I don’t know which company handles the magazine stand at my local grocery store but I’ll tell you something–they have the new issues of my favorite publications weeks before I see them anywhere else. I picked up the new issue of OFFGRID about a week ago and I still haven’t seen it anywhere else as of yet.

This is the third issue of OFFGRID, as far as I know. I reviewed the previous issues here and here. As with those previous issues, I’m very pleased with the quantity and quality of information in the Spring 2014 issue.

Here are just a few of my favorite articles in this issue.

Off-Grid Rig details some massive customizations done to turn a Toyota Land Cruiser into one hell of a bug out vehicle. While few of us are probably willing to spend $30K on such a project, there are some great ideas presented here, many of which you could adapt to your own situation.

Medieval Ballistics is an excellent primer on archery and the use of it for survival. It covers the several different types of bows as well as assorted varieties of arrowheads.

Household Survival has a great overview of common household products and their different uses after a disaster. Did you know a wet tea bag is great for using on ingrown toenails and other inflamed skin issues?

Roof Tap provides all the information you’ll need on setting up a rain catchment system, including lots of helpful illustrations.

One product category that has exploded recently is the multi-purpose shovel. In Dig Deeper, we are treated to an excellent overview of several models, making it easy to choose the one that best suits your needs.

Finally, in What If? the editors chose three preppers/survivalists, each with different perspectives, and asked them to describe their plans with regards to an EMP scenario they were given. It was interesting to see both the similarities and the differences between the plans.

At 122 pages, OFFGRID is a hair slimmer than some of the other prepper magazines on the newsstand. But, the magazine is also a bit larger in height and breadth, so it makes up for the difference there. The $8.99 cover price is a bit steep, but that is still in line with the other competing publications in this niche.

Speaking of the cover, I have to say they are certainly eye-catching. What is a nice feature is that the magazine has a couple of pages inside that detail each of the products shown in the cover image. Personally, I wish it were possible to purchase prints of this cover and the previous one. They are rather inspirational to my own writing.