Hey folks, thanks for checking out the newsletter this week. We’re now a couple of days into National Preparedness Month. Here’s the call to action.
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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.