About Us
MISSION STATEMENT:
To teach survival and bushcraft utilizing ancient and modern skills, to enable the individual to cope with emergencies or disasters regardless of duration, to build self-confidence in the outdoors, to help sustain a love for wilderness areas, and to develop an understanding of the proper stewardship of the resources given to us by the Creator.
Who are we
Meet our team
A LITTLE ABOUT OUR FOUNDER:
James Bender has been trained under Dave Canterbury at the Pathfinder School and his former lead instructor, Jaime Burleigh. James grew up in the Eastern Woodlands in Middle Tennessee where he began his outdoor education in survival and bushcraft.
He has traveled to all 50 states and 11 foreign countries and has done desert hiking and camping in several deserts, including Death Valley and the Arizona High Desert. He has hiked and camped in mountainous areas from the Rocky Mountains to the Pacific Coastal Regions of the Olympic Peninsula. He has built a fully functional 18th century log cabin along with being an 18th century reenactor.
He travels and speaks about the outdoors and has been a main stage contributor at such events as the Rubber Tramp Rendezvous in Quartzite, Az. He also designs and makes knives and has an intimate understanding of knife profiles, steel characteristics and handle ergonomics for hard use in survival situations.
He taught survival and bushcraft for several years at a private school to children between the ages of 8 and 17 as well as to adults in a professional setting since 2017. He has been a motivational speaker since 1995.
jAMES bENDER
Founder/Lead Instructor
Blackie Thomas
Consultant
Eli FairChild
Trapping Instructor
James Samoya
Medical Instructor -Vietnam Senior Medic
Our Story
How did we
get here?
According to the National Geographic, “A waypoint is a reference point that helps us know where we are and where we’re going. Whether we are walking, driving, sailing or flying, waypoints help us find our way.”
All of life is a journey and it is one that we all must travel. We are born and we die and we will all spend eternity somewhere.
Some have erroneously stated that the destination doesn’t matter, it’s the journey that is what’s important. Well, I seriously disagree with that kind of thinking. I believe that the direction of our life determines our destiny and it is very important that you end up in the right place.
When using a compass to navigate, just an error of one degree of lateral drift means that you will be a hundred yards off your target in only a half mile!
“Waypoints help us know where we are and where we are going.” We need to stop, think, observe and plan (STOP) not only in a survival situation, but also in our daily lives.
Testimonials
What they say
about us
The best recommendations come from our students. Here are a couple of reviews that we received from our classes.
” This was a 48 hour class with WayPoint Survival. It was time well spent. James Bender’s passion for the subject was matched by his knowledge. It was not only good, clean fun (and work) but also educational. Everything was well balanced and planned out with lots of hands-on activities. “
“ You never know when your life, or someone else’s, may be dependent upon you owning these skills. The instructor was very patient and thorough in his teaching and instructing. This isn’t just a sit around the camp fire kind of weekend….you’re gonna go home with a LOT of knowledge. James Bender knows what he’s talking about and you can see and feel his passion for the outdoors.“
