American Survival Co Reviews

We had our company out for team building. Highly recommend it! The instructors clearly know how to survive in the wilderness as well as giving us great information with real life business applications for our teams communication and development. We will team build with them again!

Will Brown

Brown Boys Roofing

I have been an avid outdoorsman since childhood, and have studied self-reliance and primitive living skills for many years. The classes that I have taken with Joel Graves have reinforced my knowledge base, and better prepared me for the extremes of life. He is a first rate instructor, has an attention to detail, and is able to communicate clearly to students. He also won’t give up on you, and is dedicated to your success. In short, I look forward to attending many more courses, and will not hesitate recommending Joel and American Survival to others.

Chad Edwards

Survival, SERE, Plant Walk, Trapping

This training is truly second to none. Joel Graves' knowledge is only surpassed by his patience and willingness to share his skills. He teaches with enthusiasm and sincere interest in the success of his students. I personally appreciate that he keeps it simple so one does not get overwhelmed with the innumerable skills it takes to survive.

Jonathan Rakofsky

Private Training

My teenage children and I took monthly classes from Joel for over a year. Joel is a walking encyclopedia of knowledge in survival and bush craft skills. I enjoyed the classes as I felt we were learning many “back to basic” and ‘living off the land’ skills that have been long forgotten. Joel’s skills range from foraging for wild edibles and herbs, to shelter building, fire starting, basket making, trap building, the art of camouflage and many more!

Karen Robinson

Shelter Building

My son and I attended Joel's course where we learned how to assemble and shoot a compound bow. Joel's knowledge and guidance made this is a great experience. His deep understanding of survival skills and his ability to communicate this to us in a hands on way was amazing. It was a great experience for both of us and we look forward to going back for the knife making course!

Ed Crowley

Bow Class

Joel is Universal and unique. He blends his knowledge with a crafty charm to make the coarse enjoyable. He is a wealth of knowledge and very confident in what he knows. I would definitely have him in my EDC kit!

Isaac Garcia

Basic Survival Skills

Joel was my instructor for a four-day survival training in Jacksonville last year. He’s a great teacher, certainly knows his stuff, and is overall a really good dude. Our entire group had a lot of fun and learned a ton. I highly recommend his courses to anyone just getting into survival training or looking to hone their skills.

Justin Cottrell

Basic Survival Skills

This weekend we had our Core Survival Course. Matthew Tate with American Survival Co. and Integrated Survival Systems is our lead instructor and his passion for teaching shines through in each class. Not only do we teach survival but we enhance people’s ability to be self reliant and more confident in their skills and abilities. This class is great for people who want to come get a chance to evaluate what their skill level is currently and see where they can improve or just start the building process from scratch.

Eric Gunn

Core Survival

JG packed an incredible amount of survival knowledge and skill practice in the short span of one week. I wish I could have stayed longer because there was so much to learn. JG is a very good teacher for wilderness survival skills, especially for people who have experience and want to acquire advanced training.

Roy Han

Basic Survival Skills

The more you know about bushcraft and wilderness survival, the more you'll get out of these courses. I am an amateur. Unless you have served among the fringes of our elite military forces, you probably haven't been exposed to this sort of training. It's a skill set that builds individual confidence, pride, and is an opportunity to escape the digital confines of the modern world. Get back to nature and learn how the Earth provides us, in the most basic ways, everything we need to not only survive, but to thrive. Joel has an amazing background, amazing stories, an eagerness to teach, and a chiseled survivalist spirit that is proof that the older we get, the better we may become. I left the urban SERE course with a black and blue eye and a scar on my wrist from escaping restraints. I only say that because the more of yourself you put into the training, the better off you'll be when you leave. You can either step on the gas or tap the breaks. Joel is there for you and trust me, he has your back. And like me, you'll likely be back for more. Don't miss out.

Michael Scholl

SERE, Medicinal Plant Walk

It was everything i expected and more. Joel is a true kind-hearted, knowledgeable, American hero. He loves what he does and is passionate about survival and bushcraft. He has tons of knowledge in surviving, that is not limited to bushcraft. This includes hand to hand combat, weapons, hunting.. urban environment.. woods.. you get the point. His trainings are hands on and you will get a chance to work on everything you learn. Most survival concepts are not hard, the hard part is doing it.. and even more important remembering them when it counts. He knows this, and tries to increase your survival chances by having you go through the process. I would definitely go train with him again.

Jaime Lazcano

Survival Skills (5 Days)

Joel Graves is one of the most interesting and reputable guys I've had the pleasure of meeting. He is an overflowing wealth of survival knowledge and his lessons are always accompanied by hilarious stories. I learned a tremendous amount in my quick 5 days course and I hope to come back!

Daniel Gutierrez

Basic Survival Skills

I have taken several classes with Joel and all were outstanding. He was willing to go the extra step to make sure every participant accomplished what they were there to learn. Joel has the ability to adapt to every individuals learning curve. Thanks for the new skills.

Raymond

Fire, Water, Survival Fishing

I trained with Joel Graves last year in his survival basic class which was 5 days, and I loved it. Joel is very knowledgeable and experienced in the survival world. I learned even more than I thought I would I will definitely go to another one of his classes someday. On a scale of 1 to 10 I give him a 12.

Jimmy Fouts

Basic Survival Skills

Indescribable. Joel is a fellow veteran and excellent and knowledgeable instructor

Constantine Fotopoulos

SERE

Loved the environment. The size of the class was perfect -- 1 to 5 instructor to student. Joel was on point with his knowledge and instructions. I hope to take more classes with Joel in the future.

Check Morris

Basic Survival Skills