Veterans groups

Veteran’s groups: Besides running a survival school, I am a supervisor in a state agency and was recently in leadership training. During this training, I talked with one of the Lansing trainers after she mentioned that she runs a veterans treatment group. This greatly piqued my interest. I told her about my survival and wilderness … Read more

Best tinder material in the wild

Over time I have experimented with various different tinder material while out in the wild. Most tinders in the wild can fit into 1 of three categories: inner/outer bark of trees, woody stalks/outer fibers, light fluffy material/seed heads. In the first category of inner and outer tree barks, in particular I like: cedar, willow, paper … Read more

fEATHERSTICK MATERIAL

When carving feathersticks for fire lighting, I have found that the best woods to use are similar to wood you would use for a bowdrill set. Like with a bow drill set, I have had good luck making feathersticks from cedar, willow and certain types of pine. I have been told that Sweet Chestnut, Sycamore … Read more

CHAR CLOTH MATERIAL

Over time, I have tried numerous different materials when experimenting with char cloth. Some of the materials I have used include: punk wood, cattail leaves, pampas grass, cut up t-shirts, cut up bandannas, rolled up cotton balls, dried mullein leaves and a variety of dead plant material. What I have learned with char cloth is … Read more

arcturus primitive skills institute 2023 in review

2023 was my first commercial year with APSI, and I must say, it exceeded my expectations. While I held a few classes in 2022, 2023 is when I went “live.” If 2023 is the beginning, I can’t wait to see what the future holds. I held several classes throughout the spring, summer and fall of … Read more