Cover reveal! Here's Backwoods Survival Guide 37. It will hit stores in a few weeks. Lots of great stuff in this issue, including: –Starting seeds indoors –Assembling a day hike emergency kit –Sharpening and honing knives Find Backwoods Survival Guide anywhere magazines are sold.

Here's this week's newsletter. The Survival Weekly Dispatch - Volume 13, Issue 5 open.substack.com/pub/jimcobb/...

Before I dove into the lucrative and jet-set career of being a freelance writer and editor, I spent about 15 years serving divorces, evictions, lawsuits, and other good news. It wasn’t nearly as much fun as it sounds. Here's a peek behind the curtain. skillsetmag.com/article/what...

I don't know how long the price will last, as I'm not privy to such matters, but a bit over ten bucks is a great price on this book. www.amazon.com/dp/1787398358/

I've worn these Toskana Trailer Walkers from Meindl virtually daily for about 18 months. I reviewed them a year ago for GAT Daily (gatdaily.com/articles/tos...). They remain my favorite footwear ever. They're warm in the snow and traction is great. They're incredibly comfortable, too.

It was 8 years ago this week that the first issue of Prepper Survival Guide debuted. The publisher put it on hiatus in late 2024, but I still field emails and messages almost weekly from people looking or it. I'll always be damn proud of the work we did with that magazine.

Here's this week's newsletter. The Survival Weekly Dispatch - Volume 13, Issue 4 open.substack.com/pub/jimcobb/...

<ahem> It's on Amazon, so I guess I can talk about it now ;) www.amazon.com/Common-Sense...

One of the highlights of SHOT Show was meeting Dr. Leah Hill and her friends with Pet Vet Products. She’s put together an incredible first aid guide for pet owners as well as a line of products specifically for helping our 4-legged family members. Check out their site - petvetproduct.com

Craig Caudill has long been one of my favorite voices in the survival and preparedness community. Recently, he was gracious enough to answer a few questions for my write-up on him and his Nature Reliance School. skillsetmag.com/article/crai...

Try The Urban Prepper's Guide by @jimcobb.bsky.social if you're looking for "Prepping/survival for beginners who are real humans just trying to stay alive this year." #AskALibrarian

Here's this week's newsletter. The Survival Weekly Dispatch - Volume 13, Issue 3 open.substack.com/pub/jimcobb/...

While they can be similar, there are distinct differences between a Bug Out Bag (BOB) and a Get Home Bag (GHB). gatdaily.com/articles/bug...

My review of the Redhawk from Tactile Knife Co. went live today. It’s an outstanding option for a pocket carry fixed blade. skillsetmag.com/article/tact...

There’s an online rumor that the Earth is going to lose gravity for seven seconds on August 12, 2026. Allegedly NASA has been working on Project Anchor to figure out how to handle it. People believing and sharing bullshit like this is why we can’t have nice things.

Here's this week's newsletter. The Survival Weekly Dispatch - Volume 13, Issue 2 open.substack.com/pub/jimcobb/...

If you have a blog, YouTube channel, or similar outlet and you’re interested in reviewing the 2nd edition of Prepper’s Home Defense, please drop me a line. The book comes out next month. www.amazon.com/Preppers-Lon...

There are three components to the evacuation equation. Destination + Route Planning + Kit = Success. If you’re missing one of those elements, you’re going to struggle.

Great little care package from my friends at Tuff Possum Gear!

Here's this week's newsletter. The Survival Weekly Dispatch - Volume 13, Issue 1 open.substack.com/pub/jimcobb/...

Edit an anthology they said. It’ll be fun they said. My kidney stone was a more enjoyable experience than this project. Zero stars, do not recommend. [To be clear, this has zero to do with contributors, who have all been awesome. It’s behind-the-scenes stuff that’s been an absolute nightmare.]

My profile piece on Tuff Possum Gear went live today at Skillset Magazine. skillsetmag.com/article/chec...

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.”

Food for thought for the writers. The less work you make for the editor, the more work the editor is likely to give you.

This may be the most "Monday" of Mondays of the entire year, but I'm still looking forward to hitting the ground running today. Hoping to scratch several things from my work To Do list now that schedules are more or less back to normal.

Seen on Facebook -- AI is like the Temu version of thinking.

I was reminded today of the time a “sovereign citizen” came into my office to hire me to serve papers for a lawsuit he’d just filed. When I asked him how he was able to use a court system that he had declared himself exempt from, I think his brain short-circuited.

Here's the last newsletter of 2025. The Survival Weekly Dispatch - Volume 12, Issue 52 open.substack.com/pub/jimcobb/...

The Pack Mule from Kershaw Knives is one of the most comfortable blades I've used. I reviewed it recently for GearJunkie. gearjunkie.com/knives/kersh...

A few reasons why Backwoods Survival Guide is awesome: 1) It's nearly 30% thicker than competing titles on the shelf. 2) Zero ads, all content. 3) Articles are written by pros who live this lifestyle and who know how to teach the skills.

Here is this week's newsletter. The Survival Weekly Dispatch - Volume 12, Issue 51 open.substack.com/pub/jimcobb/...

If you're fuzzy on the differences between various steels commonly used by knife makers, here's a great primer to help. skillsetmag.com/article/knif...

Are you scrambling for a few last-minute gifts? Here are a few ideas. gatdaily.com/articles/are...

The CRKT Redemption is a large and interesting folding knife. It took a bit for me to warm up to it, but once it clicked, we've been thick as thieves. skillsetmag.com/article/crkt...

The “use your shit” bros in the knife world crack me up. I have lots of daggers. What precisely do you feel I should be using them to do? I’ll never understand why so many guys get worked up about how others spend money.

Words are tools and should be treated as such. If your only tool is a hammer, you’ll be able to get some work done but you’ll find yourself struggling an awful lot. Take time to expand the toolbox and learn how to use precision equipment. You’ll get more work done with less effort in the long run.

Here's this week's newsletter. The Survival Weekly Dispatch - Volume 12, Issue 50 open.substack.com/pub/jimcobb/...

Those of who work from home and/or are self-employed, don't forget to get yourself something for Secret Santa. Splurge a little and make it something nice, you deserve it!

For those who might be interested, perhaps the best post-apocalyptic cartoon ever made, Thundarr the Barbarian, is now available to stream free on Tubi.

Hey folks, just a quick heads up. I have at least 2 and probably a total of 3 books coming out in 2026. The revised edition of Prepper’s Home Defense hits in February. August will see █████████, and then sometime in late fall ██████████████ will come out.

Looking to buy a knife for yourself or someone on your holiday gift list? Here are several great options. skillsetmag.com/article/knif...

It was -7F this morning, with a wind chill of -25F, give or take a couple of degrees. So, when my wife and I kept our weekend hike/walk pretty short and did about a mile at a local park. It was…brisk.

I was deeply honored to be asked to put together Ballistic’s Best EDC Knives category. This is a new category for their long-running annual project. This was one of the most fun assignments I’ve ever done. athlonoutdoors.com/article/ball...

Decided to run some quick numbers to recap work completed in 2025. Articles published (print and digital): 255 Articles edited: 108 Books released: 1 Books sold to publishers: 2 Newsletters written and published (through end of 2025): 64 Not too shabby.

If you have someone outdoorsy on your holiday gift list, I highly encourage you to check out some of the Christmas promotions Tuff Possum Gear is running. Jayberry has some incredible deals cooking over there. tuffpossumgear.com/tuff-possum-...

Here's this week's newsletter. The Survival Weekly Dispatch - Volume 12, Issue 49 open.substack.com/pub/jimcobb/...

Have a prepper on your holiday gift list? Wanna get 'em something really cool? How about a signed copy of Countdown to Preparedness? $25 each, shipped to your door. I only have a handful of copies left. Msg me if interested. PayPal only, please.

Tonight’s background viewing while I work is one of my favorite classic Christmas films. Yippee-ki-yay….

For those of you who celebrate St. Nick's Day, this is your reminder that he visits tomorrow night.

My review of the @victorinoxofficial.bsky.social Companion Swiss Army Knife went live today at @gearjunkie.bsky.social . gearjunkie.com/knives/victo...