Does anyone here subscribe to or know anything about either Backwoods Home magazine or Back Home magazine?

I checked out both of their web sites. The Back Home site didn't seem to offer much. The Backwoods Home site had a bunch of stuff and a lot of articles, but I want to know how accurate the articles are.

We are planning to move to the country in three or four years and I'd like to read and learn as much as possible in the meantime. My parents used to get Countryside, which is how I found this site.

The backwoods Home site says they have an electronic version subscription for $10. Has anyone here seen it and is it worth the money or would I be better to just spend the extra money for a real paper subscription.

Also, can you tell me any other similar magazines I can look into.

Thank you in advance for your help.

-- Steve Wilkins (stevewilkins@mailcity.com), January 21, 2000

Answers

I enjoy Backwoods Home, although not as much as Countryside. I think they are quite accurate, just not the same 'friendly' tone as Countryside. I just got there Anthologies, and I'm learning alot!! Sue

-- Sue Landress (Sulandherb@aol.com), January 21, 2000.

The Backhome website doesn't offer much but the magazine is great.Some of the original founders of MEN regrouped after MEN was sold and started this mag.It's alot like the original Men and is based in Hendersonville,NC.

-- Barbara (conlane@prodigy.net), January 21, 2000.

Steve: I subcribed to Backwoods Home for about 3 years. The articles were interesting but the political slant got very old. The biggest thing I liked about the magazine was the fabulous artist sketches. It got so thats about all I was interested in so I dropped it. The main difference between Backwoods and Countryside is that Countrysides is written by people like us while Backwoods writes to people like us.

-- Kirk Davis (kirkay@yahoo.com), January 21, 2000.

You could try getting a sample or back issue of each. I'm pretty sure both of them will sell back issues. Then you could judge them for yourself.

-- J. E. Froelich (firefly@nnex.net), January 21, 2000.

We subscribe to both CS & BWH, and like them equally. Dave Duffy, the editor and owner of Backwoods home is a professed libertarian, so that is the basis of his political view. whether i agree with his view or not I still like the information availible. I have sepnt a lot of time around the forum there but have tired of it because the participents spend a lot of time just chatting about much of nothing, I am still lurking tho. My wife gets Back Home magazine off the news stand now and then. There is another forum one might want to look at too, it is called Countrylife, they have to boards, one for Homesteading and the other for living off the grid, both are good. We have subscribed to Countryside for 18 years, it has stood the test of time.

-- Hendo (OR) (redgate@echoweb.net), January 22, 2000.

I subscribe to Backwoods Home and Countryside. I like Countryside better, but I learn a lot from BWH. I don't necessarily agree with their political views, but I am challenged to think more. About half of their jokes are good ones. The recipie section is my favorite part.

-- Cindy (atilrthehony_1@yahoo.com), January 22, 2000.

I read Countryside, Backwoods Home, Backhome, and The Mother Earth News. Without a doubt, Countryside is by far the best. I have just about quit buying the Backwoods Home because of their political and anti-Christian views. Backhome and Mother Earth are good but don't hold a candle to Countryside but they at least give me something to read when I've about worn out the pages of my Countryside magazine! Backhome does not have as much info in it as Countryside but what is there is usually pretty interesting.

-- barbara (barbaraj@mis.net), January 22, 2000.

I also read Back Home, Mother Earth News and sometimes Backwoods Home, But don't subscribe to any but Countryside. I think nonre of the above holds a candle to Countryside for practical information that I can use. I love that Countryside has so many articles by people who are actually doing it instead of by someone who has just researched the information. Other magazines I look at are: Organic Gardening- useful info but lots of advertising, Mothering Magazine- good magazine for natural family health care. There is also a magazine I believe is called 'Survival' or 'Survivalist', I'll check on the name at home, it sometimes has good articles about gardening, living on the land, health care etc.

-- Christine Allen (cfallen@hotmail.com), January 23, 2000.

Steve, I took both Countryside and Backwoods Home. Backwoods Home was to me a complete waste of time and money. The only thing I learned in a year's worth of subscription was how to set up a homemade shortwave antennae and I really think I probably could have come up with one on my own. Countryside is by far the best magazine for the money. Organiic Gardening just reiterates what you get in Countryside, only with glossy color pictures. Mother Earth News "sold out" many years ago. If you want to learn more faster than Countryside can provide, I would suggest that you visit the public library and look at the books they have there. If you don't see what you want, ask them if they are in the interlibrary loan system. Here it only costs you the price of postage (library rate) from the library you use to the library the book belongs to. This should still let you read a book that might cost you $25 or more for about the price of a magazine. And of course, you can always ask questions on this forum.

-- A.C. Green (ratdogs10@yahoo.com), January 24, 2000.

Steve--Backwoods is an excellent magazine. They have their libertarian views but it is still an excellent magazine that is full of information about building and alternative energy and gardening and lots of other stuff. Back Home is a politically correct wannabe put out by the same crowd that ruined Mother Earth News. They don't hold a candle to Backwoods or Countryside. If you like Countryside you'll like Backwoods. Their address is backwoodshome.com ---Cindy

-- Cindy Ballard (cinlady@hotmail.com), January 26, 2000.