RAT Wilderness Ops Course--Review

Thanks for your awesome review. I hope to attend one of the RAT survival courses in the future and to meet Jeff and Mike...
 
Great write up. That improvised shelter is awesome. Bet it took some time to build. Wet conditions can be a PITA for firecraft. I found that out first hand at the advanced bushcraft class I attended this past weekend. Bics are great to have, but if your gonna rely on that alone, thats a huge crutch.

I really enjoyed your review of the class, and I hope to attend one in the future.

Its amazing to me how much you learn about your gear when you get out and use it. I see pics of all this new looking, clean, unused gear, and the owners of said gear handing out advise on what is the best for this....and the best for that.....makes me chuckle. If all people are gonna do is sit around the fire and cook food, dont hand out advise to those who want advise from those who have been in the dirt for REAL dirt time.

What was the weather like? Did anyone sleep in that awesome shelter?

Again, awesome write up bro.
 
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Awesome writeup. I enjoyed reading that very much. I would love to be able to attend one of these at some point in the future.
 
that shelter is a thing of beauty, and this is coming from a "city slicker."



one question though: does the course end with complimentary alabama bbq???
 
Cool article. Too bad it didn't get published. You're a good writer and it really deserved to be. :)
 
Thanks, guys. I appreciate all the kind words. (Thanks, Don. I've had articles in several magazines but this one was for a new one that has some goofy management. No worries, I just wanted everyone to know about Jeff's school.)

To everyone thinking about attending--you will really enjoy it. Especially if you've got one of those "Office Space" type jobs where "outdoors" is considered the smoking area on the dock. It really feels great to get away from that and work out in a visceral arena for awhile. Really clears the head. And you have the added benefit of being the coolest kid at work when you return with your stories.

It's the PERFECT environment to test your gear. Sure, you'll learn alot but you really put your limited survival gear to the test and find what you like and what you don't. Here's an example: if the ESEE 5 is your only knife, you may have to really spend some time with it to learn how to use it for fine cutting--like cleaning small fish, small chicken parts, etc. Sure, you can get it done in an emergency. Before the class, I thought the 6 was the best all around knife. I found out that I like the HEST the best because it handles all general bushcraft stuff just fine. I was also able to baton it through serious size saplings that I would have used the 6 to chop. Combine it with the lite machete for bushwacking or some of the other stuff and it's the perfect combo. FOR ME. You may find out something else.

One thing I learned--I prefer a knife that has a flat, squared edge on the spine so that part can be used on the fire-starter. I could not get the back of the HEST to throw sparks so I used the cutting edge. It really dulled it trying to light the wet tinder. I used a fellow student's Fallkniven (or however you spell it). The spine really grabs the rod and throws sparks, leaving the edge unharmed from that drill. Stuff like this you only discover in the field. (By the way, several guys had those F knives and they seemed to handle all the chores well. Maybe most of you are familiar with those knives, I was not. But, they seem to be simple, strong and functional.)

Anyway, you WILL get a chance to try out your nifty little pill capsule fishing kit, fire-starter of choice and all those little doodads that look like they will be so useful and life-saving.

This course is DEFINITELY more about skills that gear (as it should be) but you will also learn alot about your gear. Heck, most of us have too much redundant gear now. Sell some stuff and you've got your course fee taken care of.

I'll see ya outdoors!
 
Great article, these classes seem great every time I read about one.

You'll have to sand/file off the coating on the ESEE blades to get a spark going from the spine. I did that with my 3 where the jimping is and it works fine.:thumbup:
 
the fallkniven F1 is a great no nonsense knife, simple and efficient, great for camping and bush stuff, but the HEST is a hell of a lot more cooler, and still no nonsense great tool, for whatever need be.
one of the reasons that led me to buy the HEST , was your small review that you posted right after you finished the training reviewed here, so thanks for that to
I like how the HEST was designed with survival in mind, in all his details, from handle to blade, and still managed to look and feel like no other
i've said somewhere that it feels like a (mini)SRK , (if your familiar with the knife), but one that i can throw in my pocket, and count on it as it were the big one ; great knife this HEST, i love it
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in regards to fire making, i use the dedicated scrapper that came with my ferro rod
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Murph, thanks. I try to post at least one worthwhile idea for every 50 worthless, smart aleck ones.

jack, i prefer to use the striker on my fire rod as well (one of those swedish steel jobs).

But, for the course, I was using...er, RUNNING the RAT fire rod. I tried to do the course with just RAT/ESEE stuff just for fun. The fire rod is great since I have a compass and tinder inside it. I think I'll cut down one of those swedish steel strikers in half and keep that inside. Then, it will be perfect.

That F1 was the same knife people in the class had. It's a good one. But, I don't need to buy one, I've got my HEST. If I ever wear that one out, I'll get another one. :)
 
Nice writeup. I'm so close in proximity that if funds allowed I would definitely take that course. Maybe when I'm out of school.
 
Good review, I hope that you can soon check out the Peruvian course soon and provide feedback about the experience since it would be much easier for me to get there from Ecuador.
 
That was a GREAT write up of your adventure through the course! It was so thorough I really got a full grasp of what the course consists of and what y'all went through. I can't wait to get my knee all healed up so I can go through it myself. I'd really love for you to go through the Peruvian course so we could all see your write up on that one!!! Great job!
 
Looks like the Peruvian course is gonna book out this time. We have a pretty good group going down. Gonna be laid out a bit different this time. ;)
 
Oh, the party night in Tamshiyacu after the course is over with is worth the WHOLE trip! Just ask Joe Flowers. He almost lost a fiance and changed sexes on us after that night. We were really worried about him.
 
R.A.T. said:
Oh, the party night in Tamshiyacu after the course is over with is worth the WHOLE trip! Just ask Joe Flowers. He almost lost a fiance and changed sexes on us after that night. We were really worried about him.
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I was told that story. Its a good one, but its not my story, so I won't tell it.

I'm already saving for the Peru trip for 2012, I won't make enough up this year to go, but next year I will definetly be on the boat.:D:thumbup:

Moose
 
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