While prepping may seem like a new phenomenon, it isn’t. During the height of the cold war, many people built bunkers and stored food and supplies. During the great depression when work was scarce, people often made due by growing their food and canning it for later consumption.
Nowadays, preppers get a bad rap due to media and television shows, such as Doomsday Preppers, as conspiracy theorists trying to block out the government with their tin foil hats.
That being said, preppers are a diverse group of people and many depend on their community of trusted friends to thrive. If you like being outdoors with like-minded people, it is good to research how to find peppers in your area.
Preppers come from all walks of life and socio-economic backgrounds. Preppers can be college-educated or educated by the school of hard knocks. There are also varying degrees of how you can prep. Some preppers are preparing for long-term survival, while others are preparing for a weather event or living off the grid.
The prepping community is a varied group that consists of a spectrum of people that are preparing for the absolute worst and others that are just interesting in being more self-sufficient. When deciding how you to find preppers in your area you want to understand the different communities of preppers that are out there.
Doomsday preppers are the most known due to the TV of the same name on the National Geographic channel. Although the media shows exaggerated versions of doomsday preppers, most are usually highly prepared for the end of world type scenarios like nuclear war or extreme life-altering events like the impact of a giant asteroid or a global economic collapse.
Survivalists and preppers share a lot in common. Both are focused on surviving. Although, preppers are usually focused on making sure they have enough to withstand a disaster, while survivalists are concentrated on getting through a disaster. A prepper might stock up on canned goods, and a survivalist might make sure their seed stock is full.
Homesteaders tend to prep in the same way their ancestors did. They grow their food and keep chickens, goats, and cows. They learn how to can fruits and meats. They are preppers in the sense that they are ready for a natural disaster but not necessarily prepared for a mega disaster that could be apocalyptic in nature.
All of these groups are preppers but differ in their reasons for prepping and their approach to how they will prep. One thing they all share in common is that the community is vital. Regardless of if you’re prepping for the end of the world, or just because you want to be able to survive off the grid, those you surround yourself with are important to you.
Since preppers are often preparing for a disaster, there is the cognitive understanding that their supplies are of value. If a natural disaster was to occur and knock out a power grid or worse; their food, your weapons, and your home could be at risk from other people that also need to survive but didn’t prepare as you did.
The media also likes to portray preppers in a certain way, so it is understandable that preppers don’t want to share their interests with the general public. However, prepping is a committed choice that takes a lot of dedication and planning, and it’s nice to have like-minded people around you to share ideas and discuss plans.
Because these are the people you plan to survive a possible societal collapsing event with; the community is significant to peppers. You want to make sure that your community is someone you can trust with your very existence.
You also want to a community that is going to know what they’re doing and is willing to put in just as much work as you. In short, you want a community of people you can trust.
There are various routes to go when you are exploring how to find preppers in your area, for example:
Of course, many preppers are uncomfortable spending too much time on the Internet or may not want to search out fellow preppers via websites. Another great way to find other preppers is to reach to look for like-minded individuals in your other communities.
Todd at The Prepper website has suggested that you reach out to people in places like church. You can drop hints by asking questions like how they feel about the economy, how they prepared or will prepare for a natural disaster like a hurricane, what type of tactical gear they prefer, or if they are into gardening or homesteading.
Depending on the responses you can continue the conversation, and you may find that an acquaintance is already a prepper or interesting in prepping.
As much as the prepping community gets a reputation for being paranoid, it should not be overlooked that the next natural disaster could be right around the corner. It’s not so far-fetched when you consider that last year the United States sustained two historically large hurricanes so it’s important that you understand how to find preppers in your area that will be a part of your prepping community.
When you consider that parts of Puerto Rico are still without power, prepping doesn’t seem like a bad idea. Take the time to find a community of people you enjoy and can trust. They can make all the difference in your prepping plans. After all, not only do we need food and shelter to survive, we also need companions and friendship.
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