Harness the strength of your heritage, the power of the land, and the fulfillment of reconnecting to your ancestral roots. Connect with the history of the native people of the land and discover your primal side with wild hunts and adventures. Claim your birthright and reveal the true power you possess.
Phillip Liebel founded Primitive Wilderness Survival six years ago and quickly gained recognition in the field. He is well known for his ability to create primitive weapons, and actually go out and put them to use. Phillip has been featured on History Channel's Alone: The Beast, and has learned from and taught alongside of the best survivalists and homesteaders in the world. You can find Phillip frequently teaching at primitive skills gatherings around the country, such as Wintercount, SkyEarth, and others!
Widely regarded as one of the country's foremost educators in Stone Age living skills, David is a frequent lecturer, author, and consultant on primitive technologies, edible/medicinal plants, and pre-Columbian culture. He served for 18 years as head instructor at the Boulder Outdoor Survival School and was education director of Anasazi, a wilderness program for teens. David has served as a consultant for products such as Cast Away, Survivorman, Man vs. Wild, Road Rules, and numerous others, and was most recently featured on No Man's Land, a History Channel production.
Join Phillip at our campfire in Graham, TX on Feb 11th and 12th for our intermediate survival course!
Our ancestors all knew how to survive, and for you to be here today, they did.
That knowledge is still inside of you. Let us help you find it.
The survival "law of threes" states that we can survive three hours without shelter in harsh conditions, and three days without water. Our introductory skills class Essential Wilderness Survival covers everything you need to survive those critical first three days needed to get rescued.
Regardless of the reason you are in the woods, it’s important to know what gear to carry and how to use that gear if you ever find yourself lost or unable to get back to civilization.
In our introductory course, "Essential Wilderness Survival", using minimal gear, we will learn to create shelter, fire and find safe drinking water. The gear and the skills we cover will help you connect to your environment and enjoy the outdoors while feeling confident and comfortable.
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. In this class we will begin to transition more towards a minimalist approach and we will learn to get many of our resources from the landscape. you will learn some more advanced navigation techniques using a map and compass, learn to identify many wild edible and medicinal plants, learn to make bowdrill from the landscape, and some primitive food procurement methods… all while traveling and exploring the region. This will be a fun class with some new challenges and adventures.
We will be leaving all of our gear behind and surviving using only what we can get from the landscape in our namesake "Primitive Wilderness Survival" course. We will learn to make stone cutting tools and learn some tips and tricks in using them. We will then learn to make shelters from the landscape with no cutting tools or cordage and build fire by friction using materials that are locally available. After taking care of shelter and fire we will learn to disinfect our water using only primitive means and local materials. After this class you will be well on your way to being truly self reliant…. not just gear reliant.
Join us as we set out for a primal hunt with nothing but our official PWS Primal Blade, hand-crafted in Texas by Phillip himself.
Our advanced "Surviving to Thriving" courses teach you how to go from surviving to thriving, so in case the need arises, or even just the desire, you'll know how to make it all on your own.
These events are happening all throughout the year, at various festivals and gatherings. We also hold classes on these complimentary skills of our own. Check out our calendar to see all the campfires you can share with us!
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.
"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
From around the campfire...
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.
Everything you need to build your kit to hand-crafted tools and blades made by Phillip himself!
This hand-drill technique allows you to get fire in really difficult areas that don't have a lot of good resources!
Digging up some old videos! In this one I show how to construct a Cherokee arrow using primitive skills!
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
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!
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.
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.