KNOW MORE, CARRY LESS
Know More, Carry Less
We offer outdoor survival classes because we believe that there is no substitute for wilderness experience and practical skills.
We appreciate the value of good gear. We also acknowledge that it isn’t useful if it is broken, malfunctioning or absent. We prefer to regard a good knife or axe as a welcome time-saving tool rather than a survival necessity.
We also believe that there is a deeply human satisfaction to be gained by relying on the skill of your hands and knowledge of the environment. There is no feeling like the freedom that comes from confidence in your own skills and innate human toughness, and intimate familiarity with the land.
The Value Of Survival Education And Experience
David Wescott, former BOSS instructor and owner described this well in the 1st edition of his Philosophy of a Caveman, published in 1967:
At least once in life, every man, woman and child should know (1) the feeling of complete dependence on the bounties of nature, (2) hunger and hardship, (3) the meaning of total self-dependence, and (4) the personal inventiveness required to wrest a living from nature. Each should have the opportunity to learn the use of his own two hands in making necessary items for comfort and survival in nature.
Few of us ever depend upon our own skills and resources for our needs. We depend, instead, upon the manufactured items of our civilization to the extent that it would be nearly impossible to conceive of a life without them. We marvel at the ability of Stone Age people to survive under such adverse conditions as they were usually found. We envy somewhat their ability, and deep down inside of us we hold a secret fear that somehow, someday we may find ourselves in the same situation as these primitive folks. Even worse, we may find ourselves lost in a wilderness without food, water, shelter or even the know-how to provide them. We fear the thought of getting along without our “gadgets”.
…A person who can be trained to live off the land without the aid of a single previously manufactured item has gained a security unequaled in the realms of outdoor survival. This training is an outgrowth of personal development and must be achieved individually by actual practice.
Interested in a life-changing challenge?
BOSS – one of the worlds’ best-known outdoor survival schools – has delivered outdoor survival classes to adventurous people since 1968. Our survival instructors are some of the most experienced and competent in the world. The challenges that our BOSS survival courses offer aren’t for everyone, but if you’re the right person and it’s the right time for you, we promise adventure, challenge and world-class instruction.
