The Survival Weekly Dispatch - Volume 11, Issue 42

Hey folks, thanks for checking out the newsletter this week. I’m writing this on Election Day, but by the time you see it, we should know who the next US President is going to be. Like many, I’m a little nervous about the election and its aftermath. I hope I’m wrong, but I feel like it’s a certainty that we’ll see some violent incidents at the polls, as well as over the next several days. I don’t think it’ll matter who gets elected, the opposing side is going to be very unhappy with the results. It’s just a matter of how they will vent that frustration.

I suppose one good thing we have going for us is that both candidates have sworn up and down that life will get better for all of us once they’re elected. In theory we should be covered either way, right?

(I’ve often said that the person who invents a font that’s universally recognized as sarcasm will be a billionaire….)

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Prepper Tip -- A reminder that we’re coming into the time of year when you’ll find some great deals on food, baking supplies, blankets, and a whole lot more that might be relevant to your prepper needs. I always watch the holiday sales for things I might want to add to our pantry or storage. Granted, some retailers will artificially inflate their prices first, then lower them so it looks like their sale prices are great deals. That’s definitely something to watch out for. But all in all, you can find some good stuff at reasonable prices if you keep your eyes open.

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I’ve spent the last few days working on revisions to COUNTDOWN TO PREPAREDNESS. The new edition will be out next year. As it stands right now, I’ve swapped out around five complete lessons for new material and I’ve gone through about 85% of the rest of the content, updating things as I’ve gone along. I still need to write a new Introduction and work out a few other details before I can turn it in to the publisher. But I’m still well ahead of schedule.

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SimpleShot has put together a pretty amazing giveaway. You can enter it here. The prize list contains products from numerous great companies like LT Wright Knives, Tuff Possum Gear, PNWBUSHCRAFT, Wazoo Survival Gear, and more.

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Some of you have heard me share this advice before. Some of you might need to hear it again. Don't sit around waiting for your ship to come in. Leap off the pier, swim out to sea, and hijack a ship. Raise your flag and make it your own. You could spend your entire life waiting for opportunity to fall into your lap. "Good things come to those who wait" is crap. Good things come to those who get off their butts and go after what they want.

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My friend Waysun Johnny Tsai wrote a great article here on the use of pressure points and vital striking areas in self-defense.

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In this week’s episode of How to Survive 2025, we tackled some questions sent in by our listeners.

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I have two 2025 calendars available for purchase.

Real World Prepping has about 130 tips, hints, and suggestions scattered throughout the year to keep you moving forward to being ready for life’s little and not so little curve balls. There’s also a ton of bonus content that can be found through the QR codes that are printed for each month.

Point to Pommel is for my fellow knife nerds. The calendar features knives from:

• Bark River

• LT Wright

• 7Forge

• Spartan Blades

• Buck Knives

• Night Watch

• White River Knives

• TOPS Knives

• Kopis Designs

• Smith & Sons

• Vehement Knives

• Dan Tope

If you are interested in a bulk purchase of either calendar, drop me an email [jim@survivalweekly.com] to discuss rates.

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We were a little short on time this week for our hike, so we stopped at a smallish park in a neighboring town. Still had some great views, though.

Survival Tip – Pets and Hotels

When it comes to evacuating with pets, one of my standard recommendations has always been to call around to hotels/motels now to find out which ones will accept animals. This way, if you need to hit the road with a quickness, you can pull up that list and call ahead to make a reservation.

I might have to amend that advice.

Locally, there was a bad fire not too long ago, one that destroyed several units in a condo complex. About sixteen families were displaced, most with nothing more than the clothes on their backs. A woman whose parents had been living there posted in a county Facebook group what her folks experienced. They had called a local Americinn during the day, while firefighters were still battling the blaze, and asked if they could reserve a room for the night. They also specifically asked if they’d be able to bring their small dog. The desk clerk said that would be no problem at all.

By the time the parents and pup arrived to the hotel, it was about 1AM. That’s when they were told they would not be allowed to check into the room with their dog. To add insult to injury, they were still charged for the room.

I tell you all of that to tell you this. If you have pets in the mix, counting on a hotel to allow you to keep them with you, even if their policy permits it, might not work out. A better plan would be to reach out to local or semi-local friends and family members and talk about the possibility of crashing with them, or at least having them take care of your pets, temporarily. The last thing you need in an emergency is one more headache to try and handle.

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 them just about anywhere magazines are sold, including:

• Walmart

• Sam's Club

• Costco

• Publix

• Walgreens

• Rite Aid

• CVS

• Tractor Supply

• Fleet Farm

• Barnes & Noble

Subscriptions are available here.

Questions, Comments, Complaints, Concerns?

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