From the Military to Bushcraft and Survival with Primal

From the west coast of Scotland, Matt grins when we ask what his favorite gear is. He knows his answer is not what you expect. But when you think about it, it makes sense.

"A nice tarpaulin," he says. 

Not a knife or a compass, but a tarpaulin. 

"I love being outside, you know," he says. "Being under cover when it's raining… it's quite nice. And having a nice hot drink," his smile broadens: "Or maybe a wee whisky in there."

Matt loves being outdoors, it shows. You might think it is bound to be when you live in Scotland, with its amazing scenery and wilderness. But in fact, even in Scotland the technology is holding people in its grasp. Luckily, more people want to get out of that grip.

As a young lad, Matt loved to be outside. And when he joined the military at the age of eighteen, he took expeditions all around the world. So when he left the army twenty-two years later, he wanted to continue that. And Primal Bushcraft & Survival was born, a company in which experts share their knowledge of bushcraft and survival skills. 

"It allows people to reconnect with each other and be closer to their ancestors," he says. "At the time, I just went to a country park. I was doing some cool activities and lessons for kids, families and youth groups and stuff."

With no experience in building a business, it must be a challenge to build up a company.

"Well," Matt says. "My background, the military, didn't teach you about entrepreneurship and building a business, so I had to learn all this as I went. But you just start off, you know, and as you grow you get more people to help you." He laughs and continues: "You grow kinda erroneous, but sustainable and you try not to burn yourself out."

He touches on a delicate issue there, because we live in a time where even people in their twenties get burned out. What keeps him going? 

"I love meeting new people and teaching them skills. It's all life skills isn't it? And today, a lot of kids don't go out as much as they should and there's too much technology." Matt sighs and probably thinks about his own childhood. No blue screens, but blue seas and greenery. 

"When you put kids in a forest and you see their imagination and creative skills come to life… you just see their confidence increasing. That's really nice."

But that's not the only thing that keeps him going. Primal has expert instructors (e.g. from the military Special Forces environment) that give you skills, knowledge and training. They provide courses on bushcraft survival, wilderness living, team building and more. And Matt enjoys the creativity of bringing courses together and doing those different courses. 

"Like putting people on an island on the west coast of Scotland. You're being in the elements and there is beautiful scenery. But for a lot of people, bushcraft survival is something they've never done before. So they're outside their comfort zone. And then afterwards they go away with the feeling like "You know what? I really enjoyed that because I've learned something". It's all experiential but it can be life changing for people, you know. They're like "Ah, I really want to start doing this", and then it becomes a hobby. And yeah, that's a nice takeaway."

Cooking outdoors (ok, with a little help of technology here ;-))

Teaching kids, getting people out of their comfort zone and offering different, and sometimes tailored, courses keeps Matt going. But there are also struggles, like in every business. 

"People," he says. "You can be very good at your subject, but you got to have it better, you know. People want a better story, a better crack, a better personality. You've got to keep it fresh, because otherwise you become a bit stale. It's about how you differentiate yourself. But yeah, I suppose that's the same for every business." 

The key for Primal is to utilize what's already on their doorstep. They have the west coast of Scotland which has some of the most beautiful scenery and some of the best sailing in the world. That just invites you to get out there and be closer to nature.

It's becoming clear that Matt is not only close to nature, but to people as well. When we ask him what has surprised him during his journey, he (after some hard thinking) replies with: "People". 

"People can surprise you. Sometimes you're like: should this person be on this course? But, people really step up and step out of their comfort zone. And they kinda push themselves, you know? And that's nice to see. It's good when you get surprises like that."

He thinks it will happen more often. There is a trend going on, where people realize that they are cooped up in buildings all the time. 

"Certainly in Scotland, there is a big push for skills in youth groups. And just getting younger generations outside, engaging with nature." Matt gets an amused look on his face when he continues. "Doctors here are actually prescribing it to people. They're prescribed to go for a walk in the forest. People need to disconnect from technology and get connected to nature."

Primal offers a variety of different courses

"There's also a big push for eco tourism and sustainability, and I think bushcraft and wilderness stuff has got a really good tie in it." And then Matt hits the nail right on his head: "People want authentic experiences, they want experiential learning. They want to do something that no one has ever done before, because the world gets smaller.. And people are like: "He has already done that.." It's all about experiences. Thirty years ago jumping on a plane was an experience but now it's a chore. You jump on a plane to commute to work and you're like: ugh. It's all about experience and life changing things. And you can't put a price on that. I think that's where it's kinda heading."

We circle back to gear, because tarpaulin is a good answer, but we wouldn't be Lamnia if we didn't ask about knives. He smiles and recites the old military saying: "Have a knife, save a life". He admits it's a bit cheesy, but aren't all good sayings?

Karesuando Galten Exclusive knife 3509"Having a knife and a means to make fire, means you got your means covered," Matt continues. "In the military they issue you with a multitool, which is not really mega practical for doing kinda wilderness living skills. So guys buy their own knives. And there are lots of good knives in the market. You're spoiled for choice."

When asked what kind of knife he prefers, he has to admit that he is more of a fixed blade kind of guy. 

"I like a Scandi grind or full tang, kinda standardized bushcraft knives. I've got a Karesuando, if I pronounce it right. And, you know, there is a whole myriad of different things with sheats and… ah…  I could just do a whole chat about knives to be honest."