About
I have spent years teaching young people how to be comfortable in the wilderness and learn from it. It helps them build confidence, both in the field and with themselves and others.
I have worked in all seasons, all kinds of weather, with students who arrived uncertain and left capable. It is the kind of teaching in which changes take months and years. A classroom version of it simply does not exist.
The goal was never to produce survivalists. It was to produce people who felt genuinely at home in wild places.
I also carry an advanced background in the life sciences, which shapes how I think about everything from water filtration to plant identification. When I write about why something works, I mean the actual why, the kind that gets lost in most gear forums and beginner guides.
Tinder & Fern exists because most wilderness and survival content is written by people who have read about these skills rather than lived them. I wanted a place where the information is honest, the recommendations are genuinely tested, and the tone is calm. There is already enough fear in this space. What most people actually need is someone to say: this is straightforward, here is what matters, and here is how to start.
That is what this site is for.
If something here has been useful to you, I am glad. If you have a question the articles have not answered, the contact page is there.
- Years of hands-on wilderness instruction across all seasons
- Advanced background in the life sciences
- Primitive and modern skills, practiced and taught in the field
- Evidence-based approach to every skill and product recommendation
Field Notes, a few times a year
New articles, honest gear reviews, and the occasional thought from the field.