Survival Skills & Books
Fire Prevention Week: Backyard Fire Risks Before Winter
Fire Prevention Week 2026 runs October 4-10. Here are the backyard fire risks that actually matter: chimney damage, debris burning, and dryer vents.
Survival Skills & Books
The survival guides and knowledge books the market pushes — reviewed against reality.
Survival Skills & Books
Lost Frontier Handbook vs. a Basic Bushcraft Kit
A book teaches concepts and sequencing; a kit teaches skill through repetition. How the Lost Frontier Handbook and a basic bushcraft kit actually compare.
Survival Skills & Books
Elderly & Mobility-Limited Prep: What FEMA's Flyer Misses
Ready.gov's older-adults flyer adds documents and evacuation planning, but skips device battery runtime and utility priority-restoration steps.
Survival Skills & Books
Rebuilding Civilization: What You Can Actually Practice
Is 'The Book: Rebuilding a Civilization' a hands-on skills guide or a reference book? What its nine sections cover, and what you can practice this fall.
Survival Skills & Books
5 Prepping Buys Worth It on Prime Big Deal Days
Which prepping buys are worth grabbing during a fall Amazon sale event, which to skip, and how to spot a fake deal before you click, per BBB guidance.
Survival Skills & Books
How to Start a Neighborhood Preparedness Group
FEMA's CERT program, not a homemade club, is the real on-ramp for organizing neighbors. Here's how the training works and how to bring it up.
Survival Skills & Books
Is Your Backyard Emergency Kit FEMA-Ready?
FEMA's official checklist has 11 recommended core items, not vibes. Run this 10-point self-audit on your backyard emergency kit before the month is over.
Survival Skills & Books
Sandless Sandbag Alternatives for Fast Flood Prep
Sandless sandbags vs. USACE-spec sandbags: setup time, performance limits, and the FEMA-approval claim, checked against official flood-fighting guidance.
Survival Skills & Books
How to Pump Well Water by Hand When the Grid Goes Down
How to pump well water by hand when the grid goes down: types of manual well pumps, sizing to your well depth, install steps, and getting water without power.
Survival Skills & Books
10 First-Aid Skills Every Prepper Should Practice
10 first-aid skills every prepper should practice before winter: bleeding control, wound care, hypothermia, CPR and more — the training that outlasts any kit.
Survival Skills & Books
Home Inventory Before Hurricane Season Peaks
A 20-minute narrated video method to document your home for insurance during the season's mid-August to mid-October peak, using guidance from III and NAIC.
Survival Skills & Books
Storey's Country Skills vs The Backyard Homestead: Best Reference?
Storey's Country Skills vs The Backyard Homestead: which homesteading reference book earns the shelf? How they differ in scope, depth, and who each one is for.
Survival Skills & Books
Hand-Crank Weather Radio Review: The One to Keep by the Door
An honest hand-crank weather radio review: does it hold a charge, pull in NOAA alerts, and is it the one emergency device worth keeping by the door?
Survival Skills & Books
How to Build a Blackout Kit That Works, Room by Room
Build a blackout kit room by room: what to stage in the kitchen, bathroom, bedrooms and by the door so an outage stays an inconvenience, not a crisis.
Survival Skills & Books
Pre-Made vs. DIY First Aid Kits: Cost and Coverage
Compare a pre-made kit against the Red Cross minimum-contents list and a build-your-own approach, so you know what you're actually paying for.
Survival Skills & Books
Pre-Storm Yard Checklist: Trim, Tie Down, Stow
A pre-storm yard checklist: what to trim now, what to tie down or bring inside, and how to spot wind-fall risk trees before a storm hits.
Survival Skills & Books
Waterproofing Your Family's Documents Before Storm Season
The IRS advises keeping tax records and IDs in waterproof and fireproof containers before hurricane season peaks. Here is what to protect and how.
Survival Skills & Books
Get-Home Bag vs. Bug-Out Bag: What Goes Where
Neither term is an official FEMA category, but the split still helps. What actually belongs in each kit, sourced from Ready.gov and the Red Cross.
Survival Skills & Books
Family Emergency Plan: FEMA's Free One-Page Template
FEMA's free one-page family emergency communication plan: what to fill in, why an out-of-town contact matters, and where to get the printable card.
Survival Skills & Books
Hurricane-Season Blackout Kit: Power and Water Essentials
A hurricane-season blackout kit for peak Atlantic season: portable power, stored and emergency water, and the food and comms to ride out a multi-day outage.
Survival Skills & Books
Summer Blackout Prep Checklist (7 Steps)
A 7-step summer blackout prep checklist: power, water, food, staying cool without AC, light, communication and a family plan for a heat-wave grid outage.
Survival Skills & Books
The Lost Frontier Handbook Review: Is It Worth $37?
Honest review of The Lost Frontier Handbook by Suzanne Sherman: frontier medicine, food preservation, water sourcing, and off-grid skills. Is it worth $37?
Survival Skills & Books
Ultimate Guide to Rebuilding Civilization Review (2026)
Honest review of The Book: The Ultimate Guide to Rebuilding Civilization by Hungry Minds — a 400+ page illustrated reference, not a prepper checklist.