Wilderness skills, rope & knot training, and handcrafted gear from Jim Tubbs — built on a lifetime in the outdoors and three decades in public safety.
Hands-on instruction in wilderness skills, shelter, fire, and self-reliance — drawn from a lifetime outdoors and three decades in public safety.
Knot work, ridgelines, hauling systems, and rope rescue fundamentals. Jim has taught fire crews and bushcrafters for nearly two decades.
Fire craft, navigation, and limited-resource survival techniques — practical wisdom for the unexpected.
Hand-built balearic slings, fast-deploy ridgelines, bullwhips, knot stations, and rope spinners — made in the shop, built to last.
Jim Tubbs blends faith, wilderness skills, and practical wisdom to inspire others toward true self-reliance — sharing the art of bushcraft, survival, and stewardship of the land.
Jim Tubbs is a Retired Fire Chief of a Township Fire Department in West Central Michigan. He owns Sawhorse Stables Custom Woodcraft and works as an Armed Security officer. He has been in the public safety realm for nearly 30 years across law enforcement, corrections, security, fire fighting and EMS.
He's been teaching ropes and knots to the fire service for 14 years and to the survival/bushcraft community for 4 — bringing that hard-earned experience to anyone who wants to build their skills and increase their odds in a limited-resource scenario.
Birds, wind, and the slow rhythm of the woods — a reminder of why we head outside.
Crossing creeks, climbing ridges, and the small details you only see on foot.
Long evenings by the fire — the ideal time to practice knots and tend the coals.
When Life Doesn’t Match The Plan “Most of us had a picture in our minds of how life would go: where we’d live, what we’d do, how our family would look. And many of us are living something very different than what we pictured.” “Some feel stuck in a job they didn’t plan for. Some […]
On stewardship of the land, the discipline of skill-building, and finding stillness in the woods.
What 30 years of public safety taught me about staying calm, working ropes under pressure, and trusting your hands when it counts.
A bombproof tarp setup with 50 cents of cord beats a $200 system you can't tie. Here's why mastering knots is the highest-leverage skill in bushcraft.
Some items — like the bullwhip and balearic sling — are built to order. After your purchase I'll reach out to confirm specs, then build and ship it. Allow 4–6 weeks for custom builds.
Whether you're picking up a knot for the first time or training your fire crew, Jim's instruction, gear, and writing are here to help you grow.
Questions about training, custom rope work, or speaking engagements? Drop a note — Jim reads every message personally.
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