People who prepare but eschew guns are deceiving themselves.

[MTSilvertip]

Originally Posted by Nor'Eastah

...and there's a ton of overlap and shades of gray in between.

Point being, if you are a pot, don't call the kettle black.

Got to agree there.

I'm primarily into self sufficiency. Got a little too much stuff to be your average small holder, and I doubt my family has been classified as Homesteaders since they claimed land under the homestead act back in the 1800's. My father always considered himself a small rancher as our primary crop was cattle, and for a while we had some sheep as well. Our climate was always too harsh for growing much but some oats or barley.

I've always loved primitive skills, so I guess you could say I'm a survivalist since I can make fire without matches or store bought mag sticks. I can make a shelter out of whatever I find lying around, same for food. I can make traps and weapons out of sticks and stones, with some plant fibers thrown in to hold it together.

I know a lot of medicinal plants that grow here, I've survived all kinds of situations that were life threatening, and I can get along with pretty much nothing manufactured for an extended period.

Since I love to work with my hands, I guess you could consider me to be a tradesman since I can forge just about any tool I need with my forge, use those tools to cut timber, make beams or shape walls, put them together to make a home or shop and lay stone to make a fireplace or cooking hearth.

I can also do electrical work or plumbing, I know how to make fuel and electricity, I know how to mine for precious metals and how to smelt them into rounds.

I don't think I'm any different from a lot of people, we don't fit neatly into one small pigeonhole. That said, there is a huge gulf between those that do for themselves by either learning to make/grow their own, those that stock and store for a rainy day, and those that can't survive without a Wal-Mart close at hand.

Prepper, Survivalist, Doomer, Homesteader, Small holder, weekend hobbyist, it doesn't matter what you call yourself as long as you are taking care of yourself and your family to the best of your ability with an eye to the future and planning for the possible threats you may face.


Those that have one container of Tofu with some designer crackers, maybe with some aerosol cheese, and some of those little coffee things that go in a special coffee machine as their entire store of supplies are a danger to themselves and others as they wait for the FEMA trucks to bring them water while they sit in the football stadium waiting to die.
They do fit in a pigeonhole, those are the sheeple.

[TheKezarWoodsman]

Good to know i was somewhat onto an idea. I was thinking survivalist as someone who prefers a a more "minimalistic" or who can atleast survive it, and the preppers are those who want a more "normal" (in modern sense) existence.

Homesteader i already had some idea, but from the few around here (using the name), i doubt many would be prepared for something mind wise. Seems alot could cover the items/supplies well enough, but many seem to be of the we will all share food, and there shall be no crime, as all will be happy kind of mindset. They also seem to grow alot more veggies (lettuce/tomatos/ect), and foods with micro-nutrients as opposed to meat/grains (which they seem to do in a small amount), which i assume you would want more of. I assume this would be different in other sections of the country that are further from Boston/NYC/Dc/Portland (ME) area.

So would you all put survivalist closer to bushcraft (which seems to be more for joy/recreating than prepardness) then prepping?