WayPoint Survival Newsletter –Tuesday Edition

Surviving Like It’s 1790

Imagine waking up in the year 1790. No electricity. No matches. No
grocery stores. No backup generators humming in the background. Just
you, the land, and whatever knowledge you brought with you.

For most people today, that scenario would be terrifying. But for the
men and women who lived during that time, it was just another Tuesday.

This week, I want to take you on a journey — not just through time, but
through mindset. Because what those early Americans knew about survival
wasn't primitive. It was practical, efficient, and in many cases, better
than what we rely on today.

Why Go Back in Time?

Survival isn’t always about having the latest gear or being the fastest
to adopt a new technology. Sometimes it’s about going back to the roots.
The farther you go back, the more you see what really matters.

In 1790, survival skills weren’t a hobby. They were woven into daily
life. People didn’t prep because something might go wrong. They lived
in a state of continuous preparation and they got by with less.

But less didn’t mean worse. It meant smarter.

The Haversack: A Portable Life System

Let’s start with what people carried. The haversack wasn’t just a bag.
It was a curated, lightweight survival system — designed for movement,
resilience, and multi-purpose use.

Inside a typical haversack you’d find a tin cup, a flint and steel fire
kit, char cloth, dried meat or hardtack, a small knife, maybe a ball of
twine, and some grease or fat. Everything in it earned its place. If it
couldn’t serve multiple purposes or stand up to repeated use, it didn’t
belong.

Compare that to today’s packs filled with tactical gadgets, glow sticks,
and one-trick tools. You start to understand just how refined the
1790s system really was.

Fire Without Fuss: Mastering the Flame

Modern lighters and ferro rods are great, but back then it was flint and
steel, sometimes even a burning lens or fire piston if you were lucky.
The magic wasn’t in the tool. It was in the skill.

They knew how to prepare dry tinder even in wet weather. They knew how
to find and use natural materials — fungus, cattails, birch bark — to
nurture a flame. And they practiced. Constantly.

Start a fire today using flint and steel. Not just once — but until it
becomes second nature. Because when modern tech fails, old knowledge
doesn’t.

Living Off the Land: The Silent Teachers

In the 1790s, the woods weren’t a mystery. They were a grocery store, a
shelter, a pharmacy, and a school. People read animal tracks like road
signs. They knew which plants to harvest and which ones to avoid.

There was no app for identifying mushrooms. No internet to check the
weather. Just observation. Memory. Experience.

Want to bring some of that back? Start learning one native edible plant
per week. Track the sun for direction. Watch how animals behave before
weather shifts. These are the same lessons nature gave out in 1790 — and
she’s still giving them for free today.

Mindset Over Materials

More than anything, what set the people of the 1790s apart was mindset.
They didn’t panic when things went wrong. They expected things to go
wrong — and built a life that could absorb setbacks.

Comfort wasn’t the goal. Capability was.

They were patient, deliberate, and endlessly inventive. They didn't
waste time blaming tools or waiting for ideal conditions. They worked
with what they had, where they were, with quiet grit.

That mindset still wins. Every time.

Practice From the Past

So what can you do this week to honor — and learn from — the 1790s way?

Here are a few options to put into practice:

• Build your own minimalist haversack with just 10 essential items.

• Learn and master flint and steel firestarting. Not just one spark —
  but a full, sustainable flame.

• Try cooking a simple one-pot trail meal using basic tools.

• Spend a night outside with only natural materials and your haversack.

Not for the thrill — but for the confidence that comes from knowing you
can.

Watch It In Action

If you haven’t yet, check out the full “1790 Survival Series” over on
the WayPoint Survival YouTube channel. You’ll see me walk through
real-world versions of everything we’ve talked about here:

There’s something grounding about simplicity. About reducing your gear,
refining your skills, and reconnecting with the land.

The 1790s may be long gone, but the lessons they left us are timeless.

Stay ready,
James Bender
WayPoint Survival

P.S. I really do think you would benefit from and enjoy the digital class. It comes with a downloadable workbook, lecture notes, and the complete single video training for you to review and refresh your skills with time and again.

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