What is Prepping?
When the term “prepper” is used, it typically conjures images of a scrawny, camo-covered, socially inept individual living inside of an impregnable bunker with a solid supply of tin foil hats, hazmat suits, and thousands of MREs, to which we say ...seriously? How did this become the standard for prepping?
The image is fun, and all, and there are certainly some preppers that fit the bill of the stereotypical “over prepped prepper,” but for every extremist doomsday prepper that spends their time focused on the next zombie-level threat, there are tons of other perfectly normal folks that simply want to be prepared for whatever bona fide worst-case scenarios could come there way from time to time.
On top of that, in much the same way that homesteaders come in a variety of different styles, preppers can be focused on a plethora of different scenarios and dangers. This natural “prepper spectrum” can make defining the term feel complicated. If you break things down to their basic building blocks, though, it’s pretty easy to provide a satisfactory answer to the question “what is prepping?”
Prepping Meaning
In a certain sense, a prepper can be easily defined simply as a person who is willing to take on the overwhelming, the daunting, and the seemingly impossible, especially when it comes to life’s various adversities. Preppers also typically share several different characteristics:
Preppers are natural problem solvers.
Preppers are self-reliant.
Preppers are personally responsible.
Preppers are focused on safety.
Preppers value readiness.
Differentiating the terms: prepping or survival?
All of that said, it’s important to note that preppers aren’t simply interested in living a survivalist lifestyle — if anything, survivalist guides and survivalism, in general, often falls more in line with the homesteading crowd.
Preppers, though, are merely focused on being prepared for the worst. Sure, this frequently comes through stockpiles, survival equipment, and many other items and activities that can be useful in the event of an emergency, but when you boil it down, there’s more going on under the surface than merely amassing the skills and abilities to live on your own. Prepping is a mindset and a lifestyle, that looks ahead and attempts to be ready for whatever might transpire.
It may sound odd to separate preppers from survivalists, but consider these two completely fabricated scenarios in order to help ease your rankled conscious:
Scenario 1: You learn to start fires without matches ...because you’re a boy scout — i.e. you’re not prepping.
Scenario 2: You buy a hard drive ...because you’re backing up your personal computer in the event of an emergency — i.e. you’re prepping.
When you boil it down, the difference comes in the motivation more than anything else.
Buying a hard drive is an activity that usually isn’t associated with disaster. When done in preparation for a cybersecurity emergency or to keep it offsite in the event of a fire, though, it falls under prepper activity.
On the flip side, while knowing how to start a fire in the wilderness is a nifty skill that any prepper would be proud to possess, simply having that skill on its own so you can whip it out to impress everyone while you’re comfortably camping at your local state park simply doesn’t classify as prepping.
In other words, being a prepper boils down to the mentality and motivation behind your activities.
Interestingly, by this definition, most people are preppers in some area of their lives. Everything from extra cans of food in the cellar to a rainy day fund can be considered prepper behavior in a certain sense. The important thing to remember is that the goal of most prepping is to simply maintain a certain standard of living even when events in the outside world would make it impossible to do so.
What does a prepper look like day-to-day?
When you take all of this into consideration, a prepper quickly shifts from being an isolated extremist to simply being someone that is, well, prepared. Things like doomsday prepping shrink to the background — in fact, the apocalypse should barely even be on a prepper’s radar, but hey, if it’s flashy it sells better, right?
True preppers work towards stability and preparedness when it comes to genuine, likely events that can fall into a few different categories.
Family disasters, things like:
A loss of income
Sickness or injury of a family member
Losing a family member
Manmade disasters, things like:
House fires.
Floods.
Economic instability.
Cyberattacks.
Chemical warfare.
Nuclear war.
Natural disasters, things like:
Hurricanes.
Tornados.
Wildfires.
Tsunamis.
Earthquakes.
Obviously many of these are circumstantial (someone living in Montana is hardly thinking about the Florida hurricane season). The point is, though, all it takes to truly prep is to identify a possible crisis and then prepare for it.
The End Of The World As We Know It: TEOTWAWKI
One of the easiest ways to put true prepping into perspective is to take the old prepper adage: “The end of the world as we know it” also commonly referred to by the not in the least easier to pronounce acronym TEOTWAWKI.
The concept of “the end of the world” is easy to find in prepper lore, especially if you’re outside of the prepper community looking in. However, the “as we know it” part is critical here. If you’re used to ordering groceries on Amazon and never setting foot outside of your home, but one day an economic disaster leads to a temporary suspension of deliveries, you may have to go to the supermarket and get your own food by hand.
That, friends, is the end of the world as you know it. It signals a change in your modus operandi, a shift in how you get things done. Preppers pride themselves in being ready for the worst on a day-to-day basis, even if they don’t end in a doomsday scenario.
Prepping 101
So, the next time you set out looking for some “prepping for beginners” info, remember that you shouldn’t blindly follow the first article or blog post that you find. Things like prepping supplies, prepping checklists, and general preppers guides should always be tailored specifically towards the possible disaster or disasters that you’re hoping to survive.
If you thoughtfully gather scenario-specific information and then stockpile the tools and resources necessary to survive your particular potential catastrophe, you’ll be ready to join the family and proudly adopt the title “prepper.”
Prepping FAQs
While there are endless questions about prepping (heck, it’s why we started a blog about it), here are a few short answers to some of the most common questions.
Why do you prep?
If you didn’t read through the more thorough reasons above, here’s the TLDR version: preppers prep for a ton of different potential scenarios. These can be economic, manmade, and natural, and can vary depending on the country you live in, the geography of your surroundings, your access to food and water, and so on.
Do I have to stockpile supplies to be a prepper?
Nope. While having a supply of H2O and some victuals are staples for most preppers, you can certainly prep without those basic Maslovian considerations. The above hypothetical situation of a hard drive being purchased to backup information off-site is a perfect example of prepping with absolutely no need for a bottle of water, a spec of food ...or a drop of whiskey to help with those long, lonely apocalyptic nights.
Are there different levels of prepping?
Definitely. You can cover basic preparedness, such as being ready for a bad winter storm or a few days of losing power. There is also a higher level of general disaster preparedness that typically involves months of temporary survival without basic things like electricity, heat, and water. Beyond that, you’re looking at long-term catastrophes that can last for years, and then, if you’re all in on your prep, you can aim for a full-blown “off the grid” set up that you could maintain for a lifetime.
How to start prepping?
As has hopefully been made abundantly clear by now, the prepping basics can vary dramatically. If you’re looking for basic “in case of a disaster” prep, though, you should consider gathering the following:
A supply of drinking water and/or a water purification system.
A basic food supply that can last for at least three months.
A heating source for cooking and warming a living space (if necessary).
Basic equipment like flashlights, a quality knife, and a multi-tool.
A way to dispose of garbage and bathroom refuse.
Is prepping on a budget possible?
Absolutely. If you’re concerned about costs because you’re thinking about dropping a hundred grand on a bunker, you need to stop right now and reconsider your priorities. Make a list of what you want to prep for, order things by priority, and then start to chip away at your prep one budgeted item at a time.