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We help you get outside
and feel confident you could stay there.
We offer courses, hunts, and adventures that will teach you not only to survive... but to thrive.
Join our FREE private community, where members plan memorable trips and make arrangements for gatherings, or get help with their primitive skills projects. See you at the campfire!
How it works...
1. Join our Tribe
Get out to one of our classes! We'll have the campfire ready to share with you and our other students!
2. Follow Our Success Paths
We have training that prepares you for our primitive adventures and hunts.
3. Adventure and Hunt
Apply to join Phillip and David on adventures into the wilderness, where you'll put your skills to the practice, and get to spend time with David and Phillip!
Meet your instructors
What makes PWS really special its lead instructors – Phillip Liebel, featured on History Channel’s Alone: The Beast, and his mentor David Holladay, a desert wizard, who’s ripple affect has probably affected you without you even knowing it.
Phillip Liebel
Phillip Liebel is a renowned Primitive Skills expert who was featured on the History Channel’s Alone: The Beast. Phillip founded Primitive Wilderness Survival six years ago and has been doing it full time ever since. He’s taught at the premier primitive skills gatherings all over the country, and has recently stunned the community with a Bison Bow Hunt program where students building their own Cherokee style bows, arrows, and arrow heads, and join together on a tribal bison hunt! It’s a truly unique and unforgettable experience that will make you proud of how your ancestors lived!
David Holladay
David Holladay and his colleagues at BOSS Survival School in Utah, where David was a lead instructor for 18 years along side the school’s founder David Wescott, worked as consultants for the movie Castaway. Their work led to realistic survival scenarios in the movie, as well as the creation of the volleyball-character Wilson as Tom Hank’s companion. David Holladay has consulted for survival shows like Bear Grylls Man Vs. Wild, Alone, and more. In a YouTube “Making of Survivorman” series, Les Stroud devotes the entire first episode to our favorite Desert Wizard!
As featured on...
Your survival skills are part of your DNA...
Our success paths are designed to unlock your innate survival abilities
Our ancestors all knew how to survive, and for you to be here today, they did...
it's time for you to remember who we were.
Upcoming In-Person Class!
Woods Trekker
Join Phillip at our campfire in Graham, TX on Feb 11th and 12th for our intermediate survival course!
“I have spent a lot of time learning from Phillip. You will not find a more logical and effective teacher. His grasp of not only the techniques, but the history behind their development is amazing. I highly recommend that anyone wanting to learn primitive skills sign up for his courses!"
- Chance Chaffin
Primitive Wilderness Survival Success Path
Venture into the wilderness on our Primitive Wilderness Survival success path.
Our Primitive Wilderness Survival success path sharpens your innate survival instincts, starting from step one. It's much more than just a course; it's a guided path to reconnecting with how our ancestors used to live.
Step One
Learn the essential skills and gear you need to feel confident outdoors
Understanding the essentials of survival is not just for those embarking on long wilderness treks. In fact, the number one cause of death in the wilderness is unprepared day hikers who initially planned only to be out for a few hours. Our "Essential Wilderness Survival" course is designed to equip you with the knowledge and skills to survive the critical first few days in the wild, even with minimal gear.
The key to survival lies in mastering some basic skills. In our introductory course, we'll take you through vital lessons on building a minimalist survival kit - your best weapon against cold, stormy nights. We offer practical training in crucial survival components like foraging for materials, kindling a fire, building a weather-resistant shelter, procuring and disinfecting water, and using signaling techniques to assist in your rescue. Gearing up with these skills not only enhances your connection with the outdoors but also boosts your confidence and comfort level.
- Kit: Don't plan to be unprepared. Learn how to build a minimalist survival kit to get you through cold weather and stormy nights.
- Fire: Learn how to forage for materials and build a fire to keep yourself warm.
- Shelter: Learn how to build a shelter that will protect you from the elements!
- Water: Learn how to find and disinfect water.
- Signaling: Learn about signaling techniques you can use to help rescuers locate you.
Step Two
Learn how to navigate and explore around you, unlocking vital resources
Our Woods Trekker course is the second step in your journey to self reliance. This class builds on top of our basic class and we will continue to expand on the skills that you have learned as well as introducing some new skills.
Gain confidence as you master the art of navigation using a map and compass, ensuring you never lose your way. Learn to identify an array of wild edible and medicinal plants, empowering yourself with the knowledge to sustain and heal. Discover the thrill of creating friction fires using natural resources, adding an essential skill to your survival toolkit.
Our class is an exciting adventure that pushes you to grow and learn. We continue to build on the foundations of our basic class, introducing you to a minimalist approach to survival. With us, you'll transition from relying on gear to utilizing the abundant resources the wilderness provides. We promise a fun, challenging experience that broadens your skill set and deepens your connection with the natural world. Here's your chance to explore the wild landscapes while building self-reliance and resilience.
- Wilderness Navigation: Learn how to navigate using a compass and a map. Exploring your surroundings increases your chances of surviving as you find new resources - but it doesn't help if you get lost!
- Wild Edibles and Medicinals: Learn how to identify common wild edibles and medicinals.
- Friction Fires: No kit, no problem. Learn how to create friction fires using only resources from the landscape.
Step Three
Learn how to replace gear from your kit with resources from the landscape around you...
Primitive survival skills are not only important but also empowering. For individuals used to relying on modern conveniences, it's an invaluable experience to learn how to fend for oneself in the wilderness. By abandoning your gear, you'll learn how to craft stone cutting tools, build shelters with only what nature provides, and disinfect water without equipment. These are all vital survival skills that lead to a powerful awakening of self-reliance.
Phillip, our expert guide, is what truly sets our class apart. With his extensive knowledge and hands-on approach, he imparts survival lessons rooted in necessity and practicality. His fluency in primitive techniques ensures that you're learning from a master. Under Phillip's guidance, you won't just learn survival skills, you'll experience the full immersion into self-reliance and resilience that these tactics provide.
- Stone tools: Learn how to craft stone cutting tools for when you don't have a knife.
- Primitive Water Disinfection: Learn how to safely disinfect water, even if you don't have as much as a cup to boil it in.
- Primitive Shelters: A little comfort goes a long way. Learn how to use resources from the landscape to build a shelter to keep you safe and warm.
Hunter-Gatherer Success Path
Once you know how to survive, then it's time to learn how to thrive
The Hunter-Gatherer Success Path is a voyage into the world of our ancestors, enhancing your survival skills by learning to source game for food and identify wild edibles and medicinals. Run by Phillip Liebel, it's the next step on your path to self-sufficiency.
Step One
Learn to create passive systems to bring you food...
Mastering the skill of primitive trapping isn't just a survival trick, it's also a lesson in strategy and patience. You learn to understand the habits of animals, decode their signs and apply strategic thinking. It sharpens your focus, patience and enhances problem-solving skills.
Our Primitive Trapping course provides an engaging, hands-on experience. You'll be learning directly from Phillip Liebel and Tony Powers, experts in their fields. The course offers a unique blend of traditional trapping and fishing methods - skills that were essential to our ancestors. These sessions are designed to sharpen your strategic thinking and problem-solving abilities, helping you apply these business-wise. If you're seeking a unique experience that combines learning, fun, and a touch of adventure, then this course is definitely for you!
- Animal Tracking: Identify locations to set traps.
- Primitive Traps: Join Phillip and Tony Powers in learning to make and set primitive traps.
- Primitive Fishing: Learn primitive fishing methods.
- Animal Processing: Learn how to process an animal for food.
Step Two
Tap into your primal side... Learn how to hunt for food
Learning to hunt offers a myriad of benefits that can enhance your life significantly. First and foremost is self-sustainability. Hunting enables you to provide food for yourself and your family, independent of the commercial food industry. It also promotes a deep respect and understanding of nature and animal life as you get in tune with the ecosystems. Physically, hunting often involves tracking, patience and precision, which helps to improve your fitness levels, concentration and patience. Additionally, it introduces an element of adventure and mastery, as hunt is not just about the act, but also the knowledge and understanding of animal behavior, navigation skills and survival approaches.
In our signature hunting class, Primal Hunter: Bison Bow Hunt students build their own bows, arrows, and arrowheads, practice their archery skills, and then join together in a tribal bison hunt using the tools they've made!
- Hunting: Hunt for your food.
- Private Hunts Available: Join Phillip on a solo hunt with primitive weapons.
- Tribal Hunts: Form a deep bond with your tribe.
- Animal Processing: Learn how to process an animal for food.
- Animal Tracking: Learn how to track wild game.
Wilderness Adventures
Stop watching from the sidelines and get in the game!
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Adventure
Put your skills to the test
Ever see cool survival adventures on TV and think "I want to do that!"
Well, now's your chance. Train up with our courses, and then put your skills to the test with a 4-day+ instructor-led survival adventure.
- Exotic Locations: From island survival to trekking the desert.
- Disconnect: Get out in nature and disconnect from the busy modern world.
- Lifetime Friendships: Bonding over the campfire each night, and surviving together, quickly builds long-lasting friendships.
Our Mission
"My goal is to get people outdoors while ensuring that they stay safe and comfortable. My classes are not structured around fear based ideologies or “Rambo” type mentality. I prefer for my students to get out and form a connection with their environment and the people that moved across these landscapes before our time. I believe that by connecting further with nature that we can learn more about ourselves and grow as humans. Come experience the beauty that the natural world has to offer with me! I hope to share a campfire with you all."
- Phillip Liebel, Founder & Lead Instructor
Stories about us
From around the campfire...
"Looking forward to the next one!"
“Phillip Liebel did a great job leading the December 2022 Basic Survival course. I enjoyed the course materials and the camaraderie was top-notch. Phillip set the tone by being respectful of everyone's ability and being modest about his own experiences."
- Eric Johnson
“Awesome place!”
“Awesome place if you want to gain some of the skills you forgot while sitting at an office!”
- Nicolas Nanichito Vargas
“Vast wealth of knowledge!”
“Met Phillip Liebel at Flintlock 2: The Ozarks. Super cool dude with a vast wealth of knowledge and the ability to convey it to others who may not be so well versed in ancestral skills. Hope to study with him again soon”
- Mike Simmons
Now
Start your survival journey now
Sign up now to get instant access to our free online essential primitive skills course, and get access to our members area where you can find our intermediate and advanced courses, as well as info and registration for our in-person primitive survival skills training and adventures.
Our Products
Everything you need to build your kit to hand-crafted tools and blades made by Phillip himself!
Our Blog
Featured Posts
Hand drill fire with the legendary Dave Holladay!
This hand-drill technique allows you to get fire in really difficult areas that don't have a lot of good resources!
Making a Cherokee arrow, primitively!
Digging up some old videos! In this one I show how to construct a Cherokee arrow using primitive skills!
The Kalahari Bushmen Axe
The single most useful tool ever created! This axe is based off of those used by the bushman of Africa. It can be used as an axe, an adze, a wedge, a knife, a scraper, a hoe and more! Forged by Phillip himself. "I have yet to find a tool that is more efficient or more effective in the woods." - Phillip
A Student’s Journey – BlanketPacks
In this guest post from one of our students, Eric Johnson, Eric reflects on lessons learned from the Essential Primitive Wilderness Survival course, and puts the skills to the test!
Bowdrill fire from the landscape!
In this video I make a quick bowdrill fire from the landscape using what I carry on me during a trail run! I think it’s a great exercise to run into the wilderness, practice skills and run back. You carry minimal gear while you run AND you work on your projects after you’re all ready tired.
Registration for the PWS kids program is now OPEN!
It’s that time again!! Registration for the PWS kids program is now OPEN! We pushed things back a month this year. Class will be starting On Wednesday October 12.
