Tom Brown Jr Survival classes?

I've always wondered about this survival school as well and would love to hear from someone who has attended the 7-day course.

Do they still hold a class in the Santa Cruz mountains here in CA?
 
Yah, I've seen the "Dirt Time" classes in southern Nevada, near LV, California and even up here in Washington. Class costs are between $200 and $900, and there's a lot. I've been looking into them, maybe save up and take them as I get money, but I'd really like to hear from someone that has taken one or two.
 
Personally, I wouldn't go to his classes for free. Buyer beware.
http://www.trackertrail.com/tombrown/controversies/index.html

It seems that many of the negative experiences from past students of his classes and other citations of fraudulent claims etc. have been removed from the site, perhaps because of legal threats. The bottom line is, I think there are much better WSS schools with instructors who can back up their experience out there for the same or less money.
 
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While I think Tom Brown is a very talented individual, my impression is he is more interested in acolytes than students.
 
I have gone to five of his courses in the past ten years. His involvement is less and less in the survival end, more and more in the "Spiritual" end. The courses themselves are well designed, but the instructors have become more and more arrogant over the years. The courses are close enough to the books that the books can be used as notes, or you can footnote the borders. Some people get upset about the "spiritual" influence , others seem to see it as a break from the more practical classes, and still others see it usefull as an alternative viewpoint.

Many of the instructors have broken off and sponsored their own schools and workshops, so if you do not want the same lessons, you might check into the back grounds of other instructors in other schools.
 
The guy has something of a bad rep in the primitive skills circles. The how-to books he's written are very poorly done if you're looking to learn a skill, literally no better than a early boy scout handbook or the like. More trouble than not.

Were it I, I'd look into attending the Rabbitstick Rendezvous or something similar. You can meet a lot of instructors and see a lot of crafts in one spot, and it's well worth the money to attend just once in your life.
 
I enjoyed the Tracker School classes... the price is right inline with most. To me, they were worth every penny. I think you should focus on reviews (good or bad) from people who have ACTUALLY ATTENDED the classes and decide for yourself. I find too many folks tend to jump on the "let's hate Tom" bandwagon without a single shred of personal experience to back it up.


More threads on TBJ.

http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=591864&highlight=tom+brown+classes
http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=505821&highlight=tom+brown+classes
http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=489673&highlight=tom+brown+classes
http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=408654&highlight=tom+brown+classes
http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=418431&highlight=tom+brown+classes
http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=463330&highlight=tom+brown+classes
 
I attended the Standard class in 2005 and the Advanced Tracking class in 2006.

I enjoyed the Standard class. A lot of information taught in a classroom setting. There were 12 to 16 hour days sometimes. All those hours was spent covering various concepts. No time was wasted. Billy OConnell taught the majority of the classes and did a great job. He has his own school now. There were three other insructors that assisted teaching as well. They were great too.

I did not find the Advanced Tracking class all that useful. Much of the information was basic or too spiritual for me.

Good and Bad:

Bad- TBJ made cameos in the Standard course. Media interviews he comes across as a soft spoken man. At the course he behaved like a drill sergeant. He ignored everyone. He walked right in to give his 1-2 hour lecture then left. He does not take questions. TBJ was more involved in the Advanced Tracking class. But again he only lectures. We were discouraged from asking him questions from the other instructors. Some of the concepts are too out there for me.

Good- Even with all the bashing I have to admit it was TBJ that got me started on my pursuit of self reliance training. The Standard course gave me a lot of useful information. It is were I experienced the bow drill and was introduced to the concepts of tracking (Billy OConnell taught the tracking class). I met a lot of good people at the classes.

If you are looking for a spiritual aspect to attach to your self reliance training then maybe TBJ is for you. If you are looking for a more practical approach then I would suggest looking elsewhere. Even though I started out there and had a good time I have come to the conclusion that TBJ is not for me.
 
heresay1 said:
I attended the Standard class in 2005 and the Advanced Tracking class in 2006.

I enjoyed the Standard class. A lot of information taught in a classroom setting. There were 12 to 16 hour days sometimes. All those hours was spent covering various concepts. No time was wasted. Billy OConnell taught the majority of the classes and did a great job. He has his own school now. There were three other insructors that assisted teaching as well. They were great too.

I did not find the Advanced Tracking class all that useful. Much of the information was basic or too spiritual for me.

Good and Bad:

Bad- TBJ made cameos in the Standard course. Media interviews he comes across as a soft spoken man. At the course he behaved like a drill sergeant. He ignored everyone. He walked right in to give his 1-2 hour lecture then left. He does not take questions. TBJ was more involved in the Advanced Tracking class. But again he only lectures. We were discouraged from asking him questions from the other instructors. Some of the concepts are too out there for me.

Good- Even with all the bashing I have to admit it was TBJ that got me started on my pursuit of self reliance training. The Standard course gave me a lot of useful information. It is were I experienced the bow drill and was introduced to the concepts of tracking (Billy OConnell taught the tracking class). I met a lot of good people at the classes.

If you are looking for a spiritual aspect to attach to your self reliance training then maybe TBJ is for you. If you are looking for a more practical approach then I would suggest looking elsewhere. Even though I started out there and had a good time I have come to the conclusion that TBJ is not for me.
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Sure, but that's just hearsay. :rolleyes:

Doc :D
 
Seems to me as though he took his que from Carlos Castenada, who made up a fiction about learning native ways from an Indian shaman called Don Juan. Tom Brown's Stalking Horse is a fabrication passed off as real. Why waste your time and money learning from someone like that when there are many honest and highly skilled teachers out there?
 
Ridge Walker said:
Seems to me as though he took his que from Carlos Castenada, who made up a fiction about learning native ways from an Indian shaman called Don Juan. Tom Brown's Stalking Horse is a fabrication passed off as real. Why waste your time and money learning from someone like that when there are many honest and highly skilled teachers out there?
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I didn't realized there was any proof out regarding that, Ridge Walker ... I would be interested in reading it. So far, everything regarding that has been totally arbitrary slander and theories. I am not telling you you are wrong... because the jury is still out... but it seems to me you have drawn your own conclusion and are trying to pass it off as a truth.

"Bear Grylls stayed in hotels..."
"WWE is not real wrestling..."
"Tiger Woods screwed around on his hot wife..."

These have all come to light and are undeniable truths.

"Tom Brown Jr. is a fraud..."

Not so much.
 
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I really like Tom Brown's writing. It shows a passion for the spiritual side of nature, as well as plenty of functional knowledge. I'll read more when I get the chance. As far as wasting money on books, give the library a shot. Getting a library card has saved me hundreds of dollars on books and movies. :)
 
pitdog said:
I found them quite inspiring and couldn't wait to get some dirt time in each time I looked at them !
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I agree. I have the complete series of field guides and learned something from each of them. In fact, I would say that his writings were pivotal in forming my view not only of nature, but the world at large. I fear however, that TB has fallen into "the same old trap" he warns of, believing his own hype and chasing the mighty greenback, abandoning the principles he espouses along the way. That, in no way diminishes the value of his earlier work.
 
Rick Marchand said:
I didn't realized there was any proof out regarding that, Ridge Walker ... I would be interested in reading it. So far, everything regarding that has been totally arbitrary slander and theories. I am not telling you you are wrong... because the jury is still out... but it seems to me you have drawn your own conclusion and are trying to pass it off as a truth.

"Bear Grylls stayed in hotels..."
"WWE is not real wrestling..."
"Tiger Woods screwed around on his hot wife..."

These have all come to light and are undeniable truths.

"Tom Brown Jr. is a fraud..."

Not so much.
Click to expand...

You seem to not be able to,( for whatever personal reasons) give any weight to the negative evidence against Tom Brown's claims, such as the fact that the Apache teacher he claims to have been taught by is unknown to the Apache community.
The name stalking wolf is not an Apache name, Apaches dont have vision quests, yet Brown claims to have been initiated by stalking wolf through vision quests. How bout this evidence? Dont you put any weight on it? How do you prove a negative? By looking at the supporting evidence and when it crumbles the central assertion crumbles as well. Put your investments in him to one side and look at it rationaly.
 
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