There’s no feeling like it. Whether inside my local supermarket or at one of those endangered species called a brick-and-mortar bookstore, I get a case of the feels whenever I see a stack of RECOIL OFFGRID magazines on the newsstand. I’m proud of every issue we produce, but my smile might beam a little wider when I spot Issue 17.

Why? Because aside from the really cool (pun intended) cover looking fantastically frigid, it’s layered and insulated with plenty of practical cold weather survival knowledge courtesy of our talented editorial staff and the subject-matter experts who contribute. As the Game of Thrones memes forewarned us, winter has come. Survivalism is hard enough as it is during other times of the year, but throw in freezing temps, heavy snowfall, and bone-numbing wind-chill factor and conditions can be downright fatal. Fortunately, we've got your back.

In our popular What If? feature, we ask survival instructor Tim MacWelch and others to walk in the shoes of someone who’s injured and stranded in a white expanse, then tell us how they’d get out of that jam. On a related topic, Ryan Houtekamer provides seven survival concepts if you ever need to bug out on foot in a frosty landscape. This outdoors adventurer has more than enough experience in this regard, being part yeti and a Canadian Army veteran who did more than his fair share of military exercises in snow. And our features editor, Rob Curtis, dipped his feet into the world of wool, nylon, and other fun fabrics to bring us a comprehensive buyer’s guide on cold-weather socks.

On that same path, RECOIL OFFGRID sets itself apart from the competition by providing in-depth and honest product reviews. So, in addition to the socks feature, web editor Patrick McCarthy presents buyer’s guides of both collapsible water bottles and miniature flashlights in Issue 17. And, because, you know, he doesn’t have enough work being in charge of this website, I tasked him with reviewing the Shadrach neck knife from DGT and Master Proven for our Hands On column.

This issue is packed with other great features, from the four curious survival uses of an Altoid tin to the top 10 most neglected (but important) preps. We also have an exclusive behind-the-scenes look at SOG Special Knives’ 30^th anniversary and a no-B.S. paramedic’s guide to traumatic injuries.

I think this issue is loaded with good stuff. But don’t take my word for it. Look for RECOIL OFFGRID Issue 17 on newsstands or subscribe here. Maybe you’ll get the feels, too.

Written by Patrick Vuong