Videos with Thomas J. Elpel
Click on the titles above for details on each video!

      The written word is ideal for communicating the inner world of principles and theories, intangible feelings and perceptions, as well as facts, figures, and instructions. Video, on the other hand, is an ideal medium for demonstrating principles and theories as applied in the real world. While a book can convey hundreds of ideas as abstract concepts, a video can provide a quick overview or flesh out an idea in step-by-step action. As the saying goes, "One picture is worth a thousand words." And with thirty frames per second in standard video, it is possible to speak volumes with a lot of pictures and a little dialogue.

      The videos described on this page or listed on Thomas J. Elpel's YouTube Channel complement the text of his books. For example, while the text of Participating in Nature: Wilderness Survival and Primitive Living Skills is ideal for conveying the philosophical and technical aspects of wilderness living, the Art of Nothing Wilderness Survival Video Series shows in detail how specific skills are applied in the real world. The videos complement the book. The book complements the videos, and so it is with all of Tom's books and videos covering wilderness survival and sustainable living. From this one page you can link to all of our video projects spanning a variety of topics.

Also Available from HOPS Press, LLC
Stone Age Living Skills
Video Classics Series on DVD

      The Stone Age Living Skills Video Classic Series brings back to life on DVD some of the best primitive skills videos ever produced on VHS video. Our first three discs in this series feature seven great movies from four top instructors: Jim Riggs, Brian James, Robert Earthworm, and Melvin Beattie. Topics covered include: friction fire with the handdrill and bowdrill, plant fiber cordage, the primitive lifestyle, hide tanning with both wet-scrape and dry-scrape techniques, plus knapping arrowheads and making primitive arrows. Read More...

Disc One
Fire, Food, Cordage
Jim Riggs and Robert Earthworm.

• Friction Fire
• Plant Fiber Cordage
• Primitive Life Skills

Disc Two
Hide Tanning
Robert Earthworm and Melvin Beattie

• The Ancient Art of Tanning Buckskin
• Tanning Spirit

Disc Three
Arrows
Brian James

Classroom in the Woods
Primitive Skills for Public Schools
DVD with Thomas J. Elpel and the Harrison Junior High Kids

      Amid a growing awareness of the need to reconnect kids with nature, Classroom in the Woods vividly demonstrates the power and promise of hands-on, immersive experiences to put kids in touch with the real world. In this enlightening video, author and educator Thomas J. Elpel brings a class of junior high students out into the woods for three days and two nights of hands-on wilderness survival and primitive skills experience.

      Leaving textbooks behind, the kids revel at the opportunity for hands-on learning, as they build a shelter, forage for wild edible plants, make a bow and drill fire set, stalk and observe wildlife, and bake bread in a stone oven. The students create fire from wood, and then use that fire to shape bowls and spoons and cook their food. In the process, they learn about themselves building self-confidence, problem-solving skills, teamwork, and attunement to their surroundings. Read More...

The Art of Nothing
Wilderness Survival Video Series
Inspired by the article The Art of Nothing by Thomas J. Elpel.

See also Participating n Nature: Wilderness Survival and Primitive Living Skills

      Have you ever dreamed of walking out into the woods to survive with nothing but the clothes you have on? You are not alone. In a society that is disconnected from the natural world, many individuals find themselves wondering about what lay beyond the pavement. We know that our ancestors lived by their bare hands and wits alone, but how did they do it? How would you do it? What would it be like to be so connected with the natural world that you could just leave everything behind and walk away into the woods? It is easier than you might expect. In The Art of Nothing Wilderness Survival Video Series Thomas J. Elpel and his special guests take you camping in the real world and connect the dots, demonstrating all the skills to meet your basic needs of shelter, fire, water, and plant and animal foods.

Watch on-line clips from
The Art of Nothing Wilderness Survival Video Series

Slipform Stone Masonry Video
With Builder and Author Thomas J. Elpel

      Want to build a stone house? It's easier than you might think! Slipform Stone Masonry brings to life the nuts-and-bolts of the slipforming process featured in Tom's book Living Homes: Stone Masonry, Log, and Strawbale Construction.

      Slipforming is the process of using forms on both sides of the wall as a guide for the stonework. The forms are filled with stone and concrete, then "slipped" up the walls to form the subsequent levels. Slipforming makes stone work easy even for the novice.

      In this unique video, Thomas J. Elpel and Robert Taylor build an insulated workshop out of stone, demonstrating the building process from site excavation right through to putting the roof on and finishing the inside. Working through the month of June in Montana, they brave the rain and snow, gusting winds, searing heat and stunning rainbows to bring this project to fruition. Read More...

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