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I was wondering if preppers do their prepare-for-the-worst things (i.e., stockpiling ammunition, MREs, preparing escape routes, and whatever else preppers do) because they expect to need it, or if it's just a harmless hobby to them.
It's not my thing but I can see it being fun to do, and I would be tremendously surprised if it became a necessity in my lifetime.
You misinterpret what prepping is. It isn't all about MRE's or guns, it is more about creating security for your family in any circumstance.
Every part of the world can experience floods, fires, wars, economic instability, illness or epidemics, hurricanes/typhoons, tornadoes, earthquake, civil unrest, lots of situations exist that having a little bit of food and water, and some extra blankets and a tent could spell the difference between surviving or dying.
Some like myself, like being self sufficent and providing a lot or most of our own food, building our own homes, providing our own heat and or power, it makes us feel more secure to be able to provide for ourselves in any situation.
Having a rally point if something if there is a flood or earthquake, or planning how you would evacuate in the case of a Katrina level storm isn't really a crazy thing to have in place any more than having a fire drill in your home so your kids know how to get out if they have to.
Most folks have auto insurance in case of an accident, most folks have a spare tire in their car and know how to change it if they have a flat, we used to have medical insurance in case of sickness, most folks that own a home have fire insurance, prepping is just a version of insurance so that if something happens, you are protected and have a way to make it back if you need.
Some folks do engage in doomer games and have bunkers and high priced dehydrated food stores that could last for years, an arsenal of weapons and millions of rounds of ammunition, their choice if they have the resources to do it and it makes them feel better, but that isn't the majority of people who have some food put by, or produce their own food or power, it is a subset of folks just as self sufficency folks are a subset, or the folks that practice primitive skills such as flint knapping or buckskinning.
It can be fun, but is is also a lot of work.
Personally, I like the freedom of security if there is a job loss or weather incident. I will be warm and fed and safe.
It is fun too knowing that your family is secure because of your labors.
OP, are you aware that we have had a dozen natural disasters in this country recently that cut people off from the usual delivery routes of food, shelter and energy?
How can anyone who watched any amount of coverage of Katrina or Sandy say that they'd be surprised to need a stockpile of food, water or a shotgun?
Why are you using the word "fun"? It's not a board game.
I prepare for a lot of things, many of them are the same as what you do. It's not necessarily fun; it's to avoid discomfort later.
If I prepare for work by picking out my clothes and making my lunch the night before, I've avoided having to be in a mad rush in the morning or having to get up even earlier.
Like saving for retirement, a small sacrifice now means more comfort later.
We've lived in blizzard, earthquake, volcano, high wind and now tornado country. While in AK we are at the end of the line for the just in time delivery system. Any hiccup in the transportation systems even for a few days like after 9-11 or several of the volcanos that we've had in the past can and did lead to shortages.
Like others have said, we want to be prepared to stand and make do on our own in our home if at all possible. We want to stay out of shelters and dole lines, many of which won't accept pets and the mad last minute scramble at the grocery. I view this as an act of social responsibility and good citizenship to be ready to be part of the solution rather than having to have folks put their lives on the line to rescue or use their resources to sustain us. Our prepping includes our two dog's needs and Plans A, B, C, D etc. with several "fall back" positions and transport means.
Prepping like others have said isn't "fun". It's somewhat expensive and inconvenient if one has done more than stocked by a few extra groceries. (Which is a good idea for everyone in any situation.) I view people that prep for entertainment's sake as dilettantes that will move on after they get bored with their zombie infested end of the world scenarios and those that look forward to TEOTWAWKI with glee with deep suspicion. Just how I see it. Prepping for a natural or man made disaster and to be self sufficient is just how we are built.
For the record, we have no MRE's and only hunting weapons in our tiny arsenal. We do have land and are working on the means to feed ourselves year round from our labor however. We have bartering items, lots of tools, water storage and several different shelters that will do in a pinch. We have a very rural bug out location with relatives if needed. We have our wit and skills which are advanced. We also have no addictions and reasonably good health and are very fit for our age, a basic tenet IMO of preparation.
No MREs here. They are available to me, I can buy them on-base if I ever wanted them. I think they are very expensive, and I do not like the ingredients.
My township has power outages every month. Loosing electricity is a normal occurrence. To live without preparedness for loss of electricity, would be very foolish.
Winter; happens. There is no way to hold it off, or prevent it from happening. Stocking wood, is a smart thing to do. Every year.
Are these 'fun'? Not really.
Hurricanes, forest fires, earthquakes, volcano eruptions; are all things that I have lived through multiple times. [not all at my current location, but other homes we have had].
These are fairly routine occurrences. I do expect to need our preps, because these are routine needs. In my lifetime these have been 'necessity' many times.
I prep for things that are likely to happen, and we use our preps. I can't think of any prep we have, that we have not had to use at least once.
Not for "fun" at ALL. What's fun about diverting family resources to prepping? It's a chore and the only positive (in the short term) is some peace of mind.
Here in northern Arizona we are not as prone to natural disasters as in other locales but there are plenty of "what ifs". What if the food supply chain gets disrupted? What if there is a bank holiday and the ATMs don't work? What if gas scarcity or rationing (like in the 70s) happens again? What if there is an unexpected snowfall of several feet? What if WIC and SNAP get cut off and people start panicking/rioting in our neck of the woods?
Those are the scenarios I try to anticipate and prepare for. Not sweating asteroids, zombie/alien invasions, or pole shifts.
Here I go again with my favorite analogy: I don't carry a spare tire in the trunk of my car because it's fun or because I know for a fact that I will ever need it. It's there in case I do.
As for "prepping," there is one more factor besides the above in my reasoning, and that is a huge savings in food expenses. My buckets of wheat, oats, beans, flour, sugar, etc (and bulk quantities of other foods) saves me tons of money over the long run when compared to the typical foods from the grocery store or prepared foods from a restaurant. Even if I just get bulk quantities of "typical" foods from the grocery store, it's a huge savings. Actually I would say that's my number one reason and the "in case I need it" part is secondary.
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