What constitutes a "prepper?" (houses, water, wild, good)
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What is the consensus on this board as to who is a "prepper?"
I am not sure I fit the bill, although, we are prepared for almost any short to moderate term interuption in normal services (like stores closing/empty)
The wife and I generally keep three months food on hand (except perishables) and have 3-4 weeks frozen perishibles (fruits and veggies). The wife grows an herb garden for cooking, but we don't grow veggies. I have fruit trees in the yard and harvest the fruit for use in/as our food. We always have a week's water on hand. I have a rifle, shotgun, and handgun with ammo.
Cars are paid for and always have 1/2 or more in the gas tank, and I keep 10 gallons of gas at the house. We have approximately 3 months cash on hand for all living expenses and bills. We have no debt besides the mortgage.
I am dependant on the electrical grid for power, and live in a suburban area/development.
Where on the spectrum of prepper would I fall, or do I not meet the threshold as a prepper? Just interested in how the board members define the term "prepper."
Technically, "Prepper" is short for preparedness. The industry standard was to identify a person who has accumulated the necessary supplies and knowledge to prepare them to handles some emergency situation on their own. There has never been a "level" associated with it because each person's concerns and needs are different. Lately, with prepping becoming an almost fashion statement with many, they have injected certain minimum levels of preparedness. Those minimum levels are however, just their personal belief of what is important and what they want to accumulate.
An example would be a person who is prepared to last 5 years alone in the woods in some hiddy hole with all their supplies and weapons to hold off an army. Yet, a severe flooding may inundate their hiddy hole and suddenly they find themselves unprepared because they ignored the less exciting concern of traditional heavy rains. All their preparedness to meet a certain fantasy emergency failed them in a more traditional crisis.
So where you sit depends only on what emergency or situation you believe you need to be prepared for. If your concern is a superstore sandy type situation, prepare for that and forget what others say should be your minimum level based on their fantasy. If you feel its some invasion of zombies from planet Tramlaw, prepare for that. You first have to decide what are you really preparing for.
I would guess that the vast majority of preppers are nowhere near being self sufficient or are growing anything substantial, especially those of us who live in urban and suburban areas. What scenarios do you envision and what have you done to prepare for them? Don't put any stock in anyone who says you can't be in their club.
Last edited by joe from dayton; 11-17-2014 at 09:29 PM..
I shy away from the word "Prepper" because of the image most people immediately go to mentally. My goal is to as self-reliant as possible. I want to have enough alternative power sources that I will barely notice when the electricity goes out. I want to be able to feed myself and my family for a certain length of time if the stores shut down. I want to be able to provide heat, food, water, shelter, etc... without needing to rely on someone else to provide them. I also want to be able to defend the things I have (without which, my family is in danger).
I am "self-sufficient" or "self-reliant"...not a "Prepper". Only because that's my own hang-up with wording.
What is the consensus on this board as to who is a "prepper?"
I am not sure I fit the bill, although, we are prepared for almost any short to moderate term interuption in normal services (like stores closing/empty)
The wife and I generally keep three months food on hand (except perishables) and have 3-4 weeks frozen perishibles (fruits and veggies). The wife grows an herb garden for cooking, but we don't grow veggies. I have fruit trees in the yard and harvest the fruit for use in/as our food. We always have a week's water on hand. I have a rifle, shotgun, and handgun with ammo.
Cars are paid for and always have 1/2 or more in the gas tank, and I keep 10 gallons of gas at the house. We have approximately 3 months cash on hand for all living expenses and bills. We have no debt besides the mortgage.
I am dependant on the electrical grid for power, and live in a suburban area/development.
Where on the spectrum of prepper would I fall, or do I not meet the threshold as a prepper? Just interested in how the board members define the term "prepper."
If you keep more than a day's worth of food, then the government will classify you as one of those wild-eyed dangerous extremist preppers that are planning on taking over the world with a violent revolution.
Having more than the government approved amount of food or having some water put by, or a generator, or a garden that supplies you with a little bit of food instead of just flowers, having a shotgun, prudently watching your spending and keeping your bills at a managable level, reducing debt and using vehicles that are paid off instead of buying new every year or every other year, I hate to say it, but you are a radical prepper!
Don't worry about it though, I'm a veteran and therefore a potential terrorist according to the current government. I'm pretty self sufficent, so an even greater threat.
There are generally 3 levels of preparedness aside from depending on FEMA to make sure you have food and water, (not a good plan if you want to live).
Basic level are preppers. A few days to a few weeks of food, either stored water or ability to purify water, shelter or ability to make shelter, some camping supplies like tents and sleeping bags, an idea of how to handle waste if the plumbing goes out, and usually a generator and some fuel in case the power goes out. A first aid kit, some flashlights, you're a prepper.
Self Sufficent - These are the folks that produce most or all of their food, usually have livestock or large gardens, can build their own houses, make tools, maintain mechanical equipment, make furniture, most will make their own power and sometimes fuel as well.
They're off grid, don't need a lot of support from society, they can take care of themselves.
Doomsdayers - These are the dream children of the government. The folks that not only plan for the collapse of society, they anticipate it with breathless glee.
These are the Zombie Appocolysers, the people with bunkers and gas masks, hundreds of weapons and millions of rounds of ammunition.
These are the folks that the government loves to portray as the normal prepper in their propaganda against people that want to provide for themselves and their family. While the Doomers are a small minority of what can euphamistically be called preppers, they are the poster children for those that want total government control of everything and every aspect of people's lives.
Some will also group in Survivalists as preppers, but I don't, as that group usually wants to go back to the stone age and a paleolithic tribal style of living. Usually loners, they are good hands in the backcountry, not so much in the social skills department. Personally, I don't see that as prepping for an incident or catastrophy, more of a rejection of society as a whole.
All you have to worry about is feeling that you can take care of yourself in an emergency, no matter what emergency worries you the most. If you fear a hurricane or flood, wildfire or winter storm, earthquake or martial law, it's completely up to you.
Having some stored food doesn't make you a radical, having a shotgun doesn't make you a terrorist, but by your description, you definately prep.
Good for you and welcome to the club of unapproved government activities!!!
Some will also group in Survivalists as preppers, but I don't, as that group usually wants to go back to the stone age and a paleolithic tribal style of living. Usually loners, they are good hands in the backcountry, not so much in the social skills department. Personally, I don't see that as prepping for an incident or catastrophy, more of a rejection of society as a whole.
You couldn't be further from the truth in describing survivalists. We trace our origins to the beginning of Franklin Roosevelt's reign of terror. We kept our gold. When Roosevelt pushed us into the war for communism and instituted rationing to help Stalin (78% of American aid went to the Soviet Union) we hoarded food and sometimes sold on the black market. After the war we were building bomb shelters in our basements and wishing for a real Republican president.
We were the John Birch Society, Young Americans for Freedom, and Students for Goldwater. We loved Senator McCarthy.
We were the Western Republicans and Southern Democrats who stood firm to the end in our opposition to the Gun Control Act and the Civil Rights Act.
We enjoyed wilderness survival. We were educated and appreciated art, books, fine dining, and fascinating weaponry. We didn't waste our money. Our pleasures were objects of value.
We visited South Africa and Rhodesia in the manner of pilgrims.
We were the people the rabble saw transfixed by the displays in the thick windows of banks and coin and currency dealers.
We cried when the Chase Money Museum closed.
We were private people long before someone coined the nonce term OPSEC.
I remember coin shows from forty years ago. They were largely about financial survival, because coins were tied to precious metals investing so there were good conversations. Those were the days before ''shall issue'' concealed carry permits, but everybody carried a gun. The people all subscribed to ''Inflation Survival Newsletter'', knew that kaffirs didn't always refer to people, and had Howard Ruff, Mel Tappan, Kurt Saxon, and, of course, Harry Browne in their libraries.
Too many people today have no concept of financial survival or the pleasure of coins, nuggets, mining stocks, etc. that we had then. There were no preppers, only survivalists who weren't frightened of calling themselves that. Sadly, we were never able to promote combined coin and gun shows except in smaller cities. That would have been the ultimate survivalist gathering.
Our TEOTWAWKI began with the Nixon shock. This is one of the best wikipedia articles that I've ever seen. Everyone should print this article and read it in toto.
''In 1971 more and more dollars were being printed in Washington, then being pumped overseas, to pay for government expenditure on the military and social programs. In the first six months of 1971, assets for $22 billion fled the U.S. In response, on 15 August 1971, Nixon issued Executive Order11615 pursuant to the Economic Stabilization Act of 1970, unilaterally imposing 90-day wage and price controls, a 10% import surcharge, and most importantly "closed the gold window", making the dollar inconvertible to gold directly, except on the open market. Unusually, this decision was made without consulting members of the international monetary system or even his own State Department, and was soon dubbed the Nixon Shock.''
As history has shown that this was the beginning of more bad times. Nixon did, however, support the right of Americans to own and trade gold without restriction. On January 1st, 1975 it became legal to trade in all physicals as well as futures and options. Gold bugs (survivalists) were the only ones to truly prosper for the next ten years.
I shy away from the word "Prepper" because of the image most people immediately go to mentally.
I am "self-sufficient" or "self-reliant"...not a "Prepper". Only because that's my own hang-up with wording.
And that's the most important item to remember, people each develop their own idea of what these things mean and as a result their is no general public consensus as to what these words mean.
Within the industry, there is a distinct definition of these five groups. I'll give them so others can ponder the actual industry meanings and see how they relate to how others see it. Understand that a person may fit one or more of these groups:
Self Sufficient - Self Reliant (and similar terms) refers to a lifestyle choice. These individuals are not necessarily preparing for any situation, but rather have chosen to lessen their dependency on daily commercial entities to provide their needs. Often they are still part of a daily community but can maintain a certain way of life if that community link is broken. Most people in this category will admit they still have a dependency on the commercial world or commercial world practices to sustain themselves.
"Prepper" refers to an individual who has chosen to plan for a situation and in so planning, acquires the necessary tools and goods to see themselves through that situation. A prepper will usually have a starting base of operation where they maintain their tools and supplies. A key element of a prepper is their "plan". They thought out the crises and planned for it specifically or generally.
Survivalist refers to an individual who through education, skills and knowledge is capable of living with minimal supplies and tools. They have the necessary skills and understanding to acquire what they need to sustain themselves from their surroundings. These was once referred to as bush skills.
Politico Agent refers to a person who lives in fear of some government crisis. It doesn't matter if the action is made up or so far fetch it borders on psychotic, they act on that fear even to the point of creating their own self fear by acting when nothing is happening. Many in this category are just nut cases, whacked out militia, gun nuts, and plain old losers in life.
Hobbyist refers to the large segment of prepper, survivalist, self sufficiency etc who do it less for any actual crisis, but rather because its their entertainment and/or hobby. Some people go crazy and follow their sports team to all ends, others have their motorcycle love integrated to their lifestyle, others turn their body into an art canvass; whatever the hobby, some just plain old get into the whole prepper/survivalist thing for fun and entertainment.
Those are the basic five categories. You have a lifestyle, planning & acquisition, skill based, crazies, and those who do it for entertainment. There are a couple of sub categories that deal more with social/economic and technical education.
As one can see by the replies, there are as many definitions for "prepper" as there are folks to come up with those definitions. Sadly.
My definition? I'll just add to the menagerie. One who actively engages in preparations/lifestyle choices conducive to/for emergencies or various sorts of social breakdowns. The (legitimate) methodology of doing so is irrelevant to the word. Thus, "prepper" encompasses many "styles" of preparedness.
Person A has three years worth of food and provisions in his/her basement. Person B practices backwoods survival techniques. Person C lives on a self-sufficient farm. Maybe Person D does all of the above. Going beyond which of them is "better off," aren't they all working toward either not being dependent on society/government in a crisis or living more independently in general?
Personally, I don't discount any of them. I'm not a snob about it. I applaud ANY productive effort to cut dependency on the web of the dependent collective we have all allowed ourselves to become ensnared within to one extent or another.
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