How Can I Find Survival Classes Near Me?

Been googling around for classes around my area but how do I find out that they are legitimate classes? There are a lot of cases where they end up being scams so I'm quite scared to take the plunge.

 

Im using apps availabe in app store to learn basic skill in surviving. The name of the app is survival manual. It's a good reference. I also watch primitive technology in YouTube, also as my reference. Every week end, I try the skills I've learned.

 

Ah, your approach to this is nice!

I never thought DIYs could be good! I don't really have any experience about survival about the textbook knowledge I have.

I do watch Primite Technology channel on YouTube. He has already taught me a lot of things! I never have tried it first hand though.

 

Hi Niel, Apps are a good choice but it's preferable to go to class if you have time
for me I would not be scared and just give it up because I think they might be scammers dig deeper dear, Search for reviews and Write to them to see if they are responsive, Look their website, See if they have comments of people who used their services, And Last check their names and adress if they are scammers you'll find it out Google has it all
Good lucks.

 

Check and see if you can find a class where the teacher was a Sere instructor! I have taken 2 classes with these guys. They know what they are doing.

 

A few options to go cheap and "light" to get your feet wet:
1. The Parks and Recs dept of our city offers outdoor classes and supervised events, including such activities as rock climbing, mountain biking, hiking, and canoe/kayaking. Obviously not hard core survival, but definitely good skills that apply to moving around outdoors.
2. REI offers a load of classes on every topic, including survival. Some of these can be a bit costly (wilderness first aid), but you know they're legit. Some are classroom based, others are on-site. Some are free! If you're near an REI, it's gold!
3. There is an orienteering club in my area. Again, very specific to reading maps and navigating across wilderness, but great practice, as well as great fun. You're likely to meet people there who have a larger interest in other aspects of survival, so maybe a good start to networking.
4. Red Cross offers CPR and first aid classes. Both are well worth being certified in, even in "normal" times.
5. On meetup.com you can find any variety of group functions, including preppers, armed and unarmed defense training, primitive camping/bush craft. The only downside is that the quality and consistency of the group can leave a lot to be desired, but worth a few minutes to check out.

 

About the only "training" that I got was with the Boy Scouts. Even now the old boy scout manual is a good starting place for getting your feet wet. You can learn how to make fires in your backyard or in a park. Survival isn't a complicated subject. You need to acquire knowledge based on the area that you will be trying to survive in. A good book on edible plants in your area is worth studying. Go camping and get comfortable in the world outside of your house. In the end personal experiences will mean more than books or class learning.

I am not saying that classes are not great but you need to learn what is specific to the area that you will want to know as well as possible. Throw me in a swamp and I am golden. Let five snowflakes land on me and I'm in trouble. I also don't do desert. I don't need the information for places that I'm not going to go past a general level. Swamps, jungles and woods are my specific areas of knowledge. I put a lot of emphasis on fishing because that is the easiest protein source that there is where I am likely to be. I like snares because they also make gathering meal sized catches.

 

Funny that you mention a good book on edible plants. I read the reviews on a dozen or so books before selecting Edible Wild Plants by Elias and Dykeman. Copyright 1982, but plants don't change so what's there to update? Excellent color photos, divisions by season and geography (North America only), recipes, details on what parts to eat, etc. All great except for one thing that I clearly underestimated -- the amount of information to digest (pardon the pun) on the vast number of edible wild plants just in my state has left my mind numb. I read, and read, and then try to find & try the desirable species. I end up hungry and munching on snack food as I read some more! Make no mistake, supplementing you diet by foraging for wild plants (far less advanced than expecting to survive on them) is no small undertaking. There's no quick way to learn/remember/find nearly as much as I had hoped for. You can learn to start a fire from scratch more quickly than becoming proficient at foraging for wild plants. It's an interesting and even relaxing pursuit, but by far the most complex single survival skill that I've ever pursued!

 

My survival school instructors were my elders. They graduated from the schools of beneath-poverty and subsistence hunting and living off the land up in the Southern Appalachian mountains.

If option B is death, you'd be surprised how proficient one gets at living in harsh environments. They thrived. They made music.

 

That was my Dad. His father died in the depression leaving a wife and two young boys. They were dirt poor. He made sure that no matter what happened that we would never have to be hungry. To him being able to take care of yourself and your family under ANY condition was a must.