Every blogger worth their salt will be coming out with holiday shopping lists in the next week or so. I’m taking a slightly different approach. Here are things I’m hoping will be under MY tree come Christmas morning. I figure if they are on my list, odds are the prepper or survivalist in your life would probably appreciate one of them as well, right? Plus, this way I can just send a link to the blog post right to Santa’s email.

Flagrant Beard HAVOC
I first saw the HAVOC in a recent issue of American Survival Guide and I’ve been lusting after it ever since. The folks at Flagrant Beard know what the hell they are doing when it comes to purpose-built products. The HAVOC has but one purpose – to completely and utterly ruin the day for anyone who you feel deserves it. The HAVOC comes with a Kydex sheath that can be mounted at a variety of angles and positions.

Exotac polySTRIKER XL
I’m a HUGE fan of Exotac. Their gear is both great-looking and very functional. The polySTRIKER XL is a ferrocerium rod with a striker that fits right into the handle for safekeeping. Plus, the tungsten carbide striker is specially made and shaped to scrape ridiculously huge showers of sparks from the ferro rod. I’ll admit, I’m something of a ferro rod junkie and the polySTRIKER really caught my attention the first time I saw it.

Exotac titanLIGHT
Most survival instructors recommend having a lighter in your pocket or in your fire kit. Sure, knowing how to get a fire going using a bow drill or other primitive means is awesome. But, in a real survival situation, you might need fire NOW and a lighter is what will make that happen. The titanLIGHT uses Zippo fuel or the equivalent. There are two O rings that prevent the fuel from leaking or evaporating when the lighter is not being used. Brilliant.

Graphic Audio E-Card
I love audiobooks and I absolutely love Graphic Audio adaptations. They are full-fledged audio productions, with diverse casts, special effects, and more. Their tagline is “A movie in your mind” and that’s no exaggeration. They have a ton of great stuff, from westerns to post-apocalyptic stories like THE SURVIVALIST by Jerry and Sharon Ahern. Just great, great stuff. Conveniently, they do offer gift certificates, too.

Silky GOMBOY Folding Saw
I’ve been wanting a Silky folding saw for a while now. I’ve not owned one but I’ve heard nothing but good things about Silky. The GOMBOY looks to be a great size for the pack, folding down to about 10 inches. A good saw is far safer than swinging a hatchet or axe.

Work Sharp Field Sharpener
This is something I’ve wanted to play around with for a while now. It isn’t as fancy as the belt sander model but it is also about $100 cheaper. I’ll admit, I struggle with getting that hair popping edge on my knives so I’m always on the hunt for something that will help me turn that corner. The Work Sharp has an excellent reputation in that regard.

Atienza Kali Knife
Okay, I’ll admit it. I have an inappropriate level of desire when it comes to this knife. My friend Kevin Estela showed it off in an article he did recently and I fell in love with the knife. It just has great lines and is obviously designed to be used, not just sit on a shelf collecting dust. Someday….

So, there you have it. If you’re looking to surprise me with a gift this holiday season, I made it as easy as I can for you. And any prepper or survivalist on your shopping list would appreciate any of the above, too.

P.S. You can send your holiday cards and such to Jim Cobb, c/o Survival Weekly, PO Box 596, Woodstock, IL 60098.