Introducing The MKC SURVIVAL GUIDE

With John Barklow

Introducing the MKC Survival Guide Series with John Barklow. John Barklow has dedicated his career to teaching special operations forces and rescue groups how to survive in the world’s toughest environments and the MKC Survival Guide series is going to cover survival skills in all sorts of situations and across multiple different topics.

With over 20 years of military experience, he’s transformed complex survival skills into practical, real-world knowledge that works when it matters most. Barklow understands that survival depends on proper training and understanding how integrated systems work together. His approach is straightforward: teach not just what works but why it works so people can adapt when conditions change.

A person in a green shirt using an MSR stove on a wooden surface, illustrating backcountry cooking gear.

Your Complete Backcountry Kitchen: Backcountry Cooking Gear That Won’t Fail You

Build a complete backcountry cooking system with essential gear configurations that prevent kitchen failures and maintain hunting performance in the field.
Man hiking through a snowy forest with a backpack, illustrating the importance of backpacking weight

Cut Backpacking Weight, Not Capability: A Hunter’s Guide

How much should your backpack weigh for a hunt? Learn proven strategies to reduce weight while maintaining safety and hunting capability.
Man gathers water in nature, highlighting camping hygiene essentials for outdoor cleanliness.

Camping Hygiene Mistakes That’ll Ruin Your Trip (And How to Avoid Them)

Master camping hygiene essentials and learn how to stay clean while camping with proven backcountry strategies that prevent trip-ending problems.
Man holding water bottle beside stream, highlighting hydration in backcountry food prep and nutrition planning.

Backcountry Food Prep: Build Your Hiking Nutrition Plan Before Hitting the Trail

Master backcountry food planning with field-tested strategies for hunting nutrition that maintain performance during exhausting backcountry conditions.
Person holding Alpine Ranch bison stroganoff pouch for article on hiking nutrition mistakes leading to emergencies.

Hiking Nutrition Mistakes That Turn Adventures Into Emergencies

Build effective backpacking nutrition strategies through crisis nutrition protocols that maintain performance and safety during backcountry travel.
Two hunters walk through a field at dawn or dusk, demonstrating the importance of hunting partners.

Why Hunting Partners Matter: Your Guide to Backcountry Success

Understand the importance of hunting partners and how to build successful partnerships that enhance backcountry safety and overall hunting success.
Man camps in snowy forest, blending survival skills and new tech.

Modern Survival Skills: Blending Old Wisdom With New Technology

Master modern survival techniques combining traditional wilderness skills with advanced gear for shelter, navigation, communication, and fire-starting.
Black-gloved hands hold a Garmin inReach, showing how to stay safe when tech fails in the backcountry.

No-Comms Plan: Your Backcountry Communication Strategy When Technology Fails

Master the essentials of backcountry communication planning — from field-based coordination to home-based safety strategies — when tech can’t be trusted.
Bear drinking from a stream in the wilderness — highlighting the importance of camping safety, bear defense tools, and wildlife awareness strategies.

How to Stay Safe From Bears While Camping: Defense Tools and Strategies

Learn how to stay safe from bears while camping with field-tested protocols for campsite selection, food management, and essential defensive tools.
Man in an MKC hat stands in the woods preparing to build a campfire in the harsh backcountry.

The Best Way to Start a Campfire in Harsh Backcountry Conditions

Master proven fire-building techniques for wind, rain, and cold. Learn how to start a campfire that won’t fail — even when your survival depends on it.
Man using a knife and firestarter to create sparks over kindling, showing how to start a fire in the backcountry.

How to Start a Fire in the Backcountry: Preparation Is Your Key to Success

Before striking that match, learn how to start a fire in the backcountry through proper preparation: shelter, wood collection, placement, and ground setup.
Hand holding a lit piece of bark with flames

Survival Fire Starter Tools That Work When Nothing Else Will

Prepare with three vital survival fire starter components, proper storage locations for quick access, and methods to test your system in the wilderness now.
A person lights cotton with a flame.

The Fire Triangle: How to Start a Fire in Harsh Backcountry Conditions

Learn the fire triangle and why mastering these 3 elements of fire in tough terrain is vital for backcountry survival, not just in fair weather conditions.
A man in wooded area, demonstrating shelter building with the overlay “Backcountry Shelter Selection: Your Guide to Different Types of Shelters for Survival.”

Backcountry Shelter Selection: Your Guide to Different Types of Shelters for Survival

Master backcountry shelter-building techniques to stay protected in extreme environments — because the right shelter choice can mean survival or disaster.
John Barklow building improvised shelter with tree branches in forest, with firewood and small campfire nearby.

Improvised Shelters: Your Guide to Different Types of Shelters for Survival

Learn vital improvised shelter-building skills for survival, from A-frames to snow trenches, and how to assess needs, conserve energy and signal rescuers.
John Barklow starting a small fire in a forest.

Take Advantage of Your Hunting Training Area

Learn how hunting training in each season’s unique conditions prepares you for field success when facing harsh weather, steep angles, and gear limits.
An outdoor scene showing John Barklow in dark clothing setting up an orange signal flag in a forest.

Primitive Survival Signaling: What to Use When Technology Fails

Learn why primitive survival signaling becomes critical when modern electronics fail in the backcountry and the three tools that could save your life here.
John Barklow in winter hunting gear with a hooded jacket sits inside an orange tent.

How to Stay Warm When Wet: The Rewarming Drill for Backcountry Survival

See how to stay warm when wet miles from help. A survival expert explains the rewarming drill that could save your life in freezing backcountry conditions.
Two men training in water, with a cow observing from the bank and text overlay reading “Seeking Discomfort In Your Training.”

Seeking Discomfort In Your Training

Break comfort patterns to prepare for mountains. Cold exposure, realistic field training, and seeking adversity build the mental fortitude needed for survival.
John Barklow in wilderness shelter under pine boughs with overlay text: "The Survival Mindset: Your Most Critical Backcountry Tool"

The Survival Mindset: Your Most Critical Backcountry Tool

Develop a powerful survival mindset, your most crucial wilderness tool. Learn to master panic control, practice active waiting, and build mental resilience.
A man dressed in hunting gear, surrounded by trees with the overlay “How to Build a Backcountry Medical Kit That Keeps You Hunting.”

How to Build a Backcountry Medical Kit That Keeps You Hunting

Prepare for backcountry emergencies with a lightweight medical kit designed for field injuries. Stay safe and keep hunting through proper training and gear.