Any other "preppers"?

[packina45]

You know who you are. Always interested in hearing tips, ideas, stories...

[The Annoyed Man]

There are a lot of us, some further along than others.

[USA1]

Yes.

[speedsix]

...what you don't use, you lose...always learning is a good thing...

[Blindref757]

[Crossfire]

Yes, we try to get down to Dublin every few months to stock up.

Oh no, wait, that makes me a "Pepper".... sorry

[TLE2]

I have four cases (OK, 3 1/2 cases left) of Dublin DP. Since DP sued Dubin Dr. Pepper, I'm in a protest.

Which reminds me, I have to order some for the girls...gotta go.

No, wait you can't order online anymore... I should have "preppered".

[USA1]

I have a feeling that most won't like to talk too much about the subject due to being seen as somewhat paranoid or irrational. However, I don't see it that way. I think it's smart to be prepared for the worst case scenario to the best of ones abilities.

Plan for the worst, hope for the best. Even if the worst is nothing more than an act of mother nature causing a temporary disruption in your way of life, you have taken reasonable steps to see you through.

The real trick is long term survival during and after a catastrophe of a much larger scale whether it be natural or human caused. It will not take much for society to break down and you should have measures in place if/when it does.


uh oh...I've said too much.

[The Annoyed Man]

uh oh...I've said too much.

Freak!

[mamabearCali]

Just smart to me. Same reason I carry a weapon--sure there is a 99% chance I will never ever ever have to use it or even draw it, but if I should ever need it I want it to be there. Same with prepping the chances of things going to a hot place in a handbasket are minimal, but if they do I want to be sure that we could ride out a rough and scary time for a while. But yes, we do stay on the D and L because even our spouses look at us with a bit of "you're nuts!" However I will say that if we lose power and water for a few days he will be the first to be thankful that his pretty wife thought ahead a little.

[bnc]

So how prepped is prepped?

[USA1]

So how prepped is prepped?

For the most part, a "prepper" will tell you that he or she is never prepared enough.

Definition of a prepper:

Prepper (noun): An individual or group that prepares or makes preparations in advance of, or prior to, any change in normal circumstances or lifestyle without significant reliance on other persons (i.e., being self-reliant), or without substantial assistance from outside resources (govt., etc.) in order to minimize the effects of that change on their current lifestyle.

[BigPa]

Active prepper here.

[mamabearCali]

Well I see it as three different levels.

Short term problem (hurricanes/storms/power outages). This is mostly supply based with a few skills thrown in. It is area specific to what may come your way. I see this as being able to hole up in your home from 3 days to 2 weeks without great discomfort. Think cannned goods, flashlights, lanterns, some water stored up, and for the winter an alternative source of heat. This is the limit of what most of us (please God) will face in our lifetime, and there is a good chance that we will face this at some point. If you live at the coast a bug out plan might be in order, if you live where tornadoes are prevalent a storm cellar would be appropriate. A firearm and ammunition would not go amiss

Medium Range--I think of this as a more economic problem or a fuel distribution problem or a localized terrorist attack--a problem that might last somewhere from a month to a 6 months. This is where some skills like gardening, foraging, and hunting come into hand. You are now looking at more long term foods like wheat (flour), salt, sugar, powdered milk. To augment those with canned foods. Depending on the situation you might need a water collection/purification knowledge. There is much more of course but you get the idea.

Then there is the end of the world as we know it. This is where you have (God forbid) a total restructuring of society and heaven only knows what you will need to make it through that. This is serious stuff and prepping for this can be unending and uncertain at best. This is where you really have to think and prioritize what you are going to do. You need food. You need water. You need shelter. You need heat in the winter. You need protection from theives, and bandits. But it is a possibility that whatever you have for protection the three headed gov't that remains will try to keep you from using--so having a quiet method of taking game/driving off intruders (think primitive weapons) might be advantageous. You need a method of dealing with waste that is not deadly. If you have a serious medical condition there are considerations for that. You are going to need support because no one person can stand up all night watching the tomato and corn crop to keep thieves out and then work at the oven in the morning. This is scary stuff and I truly hope I never ever see this. This could and would take years to sort out and would cost 1000's of lives at a minimum.

[Beiruty]

No one can stop the zommbies. You will run out of ammo or take a nap whichever comes first.

Key to survivalism is numbers, enough number of members who join in small group that gets bigger, gets organized and build a small tribe, clan, a new society.