Looking for resources to create a Wilderness Survival/Camping 101 syllabus

Hi, I spent 10 months in the back country of Colorado and Utah for work last year. I'll be going to Montana shortly for 4 months of a similar experience as well. I'm an avid camper, but I will say that because the camping was for work, it was not exactly survival scenario. We had logistics and supplies down to a science. That said, I want to warn you against some of the more "extreme" survivalist content. They go overboard sometimes with survival methods because it's cool, but when it comes down to the grind of actually surviving on your own in the wilderness that stuff isn't always the better than basic preparedness. Keep it simple stupid is life.

Your example of starting a fire is a prime example. I used to be a lot like you I think, I really took pride in my ability to start a fire. Something I learned in scouts and I think there's a primal aspect of starting your own fire and surviving. It's what attracts people like us to this sort of conversation. What I've learned over the years is, while it's OK to be proud of yourself (I still am lol), not many other people give a shit. They'll love you if shit hits the fan and you need fire and you can make one, but they aren't really going to care how you made it. So to start a fire, I'm super-duper tacticool about it, you know what I do? I buy a 12 pack of Bic lighters and stash them in every nook and cranny of my load out. One in the main pack, one in the first aid kit, one in the mess kit, one rolled up into the tent, one in my back pocket, one in the back pocket of the pants I've got in my pack, one in the rain jacket, etc. The idea being, you're gonna have to strip me naked to get me to a point where I can't make a fire. Even if I lose my pack, I've got at least one in my pocket. Now you can get your nice flint and steel striker, magnesium block, waterproof burn like the surface of the sun matches, or any other contraption you want to make fire, that's fine. In my opinion though, those all just add a unnecessary complication in a moment when every second counts when getting back to safety. But lighters break, they say? Well if all 12 Bic lighters break at once I don't know what to tell you, haha.

So let's talk about kindling. Say it's raining, you're camped out in a rain forest or a swamp or some other miserable, damp, bug ridden paradise. There's a chance nothing will be dry, nothing will light. I generally take this issue on two different ways. 1) I've always got some dryer lint in Vaseline, it burns long enough that hopefully if you find some semi-not-wet material in your environment it will catch. 2) A stove. 'But precise that's not a fire!" No, but it works, and the fuel you use for the stove is already wet so that rain can just bug off.

I could go on and on (and will if you'd like me to), but the mantra, keep it simple stupid, is key. Apply that thinking to every aspect of your load out, and it will help you keep things light and benefit you in a survival situation. Now, that's not to say you shouldn't know how to do certain things. Finding food and water in your environment is especially important and that comes with planning. Look up what edible plants and animals live in that environment and how you can take advantage of that. Take a map, take a topographical map with a compass, take another map, take all the maps and apply the lighter methodology (or the lighter itself if you need kindling for a fire). Then stare at the map before you go and stare at it every night in camp. Know the land and you're job of surviving just got a lot more easy.

Look at Coal Cracker Bushcraft on Youtube. The guy is both entertaining and seems very capable in his survival and outdoors skills.

If you happen to be going when the weather is warm I'd strongly suggest hammock camping versus a tent. Your trip will be miles better if you can avoid lugging a tent around.

A few others things that may be useful:

• Solar Still
• Dakota Fire Pit

Edit: Definitely practice some basic knot skills, it's important. The bow-line most of all.

Try searching the Internet Archive for scans of Scout/Bushcraft manuals like this one from Canada.

The US Army has decent wilderness survival guides.