The Survival Weekly Dispatch - Volume 13, Issue 19

Hey folks, thanks for checking out the newsletter this week. Probably the biggest news to share this time around is the debut of How to Survive 2025 (in 2026). We’ve recorded two follow up episodes to our limited time engagement podcast that ended about a year ago. You can find the first of those two episodes here (click, then scroll down to the bottom of the list). You should be also be able to access it through any of your normal podcast sites.

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.