I just finished the Level 1 Basic course at Texas Survival School. I can't say enough about how great the experience was!
For starters, the location is excellent. It has plenty of wooded area around the camp with a lot of natural resources to use in your training as well as a creek to use for a water source. (Don't worry, they provide plenty of drinking water for the first levels, but the creek allows you the opportunity to retrieve and boil for practice.)
Next, the instructors are AWESOME. They all have good interpersonal skills and are very knowledgeable in the many subjects useful in a survival situation. They practice solid teaching methods and are patient while you practice the skills in each section of the curriculum. A professional, friendly and laid back atmosphere can be expected. Thanks Eric, Ray, Randy and Caleb!!
Lastly, the course itself was perfect in my opinion. I may be skewed a bit since I was in an unusually small class. Consequently, we had a lot of one-on-one attention. However, I don't think a larger class would change much since the school is set up to accommodate that. If you are not used to taking in a lot of information in a short span I would recommend you spend some time before you go to familiarize yourself with some of the terms and topics via books, YouTube, etc. This will maximize your experience and shift the focus more to practice instead of learning new stuff from ground zero. For example, if you don't know what a ferrocerium (ferro) rod is, look it up. If you have never taken a first aid class before watch a few videos that cover basic stuff on the subject, etc. You will still do fine and have a fantastic experience if you don't prep, but I think you will just get more out of the weekend if you have done a little "sneak peek". The school website has a list of topics covered for each level so there is no guess work involved here.
Even after only completing Level 1, my personal confidence level increased significantly. I have a better understanding of how hard survival can be, but also that by learning and practicing my skills I truly could stay alive in an emergency.
Everyone should be trained in survival, both in the technical aspects and the psychological ones. It may just save your life someday!
I enthusiastically recommend the Texas Survival School for people of all backgrounds. You won't be sorry and it's time well spent. read more