How many of you would consider yourself a "survivalist prepper"?

[Danny]

So with the bloody awful blizzard season Englands been going through naturally conversation down at the pub with some mates turned towards "how well prepared for a disaster scenario are you", being general zombie/apocalyptic film buffs across the board it was naturally something that caught our imagination to think about. What was interesting was all the English blokes, myself included were completed unprepared for pretty much anything beyond a few nights in the woods at most, but the 2 American dudes both found that shocking and had bug out bags, packed and sealed MRE's and even a "series of planned escape routes" from the urban areas. Personally i know survivalism is associated with the alex ross audience in their camo track suits waiting for the new world order to dare to fight their one man armoury or some such bollocks but its a level of extreme preparedness thats always fascinated me. Which got me thinking, given the nature of zombie movies and some of the fans they would appeal to i had to wonder if there are any hardcore survival 'nuts' on hpotd?

[Neil]

I remember when we had the bird flu scare a few year aback I considered getting a stock pile of canned goods and water purification tablets etc... But that's as close as I got. Our current society is probably the most fragile it's ever been. Food is supplied on demand with no real stock piles anywhere, so if the flow was damaged for some reason, people would get hungry very quickly! Quite worrying really!

[wayzim]

I remember when we had the bird flu scare a few year aback I considered getting a stock pile of canned goods and water purification tablets etc... But that's as close as I got. Our current society is probably the most fragile it's ever been. Food is supplied on demand with no real stock piles anywhere, so if the flow was damaged for some reason, people would get hungry very quickly! Quite worrying really! It was the year before last that I participated in a survival panel at this Science Fiction con ( Philcon ) where some moderate to hardcore members seemed to take the matter in stride. You got the goods, the right location, the mindset to take a life if need be - this was the majority consensus. I was the monkey wrench where my opinion was you could never be prepared enough, that getting cutting off from your caches might do you in, the actual moment a loved one is threatened is as likely to make you freeze up as spur you to action. Naturally I was mocked. So this year, in the aftermath of Sandy Hook, and related shootings, various studies of survival are coming out ( the bulk of which deal with training for gun fights, but some points could well apply to Fight or Flight in general ) and I feel vindicated. For myself, I'd probably be offed within the first few days of the collapse, but that's as maybe. When shit hit the fan before, I was surprised how well I've dealt with it - so I might manage all right after all. Still, it's very much a crap shoot. Wayne Z

[AcesandEights]

How many of you would consider yourself a "survivalist prepper"? Me? No. Doesn't hurt to take precautions (evac plan, food and water on hand, bugout bag, perhaps, and if you have a quasi-remote home or vacation home, no reason to not have some essentials stocked there), but I would not consider myself any sort of prepper, and certainly not a 'hardcore' one. Duck your heads, sweeping generalizations are inbound. While I think a degree of preparedness can serve someone well and is something everyone should maintain, and the interest itself can serve as a means to develop self-reliance and other skillsets, I generally find what the public considers 'hardcore prepping' (i.e. taking it to the point where it takes over your life) as a symptom of broader mental health and/or anxiety problems, and what may start out as a casual interest for some might easily serve as a gateway to mania for those who are desperate for some sense of control in an otherwise chaotic world. But as I said above, nothing wrong with taking sensible precautions, however we're all going to die, so little use in trading what could be a productive and happy life now, for the coping/avoidance mechanism fantasy of a subsistence level existence should "just in case" ever really come about. I know preppers will tell you that given a long enough timeline it will all come crashing down, which is so true, but so what? It might come crashing down here in a week, or several lifetimes down the road. That's my main problem with this 'hardcore prepper' outlook, it seems to rest on central tenets of living a fear-based lifestyle and checking out of society, as opposed to rolling up one's sleeves and actually trying to solve real problems in one's own life, community etc. All that said, I do feel researching the stuff looks like it can be fascinating, fun and empowering, as long as it doesn't become a mania. Taking precautions certainly has helped people when natural regionwide disasters take place, and Neil is so right about how precarious food supply and distribution is in our modern world, so no harm there. Now to get some of that Swedish firesteel I've been putting off ordering...

[babomb]

Preppers are on the menu these days. There's a definite push to make people look at anyone that's preparedness minded as a dangerous lunatic. Society today wants all citizens to be helpless and dependent on the system for survival. Shows like Doomsday Preppers purposely try to portray people of the preparedness mindset as lunatics and isolationist idiots. But the reality is that the majority of preppers lead normal lives. Your neighbors could be preppers and you wouldn't even know it unless they wanted you to. There was once a time when being prepared for hard times was just a given, something that happened naturally due to the nature of everday life. People produced their own food, canned, raised livestock, owned large pieces of land and worked hard to maintain it. Nowadays, having enough food and water to last you through the winter is the trademark of a nutcase. In todays world the only thing that's acceptable to stock up on and hoard is money. Ya know, that worthless paper that depreciates daily and has people killing each other over!? When it comes to foodstocks and sundries, having more than someone else makes you a crazy ass hoarder. When it comes to money, hoarding it all and depriving others is just good practice and makes you a successful and smart person. The world today is bassackwards!! I must be a lunatic because I recognize the fragile nature of the worlds economies and production. So I keep at least 8 months worth of food, water, batteries, medical supplies, etc.. But I'm from rural America. Which is no accident. Living in a population center is a death sentence if society breaks down(which it is doing as we speak). Out here, it used to be common to get a foot or 2 of snow in one falling, and living outside of town meant that the backroads used to get into town weren't plowed by the county. So jumping in the car just to get a loaf of bread or gallon of milk was not an option. Out here, it was common to see snowmobiles and ATV's on the roads in town after a snowstorm. The past few years we just haven't got more than a dusting for some reason. What I personally consider crazy is to see all the natural and manmade disasters happening all over the world in record numbers, and thinking "that will never happen here or affect me, so taking steps to be prepared just in case would be crazy".

[Neil]

...all the natural and manmade disasters happening all over the world in record numbers... Sure about that? I can't see any trend? eg: - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of..._by_death_toll

[babomb]

Sure about that? I can't see any trend? eg: - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of..._by_death_toll I saw this one coming. Only thing I'm sure about is that we're living in uncertain times. And i'd rather be prepared on my own if something should happen, rather than be at the whims of relief efforts or the kindness of others, or dependent on the government to sustain me. It's so arrogant of people to try and make those who choose to be prepared and self sufficient out to be paranoid nutjobs. I'm watching the State of The Union right now. And it's standard procedure for 1 member of the cabinet to be safely hid away in a bunker just in case the worst should happen. I look at disasters like katrina, Sandy, Haiti, Japan. I see the displaced people living in tent cities or stadiums because they didn't take the threat of disaster as seriously as they should have. I see that and I wanna make sure that I don't end up in a situation like that. Seeing that makes what wikipedia has to say about disaster trends completely irrelevant. If you're gonna let a wikipedia statistic be the deciding factor in whether you are prepared for a disaster or not, well, that's just outright insane! And all i can say is good luck with that. New England is in a state of Martial Law right now and there's a curfew and travel ban in place. Those who thought ahead like I do are just hunkered down, riding it out in relative comfort. But those who chose not to think ahead and be prepared, because they listen to what the TV says and buy into the preparedness=paranoia farce, well, they're not doing so well right now. They're cold, hungry, wondering when the travel ban will be lifted so they can get food and water. For some reason, I highly doubt that what wikipedia has to say about disaster trends makes any difference in that situation for anyone in New England. And i'm sure that anyone that survived hurricane Sandy or Katrina isn't really too concerned about what wikipedia has to say about disaster trends. They learned the hard way.

[DjfunkmasterG]

I am about as prepared as the next oblivious fool. Other than 2 hand guns 1000 rounds of ammo between both and probably 3-4 days food in my house... I am screwed, blued and tattooed. - - - Updated - - - Well I am one step closer to prepared, just added a new Pistol to my arsenal. (Left >>> Right) Ruger P95, S&W SD9 VE, S&W SD40 VE

[Mike70]

I live in tornado country. i'd be nuts not have some stuff prepared and set aside in a safe place. in tornado country that means in either a basement, storm cellar or a concrete reinforced shed. as far as really crazy shit going down, i don't really worry about that too much. i live on the edge of an immense forest, have a trail outside my house that leads down to the Ohio River (1.9 miles away, through the woods and downhill all the way. i'd simply drag my kayak behind me, hit the river and be gone into the vast wilderness that is southern Ohio and northern Kentucky.

[rightwing401]

I'm certainly what would be considered a survivalist prepper. Not to the extreme that would be seen on "Doomsday Preppers", but enough to get by in a major catastrophy. I was never one to put much thought into it, and I believe I've stated several times before, that it was going through Hurricane Katrina that opened my eyes to the need to prepare. Reality can really be put into prosective when you have to make a mad evacuation from your home with next to no supplies on hand should shtf, and end up a quasiy refugee living in the back of your car for a week. I was fortunate enough that nearby church took me in and offered me two meals a day in return for offering my services to helping out around the place. Even after I was allowed back 'home', the area was so devistated, services were down so long, for about a month common people like me were essentially 'on our own'. No police, no medical services, next to nothing. Needless to say, I learned my lesson in the school of hard knocks. I've made sure that every day since that I have enough supplies to keep myself and my family feed for up to a month without any kind of resupply. I've also made various 'bug out' plans due to living on the outskirts of a medium sized city. In my opinion, it's just common sense to have a little bit of essential stuff stocked up for a rainy day, and that you're a much better person by being more self reliant.

[aceofspades]

I'd say I'm just a guy that would grab-n-go if tghe s**t hit the fan. I can fish/hunt/etc. with a gun so I wouldn't worry about a whole lot. Plus I can build a fort like nobody's business.

[MissJacksonCA]

I'm in the minority on a lot of things and this would be one of them. I'm a prepper... not a "Doomsday Prepper" though I love the show because of the tidbits of info you can garner from the rabid insanity on it. To me being a prepper came about just because I'm not the kind of girl who gets a flat and calls AAA or a man to fix it. I want to do it myself because I know I can do it right and its empowering. Having lived all over the states including NYC during the hurricane, SC during their hurricanes, Ohio during tornadoes, California during earthquakes, and mass wildfires in both Cali and TX, and Canada during several weeks without phones, power, and in the time before internet I find it essential to be prepared but it's not easy. Some things go without saying... keep your car gas tank full... don't rely only on plastic as a means of payment. Water is essential. Know where you live and how to leave it by not using major routes. Have redundancy plans. Know the difference between what you need to survive and what you want. It's costly to me to be a prepared person. To top off my tank every week sucks when the day after gas goes down ten cents. To tote around a bug out bag in the trunk with stuff I hope I may never need. To keep a closet stocked with prep essentials and keep track of things that could expire. Lucky for me a lot of things I have I get at Costco and use frequently. I don't believe in MRE's or buying bulk seeds and keeping a small farm of animals in the back yard. I'm prepared for minor to medium emergencies and only prepared to assist myself. I own firearms and weapons that don't need to be re-loaded and the buck doesn't stop there. Being a prepper requires being trained in how to defend yourself at close range from people stronger than you. At least that's imho. It's an ongoing process and I'm fortunate my brother is a member of law enforcement and helps train me in defensive maneuvers while driving, and self defense, and what not. Don't get me wrong... I'm not out there saying the world is going to go to pot some day. It kind of is already there. But the realities of life are such that a major natural disaster can happen any time and they happen frequently. I'm prepared for the possible craziness that follows that you can't describe to anyone who's never been in a bad situation. I also concede that for me I have a very type-a personality and like everything just so... I'm laid back in my relationships but in my life I require control. Prepping gives me self reliance I enjoy, makes me feel empowered, and gives me the security of knowing I have plans (not just one). And in general its just fascinating. I do know actual doomsday preppers... my best friends husband has what I can only call a small arsenal of personal weapons, water bags, seeds, gasoline stores, the works. I think that's overboard. But for me what I do... feels like just enough to be informed and empowered without it becoming my life. Where the people on Doomsday Preppers the TV show seem to get it wrong is they let themselves go. They all look like they could stand to lose about fifty pounds and run five miles which is the part of the preparedness they're not graded on and should be because you're only able to survive if you're fit enough to survive. Hence... survival of the fittest. Wow I could totally talk prep for days...

[Crappingbear]

I live in the hurricane zone so we always have the survival mindset. That said, you will never be in your fortress when the shit goes down. Knowledge and mindset are your best tools. And a good pocketknife.