Learn the cornerstone skills that make up bushcraft and wilderness survival. This week-long immersion into the ‘go anywhere’ fundamentals of outdoor life will furnish you with an in-depth, fully rounded and balanced understanding of living and travelling in wild places.
Match, zirconium and flint and steel fire lighting techniques. Primitive lean-to shelter. Plant-lore including tree identification and bark tinder.
Basic Survival Skills
The Woodlander course delivers a foundation in wilderness survival that enables you to go further and for longer with less reliance on technology. From the very basics of identifying and utilising plants and trees for food, shelter and tools to navigating with stars overhead and gleaning a nutritious free meal from nature you will learn skills that are universally applicable wherever in the world you live.
Match, ferro rod and flint and steel fire making methods. Modern tarps and emergency blankets. Survival knife specifications and use. Wilderness first aid. The philosophical view that you carry only what you need. This is an intensive and challenging course with a steep learning curve.
Shelter
The ability to construct a survival shelter is a vital skill for anyone who ventures into the wilderness. A lost day hiker compromises over 42% of US National Parks search and rescue cases, so a wilderness survival shelter is one of the most important bushcraft skills you can learn.
There are a number of different types of shelter you can build, from the simple lean-to to more elaborate debris shelters. It’s important to understand all of the options available to you so that you can select the most suitable for your situation.
During our bushcraft courses we teach a range of shelter building techniques using various materials, including tarps and branches. We also look at the science behind shelters, such as how thick the cover should be to retain body heat and minimize draft.
Fire
Fire is the most critical survival skill that all outdoor adventurers must master. It helps regulate core body temperature, cooks food, boils water for purification, signals for help, scares away nighttime predators and much more.
Learn to gather, collect and store the necessary tinder for creating a fire. We will also cover various methods of friction fire lighting including the bow drill technique.
This course is designed for hikers, campers and anyone who has a passion for the outdoors. It teaches wilderness survival skills to reduce your dependence on modern backpacking gear while increasing your ability to exist comfortably in the backcountry. It is also a great confidence booster and a fantastic opportunity for self-discovery and resilience.
Cooking
Incorporating bushcraft campfire cooking techniques into your skillset can make the difference between a good experience and a bad one. For example, it is important to know how to prepare and cook food safely in the wilderness so as not to expose yourself and your party to potentially harmful bacteria.
A good way to do this is by steaming. To steam food, you can wrap it in non-poisonous leaves and bury it in the embers of your campfire. This method works best for foods that cook quickly, such as fish.
You can also use your bushcraft knowledge to make a water filter. This is a simple yet effective method of purifying drinking water in the wilderness.
Navigation
Navigation is the ability to find your way from one place to another. It involves understanding the landscape and utilizing simple tools like a map and compass. It also involves knowing what to look for and interpreting it.
It’s important to practice this skill, especially if you’re planning to take on some more demanding upland wilderness terrain. We will cover mapping and compass basics, such as estimating distance travelled and using bearings.
We’ll also cover some primitive fishing techniques, which are a great way to sustain yourself in the wild. This is a key element of bushcraft, and will help you feel more confident about your survival skills in the outdoors.
First Aid
Having the ability and means to heal yourself in wilderness environments is important. This course provides a comprehensive overview of the wilderness first aid skills you need to know.
This specialized Wilderness First Responder course (WFR) prepares explorers, adventurers, mariners, field researchers, industry workers, war correspondents and those who work or travel internationally to treat medical emergencies in remote locations. This hybrid course combines a required e-learning section with 16 hours of in-person training over two days.