Welcome to Arcturus Primitive Skills Institute!
Michigan's premier survival school
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 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 2024
Weekend Survival 101
Dates are as follows for 2024:
- April: 26-28
- May: 3-5, or 17-19
- June 14-16, or 28-30
- July: 12-14, or 26-28
- August: 9-11, or 23-25
- Sept: 6-8, or 20-22
- Oct. 4-6, or 18-20
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, or card. You can sign up for classes under the Shop category. Cost: $250
Knots and Fire Class
Dates are as follows for 2024:
- May: 11 or 25
- June: 8 or 22
- July: 6 or 20
- August: 17 or 31
- September: 14 or 28
- October: 12
- November: 2
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, or card. You can sign up for classes under the Shop category. Cost: $65
Edible & Medicinal Plants
Dates are as follows for 2024:
- April 20
- May: 26
- June: 9
- July: 5
- August: 16
- September: 13
- October: 11
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, or card. You can sign up for classes under the Shop category. Cost: $65
“Train as if your life depended on it, because someday it will.”