Dave Canterbury
Dave Canterbury teaches bushcraft, woodcraft and outdoor self-reliance through his videos, the Pathfinder School and books including Bushcraft 101.
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Latest
Dave’s happenings, collected from public sources, plus his backstory and Starbook, where fans write.
Known for
Overview
- Born
- September 19, 1963 · Indianapolis, Indiana
- Work
- Bushcraft teacher, author and video creator
- School
- Founder and co-owner of the Pathfinder School in southeast Ohio
- TV breakout
- Dual Survival, seasons 1 and 2 (2010–2011)
- Books
- New York Times bestselling author of Bushcraft 101
Mini bio
How it started.
Before his teaching reached a wide audience, Dave served in the U.S. Army and worked at a reptile farm and as a commercial fisherman and diver in Florida. He began reaching the outdoor survival community through instructional videos on YouTube.
From videos to television.
An October 2009 interview on The Survival Podcast introduced him as a YouTube teacher with about 250 videos. He then co-starred with Cody Lundin in the first two seasons of Discovery’s Dual Survival, airing in 2010 and 2011.
Teaching in the woods.
Dave founded the Pathfinder School in southeast Ohio and co-owns Self Reliance Outfitters. His Pathfinder System grew out of thinking, while working as a hunting guide, about what people would need if they became lost or stranded.
Putting it on the page.
Bushcraft 101, published in 2014, became a New York Times bestseller in Sports and Travel. It organizes wilderness basics around his five Cs of survivability: cutting tools, covering, combustion devices, containers and cordages. Advanced Bushcraft followed in 2015, and he co-wrote Bushcraft First Aid with Jason A. Hunt in 2017.
Creditschronological, newest first
Books
- 2024The Bushcraft 101 Field LogAuthor
- 2017Bushcraft First AidCo-author with Jason A. Hunt
- 2015Advanced BushcraftAuthor
- 2014Bushcraft 101Author
Television
- 2010–2011Dual SurvivalCo-star, seasons 1 and 2, alongside Cody Lundin
Quotes
Repetition is the key to owning a skill.Dave Canterbury, quoted by Self Reliance Outfitters
In a profile about his work and teaching, Dave explains why practicing a skill repeatedly matters.
Trivia
- He worked at a reptile farm before becoming widely known as a survival teacher.
- His Pathfinder School teaches students outdoors in Jackson, Ohio.
- He told GearJunkie that he enjoys traditional heavy canvas, oilcloth and cooking over open fires.
Find Dave
Follow Dave for bushcraft lessons, camp cooking and Pathfinder updates.
Are you Dave Canterbury?
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