# to prep or not to prep



## swampbuck62 (Sep 11, 2006)

I personally prep, not going into what extent but it's sufficient for me and my family for a while....

what do you say to your friends and neighbors who know you prep and mock you? I have told as few people as possible and most of them prep as well..

I love it when folks say I know where I'm going if the SHTF or some natural disaster or whatever...

you do? 

NOT MY HOUSE....

Not saying I won't help folks , but don't think you are going to bulldoze your way in, not even family who BTW are some of my chief mockers..


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## blgoose44 (Oct 10, 2008)

It frustrates me that so many people mock, yet are completely unprepared at ANY level. Our area has blizzard, tornadoes, and always unemployment yet people around me will be caught unaware. Each time we get 4 inches of snow, they are the same people that HAVE to run to the store, because their shelves at home are empty. Not to mention all the people screaming for Gov. assistance every time there is a natural disaster. But they will all mock you for putting a little extra back.

Making this thread might get you mocked here, which I can't understand, you would think the average outdoors man (minus fly fishermen) would be natural preppers.

Hate the word preppers


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## MERGANZER (Aug 24, 2006)

I think when people hear the word prepper they are thinking of the most etreme preppers and not the folks that simply want to know that they will be comfortable for awhile if something happens for a few days etc. There are levels of it and I question some levels. Having some extra water and canned food and dry food etc. is smart. I am not ready to build a bomb shelter and stock up 10,000 rounds of ammunition though. I think the reaction by many is because they associate that word with the most extreme preppers.

Ganzer


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## sjk984 (Jan 4, 2010)

A lot of my friends prep they prep for when the bottom falls out of beer industry. 

me personally we prep for 2 months as we keep in the basement

posted using Outdoor Hub Campfire


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## slowjeep (Jan 29, 2012)

My recent issue of Popular Mechanics had an article on disaster preparation. It was very basic, but has some good advice. www.popularmechanics.com/disasterprep The best advice on stockpiling, and what we do at home, is to "*store what you eat, eat what you store*." Buy your preps on sale, canned goods go on sale all the time. Buy your preps at thrift stores and dollar stores. Check out Harbor Freight. Buy simple multiuse items, stay away from specialized or gimmicky items. Yeah, a $50 hat, $90 gloves, and $200 boots will work great, but it wont be worth squat if you are stuck in your house with no food or no way to keep warm. By following the store what you eat-eat what you store method, you will save money on the cost of groceries. Prepping can save you money, explain that to your friends. 

My wife and I combine our prepping with our love of camping. Our camping gear and our well stocked pantry should hopefully take care of us in event of an emergency. Prep for the mundane disasters, not the crazy stuff like solar flares, anarchy, etc. If you talk about prepping, focus on common sense. A lot of people expect the gov't to magically swoop in and give them limitless fema credit cards if there is a disaster. Prepping and being self sufficient scares them. Prepping is not just about storing stuff, its about knowledge too. Learning and taking classes on first aid, cpr, and other skills will give you credibility when the prepping discussion comes up. 

Here is something to think about when someone makes the remark "I know where I am headed when the SHTF, wink wink." Tell them to make sure they come pre-fattened, then lick your lips.


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## Bearblade (Dec 30, 2005)

My gut on this whole prepper thing is it's a devolution back to tribalism mentality. We' re such an overboard individualistic society. The Chinese are where we were in the 50's...they value education and work in together while we slide toward dysfunction.


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## Huffy (Jan 19, 2009)

swampbuck62 said:


> what do you say to your friends and neighbors who know you prep and mock you?


I think you're best off not telling people. Saves you from having to deal with their crap. But, more importantly, if something ever does happen I think you'll be better off if nobody knows you were a prepper. It'll keep you from having bunches of people coming to you for food, medical supplies, shelter, etc, etc, etc.


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## MEL (Jul 17, 2005)

sjk984 said:


> A lot of my friends prep they prep for when the bottom falls out of beer industry.


I am fully prepped for this tragedy. Got my own beer cave fully stocked. Also can brew my own should it last for a few years. Plenty of ammo to defend t with.


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## Mr. Botek (Mar 15, 2011)

I prefer the term planner.


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## Jawski_Jr (Sep 24, 2013)

In Michigan... an obvious level of minimal preparation for "hard times" is having food for 4-5 months (1 winter), and the ability to heat your home with wood and access to clean fresh water. After that, the worst case scenario is you could grow your own food, and store-up for the next winter during the spring/summer/fall... though it'll be rough, you COULD survive. 

I'd not depend on hunting animals too much (everyone else is planning to eat the same meat, and there are only so many animals in the woods).

All the rest, worrying about radiation poisoning, or a destroyed electric grid... that stuff can wait. Surviving ONE WINTER... is a great first target for people just starting to think about this sort of thing.

As for myself, I'm starting to plan some fruit trees and bushes on my property too. When the trees are on sale, grab a few, and plant them! The country probably WON'T go up in flames in the near future (right??), so you might as well enjoy what your doing... and I'm really looking forward to my fresh cherry/blueberry pies and canned peaches from my own trees. Prepping is FUN!


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## john warren (Jan 25, 2005)

my take is , no matter what you prep for,,,something else will happen.

the best preperation is knowledge. learning skills that will allow you to adapt to what ever situation comes up.


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## slowjeep (Jan 29, 2012)

john warren said:


> my take is , no matter what you prep for,,,something else will happen.
> 
> the best preperation is knowledge. learning skills that will allow you to adapt to what ever situation comes up.


Software trumps hardware.


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## Waif (Oct 27, 2013)

Once upon a time homes utilized a cellar. That combined with and in time seemed to be replaced with a pantry. Dry goods and non perishables were bought on sale in bulk and despite long life stock was rotated.Months worth. I helped can food as a youth in the home and that went in the basement with a half of beef each winter along with an average of two garbage cans of smelt plus fishing and hunting bonuses beyond a meal.
I,m not one for gambling on cheapest stuff available but will buy what I,m familiar with on sale. Consider the monetary savings over a years time. I,m a fan of rice for long term. It and ammo would barter fine in small peanut butter jars that I clean after emptying. Will work for small caches as well.. No large amount of anything on me when trading.l.o.l.
We should all ways have a little squirreled away. Stuff happens. When you have a friend or family member down from illness or injury ,feeding them and grocery shopping for them can often be beyond their ability. 
Someone dies, people won,t even feed themselves at times let alone plan meals. Dropping a box of easy to fix stuff to a family in need anonymously when time to replace stock anyway would not ruin anyone's karma.
I don,t recall being mocked but don,t advertise much either. To the scoffer nothing. The dog barks but the caravan keeps moving.


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## McMacy (Dec 5, 2014)

My wife and I dont tell others we have supplies. The unprepared can mock and cry and pout and beat their little fists in the air and can wonder why no one will come to take care of them.
We are prepared to take on 3 months w/o food or water. Total comfort heat we are around 1 month. 3 months of heat for 1 room in the basement. Almost a month for 12 hours a day for electricity. We have some RV appliances for cooking and refrigerating. 
We lean more towards self-sufficiency and accept our future is in our hands. 



Bearblade said:


> My gut on this whole prepper thing is it's a devolution back to tribalism mentality. We' re such an overboard individualistic society. The Chinese are where we were in the 50's...they value education and work in together while we slide toward dysfunction.


 The prepper thing is a throw-back to a time in America when pride came from taking care of yourselves and helping your neighbor. Today, neighbors think it takes a village to take care of them. China- that is the country where you can only have one kid, you are told what school you will go to, what job you will do and are not allowed to have guns. Plus, they have areas where there are special economic zones where capitalism is practiced (to make a profit for the state) and products are made and exported. IDK, Ill take individualism over the collective. Americans call that Liberty rather than dysfunction.


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## Billy_D (Feb 23, 2013)

john warren said:


> my take is , no matter what you prep for,,,something else will happen.
> 
> the best preperation is knowledge. learning skills that will allow you to adapt to what ever situation comes up.


 No matter what the "disaster" is, the preps are the same: Food, water, guns/ammo, shelter.. you get the idea. Every week the threat changes but the preps dont. We are prepared to shelter in place, with a whole house generator, food and water put away, and defences in place. We are alsp prepared to GTFO in a hurry, with a couple of grab-bags at the ready in the garage, 3 x 5 gallon gas cans, and a small trailer to carry gear. We have several locations to fall back to, including my 180 acres in northern ontario. 
Want in? You better have some serious skills/hardware to bring to the table. Hunting/fishing/gardening/cash/handyman skills/medic skills etc.


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## Petronius (Oct 13, 2010)

I was at the Southfield location of the Oakland County Health Dept. last week getting an immunization shot and saw that there was a display case featuring examples of emergency preparedness kits for home and vehicle. They even have a setup for pets. The kits were examples of the type you can put together yourself containing food, water, clothing, etc. The OHCD does not considerate this to be a crazy idea.


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## tuckersdad (Oct 30, 2010)

Health Depts. will do anything to get Fed $$$ and one way was to take Homeland Security money...as part of that they promote emergency management plans...retired Health Dept. Supervisor speaking...


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## Jawski_Jr (Sep 24, 2013)

That sounded a bit cynical about Health Departments. Fact is, counties are localized extensions of the federal government and why SHOULDN'T they accept (a little bit) of federal funding to promote the excellent ideals of self-sufficiency and emergency preparedness?! I think it's great!! They're actually working to DECREASE dependance on the government! Why is that bad?? Further, check out the "Fed" website at www.do1thing.com. It's a simple idea to suggest family goals of increasing preparedness by doing "1 thing" each month in a variety of areas. I like that too!


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## Petronius (Oct 13, 2010)

Jawski_Jr said:


> That sounded a bit cynical about Health Departments. Fact is, counties are localized extensions of the federal government and why SHOULDN'T they accept (a little bit) of federal funding to promote the excellent ideals of self-sufficiency and emergency preparedness?! I think it's great!! They're actually working to DECREASE dependance on the government! Why is that bad?? Further, check out the "Fed" website at www.do1thing.com. It's a simple idea to suggest family goals of increasing preparedness by doing "1 thing" each month in a variety of areas. I like that too!


I don't think tuckersdad meant his post to be cynical. Although county and state departments are funded by the state and counties, they are always on the lookout for outside funding. One of the ways to do this is to participate in a federal program. You would be amazed at the number of grants and funds the state police get from the feds, on top of the amount allotted through the state budget. Every governmental department or agency does this. 
What I liked about the display is it showed that an emergency preparedness kit contains the things that most people already have. You just have to to the kit together and have it ready. Most people don't think of doing this. That is why so many have to rely on the Red Cross when a disaster strikes. The display does help to bring this to your attention.


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