RANDALL'S ADVENTURE & TRAINING OFFERS HARDCORE LESSONS FOR ULTIMATE CHALLENGES.

Story and photos by Reuben Bolieu

The jungle is an environment that evokes adventure for the author. It’s the reason he first went to Peru on a Randall’s Adventure & Training jungle survival trip in 2007.

Randall’s Adventure & Training (RAT) has led countless expeditions and training courses across the United States. From military and law enforcement specialty teams to film crews supporting reality TV shows, RAT has trained the best of them. However, it all started in the Amazon jungles of Peru in 1997—the largest rain forest in the world—leading extended trips full of mystery and adventure.

RAT has since evolved into one of the top outdoor training schools in the United States. Its team is always testing new gear and techniques for the extremes of modern-day adventure. Randall's Adventure and Training and ESEE Knives are owned by Jeff Randall and Mike Perrin under the parent corporation TransEquatorial Solutions, Inc.

Bamboo for making arrows and atlatls are straightened over a fire before they’re useable. Green sticks can also be straightened in the same way.

The author teaches students how to make a swamp bed. Students will spend a fair number of nights in their swamp beds and need to make them correctly as soon as possible.

Author Reuben Bolieu (left) with lead instructor Patrick Rollins in Peru teaching a jungle survival class

Students break off into groups to make dip nets for catching fish or whatever will hold in the net. A series of girth hitches and overhand knots makes up the dip net.

RAT classes focus on wilderness survival, land navigation, bushcraft, firearms, wilderness first aid, tracking, recreational ropework and lightweight technical rescue, because these disciplines are their specialties.

RAT COURSES

The RAT website is easy to navigate. The training page clearly displays upcoming and future classes in chronological order, listing dates and prices. Selecting a class will give you one or more photos and often a video to help get a feel for the class. The date and price are at the top, and some classes have a dropdown feature listing future class dates, especially for regularly occurring classes.

Under the description, there will be release forms needed (if any) and a location with links. Following that will be a brief class description, gear list and contact information, with an email link to contact Patrick Rollins. Some classes offer a free class knife and certificate of completion. While most classes offer a certificate, not all offer a knife (but that information is under each class listing). Every class listing has a link for frequently asked questions ("FAQs")—which everyone should read.

All the RAT classes have something to offer, but two are standout classes in my opinion: Field Survival (which can be compared to the Jungle Survival class) and Advanced Bushcraft.