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Prepper or Survivalist, which are you?

12K views 79 replies 68 participants last post by  gridless 
#1 ·
As more time goes by I find myself making the transition between prepping and survialist thinking.

As a prepper, I am always asking myself: What will I do when this runs out, what if this is long term, (2-20 years) what happens when I have no more LP gas?

We are very fortunate to have highly skilled survialist like MikeK and of course Kev and many others to give advice and offer help....the kind of people that can make a chocolate cake with icing from tree bark and some grass:D:

I would assume this is a natual transition, is there anyone else that your thinking has changed or is changing from a prepper to a survialist?
 
#7 ·
A hybrid.

I prep for what I can, but also view primitive skills and survivalism as a needed part of prepping. My preps may run out one day, or my house burn down, I have to leave for some reason something can happen and leave me with nothing. You can't usually take all your preps with you if you have to leave. If I have nothing tangible then all I have is my skills and I'm not one to roll over and die. So I practice practice practice having nothing. It's also a hobby, which makes it easier. But I also have the goal of living completely sustainably, trying to be more and more self sufficient.
 
#9 ·
I have to say prepper. I don't believe that I will have to survive anything. Just like a boyscout, I like to be prepared for the little calamities life throws our ways. Being able to immediatly handle things like flat tires, downed trees and leaky toilets means being prepared with tools part sand knowledge. Thats what i do. And that also includes having enough to food to hunker down for a while when money is short, being able to grow and hunt my own food, and being able to at least cludge any repair work on my truck,

I don't expect teotwawki, but if it happens, a life time of experience dealing with the small stuff will sure help.
 
#19 ·
At this point, I'm a prepper more than a survivalist by the definitions you gave. I'm not sure how to survive with 4 children who don't know how to be quiet when I'm hunting or being hunted if the Schumer ever hits the fan. We'll just hunker down in our house, or hopefully, bunker, consuming our stored food for as long as we can, until the majority of the chaos dies down.
 
#22 ·
id say more of a survivalist, i love practicing primitive skills, not just as preparation, but as an enjoyable activity that could serve me well in an emergency. most of my preps are tools and gear that help me use my primitive skills, and would make "living off the land" more feasible. i do of course prep for bugging in in the event of a local disaster or emergency, having extra food, water, etc on hand.
 
#23 ·
Two sides of the same coin as far as I'm concerned.

I don't think there's one good catch-all term that proper encapsulates the ethos of folk like us.

'Survivalist' tends to conjure up images of obsessive-compulsive paranoid delusionaries who've seen Rambo just one time too many (at least when it comes to mainstream media depictions of survivalists, that is), and as such might be considered a 'dirty word' amongst sheeple...just drop it into a conversation and watch their reaction to see what I mean. Yet Survivalists are 'Preppers' in that they have prepared themselves to survive a given situation.

On the other hand, what is a 'Prepper' if not someone who is preparing to survive some situation, ergo a survivalist of sorts as well. I believe self-sufficiency and off-grid enthusiasts would also fall under the same umbrella, even if they wouldn't ever consider refering to themselves as 'Survivalists' due to the aforementioned dirty word status.

Preparation is ultimately as much mental as it is physical or material...if you happen to be out of town and away from your preps and gear when a SHTF event occurs, however large or small, it's a bummer but the knowledge you carry, plus perhaps a few judiciously selected EDC items, will help you make the best of a bad situation.

In short, Survivalists are Preppers, and Preppers are Survivalists. Just two different names for two different perspectives on the same issue.
 
#24 ·
Lots I could say but I will try to be brief for once.

I have called myself a survivalist since 1982 and so have several of my friends. A few friends in real life and many on the internet.

In the early eighties survivalism was huge. Some big names back then such as Mel Tappan - author of "Survival Guns" and Duncan Long another author and some others. Even Jim Rawles I believe was getting started then.

After Ruby Ridge, Waco, OK City etc. survivalism went pretty much underground for lots of bad publicity and anti-survivalist propaganda.
There was still much on the radio - shortwave and some other stations. I don't want to go into all that history.

I have called myself a survivalist since at least '82 and will until the day I die, which will hopefully be many years from now.
I am different from many who say they are survivalists for I don't place a great importance on guns and such. I think they are just another useful tool to say the least.

I don't think I heard the word prepper much until I got on this survivalistboards. I have considered myself as trying to prepare for anything the future may bring though. Prepper seems to be just a pc term that seems to be trying to take the place of survivalist.

Maybe this Survivalistboards should be called the Prepperboards since so many are too afraid to call themselves survivalists??
 
#27 ·
Although I am new to these titles as such, it seems to Me that they both go hand in hand. I mean how does one survive without at least some form of preperation, whether it be by stockpiling, or just acquiring certain skill sets. Maybe I just don't understand the need for a title, but I would like to think that I am preparing for survival...
 
#29 ·
I try to make decisions based on prepping with the understanding it might all be for naught. Therefore, when I'm spending money on land, vehicle, gear, etc, it has to have value beyond being beneficial in a survival mode.


Example:

My house sits on 175 acres and is naturally protected by 2 gorges, a creek with swamp borders and hillside. Abundant natural resources including 2 gas wells, timber and fresh ground springs. Now while I was thinking about prepping and survival, I also was thinking about the worth of my investment if nothing ever happened and the quality of life I'd have if I bought the property.
 
#32 ·
Therefore, when I'm spending money on land, vehicle, gear, etc, it has to have value beyond being beneficial in a survival mode.

Example:

My house sits on 175 acres and is naturally protected by 2 gorges, a creek with swamp borders and hillside. Abundant natural resources including 2 gas wells, timber and fresh ground springs. Now while I was thinking about prepping and survival, I also was thinking about the worth of my investment if nothing ever happened and the quality of life I'd have if I bought the property.
I have also thought something like this although my remote mtn place is an extremely good survival retreat with an over abundance of water, wood and wildlife. But it is also an excellent camp site, base camp for hunting & fishing expeditions etc.
So even IF Nothing bad Ever happens in the future :rolleyes: I will still have a good place to camp, vacation and Live which I plan to move up there someday soon as I show my mtn retreat with many pics here > http://www.survivalistboards.com/showthread.php?t=84562
 
#30 ·
I like the two concepts mentioned in this thread already: an adapter or someone who doesn't fit a nice neat description.

I'd like to think that I'm just learning the knowledge and tools on survivalist on my way to being able to overcome any situation.
 
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