What exactly are “preppers” prepping for?

[Catskillkid]

What exactly are “preppers” prepping for?

Well...lots of things. TEOTWAWKI. SHTF. Government tyranny. Northeasters. Fill in the blank.

 

[masterswimmer]

What exactly are “preppers” prepping for?

Everything the snowflakes, lemmings and sheeple will succumb to in any long term disaster. Natural or man made.

 

[ArmedCorgi]

Northeasters

Hey, I'm a northeaster.

 

[Drinkthekoolaid]

Im not worried about any one specific event I think there are a multitude of things that will happen sooner or later and it's prudent to heed the warnings and try to position yourself prior.

I worry the following is either an eventuality or serious possibility.

Major extended grid down. Either from cyber attack, physical attack, EMP, carrington etc..

Tyrannical government, one world government, globalism run amuk.

Civil war, insurrection, revoltion, unrest

Bio attack, pandemic

Terrorists, nukes, ww3

 

[masterswimmer]

During super storm Sandy we lost electric for 11 days. Didn't miss a beat. Life went on unimpeded. That was a definite light weight test for many.

 

[BDinPutnam]

I always thought it was kind of funny (ok, STUPID, really) that those people on the tv show were always prepping for something really, really, really specific. "Nine dollar gasoline! Currency collapse! Ninjas! Aliens!"

 

[livingston]

One needs to be realistic when prepping. What is a SHTF event.. Something that disrupts the natural flow of ones life. I have been out of work for more than 6 months and because of a part time self employment (that does not make too much money ) I could not draw unemployment. ... Just having the basic food and other preps really helped me out . I am over 60 and there is age discrimination folks .. .. Money has a lot to do with how deep one gets into the prepping arena. Slowly one builds the supply back up . I am a big believer in purchasing quality tools and often waited until I could afford to buy said quality. It is not too much to have a few work shoes , winter boots , coats gloves on hand .. I know I will use them in the future even if we never see a big SHTF. That is my rational to prepping. I buy things that will get used sometime in the future . For the most part anyway.

 

[GOPerfect]

What exactly are “preppers” prepping for?

This is actually a very tough question to answer.

Depends on many things. What is prepping? Is prepping just to prepare for the future? Well then, I guess most people are know "prep" to one degree or another.

I have been buying Gold and Silver for about 25 years; not because of the End of the World, but as an investment. If shit turns bad, well, I have some of that covered. I invest in stocks, bonds, mutual funds and 401K's. I do all that for the future, what ever the future may bring.

Food, yep, I have lots of that. What can I say, I like to eat. Stocks of food for many reasons; just look around, watch the news and one can see how quickly we can and are shut down from stores. The volcanoes in Hawaii are showing all of us how fast bad can hit us all.

I have a great number of rounds of ammunition. Is it stocked for the end of the world? Maybe, maybe not. When 22lr was nearly impossible to find, I had a shit ton of it stored, I never worried about how much I shot. The 22lr scare could occur again, with any type of ammo.

Guns, one never knows when the Elected Elite are going to do more to take them away.

Fuel, I have stores of lantern oil, gasoline, propane and the such. Again, one never knows when there will be a shortage or a price spike.

This and that stuff; extra household items. From Duct tape to toilet paper and soap, I believe you cannot have too much of anything. Find it on sale and use a coupon, and deal away.


Granted, much of what I do is due to the fact that the world is changing. It is NOT changing for the better. Each and everyday, things are becoming worse. Yeah, I will stock "stuff". I am always looking at resources that can allow me to grow in becoming as prepared as possible for whatever comes my way.

I am indeed a Prepper!

 

[E the massive]

BFYTW

 

[ArmedCorgi]

BFYTW

I missed the memo on what that stands for. Nevermind, I got it, lol.

 

[Blimey]

During super storm Sandy we lost electric for 11 days. Didn't miss a beat. Life went on unimpeded. That was a definite light weight test for many.

And how many people who went through that still have not done anything meaningful to prep for the next time? I am guessing the majority of people who went through it.

Our last power outage was a few months ago and neighbors are still bitching and whining on the facebook group (on their phones) when it's out. Meanwhile I'm keeping them up because my generator is running in the driveway

 

[livingston]

Last year I posted that I bought a lister diesel engine with all the thought of putting a generator head on it. That would run around $1000 + alone . A week after I bought it another lister came up for sale . Fellow wanted 2100 for it. ... Just did not have the money. That was a 3 cylinder perhaps a 15 hp diesel engine with a 7.5 KW generator head on it . This was in a fire station before he bought it . He put it on a trailer that he had built for it with a large fuel tank .. Perhaps 50 gallons ... The trailer alone is worth 500 + ... .. Well it came up for sale again ... $700 but it would only run on ether . I coughed up the money. Dropped it off at a diesel shop. .. These engines each cylinder has its own fuel pump. that the injector works on a fuel rack ... Shop called me up and said had the engine running but fuel rack could only be moved with a screw driver so(I believe a governor spring moves the rack ) so off to a shop that rebuilds injectors . IF they cannot free it up ... This engine is not supported by the company so only the basic parts are available. An injector could be $100 from England . ... Shop said engine sounds strong ... No smoke Don't know about the generator part yet. Perhaps I have lucked out. This new is a $4-5000 unit...

This is a lister HR3 model and I have an Sl3... model....This is about the same set up only mine is on a trailer.

 

[livingston]

This is an sl3 like what I bought. but everything is in much better shape .

 

[Acer-m14]

@livingston for just the motor .. why not just a ingersoll rand or carrier reefer motor .. 4 cyl motor .. part are local ..

i would like to get a hand on a genset from a refig container hauler

 

[Aardvarkjff]

Well my son is in Boy Scouts, so that really helps with some stuff with all the camping equipment, "real" camping, and generally dealing without modern conveniences. For the preps I should be good for the following:
1) simple power outages from storms, etc, up to 24 hours.
2) Longer term power outages (up to 5 days).
I am working on the following, but would likely need to be part of a group for the longer term/more complex things:
3) Social unrest (if it looks like short term, think Ferguson stuff)
4) Social unrest (longer term, think Blue vs Red or a systemic collapse) thought would likely bug out to a better state

So my preps are for things that I have experienced or could likely see. My job is wholly dependent on electricity so if there is a long term grid down scenario, there would be no need to stick around waiting.

 

[BuffNiag]

Last year I posted that I bought a lister diesel engine with all the thought of putting a generator head on it. That would run around $1000 + alone . A week after I bought it another lister came up for sale . Fellow wanted 2100 for it. ... Just did not have the money. That was a 3 cylinder perhaps a 15 hp diesel engine with a 7.5 KW generator head on it . This was in a fire station before he bought it . He put it on a trailer that he had built for it with a large fuel tank .. Perhaps 50 gallons ... The trailer alone is worth 500 + ... .. Well it came up for sale again ... $700 but it would only run on ether . I coughed up the money. Dropped it off at a diesel shop. .. These engines each cylinder has its own fuel pump. that the injector works on a fuel rack ... Shop called me up and said had the engine running but fuel rack could only be moved with a screw driver so(I believe a governor spring moves the rack ) so off to a shop that rebuilds injectors . IF they cannot free it up ... This engine is not supported by the company so only the basic parts are available. An injector could be $100 from England . ... Shop said engine sounds strong ... No smoke Don't know about the generator part yet. Perhaps I have lucked out. This new is a $4-5000 unit...

This is a lister HR3 model and I have an Sl3... model....This is about the same set up only mine is on a trailer.

Unless you have a small farm or something, why not just get a 3000 W inverter generator? Seems simpler and more reliable.

 

[MilesTeg]

If people are looking for a larger generator look into the light carts used for construction. They are usually cheaper and can be used for a dual purpose. The down side is they are usually loud. You maybe able to retrofit one with a bigger/better muffler.

 

[spat]

I always thought it was kind of funny (ok, STUPID, really) that those people on the tv show were always prepping for something really, really, really specific. "Nine dollar gasoline! Currency collapse! Ninjas! Aliens!"

Don't discount the "TV" factor.

The actual preppers may have mentioned one thing in passing, and through the magic of editing they were made to look like they obsess about it.

I'm sure the editors were looking for entertainment value, and for them that means making the preppers look crazy.

 

[spat]

Im not worried about any one specific event I think there are a multitude of things that will happen sooner or later and it's prudent to heed the warnings and try to position yourself prior.

I worry the following is either an eventuality or serious possibility.

Major extended grid down. Either from cyber attack, physical attack, EMP, carrington etc..

Tyrannical government, one world government, globalism run amuk.

Civil war, insurrection, revoltion, unrest

Bio attack, pandemic

Terrorists, nukes, ww3

The odds on each one of those events happening specifically are extremely low. But the odds on any of them happening are pretty good.

It's like the lottery, the odds of winning are astronomical, but every week someone does.

 

[Marine Cpl]

I think when prepping for the long term (not short term shortages) the main things to stock up on are food, water, water filters, reasonable amounts of ammo for use and trade, hand tools, (Saw, nails, ECT) cold and hot weather clothes, repair kits, (needle, thread, patches) and medicines if you can.

Everything else like toilet paper, soap, shampoo, gas, gold, ect can be done without for the long term. You can bath in the river with an exfoliating sponge, use cloth that can be washed to wipe your ass, and use a bike to get around, and trade with ammo.