So, take a deep breath, strap on your adventure boots, and prepare to embark on one of the most exciting journeys of your life. After all, surviving is a serious business, but who says we can’t have a laugh or two along the way?
Throughout this roller coaster of survival courses, I realized that the most indispensable tool in any survival situation isn’t a Swiss Army knife, a firestarter, or a well-stocked bug-out bag. It’s that two-pound mass of gray matter in our heads. With all the knowledge and skills in the world, you’re surviving, not thriving if you aren’t comfortable using your brain, you’re surviving, not thriving.
To sum it up, whether you’re scrambling around in an urban setting, getting cozy with the wilderness, or wrestling with a bandage, the survival journey is not just about the skills. It’s about the laughs, the thrills, and, most importantly, the stories you’ll one day tell around a campfire.
Here are some Classes and Courses to look at
Boulder Outdoor Survival School
Are you sick of living in the ultramodern world where everyone relies on tech widgets for survival? Master survival academy will give you a welcome break from all that. The seminaries concentrate is primitive living chops, and you can anticipate living at basecamp with just hand-made accouterments. It’s delightful, educational, and a good holiday too.
· Location: Utah
· Duration: 4-28 day courses
· Types of Survival Classes Offered: Primitive survival
· Level: Intermediate to advanced
· Family Friendly: No
· Website: Boulder Outdoor Survival School
Maine Primitive Skills School
This survival academy requests itself as the concentrate on doomsday intelligence, which is used at other survival seminaries.
· Location: Maine
· Duration: Mostly 1-5 days
· Types of Survival Classes Offered: Foraging, earth living, wilderness survival
· Level: Beginner to intermediate
· Family Friendly: Youth survival camps offered
· Website: Maine Primitive Skills
Sigma 3 Survival School
Sigma 3, or “the Institute for Self Reliance,” is one of the better known survival schools. They offer many courses, from weekend wilderness retreats to customized classes. Everyone I’ve talked to who has taken their survival classes has been very pleased with the instructors and the information learned.
· Location: Primarily in Missouri, Virginia, Colorado, Arkansas, and Florida. International courses are sometimes held.
· Duration: From 1-day walks to 7+ days
· Types of Survival Classes Offered: SERE, wilderness training, anti-abduction and defense, wild plants, survival fishing, trapping, and more
· Level: Complete beginner to advanced classes available
· Family Friendly: Some classes, yes
· Website: Sigma 3
Ancient Pathways
Based in Arizona, Ancient Pathways is best known for its primitive skills courses, such as how to trap, track, and survive with tools you can make yourself. They are also one of the better locations to learn desert survival skills. You don’t have to be concerned if you aren’t a beginner of advanced. There are many levels of courses. For more advanced people, there are classes like “only knife”.
· Location: Arizona
· Duration: 1-day, overnight, and multi-day courses available
· Types of Survival Classes Offered: desert survival, Primitive survival, wilderness survival, bushcraft field courses,
· Level: Beginner to advanced
· Family Friendly: kids 14 years and up
· Website: Ancient Pathways
Thomas Coyne offers some basic wilderness survival courses, but this is the survival school you want to go to for the EXTREME experiences. In those multi-weather survival courses, you won’t be allowed to munch on Snickers bars that you hid in your pockets or use a sleeping bag. The survival school is very affordable for the level of skills taught.
· Location: California, yearly courses held in Alaska
· Duration: Mostly 1-8 days
· Types of Survival Classes Offered: Skill-based courses (map reading, navigation, basic survival skills, etc.), field courses, bushcraft courses, medical and tactical courses, private survival courses
· Level:
· Family Friendly:
· Website: Thomas Coyne Survival Schools
Mountain Scout Survival School
If you live in New York & don’t want to commit to a long survival course, Mountain Scout Survival School has a lot of one day classes to choose from that cover emergency prepping to wilderness survival. The nice thing is that many of the classes focus on particular topics, so you can go to build a specific skill instead of trying to learn everything at one time in an thorough course.
· Location: New York
· Duration: Mostly 1-day courses
· Types of Survival Classes Offered: Level: Wilderness survival, bugging out, tracking, navigation, family emergency preparedness, fire, women’s survival
· Family Friendly: Children allowed but courses designed for adults
· Website: Mountain Scout
Wilderness Awareness School
This is a survival school of people who love nature. There are shorter courses on tracking, bird language, edible plantsbird language, plant medicine, and many other topics that will help you survive and get closer to nature. There are also intensive survival courses that go through several months.
· Location: Washington State
· Duration: 1-3 days; intensive courses last 9 months but are broken into weekend segments
· Types of Survival Classes Offered: Wilderness survival, nature
· Level: Beginner to advanced
· Family Friendly: Youth programs available
· Website: Wilderness Awareness
Aboriginal Living Skills School
Run by Cody Lundin, this is a popular survival school that will turn you into a survivalist. I like how there are specific skill courses available, as well as intensive survival courses. Cody focuses on primitive survival skills, which means the focus will be much more on exploring indigenous cultures than surviving SHTF disasters.
· Location: Arizona
· Duration: Mostly 1 day to 1-week
· Types of Survival Classes Offered: Primitive skill-focused courses (fire, trapping, edible plants, desert survival…) and adventure courses
· Level: Beginner to advanced
· Family Friendly: Yes
· Website: Aboriginal Living Skills
Other Survival Schools
I personally haven’t checked out the reviews of each of these survival schools. However, they seem to be reputable and offer a good course selection. If you have tried any of these survival schools, let us know about your experience!
Practical Primitive
· Location: New Jersey
· Types of Survival Classes Offered: Bushcraft, wilderness survival, self-reliance, primitive skills, traditional living
· Website: Practical Primitive
True North Wilderness Survival School
· Location: Pennsylvania
· Types of Survival Classes Offered: Wilderness survival
· Website: True North Outdoor School
Wolf College
· Location: Washington
· Types of Survival Classes Offered: Mostly kids camps
· Website:Wolf Camp
Hawk Circle
· Location: New York State
· Types of Survival Classes Offered: Mostly for youth and family retreats
· Website: Hawk Circle
Tom Brown Jr.’s Tracker School
· Location: New Jersey, some online courses too
· Types of Survival Classes Offered: Wilderness survival, primitive cooking
· Website: Tom Brown Jr’s Tracker School
First Earth Wilderness School
· Location: Missouri
· Types of Survival Classes Offered: Bow and arrow, tanning, hunter-gatherer, other primitive skills
· Website: First Earth Wilderness School
Ancestral Knowledge
· Location: Maryland, DC area
· Types of Survival Classes Offered: Primitive skills, family workshops, youth programs
· Website: Ancestral Knowledge
Earthworks Wilderness Survival Training School
· Location: Massachusetts
· Types of Survival Classes Offered: Workshops, youth programs, wilderness adventures
· Website: Earthworks Wilderness Survival Training School
Twin Eagles
· Location: Idaho
· Types of Survival Classes Offered: Wild edibles, bow making, primitive skills, youth programs
· Website: Twin Eagles
Itchatad Outdoors Survival School
· Location: Georgia
· Types of Survival Classes Offered: Wilderness survival, leadership, teamwork
· Website: Itchatad Outdoors Survival School
Adventure Out
· Location: California
· Types of Survival Classes Offered: Desert survival, snow caves and winter survival, fire, arrow making, kayak building, stone tools, and youth programs
· Website: Adventure Out
The Human Path
· Location: Texas
· Types of Survival Classes Offered: Primitive skills, wilderness survival, herbal medicine, off-grid, homesteading
· Website: The Human Path
Nantahala Outdoor Center
· Location: North Carolina
· Types of Survival Classes Offered: Wilderness medicine
· Website: Nantahala Outdoor Center
Learn to Return
· Location: Anchorage, Alaska
· Types of Survival Classes Offered: Offshore survival, rescue, medical,
· Website: Learn to Return
Teaching Drum Outdoor School
· Location: Wisconsin
· Types of Survival Classes Offered: Natural living, primitive living, wilderness skills
· Website: Teaching Drum Outdoor School
Reevis Mountain School
· Location: Arizona
· Types of Survival Classes Offered: Natural healing, self-reliance, growing your own food, traditional living
· Website: Reevis Mountain School
