This year, make a point of not just taking a hard look at your own prepping plans, but do what you can to promote preparedness locally. Here are some ways you can do that.

1) If you’re active on Facebook, seek out and join one or more local groups. During September, make one or two posts about preparedness. For example, remind people to check the batteries in their smoke and CO detectors. Or ask about any local first aid or CPR classes. I promise you there are others in the community interested in the same information.

2) Reach out to your county Emergency Management team and ask what they’re doing to promote National Preparedness Month. If they aren’t doing much, suggest they ramp it up a bit with posting preparedness info on social media. If need be, tell them to reach out to me directly and I’d be happy to share posts and such they can use for free.

3) Talk to family and friends about prepping. Do so in a very non-accusatory, non-threatening, non-whack job way, of course. Gentle encouragement is often the best approach. The idea is just to get them moving forward a tiny bit, then let momentum take over.

The more we can do to encourage others to prep, the fewer the number of people who will need outside help when something happens.

* * *

It seems silly, almost quaint, to consider the possibility of being cut off from the near-constant flow of information we have today. Between social media, streaming TV, texting, phone alerts, and just general web surfing, we have nearly limitless access to more information than we know what to do with.

But what if that flow was shut down? In a lengthy, grid down scenario, you might not have access to the Internet, and thus most of those information sources. Your TV won’t be working. If you can’t get a cell signal, you can’t send or receive text messages and you may not be getting any phone alerts.

I recommend two things.

1) Get your amateur (ham) radio license and invest in at least an entry-level kit for communication. You need the license so you can legally practice with the gear. Consider reaching out to any local ham radio clubs in your area, too.

2) Pick up a decent emergency radio. I like the Kaito brand, but there are others out there. You want something that’s dynamo (crank) powered, so you have a way to keep it running no matter what. Play around with it and get a handle on the stations you can easily tune in.

* * *

Backwoods Survival Guide #39 will hit stands on or about 9/4/2026.

Among the topics we’re covering this time around:

--Making homemade butter

--Using layers to stay warm and dry outdoors

--Wilderness conservation

--Putting the garden to bed at the end of the season

--Making mead

--Water treatment options in the field

--Choosing a pocket flashlight

You’ll find Backwoods Survival Guide anywhere magazines are sold. If you’ve missed any, you can find several of the previous issues here.

* * *

September is also National Suicide Prevention Month. You may not always know what someone is experiencing. A check-in, a listening ear, a number shared at the right moment, can make a real difference. Suicide Prevention starts with connection. Everyone is fighting a battle unseen by others. Mental health issues, including depression, are generally treated very poorly here in the United States. But there are resources out there. If you’re feeling like you want to hurt yourself, that there’s just no hope, please reach out for help. If you don’t have a therapist or counselor, please call, text, or chat with 988 Lifeline.

It is not a sign of weakness to ask for help. If anything, it indicates strength of character to recognize when a problem has gotten too big to handle on your own.

* * *

For our weekend hike, we went to the Colored Sands Nature Preserve near Rockton, Illinois. We’d never been there before. They have a 2.5-mile loop that was nice. Very wide, well-maintained trail. It was hot and muggy, which I don’t find fun, so I was admittedly a little cranky for some of the walk. But the views were very nice.

Survival Tip — Common Generator Mistake

Something we see rather often during an extended grid down emergency is people running out of fuel for their generators quicker than they anticipated. One of the main reasons for this is they’re attempting to keep their normal lifestyle afloat. Several lights plus various appliances and what not will burn through gas or diesel quickly.

A far better approach is to carefully ration the available fuel supply. Run only what truly needs to be run. For some, that may include medical devices like CPAP machines at night, which needs to be calculated in when you’re estimating fuel needs ahead of any emergency.

With things like this, it’s important to do test runs. Get a realistic idea of how much fuel you’ll consume over X number of hours. This will limit the surprises in a true grid down situation.

Backwoods Survival Guide Magazine

For those new to my little corner of the Internet, I am the Editor in Chief for Backwoods Survival Guide magazine. Here is the cover for the current issue available in stores right now.

You can find Backwoods Survival Guide just about anywhere magazines are sold, including:

• Walmart

• Publix

• Walgreens

• Rite Aid

• CVS

• Tractor Supply

• Fleet Farm

• Barnes & Noble

Questions, Comments, Complaints, Concerns?

I am always just an email away - jim@survivalweekly.com.

Subscribe now

Share The Survival Weekly Dispatch

* * *

Last week, before I got sick, I sat for a lengthy interview with for the Stakeholder Prepping podcast. We had a great time talking about EDC as well as my new book, Common-Sense Everyday Carry. Admittedly, that was kind of the point of the interview, to promote the new book. A few days before, they had sent me a list of questions they’d come up with for the interview. Given that there were something like 55 questions, there was no way we were going to get to all of them. Here are some of the ones we didn’t get to, along with how I’d answer them.

What’s the biggest mistake you see people make when building an EDC bag? Being more concerned about appearance rather than functionality. There’s this mindset that if a bag looks too tactical, it somehow makes you a target. I don’t believe that’s true across the board. I’ve spent enough time in airports, on college campuses, and just generally paying attention to people around me to see that there are an awful lot of “tactical” bags and packs being carried everywhere. Get something that works for you and suits your needs, regardless of how it looks.

What’s something you’ve encountered that initially looked like a gimmick but actually won you over once you used it? When I started working from home full-time, I quit wearing a watch. There just wasn’t a need for it. Between my computer and my phone, I always knew what time it was. As I was doing research for the book, I started looking into smart watches. It didn’t take long for me to order one. I found it to be quite useful, particularly when we’re hiking due to its GPS tracking and health monitoring capabilities. It’s also given me some interesting insights into my sleep patterns.

What’s in Jim Cobb’s actual EDC today? Not the theoretical recommendation—the stuff you actually walked out of the house carrying. I always have my wallet, watch, keychain, cash, and some flavor of Streamlight pocket flashlight. The knife varies quite a bit, as I’m often carrying something I’m going to be reviewing. If not, then it’s either the Red Hawk from Tactile Knife Co. or the Foreman from Vehement Knives.

Was there anything that almost didn’t make the book but you ultimately decided needed to be included? I really went back and forth about including a chapter on defense weapons. The decision whether to carry a weapon, much less what weapon to EDC, is deeply personal. Perhaps more personal than any other EDC gear category. But I also felt that if I didn’t address that topic at some point, some readers might get upset that I “overlooked” such a prominent category of EDC.

* * *

I recently started working with Streamlight, providing some content for their site. Here’s the first article. It’s free to read.

* * *

We’re only about a week away from National Preparedness Month. As I do each year, I’ll be sharing tips and advice on my social media platforms all month long.

Facebook

Real World Prepping Facebook Group

X

Substack

LinkedIn

The fun begins September 1^st!

* * *

I’m excited to share something I’ve been working on behind the scenes. I’ll be one of the presenters at the Resilient Living Summit, September 14–19, 2026. This is a free online event focused on helping you become more prepared, capable, and resilient in everyday life. And this isn’t just a traditional “emergency preparedness” event. More than 20 experienced presenters are coming together to share practical skills for growing and preserving food, preparedness, herbal medicine and natural wellness, self-reliant living, family and community care, and creating a more resilient home.

I’ll be presenting: Practical Everyday Carry - Learn the three layers of everyday carry and how to choose useful essentials for ordinary problems and unexpected emergencies—without carrying excessive gear.

What I especially like about this summit is the focus on practical resilience -- things we can learn and do now that make us better prepared for whatever life happens to bring. Because LIFE happens. Prepare accordingly. The summit is completely free to attend, and you can choose the presentations that are most useful to you.

The Resilient Living Summit runs September 14–19, and registration is free. You can save your spot here.

* * *

As I mentioned earlier, I missed our hike over the weekend. My wife and our eldest stopped at Devil’s Lake State Park in Baraboo, Wisconsin and did a couple of trails here. Here’s a pic from their adventure.

Survival Tip — Pry Bars and Bolt Cutters

There are a few reasons why you might consider stashing these types of tools in your vehicle. If you’re in an accident and need to pull a fender away from a tire so you can continue driving, a pry bar could be handy. I’m not talking about the little pocket-sized pry bars that are so popular among the EDC crowd, but full-size ones.

They could also be used to pry open doors or gates, should the need arise. Same with bolt cutters being used to cut off padlocks or cut through fencing. I would never advise anyone to break the law. But let’s say you were evacuating in your vehicle and ended up facing a padlocked gate. On the other side, you can see where you need to go. If cutting that lock and opening the gate means you can get your family to safety, I know what I’d do.

While you’re at it, a supply of zip ties and some wire can help you resecure gates behind you. They won’t be as good as locks, but it’ll keep the gate closed.

Backwoods Survival Guide Magazine

For those new to my little corner of the Internet, I am the Editor in Chief for Backwoods Survival Guide magazine. Here is the cover for the current issue available in stores right now.

You can find Backwoods Survival Guide just about anywhere magazines are sold, including:

• Walmart

• Publix

• Walgreens

• Rite Aid

• CVS

• Tractor Supply

• Fleet Farm

• Barnes & Noble

Questions, Comments, Complaints, Concerns?

I am always just an email away - jim@survivalweekly.com.

Subscribe now

Share The Survival Weekly Dispatch

I have another class coming up at the Lake Geneva Public Library, Lake Geneva, Wisconsin on Wednesday, September 9^th, 6:30PM. No registration is required and the class is free to attend. Then, on Saturday, September 19^th we have the 2026 Preparedness & Resiliency Expo, 9:00AM-Noon at the Elkhorn Area High School, Elkhorn, Wisconsin. This is another free event. If you’re interested in having a booth in the vendor area (no charge for this), please drop me a line ASAP.

* * *

Just when I think a bad idea in the preppersphere has finally run its course, it rears up again. I’ve seen a few posts recently on prepper social media about FEMA search markings. For those not familiar, there is a protocol FEMA and other agencies use when they’re searching buildings in the wake of a major disaster.

Just before a search and rescue crew enters the building, a diagonal slash running from upper left to lower right is painted on the door or exterior wall. The department or team name is written on the left side of the slash. Once they exit, a cross slash is painted, creating the X.

At the top of the X, they write the date and time the team has exited the building. On the right side, they write notes about any hazards that were encountered, such as rats or structural damage. At the bottom, they note how many survivors or dead bodies were located.

In examining dozens of examples of these FEMA search markings, there is a considerable amount of variance in how these bits of information are actually noted. It bears noting that these markings are usually made with spray paint, which doesn’t exactly lend itself to neat and tidy handwriting in a hurry.

Okay, that’s all well and good, but what’s the prepper spin on this? Well, some folks think it’s a good idea to paint these FEMA markings yourself on your own home. That way, people will leave the home alone because they’ll think it’s already been searched. I mean, on the surface it kinda sorta sounds like a decent idea. But once you invest about six seconds of rational thought into it, you see the flaws.

If your home is the only home on the street that’s marked, you’re calling attention to yourself, right? Sing it with me, “One of these things is not like the others….” On top of that, many of these search and rescue units are moving to digital records, so they’ll know right away that the home hasn’t been searched, marked or not.

I appreciate the intention of wanting to keep people from entering your home uninvited. But this sort of strategy isn’t likely to work out well.

* * *

I had two new reviews hit the GearJunkie website in the last week.

Review – Hill People Gear Commuter pack

Review – Skallywag Tactical Iron Jaw folding knife

Both are free to read.

* * *

Several Portland area knife brands are getting together for an incredible giveaway to commemorate National Knife Day (August 24^th). The companies include:

• Benchmade

• Leatherman

• Gerber Gear

• Steelport Knife Co.

• CRKT

• The James Brand

• William Henry Knives

• Kershaw Knives

• ZT Knives

The grand prize is a collection of several knives, lots of great stuff to be had. All of the details on entering are here. No purchase necessary. Giveaway runs from 9:00 AM PDT on August 10 through 11:59 PM PDT on August 24, 2026. Open to U.S. residents age 18+.

* * *

It was nine years ago this week that I was approached by a publisher to head up a magazine they eventually titled Prepper Survival Guide. That, of course, led to Backwoods Survival Guide, which will see its 39th issue published in a few weeks. And I’m still convinced I have the best job in the world because I get to see all of the great content submitted by our writers before anyone else.

* * *

For our hike over the weekend, we went to Indian Lake County Park near Cross Plains, Wisconsin. This was our first visit there. Nice trails, but it was very warm and muggy. Across the road from the park entrance were the ruins from an old homestead.

Survival Tip — Pop Quiz!

Here’s the situation. You’re confined to your home for the immediate future. Doesn’t really matter why for the purposes of this discussion. The salient facts are:

1) You have power, so lights and appliances are working.

2) Plumbing seems to be working, so no issues with toilets nor with water supply.

3) You have no means of ordering in food or any other supplies.

4) You have no way to contact other people, nor do they have a way to contact you.

How long could you last on the supplies you have on hand right now?

How long could you feed your family?

What would you run out of first?

Use the answers to those questions to help inform your preparedness plan moving forward. Find the gaps and do what you can to fill them.

Backwoods Survival Guide Magazine

For those new to my little corner of the Internet, I am the Editor in Chief for Backwoods Survival Guide magazine. Here is the cover for the current issue available in stores right now.

You can find Backwoods Survival Guide just about anywhere magazines are sold, including:

• Walmart

• Publix

• Walgreens

• Rite Aid

• CVS

• Tractor Supply

• Fleet Farm

• Barnes & Noble

Questions, Comments, Complaints, Concerns?

I am always just an email away - jim@survivalweekly.com.

Subscribe now

Share The Survival Weekly Dispatch

* * *

My new book, Common-Sense Everyday Carry, was supposed to release at Amazon last week. Unfortunately, there was some sort of mix-up with their warehouse and now they’re saying it will be available as of August 18^th. You can still order it from Gun Digest Store if you’re in a hurry.

* * *

There are many things that negatively impact our ability to make sound decisions. Fatigue is a big one. Another is being overwhelmed with information, sometimes referred to as analysis paralysis. Or you feel like you’re under immense pressure to make a snap decision.

One more is hunger. I don’t mean you’re just feeling a little peckish, either. I mean you’re not just hungry but hangry. Remember those Snickers commercials where the person would be acting like an absolute monster, then they’d immediately calm down and turn to normal after eating the candy bar? It’s silly, but that’s actually kind of a thing that exists. I think it might at least partially be a blood sugar thing.

Here’s the thing. If you’re in a bad spot and the decisions you make could have very serious consequences, it might be beneficial to have something with you to snack on and boost that blood sugar a touch. As such, consider always grabbing a protein bar, trail mix, or something similar to toss into a pocket or your pack every time you hit the trail, just in case.

Along these same lines, you know who the absolutely worst people are when they get hungry? Kids. Parents, you know I’m right. Make a point of keeping snacks available when you’re away from home. You won’t be making good decisions when you’re stressed due to listening to hollering and wailing from the back seat.

* * *

I had a couple of new articles go live this week. My review of the Victorinox Huntsman Swiss Army Knife is on GearJunkie. I also had a story about hiking tips for hot weather at GAT Daily. Both are free to read.

* * *

Food for thought - While having emergency gear with you and being proficient with its use is absolutely important, even more critical is understanding that the best scenario is one in which that gear goes unused. In other words, if the conditions are sketchy, don’t push your luck simply because you think you have what it takes to survive.

* * *

August is National Emergency Management Awareness Month, which is followed by National Preparedness Month in September. This is a great time for emergency management (EM) teams to connect with the people at ground level in their communities. Here are some things we’ve been doing locally to promote resiliency and preparedness.

Monthly classes and presentations – we’ve partnered with a number of local folks to present high-quality information on topics like pet first aid, storm spotting, Stop the Bleed, and sheltering in place preps. The classes are free to attend and people really seem to enjoy them.

Annual Resiliency Expo – next month, we’ll be holding our 2nd annual Preparedness & Resiliency Expo. One of the local high schools is giving us quite a bit of space and we’re coordinating with a number of county and local level agencies for speakers and presentation booths. It’s all free to attend, and we’re not charging for booth space, either.

Social media posts – a few years ago, I wrote up a series of 30+ short posts with tips and advice on family level preparedness. I share them one-a-day throughout September, and I’ve also sent that list over to a couple of different EM teams to do the same.

I strongly feel that there’s a significant gap between many EM departments and the folks at ground level. Think about it like this. If a disaster strikes the community, every person who was prepared is going to reduce the overall drain on the limited available resources.

If you’d like to chat about some of the things we’ve done here or brainstorm ideas that might work in your area, please don’t hesitate to reach out. If you don’t work in emergency management, you’re welcome to share this post with your own local EM team.

* * *

For our hike over the weekend, we went to Moraine Hills State Park, near McHenry, Illinois. We’d never been there before, so we weren’t sure what to expect. We took the Lake Defiance Trail, which runs a bit shy of four miles. It was a nice walk, but very hot when we hit sections with little or no shade.

Survival Tip — Home Health Care Concerns

We preppers can get so focused on natural disasters and the like that sometimes we forget about prepping for how life changes over time.

Many of us are sort of caught in the middle these days. We have children we’re raising while we’re also helping our parents navigate the last stages of their own lives. It can truly be a struggle to keep our own sanity intact.

Without going too deep down the rabbit hole, we had a lot of issues with my dad for the last several years of his life. He gradually lost mobility and ended up spending about two solid years living in an electric recliner in his living room. By all rights, he should have gone into assisted living, but he refused to do so. Because of this insistence, he needed home health care. At first, this was pretty informal. He hired a woman who lived nearby to come to the home a few times a day to cook meals, clean the house as needed, and attend to his hygiene needs. After about 18 months, we switched providers and he had a different caregiver, one who actually lived in the home with him until he passed.

If you’re facing a similar situation with an elderly parent, here are some things we learned the hard way. Please understand that I’m just hitting a few high points here. This is a huge topic that cannot be covered in just a single essay. My goal here is simply to get you thinking if this situation might be down the road for you.

Power of Attorney – one of the initial priorities should be getting the POA paperwork in place. You may not need it right off the bat, but it’s better to have it ready to go, just in case.

Inclement weather – have a plan for what you’ll do if the caregiver can’t or won’t drive to the home due to bad weather. Depending on the patient’s health issues and overall condition, you might end up having to make the trek yourself to make sure they’re okay if you live somewhat local.

Background checks – make double darn sure the agency providing the caregiver has done a comprehensive background check on the person. The first caregiver my dad hired end up robbing him blind before we figured out what was going on. Seven years after he passed, she still owes nearly $17,000 in restitution, which we’ll probably never see.

Monitoring – I highly recommend installing cameras throughout the home so that you can monitor the care your loved one is receiving. I have serious concerns about things that may have happened with my dad with a couple of his caregivers, but we had no way to effectively monitor the situation at the time. Today, there are plenty of somewhat affordable options for in-home camera systems you can access remotely.

Insurance – talk with the insurance company about what they will cover…and be prepared for them to say not much. Get familiar with their coverage before you actually need it, and see what you can do about adjusting the coverage ahead of time. Be sure you are named as an authorized representative in their file so there aren’t delays in accessing the information you need.

Managed Care Organizations – these are generally non-profit agencies that work with patients to get them the benefits to which they’re entitled, such as aid from state and federal programs. However, they aren’t always awesome to work with. I had to fight tooth and nail with them sometimes to get them to do what they were supposed to do.

Watch out for predators – that caregiver who was stealing from him? She almost got his house, too. A friend of her and her husband’s wanted to buy the house from my dad and they arranged a meeting with him. I found out about it at the last second and managed to get there myself. The “offer” was to buy the home for what he owed on it, which was maybe a third of its actual value. Then, they’d let him continue to live there until he died, but paying rent to the tune of about $1,000/month, which was more than he was paying for his mortgage. Tell you what, it was only with supreme willpower on my part that all of them left with their teeth intact.

I firmly believe that prepping should go well beyond just power outages and supply shortages. The same attention we pay to our food cupboard at home should be extended to all of life’s little, and not so little, curve balls.

Backwoods Survival Guide Magazine

For those new to my little corner of the Internet, I am the Editor in Chief for Backwoods Survival Guide magazine. Here is the cover for the current issue available in stores right now.

You can find Backwoods Survival Guide just about anywhere magazines are sold, including:

• Walmart

• Publix

• Walgreens

• Rite Aid

• CVS

• Tractor Supply

• Fleet Farm

• Barnes & Noble

Questions, Comments, Complaints, Concerns?

I am always just an email away - jim@survivalweekly.com.

Subscribe now

Share The Survival Weekly Dispatch

Feedback is starting to filter in already. Here are a couple of quotes.

“Just got my copy of Common-Sense Everyday Carry. It looks very good, easy to read, very organized. Already started reading, it is hard to put down. Thanks for a great book, it will be a very useful resource.” –Rick O.

“Great resource to help you cut through the snake oil and build a practical loadout to get you through whatever the day may hold.” –Matt M.

I’m really looking forward to hearing what other readers have to say once they get the book in hand.

* * *

Food for thought. Think about the person you usually put down at your emergency contact on forms, such as work or the doctor’s office. What are the odds that person will already be with you if an emergency happens?

Consider adding a second person to that list. Think about it like this. If you’re married, odds are your spouse is your emergency contact. If you’re in an accident together, who should they notify?

* * *

Messages like this are both inspiring and humbling. This is from an email I received earlier this evening. They live in the area impacted by the tornado that hit Menasha, Wisconsin last week.

“I have a few of your books and because of you, my wife and I were able to handle this without much more than a hiccup. …we did not get the brunt of the tornado, but because of being prepared, we don’t need to drain the resources better used for others. We just want to say thank you. Because of you, we were able to ‘weather this storm’ without an issue.”

* * *

I came across the new issue of Be Ready! at Walmart a couple of weeks ago. Gotta say, it’s pretty good. Barb Melloni has a great article on knife skills and another on shelf-stable protein options. Rikk Rambo covers boots as well as knife selection. There are also articles on long-term power outages, shortwave radios, adding spices and seasonings to your preps, and several other topics. I’m really impressed with this one and recommend picking it up. Here’s a link with more info.

* * *

There have been several recent news reports about alleged cyberattacks against municipal water systems. Last I saw, news reports were saying there are at least eight US states that have experienced some sort of attack. Only a few states have been identified by name, including Minnesota, Michigan, and Wisconsin.

At last count, I’ve seen at least six different theories posted on social media as to what’s behind the news accounts, including the notion that it’s all being entirely made up.

I don’t have access to enough information to make any sort of truly educated guess as to what’s going on. However, if some sort of bad actor were to be able to gain access to a municipal water system’s computer network, I have little doubt that they could engage in all sorts of havoc.

Whether there truly is something amiss or this is much ado about nothing, maybe use it as a reminder to check on how you’re situated in case something were to interrupt your normal water supply. How much water do you have stored? Do you have the means to filter, purify, or otherwise treat water sourced from outside the home? What do you have in place that will allow you to collect and transport water obtained from outside sources?

* * *

Over the weekend, my wife and I traveled to Parfrey’s Glen State Natural Area to check out the little waterfall there. It’s a short and fun hike, but it is a little challenging due to uneven terrain and frequent creek crossings.

Survival Tip — Two Unsafe Storm Shelter Ideas

I see these two ideas come up a lot, and it’s important to understand just how dangerous they can be.

If you’re on the road when a tornadic event occurs, do NOT park under and overpass. Admittedly, on the surface it seems like it would make sense. It’s an easy spot to get out of the rain, right? But there can be a wind tunnel effect that serves to increase the wind velocity, putting you at greater danger. On top of that, you’re potentially putting other motorists at risk by becoming a traffic hazard.

Another one that comes up a lot is hunkering down in your vehicle to ride out the storm. Doing so can provide a false sense of security. You’re sheltered from the wind and rain, so you feel like you’re doing okay. The problem is that debris flying around could come right through the windows. Your vehicle could also get hit by a falling tree or power pole. On top of all that, if the wind has sufficient force, it could even flip the vehicle.

Here’s what to do if a tornado threatens and you’re on the road.

1) If possible, get to shelter. This could be a store, restaurant, or any other sturdy building. If they have a basement, so much the better. If not, get to an interior room or hallway that doesn’t have windows.

2) If you can discern the tornado’s path, drive at a right angle to it. This isn’t ideal, though. You’re far better off getting into some sort of protective shelter.

3) If there are no good shelter options nearby, exit the vehicle and get into a ditch alongside the road. You want to get as low as possible. Yes, you’ll end up soaked, but you’ll hopefully avoid getting a road sign stuck in your belly.

Backwoods Survival Guide Magazine

For those new to my little corner of the Internet, I am the Editor in Chief for Backwoods Survival Guide magazine. Here is the cover for the current issue available in stores right now.

You can find Backwoods Survival Guide just about anywhere magazines are sold, including:

• Walmart

• Publix

• Walgreens

• Rite Aid

• CVS

• Tractor Supply

• Fleet Farm

• Barnes & Noble

Questions, Comments, Complaints, Concerns?

I am always just an email away - jim@survivalweekly.com.

Subscribe now

Share The Survival Weekly Dispatch

Today’s storm highlights the need for an evacuation plan. Not that you’ll hightail it out of town at the sight of a funnel cloud, but rather if said funnel cloud damages your home, where would you go? How would you get there? What would you bring?

* * *

Speaking of that storm, once again people are commenting that it came out of nowhere and caught everyone by surprise.

But it didn’t come out of nowhere. They’d been warning about severe weather since the tail end of last week. I follow a few different meteorologist pages on Facebook and all of them were predicting some nasty stuff to hit Wisconsin on Monday.

One of the problems, and we’ve talked about this before, is complacency. Several times recently, forecasters have been saying we were going to get nailed by severe weather, and then nothing happens. The models were off, the wind shifted, whatever. When that happens a few times, people start not paying attention when you’re hollering about the potential for bad weather.

Pay attention to weather forecasts. Be weather aware when bad stuff is predicted. Better you’re watching the skies and nothing happens than ignoring it and being caught by surprise.

* * *

As it stands right now, I have three in-person events for the second half of the year. All are free to attend and require no registration ahead of time.

Wednesday, 8/12/2026

• 6:30PM

• How to Prepare for Disaster

• Muskego Public Library

• S73W16663 Janesville Road, Muskego, WI

Wednesday, 9/9/2026

• 6:30PM

• Prepping 101

• Lake Geneva Public Library

• 918 W Main St, Lake Geneva, WI

Saturday, 9/19/2026

• 9:00AM-12:00PM

• Walworth County Preparedness Expo

• Elkhorn Area High School

• 482 E Geneva St, Elkhorn, WI

If your library, church, civic organization, or other group might be interested in hearing me yammer on for an hour or two, give me a shout.

* * *

“Disaster professionals have a saying: War is the mother of all disasters. Earthquakes destroy buildings. Pandemics overwhelm hospitals. Floods devastate communities. War does all of these things, all at the same time.”

Great article here about the importance of civil defense programs.

* * *

I now have a literary agent for the first time in my career. Late last week, I signed a contract with Julie Flanagan and the Creative Artists Agency (CAA). We’re already making plans for some pretty cool projects.

* * *

What seems like a lifetime ago, I spent several years working in retail loss prevention management. While the bulk of the work centered on protecting the physical assets of the company, particularly the merchandise being sold, the safety of customers and employees was also paramount.

One of the last things I did before I left that line of work was to organize a Safety Fair at my home store. It was a lot of fun and we had a good turnout from the community. A service that we offered during the fair was to set up child ID kits for parents. These consisted of small folders where the parent would fill out the child’s information and add a photograph. Now, this was back in the 1990s and digital photography was still in its infancy. We used Polaroid instant cameras to snap photos for the folders. We also had a police officer on site to do fingerprints for the folders.

These ID kits can be very helpful in cases of missing or abducted children. You can download one of these kits here.

That link should take you directly to a PDF you can download and print. Fill in your child’s information and keep this document in a safe, but easily accessible, location. Update the photo about every six months. Maybe add it to your to do list when the clocks change. For the fingerprints, call your local police department’s non-emergency number and arrange to meet an officer at the station. Hopefully you’ll never be in a situation where those fingerprints will be necessary, but better to have them and never need them.

One more related tip. Any time you’re going to a crowded event with your kids, such as a county fair, take two seconds to snap a photo of them before they run off to meet their friends. This way, if you lose track of them, you can show the security staff exactly what they look like, including what they were wearing when you last saw them.

* * *

My latest book, Common-Sense Everyday Carry, should be shipping now from Gun Digest. It releases on Amazon August 4^th, and should be available through any other bookseller of your choice.

* * *

Our hike over the weekend was a warm one. It was about 90F, with a heat index of 100F. We went to Glacial Park Conservation Area near Ringwood, Illinois. It was a nice walk, but it was like hiking in a sauna. I can’t wait for fall.

Survival Tip — Practice Makes Perfect

I wish I could remember where I read this analogy, but it goes something like this. Spending a ton of money on firearms, ammunition, and accessories, but never training with them, is like spending a ton of money on lumber and tools, then planning to build a house even though you’ve never even used a hammer before.

The same holds true with just about any area of endeavor, of course. Whether we’re talking about self-defense, carpentry, food preservation, scratch cooking, heck even just simply hiking, the more you do it, the better you’ll be at it. Conversely, you can’t expect to do it well if you’ve never done it before.

Investing in books and gear is great, no doubt about it. But reading those books isn’t enough. Carefully curating stacks of gear isn’t enough. Watching endless videos isn’t enough. You need to put in the dirt time. That’s the only way you’re going to learn, refine, and retain the skills.

Make concrete plans soon to start investing in yourself.

Backwoods Survival Guide Magazine

For those new to my little corner of the Internet, I am the Editor in Chief for Backwoods Survival Guide magazine. Here is the cover for the current issue available in stores right now.

You can find Backwoods Survival Guide just about anywhere magazines are sold, including:

• Walmart

• Publix

• Walgreens

• Rite Aid

• CVS

• Tractor Supply

• Fleet Farm

• Barnes & Noble

Questions, Comments, Complaints, Concerns?

I am always just an email away - jim@survivalweekly.com.

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* * *

I had a conversation late last week with someone who is very interested in prepping, who recognizes that it’s a good idea, but really had no clue where to begin. For some of us who have been at it a while, I think we forget how overwhelming the whole concept can be to a newbie.

This is what I told her.

Your first assignment is to inventory the supplies you have on hand at home. Get a realistic idea of where you’re sitting now in terms of food and other necessities. If you weren’t able to get to a store and Door Dash wasn’t available, how long could you last on what you have?

Food is important, but also consider things beyond sustenance. Think hygiene, Rx and OTC meds, toilet paper, all that fun stuff. The initial goal is to have enough of what you need to last two full weeks. Once you hit that, strive for a month. For now, don’t worry about water. It’s important enough to warrant its own assignment.

My reasoning is this. While there are many priorities when it comes to prepping, you can’t do it all at once. Starting with what you have on hand now is easy. You don’t have to go out and buy anything. You don’t have to read a book or watch a video or practice a new skill. All you’re doing is establishing a starting point.

This is something we should all be doing from time to time, too. Check in with your plans and your goals see where you stand. Adapt and adjust as necessary.

* * *

Walking outside lately kind of reminds me of riding in the backseat of my mom’s car as she hotboxed us chain smoking Camels. In Common-Sense Everyday Carry, I mention carrying an N95 mask in your EDC pack or bag. Days like this, with the smoke from Canadian wildfires blanketing a few states, is one of the reasons why you might find it handy to have.

* * *

I came across this news story linked in a post on Facebook today. The Guardian allows you to read a few stories for free each month. If that link doesn’t work, this is another story that covers pretty much the same material. The long and short of it is that the UK government has been encouraging Britons to take steps to be better positioned for emergencies.

In a written statement, (Darren) Jones (the chief secretary to the prime minister) also announced a national public awareness campaign would be launched to help people prepare for such emergencies, “be that severe weather or a cyber-attack which can impact access to power, water, phone signal or local shops to get food”. --The Guardian

On Facebook, the link was accompanied by commentary from the poster alluding to the UK government knowing something we don’t. And that sort of verbiage is usually shared anytime we see a news story that showcases prepping in a positive way. There’s always, always some sort of nefarious angle, though nobody can ever seem to pinpoint exactly what it is.

Honestly, it’s frustrating. Do I trust everything the government or the media says? Of course not.

But I’ll also say this. In 2024, I gave a talk at the Wisconsin Emergency Management annual conference. The focus was on how EM folks can and should be working with their constituents on preparedness at the individual and family level. We had about 75 people in the room, from state folks all the way down to municipalities. The level of engagement was high and attendees were very interested in hearing the strategies I was suggesting, as well as the reasoning behind them. After the presentation was over, I had easily 20 people stop me to chat, asking to set up calls and what not to discuss this topic further. In the time since, I’ve set up classes and helped with providing tips and information for social media posts. I’ve also partnered with my own county’s EM team to provide free monthly classes for the community on things like prepping, pet first aid, storm spotting, and emergency communications.

While I understand the tendency to distrust government agencies, and I largely agree with it, the fact is that there are many folks working in Emergency Management who do genuinely want to help people be better prepared for disasters and emergencies.

When we see news stories that cast prepping in a positive light and immediately discount them publicly, it helps nobody.

* * *

We discovered after Common-Sense Everyday Carry went off to print that the final file was missing the Acknowledgements. This will be rectified in future printings. But for now, I wanted to share them here:

Writing is a lonely business, until it isn’t.

As I’ve mentioned in some of my other books, writing isn’t truly a solitary endeavor. There are almost always other people involved at various points in the process. I mean, sure, the author sits at a desk and pecks out the manuscript. Or like an author buddy of mine does, sits in a soundproof room, closes his eyes, and dictates the manuscript via voice-to-text. But at some point, other human beings get roped in, whether as editors and proofreaders, or even family members who help corral children to give the author time to work.

First and always, I must thank my loving and ever-patient bride, Tammy. She’s been through a lot during my writing career. When our kids were little, she’d take them to the beach or even just the backyard so I could get some writing done. Nowadays, she spends more time than she truly should on her own while she’s waiting for me to just get one more project done. But truth be told, it’s her fault because she’s the one who years ago insisted I give this whole writing thing an honest shot. That’s my story and I’m sticking to it.

Ranking just behind my wife on the “This is all their fault” list you’ll find Christopher Golden and Brian Keene. They’ve both been mentors and good friends for a couple of decades now. They are absolutely amazing writers, and you should definitely check out their work. On top of that, they’re truly stellar human beings. I’m as serious as a heart attack when I say I wouldn’t be doing this for a living if it weren’t for their guidance, and I’m eternally grateful to both of them.

I’ve been doing this professionally for about 15 years to date. Along the way, I’ve been blessed to work with several truly amazing editors. Each of them taught me a ton. In no particular order, big thanks to Patrick Vuong, Steve Barlow, Joshua Swanagon, Patrick Diedrich, Clay Aalders, Ryan Lee Price, and Mike McCourt (RIP). Apologies to anyone I missed.

Huge thanks to Jim Schlender for taking a chance on me with this book. I have to publicly apologize as the manuscript was more than a few weeks late. Hopefully it was worth the wait!

Taylor Martin (Best Damn EDC) was kind enough to contribute the Foreword for an author he’d never before met, which was really going above and beyond. Very much appreciated, sir.

Craig Caudill deserves some recognition as well. He is a dear friend and has been my sounding board quite often in the last few years. He’s always quick with recommendations and suggestions, which are appreciated. He’ll tell you that I’ve been a mentor to him, but that’s always been a two-way street. I’ve learned just as much from him as he has from me.

Last, but by no means least, I have to thank you, my readers. Writing isn’t much fun if there’s nobody on the other end. And it’s damn hard to make a living doing it if nobody buys it. Thank you for indulging me and letting me occupy a little space in your head from time to time. I truly appreciate each and every one of you.

* * *

For our hike over the weekend, we did a short walk through Springs Park in Delavan, Wisconsin. The air quality wasn’t good and we didn’t want to be out in it any longer than necessary.

Survival Tip — Hormesis (Sort of…)

A very simplistic way to explain hormesis is that we can get stronger through exposure to adversity. Sort of that whole, “that which doesn’t kill you makes you stronger” mindset. There’s a lot more to it than this, but I don’t want our discussion to get too far off track.

Hormesis refers to how low doses of a stressor can actually be beneficial to our bodies and/or minds. For example, when we lift weights at the gym, what we’re doing is creating microtears in the muscle fibers being used. Those tears will result in the creation of more muscle tissue as they heal, increasing our strength over time.

Here’s the preparedness spin on this. The more accustomed you are to dealing with stressful hardships, the more likely you are to handle them effectively. For example, we talk a lot about stockpiling supplies as well as learning and honing new skills. In addition, there’s something to be said for spending some time “in the suck.” Meaning, intentionally putting yourself in uncomfortable conditions to gain real life perspective and insight. Maybe you pull your car into the backyard and live out of it for a weekend, no matter what the weather brings. Turn the power off to the house (or at least pretend it’s off, so you don’t have to toss out food from the fridge) and spend a few days roughing it that way. Spend a week or two eating nothing but what you have on hand, no trips to the store allowed. Don’t laugh, for some that might be a new experience.

The point here is this. Spending some time when things suck in a controlled environment can help you deal with times when things suck for real. Exercise your prepping plans to help make them stronger.

Backwoods Survival Guide Magazine

For those new to my little corner of the Internet, I am the Editor in Chief for Backwoods Survival Guide magazine. Here is the cover for the current issue available in stores right now.

You can find Backwoods Survival Guide just about anywhere magazines are sold, including:

• Walmart

• Publix

• Walgreens

• Rite Aid

• CVS

• Tractor Supply

• Fleet Farm

• Barnes & Noble

Questions, Comments, Complaints, Concerns?

I am always just an email away - jim@survivalweekly.com.

Subscribe now

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* * *

Not long ago, I decided I wanted to write another prepping book. The first chapter is done and I’m working my way through the rest. For the first time in my career, I’m shopping around for a literary agent. Doing so could open new doors for me as an author. I’ve had some interest already from a few that I’ve reached out to, so we’ll see where it leads. Keep your fingers crossed!

* * *

If you’re on the hunt for something you can use to put together a little EDC tool kit, survival kit, or something along those lines, check out your local Goodwill or similar thrift store. Head to whatever passes for their electronics department and hunt around for old camera cases. Many of them are a great size for this purpose. Plus, some of them have sleeves or pockets inside that you can use to organize the bits and baubles you want to carry.

Not only do they work well for this sort of thing, they’re usually pretty darn cheap.

* * *

Something many people seem to struggle with, at least as evidenced on social media, is that there’s a difference in how security risks should be handled today versus how they might be handled in the aftermath of a major disaster or some sort of collapse.

Applying post-collapse security measures today is just as foolish as expecting 911 to be available after the SHTF. They are two distinctly different environments. As such, each requires a different set of protocols and procedures.

Far too many keyboard warriors and tactifool nutjobs don’t seem to understand that.

* * *

If all goes as planned, Common-Sense Everyday Carry should be shipping from Gun Digest within a week or so!

* * *

My friends at Tuff Possum Gear recently debuted a new product. The 6x9 Organized Tool Pouch is great for the bug out bag or EDC pack. It has two internal pockets to help keep your stuff organized and easy to find. I’m ordering mine later this week. Find it here at Tuff Possum Gear.

* * *

Last week, my wife and I attended a short presentation on severe weather. The instructor was our local ARES/RACES Emergency Coordinator. ARES/RACES are two amateur radio organizations that work together often enough to be treated by many as sort of the same entity, from what I gather. ARES stands for Amateur Radio Emergency Service and RACES stands for Radio Amateur Civil Emergency Service.

Basically, ARES works with non-government agencies such as the Red Cross, while RACES works with official government agencies.

One of the topics of discussion was the intense storm that rolled through a little over a week ago. Something that has come up repeatedly in the days following that storm is people talking about how sudden the storm was, that it came out of nowhere.

The thing is, it didn’t come out of nowhere. It had been tracked for quite some time and warnings were issued. What happened was that people missed the warnings.

Tornado sirens weren’t activated, because there weren’t tornados present. It was just a severe storm. Don’t get me wrong, it was pretty damn severe, with wind speeds hitting 90-100mph. They sent out Severe Thunderstorm Warnings as the storm traveled. As far as National Weather Service goes, no warnings failed to be issued. The local weather spotters team also posted to social media about the storm as it moved across the area, warning people to take shelter immediately. But many people just didn’t see or hear the warnings that were issued. Bear in mind that stormy weather had been in the forecast, too.

What does this in practical terms? You should have multiple ways to receive weather alerts and similar warnings. For example, many people who were out on the lake didn’t hear any warnings because they didn’t have a weather radio. If storms are in the forecast, be diligent about checking reliable weather apps or broadcasts so you know what’s going in on your area and what’s on the way. Keep a weather radio turned on so you can hear warnings when they’re issued. Be Weather Aware.

* * *

I’m not usually a fan of survival gadgets and gizmos. But the Pen-metheus from Outdoor Element has my attention. It’s a pen that has a ferrocerium rod inside. It looks pretty cool. Check it out here.

* * *

For our hike over the weekend, we just did a quick lap around the pond at Congdon Park in Delavan, Wisconsin. We simply didn’t have time to get out for a proper hike.

Survival Tip — Property Insurance

Insurance is one of the only things that we spend money on but hope and pray we never need to use. At the same time, if you’re in a position where you need to use it, you’re darn glad to have it.

One of the biggest struggles with making decisions about insurance is that when you’re discussing coverage with an agent, or researching it online, it can be incredibly complicated, as well as mind-numbingly boring. Normally, I’m all about doing homework on my own and avoiding phone calls whenever possible. In this particular instance, though, I highly recommend getting in touch with an individual insurance agent or broker and talking to him or her about your unique situation.

That said, here are a few things to keep in mind.

--If you own firearms, make sure your homeowner or other property insurance specifically covers them. There are a couple of routes you can go with this. One of them is to add a rider to your policy for each firearm. This isn’t too expensive to do, unless you have a ton of different firearms to insure. It also isn’t a good way to go if you routinely buy, sell, and trade, as you’d have to update your riders frequently as a result. In addition, the fact that the agent and insurance company has a list of your weapons can be concerning to some people. You need to weigh the pros and cons on that for yourself.

--The same thing applies to any precious metals you might have squirreled away. Often, this is an area that’s not covered, or at least not covered well, except by special riders.

--Make sure you completely understand exactly what your policy will and will not cover, as it applies to your possessions as well as your dwelling. Never be afraid to ask for clarification or use “what if” hypotheticals to help illustrate your concerns. Know what you’ll need to spend out of pocket before the policy kicks in, too.

--Whether you have a homeowner’s or renter’s policy, find out what, if anything, they cover regarding a motel or other temporary shelter if you’re driven from your home by fire or other disaster. In other words, if your house catches fire and you can’t live there for a period of time, will your insurance cover the cost of a place for you to stay?

A video inventory is definitely the way to go. Spend an afternoon going room by room with your phone on video mode. Open every drawer, closet, and cabinet. Narrate the footage as needed to describe anything that might not be crystal clear. Highlight anything that’s particularly valuable. Once you’re done, sit down with the video and make a list of your possessions, as odds are you’ll have come across things you forgot you had. Take that list to your insurance agent or broker and discuss changes to your policies so everything is covered.

Update this video inventory at least annually. Save the video to a couple of thumb drives and password protect them. Keep one offsite, such as with a trusted family member, so that it will be available even if your home is destroyed.

One more thing. If you end up having to file a claim with your homeowner’s insurance company, don’t be surprised if they cover things as required, but then decline to renew your policy the next year. Several years ago, we had a small roof leak. Woke up one morning and found water streaming down from the overhead light in the bedroom closet. We called our insurance company and they sent out a rep right away. He made arrangements for a mitigation company to come out to fix the roof leak and repair the damage.

While everything didn’t run nearly as smoothly as hoped, due to the mitigation company deciding to bail on the job halfway through, the insurance company held up their end of the deal and made us whole again, with the only out of pocket expense being our deductible. However, come renewal time, they decided to drop us. This had been our only claim in the 15 years or so that we’d been with them.

We got it worked out, but, well, just be ready in case it happens to you.

Backwoods Survival Guide Magazine

For those new to my little corner of the Internet, I am the Editor in Chief for Backwoods Survival Guide magazine. Here is the cover for the current issue available in stores right now.

You can find Backwoods Survival Guide just about anywhere magazines are sold, including:

• Walmart

• Publix

• Walgreens

• Rite Aid

• CVS

• Tractor Supply

• Fleet Farm

• Barnes & Noble

Questions, Comments, Complaints, Concerns?

I am always just an email away - jim@survivalweekly.com.

Subscribe now

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Out on Geneva Lake, many boaters were trying to get to shore when the storm hit. Three young children lost their lives when the boat they were on capsized and then sank. While they were all wearing life preservers, they’d been sent down below into the cabin to get them out of the storm. When the boat capsized and went down, they were trapped inside.

While stormy weather had been in the forecast, they hadn’t predicted anything like this. Our home is on the outskirts of the affected area, and we managed to avoid any real damage. Just a few branches down, which I conveniently then used for a couple of knife reviews.

Storms like this are one of the reasons why we prep. If you lost power for 3-5 days, would you be ready to handle it?

* * *

We’re just a couple of weeks away from the release of Common-Sense Everyday Carry. I’m told it will be shipping from Gun Digest very soon, followed by Amazon in early August.

From the ad copy at Gun Digest:

A solid Everyday Carry (EDC) plan smooths out the rough spots in life — at work, at home, or on the road. Common-Sense Everyday Carry won’t turn you into a Batman caricature loaded down with a utility belt and expensive gear of questionable usefulness. Instead, author Jim Cobb — with 40 years of preparedness experience and a dozen books to his name — helps you make informed, intelligent decisions about what you actually want or need to carry to make daily life safer and easier.

* * *

I’ve been contributing to GAT Daily (Athlon Outdoors) for well over a year now. You can get caught up with all of my articles here. They are all free to read.

* * *

One of the very best descriptions of generative AI I’ve seen yet comes from my buddy Adam J. Whitlatch. “Generative AI is the bastard child of a photocopier and a blender.”

AI slop continues to be a problem in the preparedness niche, as well as everywhere else. I cannot stress enough how dangerous this can be. There’s enough bad information out there generated by humans already. Adding clanker-penned garbage to the mix isn’t going to end well.

Here are a few tips on how to tell if a book has been written by AI. Bear in mind that none of these are foolproof. They’re just alert signals that should push you to dig deeper.

1) The author doesn’t seem to exist outside of their book listing. If they don’t have a website and you can’t find them on any social media platform, that’s a big red flag. Just do some digging for their name using the search engine of your choice and see what pops up. If it’s a big fat zero, odds are they aren’t a real person. Even authors using pseudonyms usually have some sort of online presence under that name.

2) The book’s formatting is odd. I’ve purchased some AI-generated books, some knowingly and others not. Without exception, they all had weird line spacing, goofy paragraph breaks, that sort of thing. Lots of bullet-pointed lists, too. Like, a lot a lot. Amazon will often have a button where you can read a sample from the book. Use that to peek inside and see how the book is formatted.

3) AI-written copy is often kind of stilted and formal. The sentence length doesn’t vary much. If you read it out loud, it sounds very monotone and dry. It just doesn’t flow like most human writing.

4) Any prepper/survival book that’s marketed as being like “27 books in 1!” and it only runs 150 or so pages is either AI slop or just outright crap.

* * *

For our hike over the weekend, we went to the Pike Lake Unit of the Kettle Moraine State Forest. This was a new-to-us area. The trail we chose turned out to be fairly hilly and there was also a nifty observation tower. By the time we got back to the van, I was spent and fairly overheated, but it was still a good walk.

Survival Tip — Dealing with Emotions

This is something I read in the Nature Reliance School weekly email last week. “…giving emotions permission to make decisions rarely ends well.” Truer words were never spoken.

Whether we’re talking about leading with your heart instead of your head, letting panic run the show, or allowing anger to have supervisory privileges, none of it works out to our benefit most of the time.

It’s easy to notice when you’re on the outside looking in, but so hard to see from the inside.

I think most of us have had the experience of a close friend dating someone you knew was bad news, right? Countless red flags, but they refused to acknowledge them. Later, as you’re consoling them and picking up the pieces of their broken heart, you’re fighting the urge to say, “I told you so.”

Twitter and YouTube are filled with videos showcasing people who let their anger (and ego) run wild, and then suffered the results of doing so. The lucky ones are able to get back up and walk away.

And nobody has ever made a great decision while in full-blown panic mode, that’s for sure. When you get scared, you often get tunnel vision. As a result, you can’t see the big picture and the impact your decision could have.

Here are a few recommendations.

1) Breathe. So simple, and it does so much for us. In with the good air, out with the bad air. No matter what the emotion is that’s threatening to take over, calming breaths can settle things down a bit.

2) Don’t be afraid to walk away from potential confrontations. In the grand scheme of things, that guy’s opinion of your ancestry matters not at all. If they’re a genuine threat to your safety, then by all means do what’s necessary. Cutting you off in traffic and flipping you the bird probably don’t quite rise to that level, though.

3) Planning ahead for emergencies can certainly reduce panic if something happens. Learning skills and setting aside gear and supplies can go a long way toward keeping you calm in a crisis.

Backwoods Survival Guide Magazine

For those new to my little corner of the Internet, I am the Editor in Chief for Backwoods Survival Guide magazine. Here is the cover for the current issue available in stores right now.

You can find Backwoods Survival Guide just about anywhere magazines are sold, including:

• Walmart

• Publix

• Walgreens

• Rite Aid

• CVS

• Tractor Supply

• Fleet Farm

• Barnes & Noble

Questions, Comments, Complaints, Concerns?

I am always just an email away - jim@survivalweekly.com.

Subscribe now

Share The Survival Weekly Dispatch

Quick story – some of you might recall that before I went into writing full-time, I spent several years working as a private detective. One of the first surveillance cases I was assigned involved watching who was coming and going from a certain business. The suspicion was that an employee was selling proprietary materials under the table, as I recall. My assignment was to sit in the back of a van in the parking lot from like 7AM-6PM for three days in a row, recording video of every car that parked there and every person who entered and left. It was the middle of August, and I couldn’t just leave the van running all day, so no A/C. I had a small, battery-operated fan, a cooler with ice and water, and that’s about it. Thinking back on it today, the assignment probably violated one or more OSHA regulations, but I was young enough, and stupid enough, to do it without question. Zero stars, do not recommend.

* * *

Quite often, I see comments on social media about how complicated cell phones have become. People will say things like:

“I don’t even know how to answer a call.”

“I couldn’t tell you what apps I have on this thing or what any of them do.”

“I can’t get it to unlock most of the time.”

“This is just for emergencies; I never really use it.”

The thing is, given that we almost always have it with us, a cell phone can be a true survival tool, if only we’d learn how to use the darn thing. It can give you almost instant access to emergency services. Plus, it can be used to look up pretty much any bit of information known to mankind, if you know how to formulate the search query properly.

I’ve always felt that if you’re going to carry something with you, you should know how to use it. Otherwise, it is just dead weight. I don’t care if we’re talking about a firearm, a water filter, or a cell phone, just having it in your possession isn’t enough. You need to know how to use it properly in order for it to have value to you, especially in a survival situation.

If you own and carry a cell phone, here are some things you should be able to do with it, at a minimum.

• Call and text 911 (or whatever the equivalent is where you live)

• Call and text a family member or friend

• Use the mapping app of your choice to plot a route from one place to another

• Use a search engine to find a local restaurant, motel, gas station, or other services

• Take photos and call them up to either view or send out (this is particularly useful in the event of a traffic accident)

• Turn on the flashlight

For many of us, that’s all basic stuff we’ve been doing for years. But I promise you that there are folks out there reading this right now who don’t know how to do all of that.

You don’t even need to go anywhere to do this. Sit at your kitchen table and run through them. Don’t actually call/text 911, of course, but you can go through all of the steps right up to actually completing the call or sending the text.

If there are things you don’t know how to do, either research them online or grab the nearest teenager and ask them to show you how it is done. If you’re pretty savvy already, you might consider teaching the less-experienced in your family or friend circle. My mother-in-law is very much a technophobe and refused to even learn how to operate a DVD player. She was very intimidated by having a cell phone. My wife spent a little time teaching her some basics and now she’s texting every day, taking and sending photos, and shopping online.

* * *

For the local-ish folks…

Storm Spotter Class

Thursday, July 9th

5:30PM-7:00PM

Town Bank Community Center, 820 E. Geneva Street, Delavan, WI (next door to H&R Block).

There is NO virtual option for this class session. It is in-person only. No registration is necessary. Class is free to attend.

The class will be led by Elijah Larson, Walworth County ARES/RACES Emergency Coordinator.

Weather affects every aspect of our lives, from daily travel to large-scale emergencies. This 90-minute class introduces participants to weather hazards common to Wisconsin and the Midwest, how to prepare for severe weather events, and the important role amateur radio operators play in weather spotting, reporting, and emergency communications. Attendees will learn practical preparedness skills, understand severe weather warnings, and gain confidence in making informed decisions before, during, and after hazardous weather events.

* * *

There are many biases that are part and parcel of the human condition. One of the most dangerous, from a prepping standpoint, is Normalcy Bias.

* * *

My latest article for DLT Trading is on knives you might consider taking when you go on a hike. Find it here.

* * *

Over the weekend, my wife and drove up to Kohler-Andrae State Park in Sheboygan, Wisconsin. It sits right on the coast of Lake Michigan. We took a leisurely hike along the beach, about three miles all told. On our way back, we stopped at a little tavern called Lucky Devils Bar & Grill in Port Washington to grab a late lunch. The burgers were outstanding, highly recommended if you’re ever in the area.

Survival Tip — Bug Out Bag Contents

[Warning, this is a lengthy article.]

For the purposes of our discussion, we’ll focus on a basic evacuation kit. The use case for this bug out bag is such that you’ve been forced to flee your home and it might be 2-3 days or more before you’re able to return. This is NOT a “run off to the woods” sort of kit. It’s designed to meet your basic needs for a couple of days until you can sort things out and determine your next course of action.

Note: we’re speaking in very general terms here. There are going to be things listed that may have little or no value to your specific situation. There may be things that are not listed that may have high value to your specific situation. Take the info that applies to you and leave the rest for someone else. This is not intended to be any sort of ultimate kit that’s universal to everyone. There are no one-size-fits-all solutions when it comes to this sort of thing. Anyone telling you otherwise is probably trying to sell you something 😉

My approach to bug out bags and similar evacuation kits is to think about it like this. Let’s say your significant other were to come home and surprise you with a three-day trip out of town. But you can only bring one bag. What would you pack? That’s where you start with planning the kit. That said, these categories are not listed in any specific order of importance.

As described, this kit is for one person, though there can be a lot of overlap if you have multiple people in the equation.

If you run into terms with which you’re not familiar, you’re encouraged to use the search engine of your choice to seek out definitions.

Clothing - one complete change of clothes, plus extra underwear and socks to last a few days.

Toiletries – basic toiletry kit with soap, toothbrush, toothpaste, floss, wash cloth, deodorant, and such. If they apply in your situation, a small supply of preferred feminine hygiene products. A small package of body wipes might also prove useful.

First aid kit – the usual suspects, including band-aids, gauze pads, burn ointment, OTC meds, supply of any necessary prescription meds, and such. What to keep in a good first aid kit is an entire essay on its own.

Water – for a filter, I like the Sawyer Mini, but there are other good ones on the market. I also recommend you keep a few bottles of water with your kit. But given how heavy and bulky water is, most people can’t realistically plan to evacuate with a lot of it. A sillcock key might be used to obtain water in urban environments, but this might be problematic in many cases and should be seen as a last resort.

Food – this is an area where some people tend to go overboard. Yes, you should have some food in your kit. No, you don’t need to pack 9+ full meals. Start with some shelf-stable snacks like granola bars, nuts, or whatever else you like to eat. Maybe add one or two freeze-dried meals that are lightweight and easy to pack. What you want are ones that require nothing more than water to prepare. Don’t forget utensils.

Cooking – I like to keep a canister-top style camp stove and fuel in my bag. They don’t add very much weight at all and if I end up at a location where building a campfire would be problematic and a stove isn’t available. I can still heat water. I keep the fuel and stove burner in a stainless-steel cookpot with a lid. It all packs together nicely.

Communication – most of us will have a cell phone with us. Have the means to keep it charged, including a portable charger as well as a wall plug and cord. Use the wall plug where you can and reserve the portable charger for when you don’t have another option. I also keep a very small portable radio in my kit, so that I can tune in AM/FM broadcasts. If you’re a licensed ham radio operator, you don’t need me to tell you what to pack. I recommend each kit be equipped with a loud whistle to be used as an emergency signal in case someone gets trapped or lost.

Navigation – have a good paper map of the area, as well as a compass, and learn how they work together to help get you from Point A to Point B. Topographic maps are useful as they show the terrain in case you end up having to go cross-country rather than sticking to roads.

Shelter – a rain poncho doesn’t take up much space and will be appreciated if you end up walking in the rain. I also toss in an extra knit hat and winter gloves when I switch my bag from summer to winter.

Fire – while this isn’t a wilderness survival kit, I still keep a lighter, ferrocerium rod, and tinder in my bag, just in case.

Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) – I recommend keeping a good pair of work gloves in the kit, as you may end up dealing with debris of some sort. A decent pair of safety glasses might prove valuable, as well as an N95 mask for smoky or dusty conditions. These items aren’t ideal for bad situations, but they’re cost-effective and easy to keep in the bag.

Tools – a good knife is a must. It doesn’t need to be an expensive one, but it should be sharp, sturdy, and reliable. Paracord can be handy in many situations. A decent flashlight is essential. A small LED headlamp could also be nice to have.

Cash – this doesn’t need to be stored in your pack, but it should be immediately accessible to you if you need to leave home in a hurry. Cash can solve an awful lot of problems. My recommendation is to keep enough cash on hand to get you one or two nights in a decent motel, one full tank of gas, and meals on the road for a few days. No bills higher than a $20, with plenty of singles and fives. A credit card is also great to have. Use it anywhere that will take it and reserve the cash for places that won’t.

Boredom relievers – if you’re the religious type, a small, portable copy of the text of your choice might be worth having. A paperback book might suffice for those who like to read. A deck of cards is always good to have, especially if it does double-duty as an educational tool by being printed with survival info on each card.

Self-defense – the weapon(s) of your choice, as you see fit to carry. You should have the proper training in the use of any weapon(s) you decide to carry.

Odds and Ends – if you end up at a motel or a friend’s home, an eye mask and earplugs might help you get a decent night’s sleep. A couple of contractor-grade trash bags can have multiple uses, including improvised rain ponchos. A password-protected flash drive with copies of important documents is a good idea.

There are all sorts of special considerations that can come into play when you add children, pets, elderly adults, and others to the mix. For now, consider the above to be just a basic general-use primer.

Backwoods Survival Guide Magazine

For those new to my little corner of the Internet, I am the Editor in Chief for Backwoods Survival Guide magazine. Here is the cover for the current issue available in stores right now.

You can find Backwoods Survival Guide just about anywhere magazines are sold, including:

• Walmart

• Publix

• Walgreens

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• CVS

• Tractor Supply

• Fleet Farm

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On the work front, I’m wrapping up the last of the layout edits for Backwoods Survival Guide 39, which will be out at the end of July. From there, I’ll bounce over to new articles for GAT Daily, Skillset, and Tactical Knives. I’ve also started a new book, one that I might just end up self-publishing later this year. More on that as the project develops.

* * *

I saw this post earlier this week in a Facebook group.

If you’re sick for a couple of days and your significant other is bugging you for dinner, you have my complete permission to clobber them with a frying pan.

I consider cooking to be a basic life skill, something that everyone should have learned by the time they start living life on their own. No, I wouldn’t expect everyone to be any sort of master chef. But for darn sure you should be able to cobble together a decent dinner. If you’re baffled by anything beyond a couple of eggs, that’s a problem.

Think about it like this. Let’s say the family cook is out of commission for longer than a day or two. If there’s another adult in the home, he or she should be able to step up and handle it. If they can’t, then it’s time to spend a few Saturday afternoons learning how to do it.

* * *

Local-ish folks, be advised.

Storm Spotter Class

Thursday, July 9th

5:30PM-7:00PM

Town Bank Community Center, 820 E. Geneva Street, Delavan, WI (next door to H&R Block).

There is NO virtual option for this class session. It is in-person only. No registration is necessary. Class is free to attend.

The class will be led by Elijah Larson, Walworth County ARES/RACES Emergency Coordinator.

Weather affects every aspect of our lives, from daily travel to large-scale emergencies. This 90-minute class introduces participants to weather hazards common to Wisconsin and the Midwest, how to prepare for severe weather events, and the important role amateur radio operators play in weather spotting, reporting, and emergency communications. Attendees will learn practical preparedness skills, understand severe weather warnings, and gain confidence in making informed decisions before, during, and after hazardous weather events.

* * *

An open letter to great writers who work in the survival/prepping niche.

Remember this: you absolutely cannot compete with me.

Because I want you to win, too.

* * *

I wasn’t familiar with the term Alpine divorce until very recently. I have previously heard a bit about the behavior it describes, though. Basically, what happens is a couple goes hiking, then one of them leaves the other behind on the trail. It’s often the result of an argument. Sometimes it’s simply the lead person deciding to set different priorities than to watch out for the safety of their companion.

And sometimes it’s a very deliberate situation that was planned well in advance.

Read more here.

* * *

Common-Sense Everyday Carry will be shipping from Gun Digest in just a few weeks, so if you want to be one of the first in line to see it, get your order in with them soon. Amazon’s fulfillment will follow in early August.

* * *

We visited the Kettle Moraine Southern Unit Headquarters outside Eagle, Wisconsin, for our hike over the weekend. They have a couple of trails that run out behind the building. There are a couple of spots with really nice views.

Survival Tip — Battery Storage

While many of our gadgets and gizmos these days are equipped with internal batteries that are recharged via USB, I’d bet that a lot of us still have gear that uses old-fashioned AA or AAA batteries. These might include things like flashlights and radios, among other things. It’s important to follow some simple guidelines to ensure everything will work when it’s needed.

Never store batteries in your gear for long periods of time. That’s a great way to end up with leaking batteries.

Whenever possible, store batteries in the original package. Doing this ensures you won’t confuse new with partially used batteries. If you’re going to store them in some other sort of container, be sure it’s labeled. Don’t leave them loose and rattling around, either. They could come into contact with one another and cause a short circuit.

Batteries should be stored in a cool, dry location. The ideal temperature is around 60F for alkaline and 68F to 77F for lithium. Keep them away from humidity.

While most batteries have a shelf life of around ten years, I don’t recommend pushing it. Rotate your supply as best you can every 5-7 years

Backwoods Survival Guide Magazine

For those new to my little corner of the Internet, I am the Editor in Chief for Backwoods Survival Guide magazine. Here is the cover for the current issue available in stores right now.

You can find Backwoods Survival Guide just about anywhere magazines are sold, including:

• Walmart

• Publix

• Walgreens

• Rite Aid

• CVS

• Tractor Supply

• Fleet Farm

• Barnes & Noble

Questions, Comments, Complaints, Concerns?

I am always just an email away - jim@survivalweekly.com.

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We did some hiking, then my wife did even more hiking while I napped at the campsite. We had a bad storm roll through Friday night, but other than that we had great weather for our trip. Glad to be home, though. I missed my pup.

* * *

Last week, a local elderly resident went missing. He is known to have short-term memory issues and likes to go for walks, especially in nature areas. I don’t know the backstory about how he came to be missing, who he lives with, or other information. None of that is relevant to our discussion here.

Earlier this morning, friends and family were urging people to go out and search local parks and trails for their missing loved one. Eventually, the local police department had to make this post on Facebook.

It’s important to let the professionals do their job. With so many people going out there, any prints or other tracking clues were almost surely messed up. They ended up locating him using a drone.

Civilian volunteers are an important part of Search & Rescue operations, but it needs to be a coordinated effort. A haphazard approach mucks up the works.

He was eventually located safe extricated from a nature area. He’d been missing about 24 hours at that point and had apparently spent the night out there. Thankfully, they located and retrieved him ahead of a bad storm front that was moving in.

* * *

My new book, Common-Sense Everyday Carry, is now up for preorder at Gun Digest. They’ll be shipping from there in about a month, well ahead of Amazon’s release in early August.

* * *

A few months back, I was asked to be a member of the Board of Trustees for the Collapse Survival Institute. It’s headed up by Dr. Drew Miller, whom I’ve known for several years. He’s put together a short poll to help guide efforts on shaping public policy when it comes to prepping.

Here’s the info he’s sent out.

We are conducting a poll on several civil defense program and collapse preparedness ideas. Most Americans have no clue about survival and collapse preparedness, so they are asking preppers for their recommendations. Here’s a link to the poll.

Please note, while it asks for an email address, you can just put NO in that space if you don’t want to share one. You just can’t leave it blank.

* * *

June is Men’s Mental Health Awareness Month. Men are significantly less likely to seek help or assistance when they’re struggling. They’re also significantly more likely to commit suicide. It’s important for men to recognize that it’s okay to ask for help. It’s okay to need to vent. It’s okay to break down. Millions of men struggle with depression. You don’t have to carry the load alone. If you don’t have someone in your life you feel you can turn to, you can always call or text 988.

* * *

Reminder -- Uploading or downloading pirated copies of copyrighted books isn’t cool. You’re quite literally stealing from the authors of the books. If you see copyrighted material posted for free on social media, such as PDFs of the Foxfire books posted in a prepper Facebook group, say something. Leave a comment letting them know they’re sharing copyrighted content and it’s illegal. Notify the group admin(s). If the poster and/or the admin(s) balk at removing the material, then at least you’ll know they are truly pieces of garbage and not just clueless.

* * *

Something you might want to consider adding to your Shelter in Place supplies is a small collection of notebooks and writing utensils. While some families have these in abundance just as a matter of course, others have mostly moved on to electronic note-keeping. During a lengthy grid down situation, you may not want to burn up battery life in that manner, though.

You might find it useful to take notes and keep track of events as the situation progresses. Not just in terms of what worked and what didn’t when it comes to your prep plans, but also how the overall situation started and how it unfolds as time moves on. I don’t know about you, but while I’m still pretty sharp mentally, my memory isn’t what it used to be. Taking notes “as it happens” is a great way to keep track of things, as well as learn from mistakes so you don’t repeat them again down the road.

* * *

We did several hikes over the weekend. This photo was taken at Cave Point County Park, Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin. I love listening to the waves crash against the rocks along this part of the shoreline.

Survival Tip — Complacency is a Problem

We’ve had a lot of storms this spring and so far this summer. Like, a lot a lot. I can’t say we’ve had more than normal, but it kind of seems that way. My weather radio has certainly gotten a workout, that’s for sure. But at least in my immediate area, they’ve continually forecasted truly dangerous weather that turns out to be much ado about nothing.

I think we’re all at risk of getting complacent from time to time. We hear warnings about this, that, or the other thing and after nothing much happens, we tend to ignore them next time. It’s the whole cry wolf syndrome, right? In this case, forecasters have repeatedly said that my area was at high risk for tornadic activity. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not upset that I didn’t have to pressure test my new ruby slippers. But there is absolutely a tendency to downplay future warnings, as this has happened numerous times this year so far.

And that’s a mistake.

I’m not suggesting you need to move through life on Red Alert 24/7. But you do need to sit up and pay attention when warnings are issued. All it takes is one time of getting caught off-guard for things to get ugly fast.

When severe storms threaten, stay weather aware. Be sure to keep your phone near you so you can receive alerts and warnings, and then heed the information provided to you.

Backwoods Survival Guide Magazine

For those new to my little corner of the Internet, I am the Editor in Chief for Backwoods Survival Guide magazine. Here is the cover for the current issue available in stores right now.

You can find Backwoods Survival Guide just about anywhere magazines are sold, including:

• Walmart

• Publix

• Walgreens

• Rite Aid

• CVS

• Tractor Supply

• Fleet Farm

• Barnes & Noble

Questions, Comments, Complaints, Concerns?

I am always just an email away - jim@survivalweekly.com.

Subscribe now

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Over the weekend, we lost Reuben Bolieu. He was a good friend and colleague of mine. Reuben wrote for even more places than me, which is saying something, LOL. He was a highly respected outdoorsman and I’m told he was a pretty good musician, too. Reuben contributed numerous articles to Backwoods Survival Guide. He’ll be sorely missed.

That’s Reuben on the left and me on the right. This was taken at SHOT Show back in January.

* * *

As we hit summer in full swing, let’s revisit some pointers about dealing with hot weather.

Hydrate – please make sure you’re staying hydrated. Most of us walk around in a mild state of dehydration on a daily basis. Add sweat and exertion and that’s a recipe for bad news. Various sources indicate different amounts of water you should be drinking daily, including at least one ounce of water for every pound you weigh. The reality is that it will differ from person to person. When I was recovering from my kidney stone a couple of years back, I asked my urologist how much water I should be drinking. He said to just pay attention to your output. If your urine is clear or mostly clear, you’re hydrated. If it’s noticeably colored, drink more water. For guys, it’s pretty easy to see. Women may need to just look before they flush.

Heat Exhaustion – watch for symptoms of heat exhaustion. These include dizziness, fatigue, rapid pulse, nausea, headache, and heavy sweating. If these symptoms are present, get the patient to a cool location. Have them ingest cool liquids and loosen their clothing. Soaking in cool water, indoors or out, will also help.

Heat Stroke – if those heat exhaustion symptoms don’t improve after 30 minutes with treatment, or they get worse, then heat stroke might be at play. Watch for things like confusion or slurred speech, vomiting, flushed skin, and a racing pulse. This is a serious situation and the patient needs medical attention ASAP. Try to cool them down as best you can until they can be seen by a medical professional.

Cooling centers – if your home becomes unbearable, know where you can go to cool down, such as public libraries or malls. Bonus points if you can find a place that will allow you to bring your pets along. That said, NEVER LEAVE YOUR ANIMAL IN A VEHICLE IN HOT WEATHER. Many years ago, I was working security at a local big box retailer. It was July or August and we were notified of a dog in a car in the parking lot. When we found it, the dog, a good-sized lab, had managed to squeeze its way through the partially opened window and was cowering in the shade under the car, panting heavily. We found the owner and got her outside to help with the dog. At one point, she said to me, “Well, he (the dog) wanted to come along.” Y’know, like it was the dog’s fault. I leaned in and used my full Dad voice to reply, “You are too f&^%ing stupid to own a dog!”

Stay cool this summer, folks. Take it easy and don’t overdo it.

* * *

For you home chefs, you might be interested in my review of the O.T. Prep Knife from Messermeister. It went live last week and you can read it here.

* * *

As sort of an appetizer for my Common-Sense Everyday Carry book coming out soon, here’s an EDC article I did for GAT Daily.

* * *

This is something I see this come up from time to time in prepper discussions on social media. Some people have purchased and stored things like handcuffs and zip tie style restraints. Some carry them routinely as part of their EDC. Others have them squirreled away for potential use after some sort of disaster strikes.

Honestly, the notion kind of baffles me.

If you’ve never done it before, you might not realize that applying restraints to someone, even if they aren’t resisting too hard, can be difficult at best. Training and practice are required if you want to develop any sort of adeptness in doing it.

Even if you develop the skills necessary to restrain someone, the question I have is…why? I just can’t envision a scenario where this would make logical sense. If you take someone prisoner, even if you’re fully justified in doing so, it seems like doing so would add to your problems rather than reduce them. Now you have to devote resources to watching them to ensure they don’t get free. On top of that, there may be others who will come looking for that person and they might not take kindly to you keeping them under lock and key. And what happens when it’s time to release the prisoner?

About the only use I can imagine would be if a family member were to go off the rails, whether due to a mental break or as the result of some sort of medication misadventure. And even then, my earlier cautions about training and such are paramount so you don’t cause undue injury.

If you’re going to invest in restraint equipment, think it through to determine if it will actually make sense in your situation.

* * *

We went to Kishwauketoe Nature Conservancy in Williams Bay, Wisconsin over the weekend for a short walk. It was only a couple of miles, but it was warm and humid, so that was fine with me.

Survival Tip — Chemical Lights

These are a great addition to your illumination toolbox. While you can get all sorts of “crack and shake” chemlights at dollar stores and the like, I favor Cyalume Snaplights. They’re brighter and last longer. Plus, you can get them in a range of colors.

Chemical lights have several advantages:

• They require no batteries or recharging.

• They’re safe for kids.

• They pose no fire risk, so you can use them anywhere.

The only real disadvantage is that they’re single-use. I don’t use them as my primary means of illumination, but I keep several on hand for use during power outages. I can hang one in a room and it’ll provide enough light to keep people from bumping into things. They can certainly be bright enough to read by, if you sit kind of close to it.

I also keep a couple of them in each of my packs. They’re backups for my flashlight, but they can also be used for emergency signaling. If you attach one to a short piece of cordage, say about 18 inches long, you can spin it and it will create a glowing circle of light that can be seen for quite a distance.

It’s definitely worth your while to pick up a few.

Backwoods Survival Guide Magazine

For those new to my little corner of the Internet, I am the Editor in Chief for Backwoods Survival Guide magazine. Here is the cover for the current issue available in stores right now.

You can find Backwoods Survival Guide just about anywhere magazines are sold, including:

• Walmart

• Publix

• Walgreens

• Rite Aid

• CVS

• Tractor Supply

• Fleet Farm

• Barnes & Noble

Questions, Comments, Complaints, Concerns?

I am always just an email away - jim@survivalweekly.com.

Subscribe now

Share The Survival Weekly Dispatch

Instead of spending the next few days gawking at neat blades, I’ll be stuck at the keyboard. I have a few articles for Tactical Knives and Skillset to finish. I also need to start editing articles for the next issue of Backwoods Survival Guide.

* * *

The situation in Garden Grove, California caught the attention of a lot of preppers. It’s a great example of why it’s important to be prepared for evacuation, as you might not have hours and hours to get ready to leave. Something I find interesting, though, are comments like this.

“First, I would never live in Southern California. Second, I wouldn’t live in a city. Third, I wouldn’t live close to that kind of facility!”

Not only is it kind of a dick move to imply that Garden Grove residents are somehow at fault for the situation they experienced, thinking like this is really narrow-minded. There are numerous things that can happen to force you from your home that have nothing to do with proximity to urban areas or manufacturing facilities, such as house fire or damage from severe weather.

A large portion of prepping is risk mitigation. While your choice of residential location does play a role, the first step is recognizing that there is an inherent risk no matter where you live. Burying your head in the sand and saying, “That’ll never happen to me” is the type of thinking normies engage in, not us preppers.

* * *

Backwoods Survival Guide 38 should be hitting stores now. You’ll be able to find it anywhere magazines are sold. Just a few of the highlights in this one:

--How to grow blueberries from Tom Sarge

--A simple but comprehensive DIY survival kit from Craig Caudill

--Wild medicinals from Carleigh Fairchild

--Planning your garden by the seasons from KH Koehler

--Water disinfection from Amy Grisak

* * *

It’s officially hurricane season, so time for my annual share of the quick TV interview I did in Florida about 8 years ago. Fun fact – I was so focused on sharing tips and information that I totally forgot to actually promote the kit I was there to talk about.

* * *

I recently sat down for a chat on the DisasterClass Podcast. Here’s the link on YouTube, but you can find it wherever you get your podcasts.

Note to self – invest in a better camera

* * *

While the official release date is August 4^th, we expect Common-Sense Everyday Carry to be available in about a month. As soon as I have more info on that, I’ll share it here. Review copies are being sent out soon. If you have a blog or YouTube channel and are interested in doing a review of the book, please drop me a line and I’ll see what we can do.

* * *

In most of the larger prepping Facebook groups I’ve been in over the years, there’s always a small contingent of very vocal members who chide others if they’re not prepping in what they feel is the “approved” way. Chuckleheads like that drive me nuts. And their recommendations are always things like you have to buy acres of land in the middle of nowhere and build a reinforced structure, complete with bunker underneath and scout towers hidden around the property. Sure, I’ll get right on that after I win Powerball.

A while back, I ran into a guy who has made it his mission in life to be that person. Rather than get sucked into arguing with him, which serves no practical purpose, I posted this.

---

We’re all at different stages in our preparedness journey. We each have different needs and different budgets. It can be disheartening to read posts about how if you aren’t doing XYZ, if you don’t have ABC in place, if you don’t live in such-and-such area, you aren’t a “real prepper” or some such. That’s nonsense. Nobody is walking around handing out membership cards and teaching secret handshakes.

Rather than lamenting what you don’t have, I feel a much better approach is to do everything you’re capable of doing where you are now, while working toward long-range goals. Some use this phrase – bloom where you’re planted.

Maybe you can’t afford to buy land and build or remodel a home specifically with preparedness in mind. Hey, I get it. Here in the U.S., real estate prices have exploded in the last few years. Even five years ago, in my area you could get a 10-acre spread with a decent home for about $200K. That exact same property now goes for $500K+.

You might be surprised at just how much you can do with a much smaller area, though. There’s a great book out there called The Mini Farming Bible: The Complete Guide to Self-Sufficiency on ¼ Acre by Brett Markham. He goes into great detail on all sorts of things you can accomplish on a small piece of land.

That’s just one example of what I’m talking about, though. The point here is to do what you can with the resources available to you, rather than feel guilty or depressed because you aren’t able to do the things you truly want to do yet.

Work on learning and honing skills you feel might be useful or necessary.

Work prepping into the budget as best you can, even if it’s just picking up a case of water or a couple of cans of food a week.

Work on your health and wellness.

These are all things most people can do, whether they live in a purpose-built prepping compound or a studio apartment.

* * *

For our hike over the weekend, we visited the University of Wisconsin-Madison Arboretum and spent an hour or two wandering around looking at trees and such. Also found several turkeys, which was kind of cool. They’re obviously used to people, as we were only about ten feet away from them and they couldn’t have cared less.

Survival Tip — Grid Down Instruction Manuals

Something to keep in mind as you go about your various preps is that while YOU might know how to operate all of your carefully curated emergency gear, others in the home may not. Yes, you’ve shown them how to do it multiple times. We all can get confused or turned around in a bad situation.

In a grid down scenario, they may not be able to just call up a YouTube video to walk them through what they’re trying to do. It’s a good idea to hedge your bet and make sure you have printed manuals or instructions available. You don’t necessarily need to do this with everything, but it might be wise for some of the important stuff, such as:

• Generators

• Solar panels and power stations

• Water filters, including how to clean them

Take a good look at your gear and imagine you aren’t there to provide guidance on how to use it. Anything you think might not be intuitive for your family members to operate, maybe jot some notes.

Backwoods Survival Guide Magazine

For those new to my little corner of the Internet, I am the Editor in Chief for Backwoods Survival Guide magazine. Here is the cover for the current issue available in stores right now.

You can find Backwoods Survival Guide just about anywhere magazines are sold, including:

• Walmart

• Publix

• Walgreens

• Rite Aid

• CVS

• Tractor Supply

• Fleet Farm

• Barnes & Noble

Questions, Comments, Complaints, Concerns?

I am always just an email away - jim@survivalweekly.com.

Subscribe now

Share The Survival Weekly Dispatch

Honestly, my ideal summer weather would be if it alternated between mid-80s and mid-60s every few days, and either way down to the upper 50s at night. But I suppose that’s not great for gardens and what not.

* * *

Speaking of gardens, my wife and I secured a spot at a local community garden this season. We’re really behind schedule with gardening, partially because we were still getting frost warnings up until about a week ago. The community garden has raised beds that have been tilled, composted, and fully prepared for planting. And for $10 for the season, it’s a heck of a bargain. They even provide water.

Before planting, we divided the bed into rough squares. While I’m a fan of the square foot gardening concept, in this case this was more for recordkeeping than anything else. Dividing the bed like this makes it easy to map out on paper where everything is.

My wife works just around the corner from the community garden, so it’ll be easy to stop by before or after work to water, weed, and such. I’m looking forward to seeing how this works out.

* * *

Review – Disaster Prepping for Dummies

I like the …for Dummies series of books. They’re usually well-written and easy to understand, while also chock full of great information. Honestly, I’d toyed with the idea of pitching them a book myself once upon a time.

Several years ago, they did a different book on prepping. I can’t remember the precise title, Disaster Planning or some other variation. It was…okay. There was one section that ruffled my feathers a bit, though. At one point, the author suggested that setting aside some adult beverages might be prudent because getting inebriated might be a relaxing way to spend your time in the wake of a disaster. Yeah, no, we’re not doing that.

Disaster Prepping for Dummies came out about a month ago. The author is David E. Stevens. He was a Navy commander and engineer, as well as an F-18 pilot. He was the Strike Operations officer for the Persian Gulf, and has been actively involved in disaster planning and mitigation for many years. In short, he knows his stuff. My buddy Brian Duff from Mind4Survival was involved as a Technical Editor for this book. I didn’t know this until after I bought it, and it was a nice surprise.

It’s rare to come across a preparedness-related title that is this comprehensive and that also avoids taking a hard turn into conspiracy theories and wild predictions. Everything in this book is well-grounded and factual, as well as easy to read. Stevens does a remarkable job breaking down complex subjects into easy-to-digest bite size pieces.

There are 25 chapters and the book runs about 340 pages, not counting the Index. Stevens covers everything from food, water, and shelter to going off-grid to increase your self-reliance. He also goes into great detail on identifying threats, both large and small. I love that he also addresses financial prepping, an area far too few texts tend to avoid.

This book is well-suited for the beginning prepper, but even the old hand might pick up a tip or two. The only complaint I’d have is that there is so much information here, a newbie might feel overwhelmed trying to take it all in. But that’s true of any …for Dummies book, in my experience. Kind of the whole point of the series is to provide “one stop shop” reference books.

Disaster Prepping for Dummies is a great addition to the prepping library. Highly recommended. I bought my copy from Amazon, but you should be able to find it at any bookseller.

* * *

One of the things I love about Skillset Magazine is they let me write about some pretty fun stuff that falls outside my normal niche. Case in point - remember those animal attack movies that were so popular in the late 1970s? Here’s a quick look at a few of my favorite ones.

* * *

I turned in the edited layouts for Common-Sense Everyday Carry late last week. This book looks amazing! Full color photos throughout and I think some of my best writing to date is found between the covers. While the official release date is in early August, if all goes as planned, we might have copies available for purchase as early as the beginning of July.

* * *

Here are a few of my recent stories on the GAT Daily site. All are free to read.

Road Rage – Don’t Lose Your Cool

Caches – Preps of Last Resort

Vittles on the Run – Bug Out Food Options

* * *

For our hike over the weekend, we took a trip to Carlin Weld County Park, near Eagle, Wisconsin. Going back over 30 years ago, my wife and I lived near this park and visited it fairly often. It’s changed quite a bit since then, including the addition of a disc golf course. During this visit, we discovered some the trails were closed off, likely due to storm damage. So, we ended up with a shorter than expected walk. Still fun, though.

Survival Tip — Evacuation Planning

One of the big stories in the news right now is Garden Grove, California. Residents there have been evacuated due to a potential chemical spill. I don’t normally use Wikipedia as any sort of reference, but they have a pretty good write up about the situation.

This is yet another example of why it’s important to have solid plans for evacuation. This isn’t the end of the world. It’s isn’t a complete collapse of society. And running off to the woods, Red Dawn style, would be kind of silly.

There are three components to the evacuation equation:

Where you’re going + how you’re getting there + what you’re bringing

Miss one of them and everything gets much more difficult.

Where you’re going – plan ahead for where you can go in an emergency. I recommend having at least a couple of options. Maybe one is fairly nearby and another is a county or two away. If the evacuation crisis precludes you from using your primary bug out location, you’ll have a backup. Ideally, these locations will be the homes of family or friends with whom you’ve already discussed the possibility of crashing on their couch for a night or two if something were to force you from your home.

How you’re getting there – this involves transportation as well as route planning. In most cases, families have a vehicle available. But that’s obviously not the case across the board. If you don’t have reliable transportation, you may need to partner with someone else, such as a family member, who can pick you up. Plan your routes to avoid potential bottlenecks. An example would be to avoid interstates, as they’re likely to quickly become slow moving parking lots in an evacuation.

What you’re bringing – entire books have been written just about bug out bags. My approach is to start with this scenario. Let’s say your significant other comes home from work Thursday and surprises you with a three-day weekend trip out of town. You have to leave in an hour and you can only bring one bag. What do you pack? From there, add in some basic survival gear, such as a first aid kit, fire kit, and a decent knife. The goal of a bug out bag isn’t to give you supplies to last you forever. It’s to provide what you need on a temporary basis, until you can reach a safe location.

Backwoods Survival Guide Magazine

For those new to my little corner of the Internet, I am the Editor in Chief for Backwoods Survival Guide magazine. Here is the cover for the current issue available in stores right now.

You can find Backwoods Survival Guide just about anywhere magazines are sold, including:

• Walmart

• Publix

• Walgreens

• Rite Aid

• CVS

• Tractor Supply

• Fleet Farm

• Barnes & Noble

Questions, Comments, Complaints, Concerns?

I am always just an email away - jim@survivalweekly.com.

Subscribe now

Share The Survival Weekly Dispatch

* * *

You can read the full story here, but in a nutshell, over the weekend fire alarms began going off in the middle of a large concert at a packed concert hall. Lights went up, music stopped. And everyone stood around, not sure what to do for 20-30 minutes, with zero communication from the venue as to what was going on.

If you were there, what would you have done? Forget for a moment that it was a concert, if that’s not your thing. Could have just as easily been a grocery store.

If an alarm goes off, do you wait until you see smoke or flames before you move toward an exit?

* * *

The second of our new bonus episodes of How to Survive 2025 is out now. The main focus in this discussion is frugality, as well as how that intersects with prepping. You can find it here (scroll to the bottom of the playlist) or anywhere you normally get your podcasts.

* * *

One of my recent projects is contributing articles to the blog for DLT Trading. They’ve long been my go-to source for knives and similar products, and I was honored when they asked me to write for them. The goal is for this blog to become a major resource for knife knowledge and information.

* * *

Last week, my wife and I attended a Pet First Aid class. It was taught by a couple of instructors from a local technical college Vet Tech program. It was a great class and they covered a lot of information.

One thing they mentioned was that if your cat or dog experiences some sort of episode, such as a seizure, it’s important to get them to the vet as soon as you can, even if they seem to have recovered fully. The sooner they can get a blood draw done, they more likely they’ll be able to determine if something is amiss with kidneys or other organs. The longer you wait, the less likely any indicators found in the blood will still be there. That may make it more difficult to diagnose and treat the underlying issue.

Also, and I speak from experience here, make sure you know where the closest emergency vet office is located and have their contact info handy. We had a very scary situation with one of our dogs back in 2020, and we came within an ace of losing her. We were able to get her to the emergency vet in time to save her, but they later said that if we’d gotten there even 10 minutes later, it may have been a different outcome.

* * *

My friends at Tuff Possum Gear have put their Bushcraft Belt Pouch on sale. This is one of my most-used items from their catalog. I have one that stores my fire kit in my primary pack.

* * *

Here are some recent articles of mine that you can find online and read for free.

Prepping Your Automobile for Long Road Trips

Reality Check – Putting Some Prepper Lore to Rest

An Ounce of Prevention – Avoiding Accidents and Injuries

Review – Buck 110 Slim Heritage Elite

* * *

Backwoods Survival Guide 38 will be released in about two weeks. You should be able to find it anywhere magazines are sold. Bear in mind that it can take a bit for the issue to make it to all of the different stores.

Just a few of the highlights in this one:

--How to grow blueberries from Tom Sarge

--A simple but comprehensive DIY survival kit from Craig Caudill

--Wild medicinals from Carleigh Fairchild

--Planning your garden by the seasons from KH Koehler

--Water disinfection from Amy Grisak

* * *

We did an urban walk for our hike over the weekend, going nearly three miles in Beloit, Wisconsin in and near Riverside Park. It was hot and a little muggy, and we got a good workout pushing our granddaughter’s stroller. Along the way, we saw this family of ducks, which was cool.

Survival Tip — Growing Food Under the Radar

As you plan your spring gardens, consider adding guerilla gardening tactics to the mix. This refers to growing crops in less-obvious locations or using methods that keep them relatively hidden from casual observers. For example, rather than in an actual garden plot in the backyard, growing tomatoes in a couple of large planters on your patio. Or perhaps making use of the vacant lot down the street and planting asparagus where it won’t be noticed.

A couple of comments posted in a group I occasionally visit online brought up a related topic, that being to pay attention to not just where you’re planting but what you’re planting. If you are concerned about having your crops eventually discovered by someone and thus being stolen from you, give thought as to what you can grow in your area that won’t be obvious as food plants.

Potatoes are a great example. A potato plant looks like a whole bunch of nothing above ground, while all the goodies are hidden from view. Just a few potato plants can grow a mess of food.

Sweet potatoes are another great choice. They are loaded with nutrients, such as beta-carotene, and taste pretty good, too. In fact, most of the in-ground veggies are great options, including carrots, turnips, and radishes.

The idea here is to plant things that most folks won’t recognize as being food plants. Let’s face it, even the most hardcore city dweller can probably recognize a corn stalk, right? If you don’t know what you’re looking for, you could walk right by carrots growing just off the trail and never even notice them.

Give thought to how you can disguise your crops, too. For example, plant some flowers in the same container as you’re growing food. If you’re careful about placement and camouflage, you might be able to get away with pole beans and other climbers. Plant them so they’ll grow up the side of a fence where you are also growing a decorative creeping vine.

Keep in mind that almost anything will look like food if it is planted in a garden bed in nice, even rows. Anyone will just assume that stuff is good to eat, whether they have a clue what it is or not. Edible landscaping allows you to increase the amount of food you can grow while also keeping it rather low key. Salad greens are a great choice in this regard. Many people won’t even recognize romaine lettuce growing alongside some flowers in a front or back bed alongside the house.

As you plan your gardens, think about how you might go about disguising some of your food crops, just in case that becomes important at some point down the road. Incidentally, while I would never encourage one to break the law or commit other wrongdoings, many of these tips could work to the benefit of someone trying to get around rules and covenants in an area ruled by a homeowner’s association. Just sayin’….

Backwoods Survival Guide Magazine

For those new to my little corner of the Internet, I am the Editor in Chief for Backwoods Survival Guide magazine. Here is the cover for the current issue available in stores right now.

You can find Backwoods Survival Guide just about anywhere magazines are sold, including:

• Walmart

• Publix

• Walgreens

• Rite Aid

• CVS

• Tractor Supply

• Fleet Farm

• Barnes & Noble

Questions, Comments, Complaints, Concerns?

I am always just an email away - jim@survivalweekly.com.

Subscribe now

Share The Survival Weekly Dispatch

In this week’s episode, we focus on dealing with the anxiety, depression, and other emotions that many are currently experiencing, and offer realistic strategies for adaptability, mental toughness, emotional resilience, and gratitude.

* * *

I think we sometimes forget how visible we can be in our homes at night.

Try this some evening. Turn on the interior lights that you usually have on, don’t do anything different from normal. Then, go outside and walk around the house. How much can you see?

Take it a step further. Bring your phone with you and call your significant other or another family member in the home. See how close to the home you can get before they can see you. If you approach from a side of the home that’s not lit up with exterior floodlights or something similar, you’ll probably be able to get pretty damn close.

My wife and I often go for walks well after dark. It’s quiet and peaceful, with little in the way of traffic. As we stroll around town, you can’t help but glance at people’s homes. Just from walking by on the sidewalk, we can see what people are watching on TV, cooking for dinner, and more. Imagine what could be gleaned from a closer vantage point.

Use this lesson to remind family members, and maybe yourself, of the importance of drapes and curtains, as well as exterior lighting around the home.

* * *

In the film Contagion, there is a character named Alan Krumwiede. He’s a YouTube guy, today we’d call him an “influencer” I suppose. He makes a ton of money by scaring the hell out of people and then offering salvation from the crisis by means of a “cure.” Of course, he’s just selling snake oil.

When I watch many of today’s prepper “influencers” on YouTube, I think about that guy a lot.

* * *

My next book, Common-Sense Everyday Carry, is scheduled for release in August. Preorders are always appreciated, as they help increase the book’s visibility.

* * *

Speaking of the EDC book, here’s a snippet from the section talking about bug out bags.

---

Either way, think less Red Dawn and more Planes, Trains, and Automobiles. There are exceedingly few realistic emergency scenarios where your situation will be improved by running to the mountains or forest. Instead, you’ll likely be headed to the home of a trusted family member or close friend, or perhaps to a (hopefully) clean motel, at least for the first night.

* * *

I’ve said this before, but it bears repeating.

There is a distinct subset of the online prepper community that uses their alleged interest in disaster planning to excuse all manner of illegal behavior, from copyright theft to shoplifting, even extending to crimes causing injuries and such.

We refer to these people as “pieces of shit.”

* * *

This is something I share every year around this time.

Back in 2021, a local young man, a senior set to graduate in June, committed suicide by driving his car off the road and into a tree at high speed.

Why?

Because he was bullied.

By some accounts, it had been happening relentlessly for years. This kid had less than two months to go before he’d be out of the school system forever, and he just couldn’t take it anymore. People (students, teachers, faculty) were aware that it was going on, but any actions that’d been taken obviously weren’t enough to stop him from being victimized. While there’s plenty of blame to go around, that’s a conversation for another day.

If you have kids, I want you to do two things. Do them at the earliest possible convenience.

1) Talk to them about bullying. Help them understand that it is never acceptable, whether it is happening to them or to someone else. Encourage them to speak up if they see it occurring, giving a voice to someone who might not be able to use their own. Teach them to stand up for themselves as best they can and to never hesitate to let someone know if they’re being bullied. There is only one thing that will usually get most bullies to back off – a pop in the head. But not all kids are able to do that and they should never, not once ever, feel like the situation is hopeless.

2) Give your kids the biggest damn hug you can and tell them just how much you love them. They need to hear it.

* * *

This Thursday, 5/14, we’ll be doing our Pet First Aid class. If you’re local to Walworth County, you’re encouraged to attend in person. Anyone (local or not) is able to attend virtually. Here’s the link for the virtual session. Class begins at 5:30PM Central.

* * *

We did two short hikes over the weekend. On Saturday, we walked the Devil’s Staircase segment of the Ice Age Trail in Janesville, Wisconsin. It’s only about a mile, but there’s a bit of elevation change up and down as you go, hence the name of the trail section. The next day, we took my wife to Price Park in Elkhorn, Wisconsin for a Mother’s Day hike. The photo here is from Saturday’s hike.

Survival Tip — Test Your Preps

I can’t stress this enough. Make sure you’re testing and actually using the gear and supplies you’ve purchased.

Don’t buy umpteen cases of food you’ve never tried before. A disaster is not the time you want to find out that at least one of the ingredients doesn’t agree with you. Or that you just plain don’t care for the taste or texture of it. While yes, hunger is a powerful spice and can make food more palatable than you might otherwise think, you have the time now to choose things that you’ll actually want to eat.

While you’re at it, cook some meals without using your stovetop, oven, microwave, or air fryer. Doing so will help you work through some of the learning curve that comes with cooking over an open fire or a rocket stove. Better to burn dinner now, while you can still call for takeout. We’re doing this very thing next weekend with one of our sons and his significant other. They’re bringing their stuff and we’ll have ours. We’re going to do a full shakedown of all of our cooking gear, along with trying out some new-to-us camp foods and recipes.

Test every single piece of equipment. Know how it works, as well as what it can and can’t do for you. It’s important to ensure everything works the way it should, and you won’t know that for sure until you’ve taken it out of the package and given it a test drive. If you’re in crisis mode, you probably won’t be able to run to the store for a replacement.

It wouldn’t be the worst idea to even do a full-blown grid down simulation. Flip breaker switches off for bedrooms and bathrooms. You can keep the kitchen one on if you want, just pretend that the fridge and freezer are off limits. Try to go through an entire weekend without power. See how well your prep plans work out, and adjust them as needed.

Backwoods Survival Guide Magazine

For those new to my little corner of the Internet, I am the Editor in Chief for Backwoods Survival Guide magazine. Here is the cover for the current issue available in stores right now.

You can find Backwoods Survival Guide just about anywhere magazines are sold, including:

• Walmart

• Publix

• Walgreens

• Rite Aid

• CVS

• Tractor Supply

• Fleet Farm

• Barnes & Noble

Questions, Comments, Complaints, Concerns?

I am always just an email away - jim@survivalweekly.com.

Subscribe now

Share The Survival Weekly Dispatch

I recently bought a smart watch and I’m kind of struggling with it. I mean, I know how it works and all that. It’s the actual wearing of the watch that I’m not fond of. I wore a watch daily for well over 20 years. When I quit the day job to work from home in 2016, I didn’t have need to wear one. I’ve gotten quite used to having a bare wrist. So now, having a watch on again feels…weird. I’ll get used to it, but for the time being it’s messing up my groove.

I’m also in urgent need of a new desk chair. There used to be at least a few brick-and-mortar stores in my area where I could have gone to sit in various chairs to find one that feels comfortable. These days, not so much. After spending several hours reading reviews and surfing options on Amazon, I pulled the trigger on one. While it looked great on paper, I hated it, so boxed it up and returned it. The hunt continues.

* * *

Work this week is focused on various knife reviews as well as exploring a couple of fiction projects I’d started but abandoned some time back. I’m also meeting with Brian Keene and Dacia Arnold this week to record a couple of new episodes of our old podcast, How to Survive 2025. For those new to that program, you can find previous episodes wherever you normally get your podcasts. It was a limited run project, but we’ve decided to do a couple of bonus episodes. I’m looking forward to it.

* * *

Coming up next week is the Pet First Aid presentation we’ve put together. It can be attended in person or virtually. It begins at 5:30PM Central.

To be clear, I am not the one leading this class. It will be taught by instructors from the Veterinary program at Gateway Technical College.

Here’s the link for virtual attendees.

* * *

I’m sure some of you know this already, but for those who don’t, just a heads up. The term “military grade” is nothing more than a marketing thing. It’s truly meaningless. In fact, if a gear item were truly military grade, you can absolutely do better for your money. Military gear supply contracts generally go to the lowest bidder.

The term “tactical” is also worthless when it comes to product descriptions and such. It’s a descriptor that generally refers to gear that looks like it could be used by the military or some law enforcement units. It doesn’t mean the gear is actually up to snuff. In my experience, it often means just the opposite. The more a vendor clamors on about their tactical gear being military grade, the less trust you can put in it.

* * *

A word of warning. I’d be cautious about ordering anything from Jones Peak Trading Post. I ordered a New York Insane Asylum Guard Key and Whistle to use as a photo prop. It arrived today and it looks awful. The chain is incredibly rusty, the whistle looks terrible, and the latch on the whistle is broken. This whole thing looks like it’s been sitting in an old coffee can in someone’s utility shed for the last 60 years. The first pic is what it shown on their website, where everything has a nice patina. The other pic is what I actually received, with rust flakes actually falling off of the chain. I contacted the company and provided photos of the chain. I was told that is how the chain is supposed to look. Personally, I feel like it’s very much a bait and switch.

* * *

I was recently invited to be a Fellow with the Collapse Survival Institute, which is headed up by Dr. Drew Miller. Very eager to see where this leads.

* * *

Over the weekend, my wife and I visited two different hiking spots. We started at Highland Woods in Mequon, then drove over to Sauk Creek Nature Preserve in Port Washington. Both are in Wisconsin, for those new to the newsletter. While both had some great views, I liked Sauk Creek a little more than Highland Woods, if only due to the creek itself. I’m always happy to see a water feature in our travels.

Survival Tip — Snakebites

If you are bitten by a venomous snake, or one that you suspect may have been venomous, the priority is to get to a proper medical care facility.

For years, the advice was to use a knife or razor blade to cut an X over each fang strike, then suck out the venom. It doesn’t work. It’s never worked. And it ain’t ever gonna work. The injected venom doesn’t just sit under the skin in a handy pool to be easily removed. It seeps into the limb or other body part and you can’t just suck it out.

As soon as you realize you’ve been bit, remove any constrictive clothing or jewelry near the bite, such as rings or watches. Envenomation causes swelling. If you have a marker handy, circle the bite and jot the time. This will help determine how much the wound swells and how quickly.

Then, get thee to a hospital ASAP.

If you’re out in the field on a hike or camp trip, call 911 if you’re able to do so. If you can’t get a signal, get moving and work your way back to your vehicle, and make that call as soon as you do have a signal. This is not a situation where you should be left at camp while someone runs for help. Walk, don’t run, but keep moving forward. If you have someone else with you, they can certainly run ahead until they get a cell signal. But do everything you can to keep moving toward safety while they do so.

If you have injuries or other ailments that prevent you from moving, lay in the recovery position and do what you can to signal for help, using a whistle to alert rescuers. Remember, three blasts in quick succession is the universal signal for help.

Backwoods Survival Guide Magazine

For those new to my little corner of the Internet, I am the Editor in Chief for Backwoods Survival Guide magazine. Here is the cover for the current issue available in stores right now.

You can find Backwoods Survival Guide just about anywhere magazines are sold, including:

• Walmart

• Publix

• Walgreens

• Rite Aid

• CVS

• Tractor Supply

• Fleet Farm

• Barnes & Noble

Questions, Comments, Complaints, Concerns?

I am always just an email away - jim@survivalweekly.com.

Subscribe now

Share The Survival Weekly Dispatch

The manuscript for Common-Sense Everyday Carry has been handed off to the layout designer. It’ll be a few weeks before I get a peek, but I’m excited to see what they come up with. This week, I’m working on a few reviews for Tactical Knives and a couple of articles for Skillset.

* * *

Hormesis refers to how low doses of a stressor can actually be beneficial to our bodies and/or minds. For example, when we lift weights at the gym, what we’re doing is creating microtears in the muscle fibers being used. Those tears will result in the creation of more muscle tissue as they heal, increasing our strength over time.

Here’s the preparedness spin on this. The more accustomed you are to dealing with stressful hardships, the more likely you are to handle them effectively. For example, we talk a lot about stockpiling supplies as well as learning and honing new skills. In addition, there’s something to be said for spending some time “in the suck.” Meaning, intentionally putting yourself in uncomfortable conditions to gain real life perspective and insight. Maybe you pull your car into the backyard and live out of it for a weekend, no matter what the weather brings. Turn the power off to the house (or at least pretend it’s off, so you don’t have to toss out food from the fridge) and spend a few days roughing it that way. Spend a week or two eating nothing but what you have on hand, no trips to the store allowed. Don’t laugh, for some that might be a new experience.

The point here is this. Spending some time when things suck in a controlled environment can help you deal with times when things suck for real. Exercise your prepping plans to help make them stronger.

* * *

Our Frugal Living special issue is in stores now. You should be able to find it just about anywhere magazines are sold. When we put this issue together, one of the things I wanted our writers to focus on was being realistic and practical with their suggestions. I didn’t want just another cookie cutter list of things like, “Brew coffee at home instead of buying it by the cup at the drive-thru.”

What I wanted, and what I feel we achieved, was a magazine filled with advice that is geared toward saving money on expenses while also not cutting every single bit of enjoyment from your life.

One reader recently reached out to me with this comment. “Since losing my job in December, I’ve had some really low days. Reading through the articles — especially the ones about living below your means while still taking care of yourself in this economy — was exactly what I needed.”

If you can’t find the issue locally, you can order it online here.

* * *

If you heat your home with firewood in the winter, don’t wait until fall to secure your fuel supply. Spring and summer offer opportunities for free wood, if you know where to look. Here’s an article I did a while back that details a few strategies to consider.

* * *

Normalcy bias is sort of a fancy way of referring to the notion of the ostrich jamming its head into the sand when confronted with a threat. We don’t want to believe we’re in danger, so we just avoid talking or even thinking about it. Nothing bad has happened so far, therefore nothing bad is going to happen.

Positive thinking is great, but it has to be seasoned with some reality checks as well. The problem lies in ignoring warning signs and alert signals that something is amiss. For example, let’s say you live in a hurricane prone area. You’ve weathered countless bad storms in the last 10-15 years. So, when forecasters begin saying this next one is going to be particularly powerful, you’re inclined to blow it off.

Even when Jim Cantore himself shows up in your town ahead of the hurricane, your normalcy bias keeps telling you that nothing bad is going to happen, because nothing bad has happened before. By the time Waffle House is locking their doors and boarding up windows, it’s too late for you to evacuate.

We see this over and over in so many disasters. People will watch wildfires get closer and closer to their homes, normalcy bias telling them that the fire isn’t going to get to them. It isn’t just disasters, either. We all know someone who puts off going to the doctor for various ailments, because “It’s nothing!” Someday, though, it ain’t gonna be nothing and the something it really is could turn out to be pretty serious.

Every single one of us suffers from normalcy bias to one degree or another. But recognizing it exists is a step toward overcoming it. Do what you can to look at alert signals objectively and take them for what they’re truly worth.

* * *

For our hike over the weekend, we took our granddaughter to the Duck Pond Recreational Area just outside Fontana, Wisconsin. It was a very short walk, barely a mile. When you’re dealing with a three-year-old, sometimes you gotta pick your battles. Still, it was a nice walk.

Survival Tip — Household Hazard Detection

Over the next week or two, go room by room through your home and look at everything with an objective eye. Pretend you’re a safety inspector checking out a workplace. How many hazards or potential hazards can you find?

How cluttered are stairways, hallways, and doorways? My wife will commonly toss things on the stairs leading to the garage, with the intention being to address all of those things later. Problem is that one thing leads to another and it could be hours, if not days, before those things are handled.

Are extension cords being used safely? Don’t run them under carpets, and don’t overload them.

Space heaters should be turned off and preferably unplugged when not in use. Never leave them unattended.

Are there rickety shelves in use anywhere? If so, fix them before they fail completely.

The list goes on and on. There’s no need to delve into paranoia-land with this, but be brutally honest with your observations. Fix what you can. For anything that can’t be easily remedied, try to come up with an alternate, and safer, solution.

Household accidents are largely preventable with just a little bit of attention.

Backwoods Survival Guide Magazine

For those new to my little corner of the Internet, I am the Editor in Chief for Backwoods Survival Guide magazine. Here is the cover for the current issue available in stores right now.

You can find Backwoods Survival Guide just about anywhere magazines are sold, including:

• Walmart

• Publix

• Walgreens

• Rite Aid

• CVS

• Tractor Supply

• Fleet Farm

• Barnes & Noble

Questions, Comments, Complaints, Concerns?

I am always just an email away - jim@survivalweekly.com.

Subscribe now

Share The Survival Weekly Dispatch

Other areas are still cleaning up. There has been some pretty severe flooding, as well as at least one train that was pushed off its tracks by a washout on the tracks in Janesville, Wisconsin. Thankfully the train was carrying corn and grain, not people nor toxic chemicals.

All of this is just another reminder that Mother Nature loves to keep us on our toes. Because of that, it’s important to do what you can to be ready for storms. I wrote up an article for GAT Daily detailing some great resources for staying on top of the weather.

* * *

A few days ago, I watched a video from someone showcasing her bug out bag and explaining some of the gear. It was just one episode from a three-part series of videos where she fully unpacked her bag and detailed all of the contents.

Yes, it took her three videos to get through the pack’s contents.

Among the items shown in just this one episode:

• A minimum of three different LED lanterns, two of them battery operated and one solar.

• What looked to be at least 16 AA batteries to power the lanterns.

• Three separate 72-hour kits of freeze-dried food. Meaning three bags, each of which contains enough food for one person for 72 hours. These bags are very large and bulky. Out of curiosity, I looked them up online and they run about $30 each.

• Mess kit, along with several extra plates and utensils.

• Walkie talkies with charging cords.

• Two Lifestraws as well as a Sawyer Squeeze filter.

There was more as well, on top of whatever was covered in the previous videos. And everything is packed in its original box. She said she does that so that she can use the boxes as “kindling.”

The backpack is enormous, and it’s covered in add-on pouches. My impression is that she collected several lists of bug out bag contents found online, bought every single thing listed on each one of those lists and then jammed it all into the largest backpack she could find.

I’ve seen smaller packs and lighter loads from people trekking the Appalachian Trail from end to end. I would bet large sums of money that this woman has never once put this pack on her back and walked a significant distance.

Please, folks, you gotta be realistic about your preps. If you can’t pick up and carry your bug out bag for any reasonable distance, what good will it do you in a real evacuation? I mean, yeah, the hope is that you’ll be able to use some sort of modern transportation to get you to safety. But you’ll still need to lug that bag around. If it’s large enough to house an adolescent child, it’s probably too big, just sayin’.

* * *

Travel tip -- If you’re traveling by plane and you leave your car at the airport, do what you can to park it on an interior level of a parking structure. This will provide a degree of protection from weather events, such as hail or even objects being blown around. I saw a post on Facebook showing lines of cars at an open-air parking lot at an airport with windows shattered by hail. This was followed by some torrential rains. Coming back from a trip and finding that in the parking lot wouldn’t be a fun time.

* * *

Reminder -- Prepping isn’t a spectator sport. I and others can give you guidance, but you’re going to have to do the bulk of the heavy lifting. That’s sort of what self-reliance is all about. We educators are happy to help and do what we can, but you’re going to have to participate.

* * *

I recently reviewed the Orlando Special boot dagger from RMJ Tactical for Tactical Knives. You can read the review for free here.

* * *

For our hike over the weekend, my wife and I went to White River County Park in Lyons, Wisconsin. We’ve been there a ton of times over the years. After the storms last week, I wanted to see how high the water might be. Turned out a few sections of the trail were entirely underwater. We backtracked once, then went bushwacking a couple of times to get around the flooded areas. What you see here is normally a wide, flat trail.

Survival Tip — Evacuation Cash

This stems from a brief conversation I had with someone on Facebook last week. He’d posted some info about the bug out bag he’d put together, including a detailed list of the contents. That’s always cool, because many people just post a photo of a pile of gear and say, “What do you think of my BOB?” That inevitably leads to several comments like, “What’s that green blob in the upper right corner?”

Anyway, one of the items was a $100 bill. The only other cash mentioned was a single dollar coin. I pointed out that if he had to spend cash on something in a hurry, if the other person doesn’t have adequate change, than you’re spending that $100 bill on something that might actually cost far less.

We’ve talked before about the need for cash in a crisis. My standard recommendation is to have enough money immediately accessible to afford:

• One full tank of gas

• One or two nights in a decent motel

• Meals on the road for a few days

Little to none of that should be big bills. Keep it to $20s and smaller, ideally a good mix of $10s, $5s, and $1s. This way, you can get reasonably close to the purchase price of things without worrying too much if change isn’t available.

Also, in a true emergency, use credit cards as much as possible and reserve the cash for places that won’t take plastic. This will hopefully help stretch your cash further.

Backwoods Survival Guide Magazine

For those new to my little corner of the Internet, I am the Editor in Chief for Backwoods Survival Guide magazine. Here is the cover for the current issue available in stores right now.

You can find Backwoods Survival Guide just about anywhere magazines are sold, including:

• Walmart

• Publix

• Walgreens

• Rite Aid

• CVS

• Tractor Supply

• Fleet Farm

• Barnes & Noble

Questions, Comments, Complaints, Concerns?

I am always just an email away - jim@survivalweekly.com.

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