[robotomos]

While I will gladly acknowledge that OpSec should be paramount for anyone with any real survival goals, things are not always so cut and dry. In a perfect world, fine, nobody should be aware of your preps except you and your immediate family, but inevitably the subject of prepping will come up during discussion among friends and even acquaintances in some circumstances.

I am mainly looking for your opinions and experiences regarding “ice breakers” or ways to ease-up to the subject with newbies. I’ve tried starting the conversation off with a brief “disclaimer” but even then, people don’t seem to understand where I’m coming from.

I’ve recently starting dating again, and its been a bit challenging to explain the mass amounts of food and survival gear that I keep around to these women. To be honest, prepping has become a major part of my life. So, for these people to truly understand who I am, they need to be made aware. I’ll admit it though, sometimes the timing can be downright awkward.

Example 1: “Heeeeeeey… why do you have 200lbs of rice in your closet?”
Example 2: “What the hell do you plan on using a gas mask for?”

I understand that I could blow the questions off, but I don’t mind answering them. I just want to do it correctly and informatively; because apparently I’ve been doing it wrong. I’ve had people shutdown and just become speechless when I explain what I’m up to… I’ve had others laugh at me…And, I’ve even had a guy at work explain to me that prepping for disasters is like “slapping god in the face” because it’s saying that I don’t have faith in him to ensure my safety and prosperity.

Just one final point: I understand the risks involved in notifying others of my prepping…so please, if you’re going to scold me for explaining my lifestyle, and breaking the Golden Rule of OpSec, please give me some useful pointers as well, because I’m well aware of the opposing viewpoint.

Thanks in advance

 

[BadgeBunny]

I don't. I used to but it's just not worth the trouble it causes me.

I keep the doors shut when folks come over (which isn't that often thank God) and my mouth shut. (And God help anyone who comes over and asks my why the spare bedroom that has the door shut on it is full of shelving with food ... )

 

[rover]

tell them you run a ebay store. Or just blow the question off.

I dont know how to get them out of the closet thou.

 

[Uncle Bob]

You don't
If you are just dating you may as well invite everyone they know over for the big SHTF party.

 

[robotomos]

Why are they in your closet?

There are no doors on the closet where I keep the a majority of my preps . I'm renting the place and it came like this. Space is quite limited too, so moving everything isn't a viable option.

 

[YukonPete]

While I will gladly acknowledge that OpSec should be paramount for anyone with any real survival goals, things are not always so cut and dry. In a perfect world, fine, nobody should be aware of your preps except you and your immediate family, but inevitably the subject of prepping will come up during discussion among friends and even acquaintances in some circumstances.

I am mainly looking for your opinions and experiences regarding “ice breakers” or ways to ease-up to the subject with newbies. I’ve tried starting the conversation off with a brief “disclaimer” but even then, people don’t seem to understand where I’m coming from.

I’ve recently starting dating again, and its been a bit challenging to explain the mass amounts of food and survival gear that I keep around to these women. To be honest, prepping has become a major part of my life. So, for these people to truly understand who I am, they need to be made aware. I’ll admit it though, sometimes the timing can be downright awkward.

Example 1: “Heeeeeeey… why do you have 200lbs of rice in your closet?”
Example 2: “What the hell do you plan on using a gas mask for?”

I understand that I could blow the questions off, but I don’t mind answering them. I just want to do it correctly and informatively; because apparently I’ve been doing it wrong. I’ve had people shutdown and just become speechless when I explain what I’m up to… I’ve had others laugh at me…And, I’ve even had a guy at work explain to me that prepping for disasters is like “slapping god in the face” because it’s saying that I don’t have faith in him to ensure my safety and prosperity.Just one final point: I understand the risks involved in notifying others of my prepping…so please, if you’re going to scold me for explaining my lifestyle, and breaking the Golden Rule of OpSec, please give me some useful pointers as well, because I’m well aware of the opposing viewpoint.

Thanks in advance

Well, didn't God give you the knowledge and the job to pay for your supplies?

 

[goose3]

I don't.

Period.

Useful pointer: Hide it all and don't point it out to your women guests until and unless you become very serious with them.

 

[BadgeBunny]

There are no doors on the closet where I keep the a majority of my preps . I'm renting the place and it came like this. Space is quite limited too, so moving everything isn't a viable option.

I'd get a curtain rod and some curtains and be covering the opening to that puppy up.

 

[Doc_Shane]

I don't tell people what I do normally.

 

[rover]

There are no doors on the closet where I keep the a majority of my preps . I'm renting the place and it came like this. Space is quite limited too, so moving everything isn't a viable option.

seriously:
If your interested I can give you a Word Study on why Prepping is Scriptural. PM me and I'll dig it out.

 

[tecumseh]

Explain it logically and it will make sense. Say that first off, you don't like paying full price for food, so you buy extra when it's on sale. Second off, buying in bulk helps because you have extra in case you lose your job, food prices skyrocket, etc. Thirdly, in the case of a hurricane, blizzard, flash flood, or what have you, you don't have to rush out to the store like everyone else. Fourthly, make up a simple lie like you prefer to only drink bottled water to explain all of your water.

Most non-preppers won't link food related stuff to other preps. So you'll explain them separately. You like to camp and hike, that explains 75% of what's left.

Gas mask? Tell them you collect war memorabilia, maybe... I don't really know on that one. Regular surgeons masks can be used as dust masks for when you mow or weed eat.

Generators can be part of your workshop and tool collection.

It's all pretty logically explainable without even using the word prepping. Other than that, just make up simple white lies.

 

[BadgeBunny]

I don't.

Period.

Useful pointer: Hide it all and don't point it out to your women guests until and unless you become very serious with them.

This made me LOL ... I was NOT a prepper. Looking back I should have guessed the old JBT was one of "those" people because we were dating when Y2K happened and there were certain things he said that made me go "HUH??!?! "

Anyway, he didn't mention it again until AFTER we got married. :xeye: By then I was stuck!! LOL

It's been an interesting transition but let me just say that one really well placed ice storm turned the tide for him. Now I'm the prepper of the household and he's the amateur! :

 

[MattB4]

Each to his own, but since I am not a prepper there is nothing to tell.

 

[Raziel]

I understand that you want to date and have a companion in your life but it's also hard because alot of people are just...difficult to convince to pull the wool off their eyes.

So lets see... you can say that you keep alot of food around because 1. Its alot cheaper to buy in bulk and 2. You don't fancy the idea of not having any extra food around when your personal SHTF happens and you have no job and bring up that people have gone months, even years without any luck in finding a job, so hence the months of food/water preps.

As for the survival gear, I'd say a combination of camping plus preparedness as well as bringing up notable events that have occurred in the past like Katrina, lawlessness, rioting, natural disasters. Also, keep stressing the phrase "its better to have it and not need it to need it and not have it!".

Addressing the whole "slapping God in the face". It's not a lack of faith in him, heck...he even told Joseph in the Old testament to tell the pharaoh that a terrible famine was coming and to store their extra harvests and can them. Yes, they canned back in those days. The only thing about God is, if you declare that you are totally self-sufficient with the food that HE created in the first place and do not need him at all. Then thats "slapping him in the face." Anyways, I do not know your level of spirituality or whether you have a relationship with him, so please don't be offended at my humble opinion regarding that part.

So the bottom line, tread cautiously and date for a long time, get to know them VERY WELL before you decide to open up your personal life to them, including your home.

 

[LEPER]

It has actually gotten pretty easy. I throw out little tidbits of information all of the time. For instance:
The company I work for has a plan in case of tornadoes. It is a bad plan. They won't change it. However, all of the people in my department now know what a triangle of life is, and how to find or make one. Just a little bit of prep.

I get shipments of freeze dried foods at work. People ask why. I talk about bird flu, swine flu, tornadoes, and other natural disasters that may cause a need for them.

Water... I built what I call a bucket Berkey for work. Everyone there knows what it does and how to use it. Seems simple right? Here is the deal. People that drink the water get used to the water and when they go back to bottled it doesn't feel right anymore. Three people have them at home now.

Sore throat.... Go get some magic tea from leper. What is in the magic tea? Local honey and some off the shelf tea that is made with our filtered water. When you work with almost 200 people and someone you don't know the name of asks for some magic tea, you get to explain the benefits to yet another person. Opsec not violated. Several people get honey from me that I buy by the gallon. Allergies gone in most of them from that point forward.

Vegetables... Bring some extra vegetables from your garden to share with people you know. Ask them in a couple of days how they tasted. Add little things like the higher vitamin content or how there were no pesticides on them. Offer to help them setup a little raised bed.

I guess my point is to show someone something that they can decide if it works or not. If it works for them there is a high probability that they may ask you related questions. Give them a realistic scenario for them to wrap their heads around. Built trust with them and let it be their decision.

 

[Becky]

As a former "women guest" I can say I thought it was actually pretty normal when I was dating my ex. Granted I grew up hunting and camping so I was used to having more of that stuff around. And it probably didn't hurt that I thought most of the old military stuff he had was "neat" and wanted to take it out and try it.

My advice is to tell people you are into rough camping. Explains all sorts of weird items that you "just wanted to try out".

 

[TacomaJPP]

I used to tell a few friends. I found out that I could trust one. And by trust, I mean that he actually actively preps too. I have another friend that is "down" but doesn't really prep, so he can't be trusted. People you can trust must be preppers...not that you can trust all preppers.

That being said, how do I keep others from finding out:

1) Don't talk about it.

2) Hide your stuff. I have one room in my house that is my prepping room. It is our upstairs bonus room and is the only room on the second floor. It's a small room (300 square feet) so it doesn't double as a movie room or ping-pong room...so there is no reason for anyone to go up there.

3) DTA - Don't Trust Anyone. I've tried broaching the subject, encouraging folks, and informing folks. I've had a dismal success rate, so why open up about it? If I had a 50% success rate, it would be worth risking it. With a near 0% success rate I refuse to fore-go my Op-Sec on a pipe dream.

 

[MikeK]

I don't tell anyone ever and my preps are hidden from view. But I understand what you're saying about not being able to hide yours from your dates. I'd start off by just using a cover story to divert interest. Say you sell on Ebay, are into camping/hunting, inherited them, anything for now. Otherwise if something happens, you are going to have a lot of unplanned folks showing up for "their share" possible at gunpoint.

If you get serious and it looks like one might become a fixture in your life, maybe start opening up a bit. Go slow, point out current disasters where FEMA dropped the ball, etc. Talk about the government not being able to respond to a large scale disaster because of lack of manpower and supplies. Maybe start pointing out the declining economy and that it's cheaper to eat at last year's prices and how important it is to protect one's family. That shows strong paternal instincts and should win some points.

I've never had any luck at that, so I guess I'm probably the last person to take advice from. But one thing I've learned from the threads here, is to make sure she either accepts it, or at least tolerates it. There are almost endless threads from folks who's significant other opposes their prepping, or blabs about it to others, causes friction because they think it's stupid, etc.

 

[Monique]

Move down here and it all becomes "hurricane preps" -- nobody in my neck of the woods bats an eye. Otherwise, stash as much as possible under the bed, back of the closet, top of the closet, under the sink, just out of sight.

 

[matt1080]

I almost NEVER tell anyone about my preps, but actually this weekend I had a old friend and his fiance come and visit from a few states away this weekend to pick up a bike from me.

I trust this guy with my life and he is a very dear friend and knew nothing about my preps. I showed him my preps and told him about my preping lifestyle. It was actually a very positive experience. He was VERY interested and told me he's been trying to get setup for a while and didnt know where to start. We talked about it in depth for a few hours.

Now on the other hand his fiance was not really on board at all. She had the attitude if you want to do it and be "crazy" go for it but if you get to into it its going to be a problem. I sent him a txt a little after he left and let him know if he wanted any help give me a call. Well today he called me and asked for help so I pointed him here and to sites where to start stocking up.

So not all experiences can be bad but in all honestly dont share unless you HAVE to. Ive been friends with this guy for close to 20 years and I wasnt sure about sharing my prepping with him and I trust my life to him and he lives several states away.