Camp Craft & Cookery

Camp Craft and Cookery: Practical Skills for the Cold-Weather Woodsman

Step into the old ways of woodcraft with Camp Craft and Cookery — a hands-on experience designed to teach essential cold-weather camping and backwoods cooking skills. Whether you’re planning an extended stay in the field or just want to deepen your knowledge of traditional living, this course covers time-tested techniques every woodsman should know.

Topics of Discussion & Hands-On Projects Include:

• Cold-Weather Shelter Craft: Tarp setups, raised beds, and bedroll building

• Long-Term Camp Comforts: Furniture, cook stations, and practical improvements

• Hygiene & Personal Care: Staying clean, healthy, and comfortable in the wild

• Water Generation: Strategies for sourcing water in frozen conditions

• Fire Mastery: Traditional ignition techniques, waterproofing matches, flint and steel, char cloth, and solar secrets

• Heat Management: Using and shaping fires for cooking and warmth

• Camp Tools from Nature: Improvise, adapt, and craft what you need from the landscape

• Wild Food Prep: Meat processing, preservation, and food packing for multi-day camps

• The Woodsman’s Pantry: Learn the essentials and how to cook with them in any setting

• Cast Iron Care: Clean, rescue, and maintain your cookware

• Cooking Over Fire: Bake, roast, broil, and smoke with simplicity and skill

• Classic Camp Fare: Gravy, jerky, biscuits, cobblers, dump cakes, and more

Whether you’re lighting your first fire with flint and steel or baking sweet fry bread over coals, Camp Craft and Cookery offers a rich, hands-on journey into the heart of traditional outdoor living.

Camping will be on site Primitive only. Due to property insurance restrictions: There will be no camping on the school property prior to the start of the class or after the classes conclude.

The registration deadline is 2 weeks prior to class start date.

• Required Gear List - Click Here
• Meeting Location - Click Here
• Cancellation Policy - Click Here

A broad overview of tasks or what you can expect while carrying your gear are:

• hikes of 1-2 miles over terrain which may be uneven, muddy or snow-covered

• collection of materials off the landscape

• dealing with the elements (Cold, Rain, Snow, etc.)

Water will be available from jugs located in Base Camp. We continually check the water supply to make sure it is readily available.

We do not allow anyone to remain at camp without an instructor present.

If you suffer from a medical condition that requires medication, please bring your prescribed medicines with you. If you undergo surgery or a hospital stay within 30 days of the class, DO NOT attempt this course.

Port-a-Pots are located approximately 400 yards from the base camp near the parking area.

No refunds will be issued for classes you do not pass or those you quit.

Class Policy

• If you fall behind but are doing your best, we will support your effort 100%! We will encourage you to keep it up and complete the course to the best of your ability.
• Should you be unable to keep up with the group due to physical injury or other health problem(s), we will go above and beyond to assist you by aiding in your mobility, administering hydration and personal motivation! Should those efforts fail, leaving you unable to complete the course, we will need to ask you to leave the school grounds.
• If you (tap out) quit at any point, a helper will be assigned to aid you in packing up your gear and you will need to exit the school grounds.

Disclaimer:
Please make sure you take all gear with you at the end of the class. If gear is left behind, we will not be able to ship it to you, and will be considered abandoned. 

Each class is instructed by highly trained and professional outdoor/wilderness instructors. Each instructor teaches the Pathfinder School system and is authorized by Dave Canterbury. Instructors, including Dave Canterbury, can vary class to class.

About our School:

• Fully Insured
• Red Cross Certified Training Facility
• EMT’s and Paramedic’s on Staff
• AED on Location 
• Epinephrine on Location
• Instructors are CPR and Wilderness First Aid Red Cross Certified 
• Low Student to Instructor to create a Pedagogy learning environment. 
• Most Instructors either former Military, EMS, or LE
• Dave Canterbury is NASAR Advanced Search and Rescue Certified 
• Dave Canterbury is Certified Expert Trapper by Fur Takers of America and a Certified Intermediate Herbalist by the Herbal Academy International School of Herbal Arts and Sciences
• All Instructors are equipped and licensed in HAM radio as well as PLB SAT comms for emergency communications away from classroom area.
• Training area is over 4500 Forested Acres 

Shipping Charges are calculated at checkout.

Within United States:

Packages are shipped via:

• UPS
• FedEx
• USPS for PO Boxes

Outside the United States:

Shipping charges DO NOT INCLUDE any duties, taxes, and/or import fees imposed by your country's custom and/or clearance offices.

We offer the following services to most areas:

• DHL Express