Last Updated: August 23rd, 2026

Welcome to The Verdant Compass Institute LLC (the "Site"). This website is owned and operated by The Verdant Compass Institute LLC ("we," "us," or "our").

By accessing our Site, purchasing our products, enrolling in our training courses, or subscribing to our membership service, you ("User," "Participant," or "Customer") agree to be bound by the following Terms of Service ("Terms"). Please read them carefully. If you do not agree to all of these Terms, do not use this Site or purchase our services.

1. Eligibility and Accounts

• Age Requirement: You must be at least 18 years old to purchase products, memberships, or book courses on this Site. Minors participating in youth camps or high school trips must have these Terms agreed to by a parent or legal guardian.

• Account Responsibility: If you create an account for a subscription membership, you are responsible for maintaining the confidentiality of your login credentials. You agree to accept responsibility for all activities that occur under your account.

2. Assumption of Risk & Inherent Wilderness Hazards

• Physical Training Risks: Our in-person training programs, including but not limited to wilderness survival, land navigation, tactical survival skills, tactical/security courses, and physical challenges, take place in rugged, unpredictable outdoor environments.

• Inherent Dangers: By booking a course, event, challenge, or trip, you acknowledge that these activities involve inherent risks of injury, illness, permanent disability, or death from environmental hazards, wildlife, physical exertion, and remote locations lacking immediate medical facilities.

• Standalone Waiver Requirement: Agreeing to these website Terms does not replace our mandatory, standalone Liability Waiver and Release Form. All in-person participants must sign our formal liability waiver prior to the start of any physical course, event, challenge, or trip. We reserve the right to refuse service without refund if a participant refuses to sign the required waivers.

• Physician Clearance: Some courses, programs, and multi-day expeditions require a signed physician’s clearance memorandum certifying the participant’s physical fitness to endure prolonged exertion, extreme weather, and high-stress scenarios. In such cases, if the participant does not provide a signed physician's clearance memorandum, enrollment will be revoked and participation in the course training will be denied.

3. Educational & Informational Disclaimer

• No Professional Advice: The curriculum, techniques, and skills demonstrated on our Site, subscription platform, social media channels, and podcast (including survival, medical/First Aid, security, and tracking skills) are for educational and informational purposes only.

• User Responsibility: Practicing these skills in the field carries risk. We are not responsible or liable for any injury, loss, or damage resulting from your independent practice, misuse, or reliance on the techniques taught in our digital content or training programs.

4. E-Commerce, Bookings, & Cancellations

• Product Availability: We reserve the right to limit the sales of our outdoor retail products or training courses to any person, geographic region, or jurisdiction.

• Billing and Accuracy: We utilize Squarespace and trusted third-party payment gateways (e.g., Square, PayPal) to securely process payments. You agree to provide current, complete, and accurate purchase and account information.

• Cancellation and Refund Policy:

  • Retail Products:

    • All official apparel is custom-printed and manufactured entirely on-demand as orders occur. Because we do not maintain a physical clothing warehouse, we cannot accept retail returns or exchanges for sizing errors, buyer's remorse, or mind-changes.

      • Sizing Verification: Please thoroughly review sizing on each product page before executing your checkout.

      • Damaged or Misprinted Items: If your apparel arrives damaged, structurally compromised, or features a clear printing defect, we will issue a replacement or full refund at zero cost to you. You must email a clear photograph of the defect along with your order number to contact@verdantcompass.com within 14 days of the delivery stamp.

    • Physical equipment, such as standalone navigation compasses, survival kits, and course gear pack add-ons, is eligible for return or exchange under strict operational guidelines.

      • Return Window: Gear items may be returned within 14 days of delivery or on-site trailhead hand-off.

      • Condition Parameter: Items must be completely unused, unopened, unsoiled, and retained inside their original, unaltered manufacturer packaging. Any gear that has been field-tested, marked with ink, or exposed to the elements cannot be accepted for return.

      • Return Shipping Logistics: The buyer is fully responsible for all return shipping costs. We highly recommend using a trackable shipping service, as we cannot clear refunds for packages lost in transit. Shipping fees from the original order are completely non-refundable.

  • Course, Event, Challenge, & Trip Bookings:

    • Training courses and challenges are to be paid in full at the time of booking, , unless registering for a course with enrollment requirement, in such cases, your credit card information will be securely filed until formal review of your prerequisite profile is conducted and registration approval is received, at which time your card will be billed.

    • Custom events, retreats, and trips require a non-refundable deposit of 25% to formally reserve dates.

    • Due to limited slot availability, bookings and registrations are non-refundable, but may be transferred to another individual(s) at no cost.

    • Rescheduling is permitted at no cost outside of 14 days prior to your booking. You can transfer your slot to any future course, trip, or event of equal or lesser value on our calendar.

    • We reserve the right to cancel or reschedule courses, events, challenges, and trips due to extreme weather, natural disasters, or safety hazards. In such events, participants will receive full credit toward a future course or a complete refund.

• Third-Party Fulfillment and Shipping:

  • Domestic Shipping Only: The Verdant Compass Institute LLC ships physical apparel and branded merchandise strictly to addresses within the United States.

  • Fulfillment Partners: All merchandise is produced, fulfilled, and shipped through third-party facilities via Printful.

  • Processing and Production Times: Items are printed to order. Production time typically takes 2-7 business days before shipping. Any delivery estimates shown at checkout include both production and transit times but are strictly estimates and not guarantees.

  • Incorrect Address Liability: Because orders are sent automatically to Printful, addresses cannot be changed after checkout. The buyer is entirely liable for any packages returned or lost due to an incorrectly entered address. You will be charged a reshipping fee if the item is returned to the fulfillment center.

• State and Local Sales Tax:

  • Automated Calculation: Sales tax is calculated automatically at checkout based on your destination zip code and state tax laws. This calculation accounts for state-specific rules where our fulfillment partner, Printful, holds a tax nexus.

  • Brick-and-Mortar Sales: If purchasing items directly at our physical facility or in-person at one of our programs, local municipal and state sales taxes apply instantly to the transaction.

5. Subscription Memberships & Recurring Billing

• Subscription Terms: By signing up for our subscription-based service, you authorize us to charge your provided payment method on a recurring basis (monthly or annually) at the then-current rate.

• Cancellation: You can cancel your subscription at any time through your Squarespace user account profile dashboard. Cancellations will take effect at the end of your current billing cycle; we do not offer prorated refunds for partial billing periods.

• Account Termination: We reserve the right to suspend or terminate your subscription and access to exclusive content immediately, without notice, for any conduct that violates these Terms or harms our online community.

6. Intellectual Property Rights

• Our Content: All content on this Site, including course curriculum materials, website layout, text, graphics, logos, videos, guides, and podcast audio, is the intellectual property of The Verdant Compass Institute LLC and is protected by copyright and trademark laws.

• Prohibited Distribution: You may not copy, reproduce, distribute, resell, or exploit any portion of our training materials, guides, field manuals, syllabi, instructional handouts, or digital content for commercial purposes without our express written permission.

• Proprietary Educational Framework: The Eight Disciplines, The Verdant Compass Institute Course Catalog, specific training modules, and our custom course coding/assignment conventions are the exclusive intellectual property of The Verdant Compass Institute LLC.

• Media & Recording Restrictions: Audio and video recording during lectures, practical field demonstrations, tactical scenarios, or other activities operated by The Verdant Compass Institute LLC is strictly forbidden. This protects the operational security of our specialized training and respects the privacy of other participants.

7. Media Release and Promotional Use

By participating in our in-person training courses, wilderness expeditions, corporate events, or challenges, you grant The Verdant Compass Institute LLC a perpetual, irrevocable, worldwide, royalty-free license to capture, edit, use, and publish your likeness, image, voice, and actions in any photographs, video recordings, or audio recordings taken during the event.

• Permitted Use: These media materials may be used for any legitimate promotional, marketing, or educational purpose, including but not limited to website content, social media platforms, YouTube, promotional emails, podcast marketing, and physical advertising materials.

• Waiver of Compensation: You waive any right to inspect or approve the finished marketing materials, and you acknowledge and agree that you will receive no financial compensation, royalties, or residuals for the use of your likeness.

• Revocation: If you do not wish to be photographed or recorded due to privacy or professional reasons, you must notify the lead instructor in writing prior to the start of the course or event. We will make reasonable operational efforts to accommodate your request.

8. Enforcement and Forfeiture of Fees

All participants in any training courses, wilderness expeditions, corporate events, programs, or challenges (collectively, “Programs”) are expected to strictly adhere to the Verdant Compass Institute’s Code of Conduct. Any violation of the Code of Conduct may result in:

• Immediate dismissal from the Program.

• Total forfeiture of all paid Program fees without a refund.

• A permanent ban from all future Programs hosted by The Verdant Compass Institute LLC.

9. Limitation of Liability

To the maximum extent permitted by law, The Verdant Compass Institute LLC, its directors, officers, employees, instructors, and affiliates shall not be liable for any direct, indirect, incidental, punitive, or consequential damages arising from your use of our website, reliance on our digital instruction, or your participation in our events.

10. Governing Law

These Terms and any separate agreements whereby we provide you services shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the State of Texas, without regard to its conflict of law principles.

11. Changes to Terms of Service

We reserve the right to update, change, or replace any part of these Terms at our discretion. Any modifications will be posted directly to this page with an updated "Last Updated" date. Your continued use of the website or our services following any changes constitutes acceptance of those updates.

12. Contact Information

Questions about the Terms of Service should be sent to us at:

• Business Name: The Verdant Compass Institute LLC

• Email: contact@verdantcompass.com

• Mailing Address: 1107 FM 1431 #277, Marble Falls, TX 78654