About Survivorpedia
Jake Bridger
Founder & Lead Writer
I grew up in San Diego in a military family, which means self-reliance wasn't a hobby — it was just how things worked. I've been fishing since before I can remember, started hunting in 2000, and twenty-five years later I'm still at it with rifle, shotgun, and bow. Before I got into the tech world, I worked as a butcher — so when I talk about field dressing and game processing, I'm not guessing. I've done it thousands of times.
I'm CPR and First Aid certified, a self-taught survivalist, and I watch every survival show and outdoor documentary I can get my hands on. I live in Arizona now, where I'm teaching my three sons everything I know about hunting, fishing, and staying alive when things go sideways. I'm also deep into researching homesteading — that's the next chapter.
I started Survivorpedia because most survival content online is either written by people who've never slept outside or designed to scare you into buying $400 worth of gear you don't need. I wanted to build something different — practical advice from real experience, without the chest-thumping or the doomsday fantasies.
Read full bio & credentialsIt's a Family Operation
Survivorpedia is written by the whole Bridger family — Jake, Carla, Cole, Boone, and Zane. Five voices, five perspectives, one shared obsession with being ready for anything.
Meet the Bridger FamilyWhat We're About
Survivorpedia is about knowing what to do when things go sideways. Not in a paranoid, bunker-building way. More in a "the power's been out for two days and I need to keep my family warm and fed" way. Or a "I'm six miles from the trailhead and my water filter just broke" way.
Every article on this site gets held to one standard: would this help someone who's actually dealing with the situation? If the answer is no — if it's just filler or keyword stuffing or regurgitated Wikipedia — it doesn't get published. We'd rather have 50 articles that are genuinely useful than 500 that waste your time.
How We Work
Field-Tested, Not Googled
If I haven't tried it, I don't recommend it. Every technique and gear suggestion comes from actual field experience. When I say a Sawyer Squeeze filter works, I mean I've used mine on sixty-something trips over four years.
Honest Reviews
I'll tell you when a product has problems. A five-star review of everything is useless. If a sleeping bag leaks down feathers after three washes, you should know that before you buy it — even if I have an affiliate link.
Updated Regularly
Hunting regulations change. Gear gets discontinued. Better options come along. We go back and update articles when the information changes, because outdated advice in a survival context can get someone hurt.
Affiliate Transparency
Yeah, we use affiliate links. They keep the lights on. But we'll never recommend something just because the commission is higher. If the $30 option is better than the $200 option, we'll tell you to buy the $30 one.
Why Trust Survivorpedia
There's a lot of survival content on the internet, and most of it is written by people who have never spent a night outdoors. Here is how we make sure what we publish is actually worth reading.
Editorial Standards
Every article goes through a multi-step review process before publication. We fact-check claims against primary sources, verify product specifications with manufacturers, and cross-reference survival techniques with established training curricula from organizations like NOLS, the Red Cross, and the National Park Service. If we cannot verify it, we do not publish it.
Expert Review
Our content is written and reviewed by people with real experience and field time — not freelancers churning out keyword-stuffed filler. Jake Bridger has 25+ years of hunting experience across rifle, shotgun, and bow, a professional background as a butcher with hands-on game processing knowledge, CPR/First Aid certification, and a lifetime of fishing and outdoor skills. When we bring in outside expertise, we work with experienced outdoorsmen who can back up what they say with real-world results.
Real-World Testing
Gear reviews on Survivorpedia are based on hands-on testing in actual field conditions — not unboxing videos filmed in a living room. We test water filters on backcountry water sources, sleeping bags in freezing temperatures, and fire starters in wet conditions. When we say something works, we mean we have used it in the situation where it actually matters. Products are tested over weeks or months, not hours.
Corrections & Updates
If we get something wrong, we fix it and note the correction. Regulations change, products get updated or discontinued, and better research comes along. We actively go back and update published articles to keep them accurate. Outdated survival advice is not just unhelpful — it can be dangerous. Every article includes a last-updated date so you know you are reading current information.
Want to Say Hi?
Got a question about gear? Think I got something wrong in an article? Just want to share a hunting story? I read everything.
Contact Me