COURSE DESCRIPTION

In an emergency situation you have 3 hours to secure shelter in extreme temperatures. Absent an emergency, a person may wish to stay comfortably for an extended amount of time in the woods. This is where primitive shelters have supreme rule! Students will learn to make various styles of primitive shelters including raised beds and full length fires. With a system of easy-to-learn knots, students will be able to construct expedient primitive shelters that will withstand extreme weather conditions. We will explore a variety of shelters for different environments and situations, to create the most effective shelter to withstand inclement weather. Our primitive shelters have survived high winds and cold temperatures with little to no adjustment.

Takeaway: Students will learn to effectively construct a reliable primitive shelter for a variety of environments and situations, to withstand the worst of mother nature. This is great for anyone looking to stay long term in the outdoors in a comfortable and cozy shelter created from the environment around them.

COURSE TOPICS

• Knife use and safety
• Batoning wood
• Feather sticking for starting fires
• Learning and using various knots
• Long term fire lays
• Primitive lean-to shelter
• Primitive debris hut
• Expedient primitive emergency shelters

COURSE OUTCOMES AND DEMONSTRATED SKILLS

• You show proficient use of knives and knots to effectively perform multiple functions
• You will understand the importance and build times of various shelter types
• You will learn how to start a fire using modern tools and primitive materials
• You will learn how to successfully maintain a fire for long durations
• You will tie a variety of knots and understand the practical applications for each knot

LENGTH

3 Days / 2 nights

ACCOMMODATIONS

It is highly encouraged for students to stay in the shelters that they build, however, if students do not wish to camp with us, the town of Cripple Creek is a short 15 minute drive from our location and Woodland Park is 30 minutes away. Students will be responsible for making their own reservations with nearby hotels. We do have a central community campfire location with a few designated campsites but mostly offer dispersed camping. Students will be able to drive their car within 100 feet of the main camp and will not have to hike gear for long distances.

• Shelter Lodging: Students will stay in the shelters that they build during class.
• In extreme conditions, students may stay in one of our 20 person GP Medium tents when not running field exercises or may stay in their own tents, campers, vehicles or other primitive shelter. Our tents are complete with wood burning stoves for cold weather conditions. This is a shared tent for all students that wish to use it.
• Sanitation/Hygiene: A portable restroom and potable water will be provided at the main camp.

FOOD AND WATER REQUIRED

Water will be provided but students will need to bring their own food. We recommend quick field expedient meals such as freeze dried hiking meals or MRE’s. They can quickly be made at our primitive camps and won’t slow down the learning process. However, students may bring any food that they wish to cook over the campfire or on their own personal camp stove.

Food can be purchased locally at nearby facilities. Walmart and several local eateries are within a reasonable driving distance.

SUGGESTED GEAR LIST

We do not provide students with gear unless they have purchased it from us ahead of time. Not much gear is needed for our courses, though good equipment does speed the learning process up greatly! Gear does not have to be purchased from our store to attend the course, but we recommend survival gear of equivalent quality.

•     Fixed blade knife (Preferably a full tang bushcraft style knife WITHOUT a serrated edge)
•     Poncho or Rain Gear
•     Outdoor Clothing and appropriate footwear
•     Folding hand saw
•     100’of 550 Paracord
•     Headlamp and extra batteries
•     Cooking pot and eating utensils
•     Single walled metal canteen
•     Insect Repellent
•     Sunscreen and sunglasses
•     Notepad and pencil
•     Small Backpack

Check Recommended Items List for more details!

If it is still not clear what gear is needed for our survival courses, then we have assembled a complete kit that is still high quality but for a budget friendly price. All the items in this kit were hand selected by our instructors to be the best bushcraft tools on a budget. This survival kit is a useful starter kit that can be used in all of our courses. These are all must have tools at a good price. It’s a great survival kit, bug out kit, go bag, or use it as a solid foundation to build a kit that perfectly fits your needs. With this kit and our training anybody can survive like a king in almost any environment!

NOTE

Due to the different levels of prior experience and knowledge among students in each class, individual outcomes may vary. Weather conditions can also be a factor in changing class content slightly. Nonetheless, our instructors will always endeavor to be as accommodating and consistent as circumstances will allow to ensure students get the best training experience and value for money.