Rain soaked wood is dry a half inch under the bark
Plus: why October pulls propane trucks and canned goods in the same week.
Issue #050 Monday, October 5, 2026 Emergency Skills
A log left out in a week of rain is soaked about a half inch deep. Split it open and the heartwood inside is dry enough to catch a spark.
Today’s Skill
Get past the wet shell
Wet wood burns if you get past the shell. Split a round into quarters and expose the heartwood. Shave one quarter into curls with a knife, pencil thin, and stack them on a dry base of bark or split wood. Light the curls, not the log. Store fuel under a tarp with split faces down and the ends open so air moves through. Never bring a propane cylinder indoors to warm it.
On The Radar
Fill season and the thin staple aisle
October is when households top off propane, pellets, and firewood all at once. Delivery calendars stretch and the cheapest stock moves first. Canning and baking aisles thin out the same weeks. Do not panic buy. Call for your fill now and ask for the earliest slot. Add two extra staple items to each grocery trip, the ones you already eat, and keep small bills at home.
The Drill
One round, one flame, today
Split a single round into quarters today. Shave a palmful of curls off the dry center. Light them outside on bare dirt or in a metal pan, with water beside you. Time it from first strike to a flame that holds on its own. More than three minutes means your curls are too thick. Then stack the rest of the wood split side down under cover.
Ready beats lucky.
- Survival Rise
P.S. Tomorrow we cover the one shelf in your house that quietly ruins stored batteries.