Family Wilderness Living Campout Calgary

Join us for a hands-on Family Wilderness Skills Weekend with Kaykima Wilderness, designed to build confidence, connection, and real outdoor capability.

This year's campout will focus on land-based wilderness living and less on emergency survival skills. The topics will be focused on living off the land long term.

Topics include:

Long Term Shelter Building - we will focus on long term shelter building that will also include a raised bed and firewall. Participants are welcome to sleep in the shelters they construct! 

Wilderness Saftey - we will look at animal behaviour and how we can minimize unwanted encounters and know what to do when the unexpected happens. We will also types of animal deterrent that are necessary to carry while in the backcountry. 

Knife and Axe Skills - we will cover types of cutting tools and their uses. Then get hands on experience using the tools to process wood for fire building 

Firecraft - a look at what sources of ignition have been traditionally used, then hands on practice using a variety of different methods. We will also cover fire maintainace and safety

Foraging and Wild Cooking - bannock using foraged berries and plants, wild jelly making, mushroom identification, medicinal and culinarily uses, edible mushroom/plant cooking/preparing/storage. 

If you have taken Kaykima classes before then you know there is a lot of in-moment learning. Most likely we will also cover tracking, natural navigation and other topics as the weekend unfolds.

Families will spend the weekend learning side-by-side, with instruction running from 10am–5pm each day on beautiful crown land just South West of Calgary. Whether you're brand new to camping or already comfortable outdoors and looking to sharpen your skills, this weekend is built to meet you where you're at. It’s also a great introduction to sleeping in a shelter you’ve built yourself—while still having the comfort of your tent, trailer, or RV to fall back on if the weather turns. 

Come learn, build, and explore together.

Additional Information

$425 + gst per family household. $85 additional non-household person in your group.

Despite us making sleep-ready shelters please bring along an alternative to sleep in just in case of challenging weather, that could be a trailer, tent etc. 

Instruction will take place between 10am and 5pm on each day unless otherwise mentioned. Outside those hours there will be no supervision, however I will be on site.

In the event of a fire-ban another topic will be in it's place. 

Families will be responsible for their own food, meals and water. There is NO WATER but there are outhouses on site. 

I will include a generic packing list for camping. Look it over and see what applies to you. If you have any questions about what to bring feel free to contact Rob. No question is too small!     

As this is on Crown Land we will be sharing the area with members of the public. I will be arriving early to secure spots for us however it would be great idea to arrive on Friday to make sure you get a spot that works best for you.

The road in is gravel (easily passable with a standard car)  and the site itself is a field surrounded by trees. 

There is no cell service at the site.  Closest service is about a 15 minute drive to the highway. 

Refund & Cancellation Policy

We understand that plans sometimes change, and we do our best to be flexible while also ensuring that classes can run smoothly for everyone involved.

Cancellations
We require at least 48 hours’ notice if you need to cancel your registration. Cancellations made with 48 hours’ notice will be issued as class credit that can be used toward a future program.
If less than 48 hours’ notice is given, the registration fee will be converted to class credit only.
Refunds or credits cannot be provided for individual classes that are missed.

Weather
Programs run in most weather conditions. If a class must be rescheduled due to unsafe weather (such as extreme cold, severe storms, or poor air quality), a make-up date will be offered. 

Instructor Cancellation
In the rare event that a class must be cancelled due to instructor illness or unforeseen circumstances, participants will be offered a make-up date, class credit, or a full refund.

Late Arrivals
Please arrive on time. Classes begin promptly and may move away from the meeting location. If you arrive late, it may not be possible to join the group.

Thank you for your understanding and for helping keep programs running smoothly for everyone. If you have any questions feel free to reach out:

Phone: 587 447 9787 (text is preferred) 

Email: [email protected]