Self-reliance Archives - Backwoods Home Magazine

New yarn from old sweaters

By Margaret Mills Issue #132 • November/December, 2011 Years ago, when my grandmother learned that some women purchased new fabric to make quilts, she was shocked. She was an "old-school" fiber artist quilting, crocheting, and...

The poor man’s ultra-light dual-fuel backpacking stove

By Rick Brannan Issue #124 • July/August, 2010 For as long as I have been venturing into the backcountry, which is a pretty long time, I have been on a quest for the perfect backpacking stove....

Hypothermia — A real winter danger

By Tom and Joanne O’Toole Issue #84 • November/December, 2003 Hypothermia is a deadly enemy. It steals body heat and kills more outdoor enthusiasts every year than anything else. Hypothermia is the rapid and drastic chilling of...

This country job really rocks

By Charles Sanders Issue #105 • May/June, 2007 Down here in the hills and hollers of southern Indiana, there is rock a'plenty. Old farm fields still show evidence where early...

You could furnish an entire homestead at Lehman’s ‘Non-electric’ Hardware Store

By Don Fallick Issue #47 • September/October, 1997 Let me state my bias right at the beginning: Lehmans Hardware has been advertising in Backwoods Home Magazine for a long time, but I made my first purchase...

Used bookstores can be sucessful in the hinterlands

By Jennifer Stein Barker Issue #52 • July/August, 1998 If you stand reading at the rack closest to the window, you can look up from your book to see the Strawberry Wilderness looming its wooded heights...

SARS — Is this a glimpse of the future?

By Gary F. Arnet, D.D.S. Website Exclusive • March, 2003 Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome, SARS, is a new respiratory disease that has recently infected people in Asia, Europe, and North America. The emergence of this disease...

No dentist? Oh, no!

By Gary F. Arnet, D.D.S. Issue #75 • May/June, 2002 Enjoying lunch while looking out over the gorgeous view from your backcountry home, you bite down hard on a nut, hear a loud crack, and immediately...

The wonderful world of axes

By R.E. Rawlinson Issue #171 • May/June, 2018 In 1845, Henry David Thoreau began his now-classic experiment in self-reliance at Walden Pond. He soon realized that if he was going to make a go of it...

7 Mistakes of food storage

By Vicki Tate Issue #55 • January/February, 1999 If you are going to store food, make sure that the food you store is adequate for the need you and your family anticipate. This may not be...

Small Town America: Thermopolis, WY — Horses and hot springs

By Emily Salinger Photos by Richard Coffinberry Issue #85 • January/February, 2004 When Nate and MaeCile Brown amble down the main street of Thermopolis, Wyoming, everybody recognizes them. They're old friends, honored citizens, and local characters. They...