Basic Wilderness Survival

If your next day hike, trip, or hunt didn’t go as planned, would you know what to do?

Basic Wilderness Survival is an immersive, hands-on course designed to move beyond the fundamentals and into real-world application. Built on the same proven survival framework taught in U.S. military programs — and adapted for everyday outdoor enthusiasts — you’ll strengthen your ability to stay calm, prioritize the situation effectively, and make sound decisions under pressure.

After a short hike to base camp, your training begins immediately. You’ll construct functional emergency shelters, learn to quickly build a reliable fire, secure and purify drinking water, practice effective signaling, and integrate these skills into a realistic 72-hour survival strategy. This is where individual skills come together — developing the competence and confidence to manage an unexpected overnight situation and actively support your own rescue.

No prior experience is required. Many participants begin here; others arrive after completing Wilderness Survival 101 and are ready to go deeper. Each class includes a diverse mix of backgrounds and skill levels — all committed to becoming more capable, prepared, and self-reliant.

You’ll train with highly experienced instructors who regularly work with military personnel while specializing in translating that structured, high-standard training into a welcoming and supportive environment. The result is serious skill development delivered in a way that is practical, approachable, and engaging.

Highlights

You’ll get the best of military survival training without the hardships! You’ll enjoy a short hike with your instructor to our streamside basecamp—an ideal classroom beneath the trees and open sky. You will sleep in your own tent or hammock with a sleeping bag. You can bring plenty of food and snacks. You can cook using your stove, or, if you are feeling adventurous, learn to cook over open coals with your instructor. After all, we understand the importance of learning while doing, and having some fun in the process.

Here are some of the topics that you'll cover:

• Learn a tested and trusted mental-model that will help you to assess and respond to any emergency.
• Learn what gear and supplies you should include in your survival kit.
• Learn to tie key knots, build an emergency shelter, and reliably start a fire in all types of weather conditions.

Related

The physical difficulty of this course is Moderate. This course involves some hiking while wearing a backpack (to carry your food and gear), walking, and other activities over short distances at a steady pace over varying terrain that may include off-trail sections, rough spots, unexpected obstacles, and low to steep inclines and declines. This course is conducted in varying weather conditions, including hot, cold, humid, rain, wind, and snow, or a mixed combination. This course is suited for those in generally good physical condition and ready for an active day.

This course is run as two day sessions with an overnight. It begins at 9:00 a.m. on Day I and concludes by 1:00 p.m. on Day II.

Once you book a slot, then one of our staff will follow up personally with an email. It will include three short forms for you to complete and return to us. We will also send you the course information sheet, which will contain all of the details that you will need to prepare and arrive (like required and optional gear; exact rally point; general driving directions; and overnight recommendations).

This course is often run as a private one to better meet the specific needs and schedule of our clients. Please contact Erik to learn more (412.913.6000 or erik@exploretruenorth.com).

We typically reply to emails and telephone calls within 1-2 hours. Please note, however, that it may be as long as 24 hours if we are away teaching.

Children 15-17 years old are welcome when accompanied by a parent or guardian. In our private courses, there is no set age requirement as it depends on the specific group’s needs and goals.