I went to Gene Ward's paid 2 day seminar. It was an OK course. He claims to be a US Air Force Global Survival Instructor. Never heard of that. I do agree that his shelters are overly complicated and required a lot of cable ties. He does show how the bow drill works and can get most people in the class making fire. I was not impressed with his navigation skills or teaching ability in this area. In the class that I went to, he was asked some questions pertaining to the Southern Hemisphere and didn't seem to know the answer. I thought that it was strange for a "Global Survival Instructor" Also, his compass teaching seemed to generate more confusion than it helped. I'm alway skeptical when an expert is weak in an important area.

I learned to use a bow drill in the class so it was worth it for me in that regard.

S.