Many guys have a magazine they get regularly that, when it arrives in the mail, they devour it immediately. For some, that might be Sports Illustrated, for others Maxim. For me, it is SRI. No matter what I’m in the middle of reading, no matter how engaging the novel may be, it gets put on hold until I’m finished with the new issue of Self Reliance Illustrated.

The summer issue here was no different. It arrived a couple of days ago and, as always, I’m impressed with the amount of information provided.

The cover article in this issue is Teaching Friction Fire Skills by Kevin Estela. What is unique here is that the article isn’t about creating fire from friction but how to instruct others on how to accomplish it. Many of us who regularly teach survival skills benefit from the discussion here, with the focus being on how to communicate the information needed by the student to learn the skill. The approaches here aren’t just limited to friction fire skills, either, but apply across the board.

I have to give props to Adam Cohen, author of the article Wearing Your Shelter. He talks about using ponchos for emergency shelter and gives a few different options on that front. But, here’s why I’m so impressed — Adam is all of 15 years old. Even at that young age, he knows more about survival than most folks twice or three times his age. Keep it up, Adam!

The dutch oven might be one of the most versatile cooking implements around. Yet, it can also be somewhat intimidating. There is a lot of mystique surrounding this venerable piece of camp cookware. In How to Cook Outdoors with Dutch Ovens, Melissa Norris guides us through the steps on using a dutch oven effectively and efficiently.

In Foot Care and Hygiene in the Wild, George Nikolakopoulos talks about an often forgotten yet critical component for survival planning. Remember, your feet are your transportation and if you don’t take care of them properly, they may fail at a critical moment.

Product reviews in this issue include the Kelly Kettle USA Mid-Sized Scout Kettle and The Shark Bite knife, as well as the book A Walk in the Woods by Bill Bryson.

Folks, listen. If you aren’t subscribing to Self Reliance Illustrated, you’re doing yourself a disservice. I cannot recommend SRI enough.