The Survival University
With a convenient and easy to get to location in central Colorado, featuring experienced resident instructors and a vast network of seasoned guest instructors from all over the country, we can provide you with all the survival training you could ever want or need!
Owned by Colorado Mountain Man Survival, LLC
Recommended Gear
4 Day Survival Hike
We believe in a philosophy of get the training before you get the gear. Because we know from experience that once you get some training, you will probably change your mind about what survival gear you need. For this reason we require very little survival equipment to attend our courses. But you definitely will need some basic items to attend our courses. This page is to list recommended items you might want for our wilderness survival courses. Each course has different requirements but this list will give you the most common items you should bring to our wilderness survival courses. Almost none of the items are absolutely necessary if you don’t have them and we want to make sure you can attend whether you only have a few items or you could outfit an expedition! So check out our recommended survival gear list and email us if you have any questions on survival gear!
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We will be hiking from 10-12 miles over this 4 day period, over some rugged terrain.
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For an unconditioned hiker, a loaded backpack should not weigh more than about 20 percent of your body weight. (If you weigh 150 pounds, your pack should not exceed 30 pounds for backpacking.)
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For an conditioned hiker, a loaded backpack should not weigh more than 30 percent of your body weight. (If you weigh 150 pounds, your pack should not exceed 45 pounds for backpacking.)
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If your pack is heavier than the recommended weight, do not fret! Its expected and tends to happen a lot. We will just walk slower. Just be sure that your backpack is comfortable and as light as possible. We may remove gear for you on day 1.
​Class Specific Gear
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Good Fixed Blade Knife- From 4-12″ inches (preferably a knife intended for bushcraft)
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Ferro Rod (magnesium fire starter)
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Folding Hand Saw (Recommended: Corona, Silky saw, or Bahco Folding Saw)
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100' Paracord
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Quality Rain Poncho w/ Grommets
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Wide Mouth Canteen or Water Bottle (single walled /stainless steel bottles are recommended)
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Headlamp
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First Aid Kit
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Water Purification
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Compass
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Knife Recommendations
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Mora Garberg
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Condor Bushlore
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Benchmade Bushcrafter
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Ontario SK-5 Blackbird
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Morakniv Bushcrafter,
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Spydroco G-10 Bushcraft
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Tops BOB Brothers of Bushcraft
Water Purification Recommendations
Sawyer 2 Liter Water Filter System
Sawyer Squeeze
Sawyer Mini Filter
Lifestraw
Katadyn
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Overnight Gear
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Tent, Hammock, Tarp Shelter
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Sleeping Bag (season appropriate)
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Sleeping Pad
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Cooking Utensils (mess kit or pot, cup, fork, spoon, )
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Toiletries/Hygene​
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Hydration Pack
Food - For speed, simplicity and weight, we recommend freeze dried meals such as Mountain House or MRE's.
Clothing
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Tough Outdoor Clothing- Earth tone colors are recommended but wear what you like. You are going to get dirty. Jeans or anything cotton are not recommended during the winter.
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COMFORTABLE Hiking Boots and Wool Socks - be sure your boots are already broken in.
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River Shoes - we will be crossing a stream multiple times!
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Rain Gear / Rain Poncho
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Camp Shoes - something comfortable for your feet once we make camp. Sandals, flip flops, etc...
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