FAQ – Frequently Asked Questions

Subscriptions

We are a quarterly magazine, so there are 4 issues per year.

Both magazines cover homesteading, gardening, food preservation, off-grid living, and practical self-reliance topics. The main difference is that Backwoods Home Magazine includes a firearms article in every issue and tends to be a bit more hardcore in its approach, while Self-Reliance Magazine stays away from firearms content. Many of our subscribers get both!

We are a print magazine. We also offer a free digital version for print subscribers here on our website. If you are a subscriber, you can download PDFs of your current and back issues here.

Yes. Print subscribers get free digital access to current and back issues as downloadable PDFs from your My Account page. We also sell individual back issues and yearly anthologies in our store.

Yes! You can purchase a gift subscription from our subscription page. If you need help setting one up, give us a call at 541-250-5134.

You can get a Subscription Report delivered to your email from your My Account page. Or give us a call or shoot us an email with any subscription questions — see our Contact Us page.

You can manage your auto-renewal subscription from your My Account page. If you need help, give us a call at 541-250-5134 or email customer-service@backwoodshome.com.

Shipping & Delivery

Your first issue will take 2-8 weeks to be delivered. You can also look at our distribution schedule here:

2026 Distribution Schedule
Click an issue to see shipping dates · Allow 1–3 weeks from ship date for delivery
Backwoods Home Magazine
#203 Jan/Feb/Mar November 25 – March 23
#204 Apr/May/Jun February 24 – June 22
#205 Jul/Aug/Sep May 26 – September 21
#206 Oct/Nov/Dec August 25 – December 28
Self-Reliance Magazine
#40 Spring 2026 January 13 – May 11
#41 Summer 2026 April 14 – August 10
#42 Fall 2026 July 14 – November 09
#43 Winter 2026 October 13 – February 08

Depending on what was ordered, it could take anywhere from 4-14 business days. For a more pinpoint estimate, give us a call at 541-250-5134.

They ship from our printer in Wisconsin.

Email us at customer-service@backwoodshome.com with your name, old address, and new address. You can also call us at 541-250-5134.

Ordering & Payment

We accept all major credit cards, PayPal, check or money order. On occasion we have been known to take silver too. Send physical payments to: PO Box 308, Philomath, OR 97370.

We include the cost of shipping in our subscription price, so what you see during checkout is the total price you’ll pay.

For subscriptions there is a $20 shipping cost per year in addition to the subscription price. Book orders vary greatly in price. Find out the exact price by contacting us via phone at 541-250-5134.

If you don’t see your country listed, contact us by email or phone and we’ll work it out.

Other

You can find our writing guidelines and submission process on our Writers Guidelines page.

Please see our advertising page for details on how to advertise with us.

The Backwoodsman was a different magazine and is no longer in print — they discontinued publication in 2025. They are not affiliated with us. Our two magazines are Backwoods Home Magazine and Self-Reliance Magazine.

Other questions? Check out our contact page or give us a call at 541-250-5134.