[Gman303]

Last week I had a buddy over at my house. This is a guy who I have known for years but I never told him about me prepping. I was showing him my new shotgun, that I have locked in a gun case in my closet. He followed me into the closet, where I have shelves of stored food and supplies. He looked at me like I was a little crazy, asking if I believed the Mayan end of the world crap. I told him no, but I believe something will happen, soon maybe. I said I am a "prepper". I prepare for something that may never happen. I prepare for as many different scenarios as possible, so I may have a fighting chance when SHTF. Still a little skeptical he smiled and said that's not a bad idea, and that he only thought crazy people did this. I laughed and said some people think it's crazy, I personally think it's me being ready. I went through and showed him my food stock, inventory list, and supplies. After almost an hour of questions, he asked me to print him off a list so he could start doing the same . This is a person I would like to have involved when shtf, for hunting, and access to a BOL, and the fact that I've known the guy since we were kids.

This is the first person I have told about me prepping, other then my "very understanding" wife. I feel like it went well.

Have you had this happen? How have you "come out to people" like close friends or family about your prepping endeavors? What were their reactions? How open are you about prepping?

I'm not open about it, I was at wal-mart the other day buying 55 hour emergency candles and camping-stove propane bottles, and the guy at the counter asked if I was expecting a power outage. I replied that I spent all my money on drugs so they shut my power off.. He didn't ask any more questions lol.

-GMAN 303

 

[ozo]

People......sub-consciously .......have a weird response to certain words.
Like the 'new' gun carry craze....people react to PC labels.....
In the case of being a 'prepper'.......it's a new PC label
and people react...mentally....accordingly.
If you simply said....."I am just being a good Boy Scout".....
their brain has an entirely different view.

 

[Smitty901]

Let them figure it out. unless your asking them to join your group. I have a meeting coming up with a family That will be offered a spot in out group. We will just sit down and we will talk.

 

[trainershawn]

I'm not very open about it to many people. But, those who I do talk about it too, I explain it in ways they can understand. I point to current or recent events like Sandy and Katrina, and explain how people were dumpster diving and looking for food within a couple days. Then I explain that anything can happen where we live. I use a blizzard as an example and explain that I have food and water on hand as well as a heating source to last several weeks if need be. We prepare in life quite a bit. We have insurance in case we get in a car accident or get sick. Isn't that prepping? We put money in our 401K's and IRA's to prep for retirement. Why wouldn't I prep with food, water, shelter, heat, medical, etc. in the event of a natural disaster? I also point out that things could get ugly in the ME and our gas prices could go up. Having food stored away gives me one less thing to worry about if I have to pay high prices for gas to get to work. What if I get sick or lose my job? Well, I have a few months worth of food stored up and it's one less thing to worry about. I think people associate prepping with Mayan Prophecy crap because of the tv shows, when in reality, we prep for a wide variety of scenarios from natural disaster to economic collapse to crippling terrorism that could shut down our commerce and normal daily lives. When I retire my wife and I want to buy an RV and travel. I convinced her to let me start investing in dehydrated foods from Wise Foods, etc. because they have a long shelf life and I said if we never need it, then we will have plenty of food to eat while we're on the road and it's one less thing we'll have to spend money on. Also, we stock food that we eat daily. We just rotate the stock. So to me food is an investment. It's something we need and it will get used eventually. It's also a type of insurance plan. Just like ammo. Though I don't stockpile thousands of rounds, I do reload and I'm going to use it one way or another. Either at the range, hunting or defending our family. Prepping used to be a way of life. People would prep their food stocks all year long for the long cold winters. What we do today really is no different. So my suggestion is, give examples of the most probable scenarios and back it up with recent situations that show how the unprepared can't really rely on the government to bail them out. Well, unless they are a banker or a car manufacturer.

Cheers

 

[Gman303]

I point to current or recent events like Sandy and Katrina, and explain how people were dumpster diving and looking for food within a couple days. Then I explain that anything can happen where we live. I use a blizzard as an example and explain that I have food and water on hand as well as a heating source to last several weeks if need be. We prepare in life quite a bit. We have insurance in case we get in a car accident or get sick. Isn't that prepping? We put money in our 401K's and IRA's to prep for retirement. Why wouldn't I prep with food, water, shelter, heat, medical, etc. in the event of a natural disaster?
Cheers

I haven't ever thought about it that way, I like it~!

 

[shotlady]

most people would expect prepping from me. even in business i have considered and prepped for the variables.
i havent found any one to be shocked.
on the sportbike forum & facebook i mention my tinfoil hat forum.
they know what im affectionately refering to.

but its not unusual since i tend to find the closest thing to hehaw to befriend. most are rual or from rual farming areas. what i do isnt unusual but a way of life in rual areas and homes

 

[ozo]

I grew up in Galveston......70yrs ago.
I have never known anything but being prepared.
We always had provisions....in case.
My family [some] survived the 1900 flood there......
My first catastrophic event was Hurricane Carla in 1961.
It has simply been a way of life.
[and with much more primitive means than available now]

edit: I guess I'm not a 'prepper'.....

 

[StarPD45]

WHAT?! Me? A prepper? Are you nuts? That's for crazy people. LOLOLOL :grin:

Guns? You're crazy. Why would anyone want to own guns? :-o

Don't ask. Don't tell.

 

[Dr. Prepper]

Coming out of the closet- how do you tell someone you prep?

I'm actually surprised that I have discussed as much as I have here on this forum. The members of our little planned community have an agreement that we never discuss our preps with anyone outside of our group. Unless they are total strangers and have no idea where we live. And even then there must be a definite need. My wife was asked about a purchase of 20 items one day in the checkout at the store. I was so proud of her. She simply ignored the person's question and went on as though the question was never asked.

I have no problem at all changing the topic if it is ever brought up by anyone other than members of our group. We had a lengthy discussion about our security and our secrecy about two years ago. We all decided that we would abide by the old saying that "loose lips sink ships" and so far we've done a pretty good job.

 

[crystalphoto]

Coming out of the closet- how do you tell someone you prep?

I don't. (Though the FedEx and UPS guys will probably show up at the gate if/when something happens... they MAY suspect something...)

 

[Denton]

Coming out of the closet- how do you tell someone you prep?

I don't. (Though the FedEx and UPS guys will probably show up at the gate if/when something happens... they MAY suspect something...)

The Fed Ex deliver guy drops the cases of ammo at the door and runs back to the van - he thinks I am nuts. For sport, I try to get out of the door to say hello before he can get back in the van, but the fellow is too quick.
UPS guy is different. He'll say, "Ammo and money; you can never have too much of either!"

Those who are also aware of the national and international situations are preparing, too. Those who are not us, we don't mention specific things to them. Figure it is best that way.

There are going to be people who are not prepared, and the ranks of the butterknife brigade are going to be vast. Can't do much about that.

 

[Lucky Jim]

What's the point of telling anybody you prep?
Prepping is about surviving, but your survival chances drop every time you tell somebody you prep, because when it hits the fan they and their family and their friends are going to come round hammering on your door to beg for food or shelter or trying to break into your basement/bunker!
This Twilight Zone episode explores the theme. If you don't want to watch the whole show pick it up at 30 seconds into part 3 where the prepper's neighbors come round with a battering ram-

 

[Lucky Jim]

I learnt a good lesson some years ago when our cycling club entered a 100-mile endurance ride in midwinter, you had to pedal the course in 8 hours to win a Finisher's Certificate.
I had a small ruck full of energy drinks and nutrition bars but like a fool I was showing it around to people before the start.
You guessed it!- they kept coming up to me on the ride begging for some of it but I refused pointblank.
As a result, they were dropping out like flies all round the course, and only me and a few others finished.
My conscience was fine about not sharing my stuff with the losers, who the hell did they think they were, trying to leech off me? ha ha..

 

[Piratesailor]

Other than immediate family, my brother and sister, who are preppers, I don't discuss with anyone. The less they know the better.

 

[Smitty901]

I live out side of a small town. Some years ago a couple from Ohio moved out here and bought the old farm house across the road. They were a great young couple with no children but a love for dogs. They had 7 and they where a few I swear were some kind of wolf.. He ask me if the dogs would be a problem I said no we love dogs. A year of so after they moved in some nut case in town ask the wife how it was living next to the Gun nut. Her reply was cool. She said it works really well if something is not right the dogs bark we let them out and Bob grabs a gun everyone is safe. You may be surprised how many people think like you or are ready to come over to out way of thinking.
Nothing wrong with a few having a health fear of you.

 

[jrclen]

I don't discuss it with anyone. I don't need 100 friends moving in after the SHTF. It's a way of life that goes back long before the word prepper was invented. We called it be prepared back in my boy scout days.

 

[GraywolfSurvival]

OPSEC is fundamental to prepping. You should think about who might see what and come up with a plausible cover story that will cover most scenarios, even if you have to change a bit of your behaviour and plans to support it. Somebody's gonna see something one day and if you have a good explanation, they go away without a second thought.

 

[Watercanlady]

I talk about this with very few. And the ones I do are preppers also. We share information we have learned from others. One owns a BOL and we feel we are much ahead of them but share our knowledge. Anyone else I way my words with. People know I can from our garden but everyone in my area does so that is not uncommon but they don't have 100 qts of tomatoes, 100 qts, navy beans etc. they have 12 qts tomatoes and such.

 

[9UC]

Would you believe that yesterday, I didn't know what it was, couldn't spell it, even my computer highlights it with a red wiggle line to indicate that I have a missed spelled a word, and today I discover I is "one". Think I may have stepped over the line from just being a guy who likes to be prepared. As I've stated in earlier threads, mine came being part of a construction family, and covering short paydays while in the military. For the most part, I am not comfortable discussing what I do other than with three guys out of an informal gun club to which I belong. I have enough problems keeping the wife involved and from thinking I'm nuts. My some what liberal brother thinks I'm off the deep end and he was thinking that when I started back stocking my primary carry ammo. Oh "well said the very liberal politician with the shovel in his hand while standing at the bottom of a very deep and wet hole, maybe I can dig my way out of this.

!

 

[Lucky Jim]

If wifey thinks prepping is a waste of time, win her over by showing her pics like these and tell her it makes more sense to store stuff now, rather than have to run the gauntlet of the mobs to do your shopping after it hits the fan..