Presented by GYG
Monday, December 22nd, 2025
Good morning! Welcome to The Tradesman, a 5-minute newsletter tailored just for America’s tradesmen—presented by Grab Your Gear.
The Tradesman will only be sending two editions this week: today’s edition, and a Christmas Eve edition!
Today’s edition includes a list of real-life polar express night train routes that trek through the snowy mountains. Read more in The Goodie Bag below!
🔫 Bullet Proof
It may be too late to buy these for Christmas, but these are the five best guns you should get right now.
The Canik MC9 Prime
Honest Outlaw on YouTube put together this video showcasing the five best firearms on the market, with the Canik MC9 Prime concealed carry pistol topping the list.
A familiar favorite, the S&W Bodyguard 2.0 came in second in the video review. To see the rest of the list, including a video review of each arm, click here.
🚚 Truckin’ Along
Comparing the Ram 1500 HEMI and Hurricane Engines
Ram trucks brought back their cornerstone HEMI engine this year after pulling it from production last year.
The engine that took the place of the HEMI—the Hurricane 3.0-liter twin-turbo I-6—beat the HEMI in some areas, but fell behind in others.
A new review from MotorTrend compared the two engines’ performance. You can see the full review here.
Morning Meme
👀 You’ll Wanna See This
Beef jerky is one of the best survival foods available, as it can last for months and tastes phenomenal.
And believe it or not, you can prepare beef jerky right at home that tastes great and will be perfect for your survival prep.
The Goodie Bag
The Polar Express may be a fictional Christmas movie, but these new night train routes that take you right through the snowy slopes are not. (See Routes)
You don’t have to be a triathlete to enjoy the benefits of High Intensity Interval Training, outlined in this HIIT workout. (See Workout)
The College Football Playoff kicked off this weekend, with No. 10 Miami upsetting No. 7 Texas A&M, and more. (See Updated Bracket)
📰 In The News
The Trump Department of Justice released a large trove of Epstein files, including thousands of photographs.
The photos include several eerie elements in Epstein’s estate, multiple photos with wealthy people like Michael Jackson and Bill Gates, and more.
A photograph in the files that included President Trump was removed by the DOJ, but was reinstated after public backlash. You can read more on the file release here.
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