Review: Rawles Gets You Ready Preparedness Course
Before we start, I would like to thank Paul for donating his copy of the “Rawles Gets You Ready Preparedness Course” – now if I could get more readers to donate books and other related preparedness products for review I’d be set.
I admit being a little surprised when I opened the package. I was surprised that the “book” was nothing but 200 plus pages of 20 lb 8.5×11 copy paper printed on one side.
At first I thought Paul had simply sent a copy of the book, which would have been fine with me – but after doing more research, I quickly realized that this is the configuration as shipped from the publisher.
One thing is certain; The Rawles Gets You Ready Preparedness Course, isn’t short on wasted space or paper. By printing on b
With proper editing and formatting the 200 or so pages, of The Rawles Gets You Ready Preparedness Course could easily be reduced to less than 100.
To be honest if I had paid the asking price of $149.95, plus $12 shipping for this “course” I would have felt violated, ripped off and lied to.
As for the quality and usefulness of the information, I didn’t see anything dangerous or out of line, but I didn’t see anything extraordinary either. Just an overblown shopping list for a trip to Costco with tidbits of information that can easily be found for free on the web.
Don’t get me wrong Rawles has some good information on his web site and his other book “How To Survive The End Of The World As We Know It” at $11.47 is much better.
My advice is, stay clear of The Rawles Gets You Ready Preparedness Course – if you’re a Rawles groupie, I suggest his other book instead.
Have you read The Rawles Gets You Ready Preparedness Course? What did you think? Was it worth the asking price?
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February 8th, 2010 at 4:10 PM
It was OK for the completely green Urban beginner. There are better books on the market for the real prepper and/or homesteader. I agree, "How to survive the end of the world as we know it" was better.
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February 8th, 2010 at 4:44 PM
Do people really pay that much for a book of information that is free on the internet?
I would have a hard time paying that much for a gold plated antique book.
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February 8th, 2010 at 5:12 PM
shh! he knows where your bug-out bag is!
I have not seen the Course, but ill guess that all of the info contained in it could be gathered off the internets or from you grandma. Which raises an interesting question: Rawles has devised an effective strategy to prepare for The End- get you to pay for it. Good for him. I am sure he has a genuine desire to help people survive what may come. I would be more confident in the resilience (and economy!)of an individual who could dig out useful information wherever it may be had, learn skills through hands on trial, and expend real effort in learning to survive during and after an event, than one who simply tucked $150 dollars worth of copy paper under a SuperPail and went back to the couch.
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February 8th, 2010 at 5:16 PM
I think you are spot on in your assessment. His website is a veritable trove of useful information and worth incredibly more than his course.
I was greatly disappointed.
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February 8th, 2010 at 6:24 PM
yes the course was grossly overpriced/underdone even at the discount price of 89.95, i ordered it a few days before a deployment to Iraq when it first came out, figured it would be useful for the rest of the family if shtf or a slow slide and they had time to look over it. best of the blog or his new book woulda been better, bought all his books until i got back from deployment and saw this one.
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February 8th, 2010 at 6:43 PM
Lets see. $149 X 100 copies sold =$14,900! 500 copies $74,000! 1000 copies $149,000! I wounder how many of these courses he sales per year?
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February 8th, 2010 at 6:52 PM
It's definitely a waste of money. I was terribly disappointed at not just the poor value of the "book", but the reduction, in my estimation, of JWR's credibility. I wanted to see what a credible reviewer would say about it. Thank you for your unbiased review. I want to commend you for that–flattering JWR would most certainly increase your income because he'd likely provide links to your site. The fact you didn't speaks volumes about your integrity!
I think most people agree Rawles' website is a fantastic resource for preppers. He does an outstanding job in assisting people to prepare for troubles. He's no doubt helped tens of thousands of people. His horribly poor book might be considered as simply a reminder that no one should be trusted 100%. We need to maintain a balanced skepticism about all the information we receive.
Thanks again for an honest review. I'll keep reading your blog!
–Paul from Texas
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February 8th, 2010 at 7:22 PM
MD;
A spot-on review and I did(do)feel ripped off for buying the course. It permanently changed my view of JWR and his work. Though I still read and appreciate his blog, insight, work ethic and writings, I do so with a jaundiced eye toward any possible hidden marketing agenda. There was a time when, if JWR mentioned a product I took his word as gospel and made a purchase or attended a course. Now I no longer accept the endorsements or his advertisers at face-value. I guess that lesson was worth the $149 spent for "the course". Otherwise, what a HUGE waste of money.
On the upside..that pissed me off so badly I went blog-hunting and found yours!
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February 8th, 2010 at 7:36 PM
Has anyone noticed that he writes very little of the content found on his blog? Could explain the above average quality.
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February 8th, 2010 at 7:48 PM
I've been doing some research, and the fact is that JWR has, at least in Patroits, simply dramatized some of the material from old publications by Kurt Saxon. Also, JWR can't write a lick. I offered to edit his newest book for a copy of the Survival Course, but alas, no reply.
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February 8th, 2010 at 11:02 PM
Gotta say, I was very disappointed as well.. The fact I also got it at discount still did not help. The 3-ring binder style screams "cheap!" …you would think for that much money it would at least have been standard bound, but then it would have been all of about 50 pages long…
I still grab a look at his blog each day, but don't spend too much time there… some of the topics are esoteric or beyond the abilities of the average guy that they shouldn't even be mentioned… or impractical unless you have lots of money… makes me think they are becomeing a wee bit elitest.
Anyway, back to the review… Yes, I was highly disappointed as well..there was all the hype about how "this book can stop you from making the one mistake that will cost you dearly"… the only thing I could find that it might have been relating to was simple things… "check expiration dates when buying bulk" – "that stuff has oil in it and will go rancid before you use it" – the usual you will hear from almost any decent source. Other than that, nothing new… though he does like his lists and lists of lists :)
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February 9th, 2010 at 12:49 AM
The "book" (as it is called) is a total rip-off. It is just a Costco shopping list. You can find much better (and free) long term food storage information, as well as a plethora of other survical information , in the FREE downloadable/printable "LDS Preparedness Manual" in .pdf format found at:www.abysmal.com/LDS/Preparedness/Preparedness.pdf
The more I read from Rawles versus from other (and much more informed/researched)sources, I am having my doubts that Rawles is "The Guru" of preppers. Seems like his many "links" in his books may be providing him some royaltys? I am impressed with his two books, but his "I am the expert" attitude does not really impress me.
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February 9th, 2010 at 12:55 AM
I also felt ripped off buying the book. Not worth 1/8 the cost.
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February 9th, 2010 at 1:05 AM
When I was a new prepper, I bought the "book" and felt exactly like you described: ripped off and deceived. Why? Because I'd bought a close to worthless piece of junk for an exorbitant sum from a man who makes a big deal out of being a Christian, yet had not qualms about ripping off his fellow man. He should be ashamed of himself, but I suspect he's not.
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February 9th, 2010 at 2:07 AM
I agree completely!!!!! I wish I had read this first. It is a rip off!!!!!
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February 9th, 2010 at 3:46 AM
Thank you for the review. I personally liked Patriots very much (but not the TEOTWAWKI how-to book, which was mostly common sense or available for free online, though at the price it's going for he's not making much on it), and JWR's website is a good resource, but it's primarily written by guests, not him. His gun recommendations are usually impractical (.45 and .308, etc.) and almost never include 9mm Luger or 7.62×39, some of he most popular calibers in America. His definition of "hoarding" is also a bit odd. I like his ethical approach to prepping, but it's sometimes taken to absurd extremes lacking commons sense. He is helping those who want to prepare, and he has made some very accurate economic predictions, but Rawles is no survivalist Guru.
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February 9th, 2010 at 3:02 PM
MD,
Correction for your article -
"… nothing but 200 plus pages of 20 bound 8.5×11 copy paper …"
In this context it should be 20 "pound" (not bound) which refers to the weight & thickness of the paper.
Rawles is a clear example of someone taking advantage of a situation.
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February 9th, 2010 at 3:29 PM
Wow, I wonder what Mister Rawles will say when he reads all these honest comments. Methinks his head has gotten a bit big for his shoulders. And all of the blog readers to his "survival blog" fawning over his every word, don't even realize that he merely cuts and pastes what his readers email into him. Hardly an original thought there! Mister Rawles opinion of how to survive the end of the world as we know it, is to rev up fear and scare people sufficiently enough until they are like sheep begging to be "led". Then pitch products to help "save" them. If anyone here listens to Alex Jones, he is the master of scare-tactic marketing. Excuse me, it's lunch time and I need to crack open a can of canned beef, make some powdered cheese sauce and cook some stroganoff in my solar cooker out back. Even if the world doesn't end today, at least I can eat well. LOL. Keep on keeping on, Creekmore. We value your honest and unbiased advice. You are the voice of the everyman NOT the yuppie greedy survivalist.
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February 9th, 2010 at 4:56 PM
JWR's course book may or may not be a rip-off, that is your opinion. It may be fine for a lazy person just starting out. I personally prefer manuals in loose bound; they sit flat on a bench, unlike bound books that won't when I am trying to read and repair something. He does maintain his website and archives free for all of us. Other people may or may not write most of his content, but he does edit and compile it in one place, available to us for free. Most of us can't afford 40 acres of wooded land in ID, or a private plane, but the brainstorming of ideas in using those also apply to the guy living in a trailer with a 15 year old Blazer. Lighten up on JWR. I am glad I can freely read from buth his blog and this blog and learn twice as much.
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February 9th, 2010 at 6:24 PM
Anonymous 11:56 AM at $149 it is a rip off. Have you read it? Other people do write 99% of his blog content. Have you read his blog?
All he JWR writes is his daily Note from JWR "Today we present two entries for Round 000 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest." And that is copied from day to day and resposted.
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February 9th, 2010 at 6:26 PM
Who declared and appointed Rawles the father of survivalism? I thought Kurt Saxon held that honor.
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February 9th, 2010 at 6:40 PM
I'm glad I found this review. I'm very new to reading about survival and was somewhat interested in this "course" but was really struggling with both the price and the fact that he stresses charity so much on the blog but doesn't appear to practice it. It is not very charitable to charge people $150 for information that's readily available online. Honestly, the fact he stresses his Christianity and need to be charitable and then charges so much for this information turns me off to his site in general.
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February 9th, 2010 at 6:47 PM
Anonymous 1:26 PM I think Rawles appointed himself the father of survivalism he has a big ego that way. Don't know how he manages to fit his head through the doorway?
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February 9th, 2010 at 6:58 PM
I am a frequent viewer of JWR's blog, and I found it interesting that this is the first negative commentary about anything of his I have heard. I'm glad I read it, because I have his other two books and was saving up for the readiness course, but I was expecting the same quality of book. Thanks you saved me $150.
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February 9th, 2010 at 7:18 PM
I want to expand on my comment above.
The "book" reviewed by M.D. in this post is unequivocally a rip off, and I stand by my comment that Rawles should be ashamed of himself.
But – I enjoyed his other two published books, and I enjoy his blog, but I take everything I read with a grain of salt. IT is a great resource for preppers.
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February 9th, 2010 at 10:36 PM
I read somewhere that the course "Rawles Gets You Ready" is actually a joint venture with another company and that they are just using his name and some of his material in the book. Can anyone else shed light on this?
On another note you will be interested to know that THIS very article from MD Creekmore is now number 6 in a google search for "rawles gets you ready".
Here are some more enlightening comments. Mr Creekmore is absolutely correct and I applaud him for his honesty and NOT bowing down to economic pressures.
http://www.doomers.us/forum2/index.php?topic=29741.0;wap2
http://thisbluemarble.com/showthread.php?t=3968
http://www.glocktalk.com/forums/showthread.php?t=978240
http://selousscouts.blogspot.com/2008/08/security-preps.html (see comments area)
http://everydayprepper.com/2009/04/01/book-review-rawles-gets-you-ready/
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February 9th, 2010 at 11:05 PM
I read both of Rawles' books, visit his site almost daily, and bought the "Rawles gets you ready" 'course'.
I was very disappointed. The loose leaf binder contains a conversation as he and a friend would walk through Costco to purchase food. There is little on other topics, although a small amount is there.
A previous poster here was correct in comparison – the LDS manual is much better.
The survivalblog does have loads of info, but I am suspect of all the links and referrals in his books. If he is getting something other than advertising, it would be right to say so. And if he isn't, that would also be correct to state to his customers.
Overall he does a good job, but there are others who may or may not be better – depending upon the subject matter.
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February 10th, 2010 at 12:12 AM
I have the course and greatly regret the purchase. Bottom line? It is worth perhaps $20 and then even if you are only brand new to prepping.
To add insult to injury, once the $150 notebook arrives and is opened, you will be delighted to find a "coupon" offering others the course for $89.95. So, presumably, you buy the course for $150 and give the coupon to friend who then also gets ripped off, but at a cheaper rate than you. Yeah, that's a good plan.
Anon 5:36; The name of the other company is Argbogast Publishing LLC. On the first page of the binder, Jake Stafford (the owner?) asks for feedback. Perhaps someone should send him a link to this GREAT discussion. The address is: feedback@readyfor the worst.com Wait, I can do that myself!
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February 10th, 2010 at 12:31 AM
Additional point please; Most of the comments on this page are not about JWR as a man. And, the comments that are personal attacks are not condoned by most writers here.
Instead, the comments in this discussion are about a specific work-product and (in some cases) a marketing technique or brand that is not up to expected standards. Ultimately, that is what Survival Blog has become…a highly visible brand from which we, as a community, expect much. That expectation arises from the quality of JWRs past work and is a testament to same.
If one expects a product to meet a certain standard as advertised and it fails that test, most of us vote with our feet or postpone future purchases from that vendor until we see product reviews. So, when it's all said and done, healthy, honest product reviews such as the one offered here by MD and his unbiased readers are good for JWR and good for the preparedness community
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February 10th, 2010 at 12:36 PM
I too am disappointed in the high price for this product. It is my first purchase from Mr. Rawles. The editing is, to put it mildly – not good. The book is filled with grammatical errors and the information is readily available from other sources for free. I have learned a lot from the blog, but am skeptical about buying any more of his products or those of his advertisers.
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February 10th, 2010 at 4:18 PM
Boy, am I glad I read this! I've been expanding my survival library and this is one thing I will avoid. BTW, in my opinion, the only reason Patriots gets good reviews is because it's the best fiction novel on this subject compared to the few others. In fact, I think it is a smug, egotistical portrayal of his personal survival fantasy. It was mildly entertaining, but then so is the Farmers Almanac!
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February 11th, 2010 at 9:33 PM
I'm glad that I didn't buy this "book"! I can use the space that it would have taken in my "bug-out plane" for more gas…
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February 13th, 2010 at 11:24 PM
M. D.
I posted this on August 9th, 2008
"I suggest you don't purchase "Rawles Gets You Ready" offered by Arbogast Publishing LLC and advertised on Survival Blog.
I say this for a few reasons.
First, the cost. I bought a copy for $80. Now, the manual is $150. That is expensive, very expensive.
For about $150 you could buy:
Making the Best of Basics: Family Preparedness Handbook by James Talmage
The New Passport to Survival: 12 Steps to Self-Sufficient Living by Rita Bingham
Cooking With Home Storage by Vicki Tate and Peggy Layton
Country Beans by Rita Bingham
Nuclear War Survival Skill, 1987 edition by Cresson H. Keary
Additionally, there is free survival information on the web.
Captain Dave's Survival Guide, I highly recommend it!
http://www.captaindaves.com/guide/
Nuclear War Survival Skills
http://www.ki4u.com/webpal/d_resources/survival/books/books.htm
American Red Cross Publications
http://www.redcross.org/pubs/dspubs/genprep.html
United States Army Publications
https://rdl.train.army.mil/soldierPortal/soldier.portal
click on "Official Departmental Publications" to get to the manuals than
click on submit to get all of the stuff. Over 80 web pages of military information.
Second, I felt the manual was lacking in How-To information. How-To information that is easily found on the internet.
Now don't get me wrong, I think "Rawles Gets You Ready" sucks. It is a waste of money; however, Survival Blog is a great site. James Rawles and lots of other people providing free information for you to use; what more could you ask for?"
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March 11th, 2010 at 3:26 PM
Scam book
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May 24th, 2010 at 6:38 AM
Thanks for having the guts to give a negative review about a JWR product.
Also, i think the above commenter is correct that this is a case of marketing a product with his name by a third party.
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June 19th, 2010 at 12:38 PM
Funny how most people here simply don’t ‘get it’. Why would Jim send a loose ream of printed paper? Did it ever occur to you that he intentionally did NOT bind it into a book, in order for others to easily copy and distribute to friends and family?
Furthermore, is it possible that he (much like I) is simply an old school guy who does not have the skills of a seasoned writer?
As for the content, YES it appears to be run of the mill to us long time preppers, so we pick it apart as if to say “that was stupid, everybody KNOWS that”.
If you stop to consider that 85% of the people that actually buy it, WOULD NOT buy it if they were confident in their very own judgment, wisdom and experience.
Picture the single mom of two, who’s deadbeat wanna be husband is locked up for involuntary manslaughter, and mom is concerned for her child’s future. She barely makes ends meet, thus realizing that every penny spent towards her family’s survival, HAS to be spent wisely.
Anyway, just my two cents.
Stay safe,
Just a dad, and the last of the baby boomer generation…………..
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