Comments on The Survivalist Blog: Review: Rawles Gets You Ready Preparedness Course

M. D. I posted this on August 9th, 2008 "I sugge...

2010-02-13T18:24:38.196-05:00

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?"

I'm glad that I didn't buy this "book"! I can use ...

2010-02-11T16:33:58.800-05:00

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...

Boy, am I glad I read this! I've been expanding m...

2010-02-10T11:18:07.198-05:00

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!

I too am disappointed in the high price for this p...

2010-02-10T07:36:29.531-05:00

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.

Additional point please; Most of the comments on ...

2010-02-09T19:31:03.831-05:00

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

I have the course and greatly regret the purchase....

2010-02-09T19:12:36.529-05:00

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!

I read both of Rawles' books, visit his site almos...

2010-02-09T18:05:05.515-05:00

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.

I read somewhere that the course "Rawles Gets You ...

2010-02-09T17:36:17.775-05:00

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/

I want to expand on my comment above. The "book" ...

2010-02-09T14:18:46.006-05:00

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.

I am a frequent viewer of JWR's blog, and I found ...

2010-02-09T13:58:39.796-05:00

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.

Anonymous 1:26 PM I think Rawles appointed himself...

2010-02-09T13:47:39.214-05:00

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?

I'm glad I found this review. I'm very new to rea...

2010-02-09T13:40:33.949-05:00

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.

Who declared and appointed Rawles the father of su...

2010-02-09T13:26:55.185-05:00

Who declared and appointed Rawles the father of survivalism? I thought Kurt Saxon held that honor.

Anonymous 11:56 AM at $149 it is a rip off. Have y...

2010-02-09T13:24:17.297-05:00

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.

JWR's course book may or may not be a rip-off, tha...

2010-02-09T11:56:14.679-05:00

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.

Wow, I wonder what Mister Rawles will say when he ...

2010-02-09T10:29:25.362-05:00

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.

MD, Correction for your article - "... nothing ...

2010-02-09T10:02:14.005-05:00

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.

Thank you for the review. I personally liked Patri...

2010-02-08T22:46:44.991-05:00

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 7.62x39, 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.

I agree completely!!!!! I wish I had read this fir...

2010-02-08T21:07:44.326-05:00

I agree completely!!!!! I wish I had read this first. It is a rip off!!!!!

When I was a new prepper, I bought the "book" and ...

2010-02-08T20:05:28.703-05:00

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.

I also felt ripped off buying the book. Not worth ...

2010-02-08T19:55:28.543-05:00

I also felt ripped off buying the book. Not worth 1/8 the cost.

The "book" (as it is called) is a total rip-off. I...

2010-02-08T19:49:22.449-05:00

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.

Gotta say, I was very disappointed as well.. The f...

2010-02-08T18:02:37.555-05:00

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 :)

I've been doing some research, and the fact is tha...

2010-02-08T14:48:58.232-05:00

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.

Has anyone noticed that he writes very little of t...

2010-02-08T14:36:41.242-05:00

Has anyone noticed that he writes very little of the content found on his blog? Could explain the above average quality.