Welcome to Arcturus Primitive Skills Institute!
Michigan's premier survival school
JOIN THE GROWING ARCTURUS PRIMITIVE SKILLS INSTITUTE GROUP! WE MEAN IT WHEN WE SAY ONCE YOU COME OUT HERE YOU BECOME FAMILY. In 2024, we started a Podcast called the APSI Campfire Chronicles-Late Night Chats. Having done numerous weekends, I noticed a reoccurring theme that without fail, class attendees strike up extremely interesting conversations! These conversations occur while sitting around the campfire after class hours. These conversations are one of my favorite things about doing these weekends! I enjoy them so much they inspired me to create this late-night Podcast. If you come out for a weekend, any skill level, you can opt to be a participant in one of these late-night Podcasts (or you can opt out). We protect your identity. We then record the late-night Podcast and post them. We do not identify who was at the camp or engaging in the Podcast.
CONTACT: (231) 292-6217, OR BY EMAIL:
[email protected]
The Institute was established in the fall of 2021. The founder recognized a lack of survival schools in Michigan, and decided to start his own school. The school offers affordable hands on training to anyone wanting to learn primitive skills that would enable them to survive and thrive in the wilderness. At APSI, we also seek to provision you with the right gear and equipment for an uncertain future. Our store is growing. Our courses are safe, fun and children friendly. The skills learned are invaluable.
ARCTURUS PRIMITIVE SKILLS INSTITUTE, L.L.C. offers: one day and weekend courses, advanced classes as well as private classes. These courses cover: primitive fire, shelter building, making water potable, knots, edible and medicinal plants, navigation, and many other survival skills. We are our own organization and are not beholden to other schools or big names in the bushcraft community. We are NOT an off shoot of other organizations teaching similar skills.
Arthur Knapp is the founder and head instructor of ARCTURUS PRIMITIVE SKILLS INSTITUTE. Art has practiced survival and bushcraft for over 20 years and has attended numerous survival schools throughout the United States. He is a Wilderness Survival Instructor, Wilderness First Responder, tracker, avid hunter and outdoorsman. Art also has certificates in herbalism and wilderness first aid. Arcturus Primitive Skills Institute has been Art’s dream for years in the making.
What we do
Class schedule 2025
Weekend Survival Basic 101
Dates are as follows for 2025:
- April: 25-27
- May: 23-25
- June 20-22
- July 25-27
- August: 29-31
- Sept: 12-14
- Oct. 3-5
November dates upon request. Starts Friday 5pm and goes until Sunday 2pm. Bring tent or hammock, camp chair, bug spray, sunscreen, and anything else you would like to bring. No guns, no drugs; alcohol discouraged. You choose the weekend you would like to attend and leave the rest to me. You will be comfortable, safe, and well fed. Pay cash, check, card, or by Venmo. You can sign up for classes under the Shop category. Disclaimer: I cannot do refunds. When you purchase a class please commit to attending. If you need to cancel and reschedule, you can pick a later date or even the following year at no additional cost. Cost: $250
Weekend Survival Intermediate 201
Dates are as follows for 2025:
- August: 8-11
Starts Friday 5pm and goes until Monday 2pm. Bring tent or hammock, camp chair, bug spray, sunscreen, and anything else you would like to bring. No guns, no drugs; alcohol discouraged. You choose the weekend you would like to attend and leave the rest to me. You will be comfortable, safe, and well fed. Pay cash, check, card, or by Venmo. You can sign up for classes under the Shop category. Disclaimer: I cannot do refunds. When you purchase a class please commit to attending. If you need to cancel and reschedule, you can pick a later date or even the following year at no additional cost. Cost: $350
Edible & Medicinal Plants
Dates are as follows for 2025:
- June 14
- July: 6
- August: 2
- September: 6
- October: 12
Other dates upon request. Starts at 10am and goes until dark. You will learn about a host of edible and medicinal plants native to the Eastern Woodlands of North America. We will discuss how to use them, and we will make some bushcraft medicine in the field. The plants we use hands on are season dependent. Example, in July you will learn to use Ghost Pipe. Pay cash, check, card, or by Venmo. You can sign up for classes under the Shop category. Disclaimer: I cannot do refunds. When you purchase a class please commit to attending. If you need to cancel and reschedule, you can pick a later date or even the following year at no additional cost. Cost: $65
Knots and Fire Class
Dates are as follows for 2025:
- May: 17
- June: 28
- July 5
- August: 3
- September: 7
- October: 11
Other November dates upon request. Starts at 10am and goes until dark. You will learn a series of useful knots and primitive fire. This is also a good time to check us out and see if you want to try a survival weekend. Pay cash, check, card, or by Venmo. You can sign up for classes under the Shop category. Disclaimer: I cannot do refunds. When you purchase a class please commit to attending. If you need to cancel and reschedule, you can pick a later date or even the following year at no additional cost. Cost: $65
I AM WILLING TO BRING MY SCHOOL TO YOU!
You may prefer that I bring Arcturus Primitive Skills Institute to you and come teach at your location. I am willing to do just that! To do this, you will need a minimum of a large backyard with a fire ring we can use legally. I have been getting more requests to teach skills throughout Michigan and out-of-state.
Contact me at (231) 292-6217 (text is best) and we can discuss the details of bringing high-quality instruction to your group. For me to travel and teach at your location in Michigan, I would need a minimum of three students. Out-of-state, add one student per hundred miles. You choose the dates, and we will work something out. Or you can request a private date and time not listed above.
I am confident that my expertise will benefit your group and enhance their knowledge of survival techniques. I look forward to the opportunity to work with you and help your group develop important skills for outdoor survival.
Thank you for considering this opportunity! I am excited about the possibility of working together and sharing my passion for survival with your group.
I’ll See You in the Wild!
Art Knapp
“Train as if your life depended on it, because someday it will.”