Like Minded Preppers

[ForgedPatriot]

Just a quick question. How many of you have had difficulty finding like minded people to possibly go in as a multi-family bug out group/location? I know there are sites out there dedicated to this, and groups that meet, but to be honest with you...since I have been out of the military the quality of honest, hard working, do the right thing people that I have found has not been exactly stellar. Being former military I have found that my willingness to put up with peoples crap, and literally suck the life out of you since I have been out is pretty much nil.....nada.....does not ever happen...lol. It's actually really discouraging. We have had to drop both friends and family that not only could not fathom the thought of prepping or being prepared, but just flat out had no clue or interest in being someone trustworthy or dependable. Just wanted to see what others have come up against out there and how you dealt with it. Please keep in mind.....this is not a thread to bash me or any others! I am just simply seeing what others have done. I will be the first to tell you that I am not perfect, so I am not looking for someone to ask me to lay on their couch and tell them how I feel...lol! Look forward to hearing what others have done!

[Kartavious]

I haven't tried to use a website yet.  I haven't had much success finding preppers trying to set up a multi family BOL. What I have been able to find in town is are quite a few people who raise chickens in their back yard, hobby machinist in the garage, carpenters that like to shoot and former military that thing "SH*T just ain't right anymore" who can weld and are still pretty tough SOB's.  Between converting some of my friends to become more active with their shooting practice and meeting all these people at town functions I feel that the need for a BOL isn't quite as necessary. I still have a place to go to with one other couple but we have decided that leaving our community is a last resort.

Putting up with other people idiosyncrasies is part of building a community.  It probably helps that I work in the mental health field so I have a pretty high tolerance for "other people's crap"

Be positive and encouraging and don't overwhelm people with the survivalist dialogue.  I have long time friends who are shocked when they start talking about "crazy survivalist" and I debate that the survivalist mind set is imperative. When those conversations start I warn people that "I'm a bit of a survivalist my self so I know a little bit....  "  I catch more people that way and start them thinking about it than wanting to isolate in some place in the mountains.

that's my two bits.

[ForgedPatriot]

Kartavious

Thanks for the reply man! Yeah, I am working on my people skills as well. I have definately become very careful with people IRL (face to face) as to what I tell them or indicate that I might be interested with. Thanks for the advice brother, appreciate the input.

[Shaunypoo]

There are plenty of threads that deal with aspects of talking to others, and a lot of them end up being complaint fests about people who don't want to listen, but still have lots of good advice on potential avenues to opening up non-threatening conversations.  Everyone here has learned that normalcy bias is rampant among friends and family.  Personally, I don't talk about it too much but I do let me actions speak.  I always have a backpack with me that has what I think I would need to get home in an emergency or that would allow me to stay out for a night or two with little or no discomfort.  And it has a bunch of other little things that are versatile and come in handy in multiple situations such as paracord, duct tape, and even playing cards.  More than once I have had to dip into it for something to help with a current situation and my preparedness sparks positive conversations more often than not because I have demonstrated that being prepared is a positive thing.

Then I go into how I am gardening and preserving my own food, learning to hunt, got my concealed carry, improving my physical fitness and learning to defend myself by taking Krav Maga classes, etc.

I almost never turn it into "I am a prepper because a pandemic/economic collapse/meteor/etc. is going to cause SHTF."  Once you mention stuff like that, most people become resistant.  They don't want to see into the possible future, especially if it will reduce their standard of living.  It is a form of temporal regression where life is cotton candy and unicorns and nothing can go wrong.  Others think that if something does go wrong, the government will fix it.

Anyway, doing things that will give you the skills to improve your life will lead you to meet others who are like minded.  Through concealed carry if found out that one of my friends was politically like minded.  Through these conversations we both see the potential for economic collapse.  He asked me what can you do?  So I told him what I am doing.  Now he is, too.

Another friend took me hunting for my first time recently and we ended up talking about seeing if 3 or 4 other families would want to invest in an undeveloped piece of land for hunting and camping.  That could easily end up being a BOL, and he thought that would be another great reason to invest.  Now we are taking steps.

My point is don't force it on anyone and don't force yourself to share it with everyone, you will meet others whether you like it or not.

[livinitup0]

"survivalist dialogue"

I think this is key.

When I talk IRL to people about prepping I never use the words "prep" "prepper" "bug-out" "B.O.B." "SHTF" or anything like that... I use it with other preppers just because they know what Im talking about and its accepted terminology, but a lot of the jargon just bugs me anymore because its kind of lost its original meaning since the media has crept into the preparedness industry and community. 

I dont know if im explaining this very well, but I dont think we need our own language, I think with the media doing their BS, that it seperates us from the "normal people" and can really put up a barrier when talking to people about preparedness.

[ForgedPatriot]

Shaunypoo

Great advice, really appreciate you taking the time to respond! I dont have my CHL, and to be honest was not planning on getting it because it seems there are more places you cannot carry than there are where you can carry. I do carry my pistol in my truck (here in Texas its legal under certain guidelines). Thanks again for the advice.

[ForgedPatriot]

livinitup0

You are exactly right about the media. They have kinda created a monster when it comes to prepping...lol. Great advice about keeping it real with people and not really bringing up the "prepper" conversation, but just bring up a conversation about preparedness in general. Sounds like a great icebreaker. Thanks for commenting.

[Special K]

Fun story…

Coming out of Costco I had to wait for traffic on the main road before I could walk over to the main parking area. As I walked to the edge of the sidewalk there was a guy and his wife (?) standing next to me with a flat truck also waiting. I noticed the truck was piled around 15 buckets of long-term storage food. The guy and I exchanged glances and I said to him "Prepping? Good for you!". His head spun around looking at the load on his truck, spun back to me with a wide-eyed glance I'd describe as abject terror and then actually proceeded to push the cart out into oncoming traffic almost causing a crash. The two of them ran willi-nilly to their car threw the buckets into their car like their asses were on fire and roared out of the parking lot. So much for making friends… 

x-x-x-x-x

I am currently a member of several local prepper MeetUp.com groups. So far it's been a wildly mixed bag. Some very squared away individuals, some noob's who have absolutely no f'ing idea where to even get started, a few "I'm hunkering in the bunker after the asteroid for as many years it takes with my MRE's and rifles!" types and a few who showed up under the guises of friendship/membership just trying to sell us stuff. The biggest hurdle thus far is trying to get these guys to communicate with each other between meetings and it's becoming like pulling hen's teeth.

Have I found anybody I'd bug out with? Thus far no but I'm not giving up just quite yet…

[cptd]

I think it's important to not come across as critical of people's current lifetstyle choices. This is a huge turnoff and if people get that impression they will just shut down on you.

I've had the most luck in talking to other people by using an incremental approach. Don't star by talking about full-blown SHTF scenarios, gangs of looters, dogs and cats living together. That's a huge turnoff. Talk instead about real-life events. Hurricane Sandy and things like that are great icebreakers. Ask what they would do if they had to go a few days without food, and see if you can get them to set aside at least that much, because it's a start. If you never sell them on the complete lifestyle, it's at least something for them to be able to get through a blackout or whatever.

Two years ago I started the conversation with my wife's brother's family by sending him a 72-hour kit as a Christmas present for his family and a couple of books and a DVD on emergency preparedness. Afterward, he confessed that it was something he had always thought about in the back of his mind, but that he found very intimidating to try and confront. But getting that sign of support from me, and having some basic resources in the cellar was empowering. He read the books I gave him and started thinking, and gradually started making plans, and thinking about "what if's" on his own and is a lot  more independent now than he was a couple of years ago, but I know that this would never have happened if I had approached it any other way. He happens to live in the NE, and didn't get totally whacked by Sandy, but he did lose power for a while. He had bought a generator a while ago and was ready for that eventuality, having stored fuel for it and all that.  I'm proud of him because he not only got through it without so much as a hiccup, but he helped out his neighbors by sharing his electricity with them to keep their refrigerators going. This has given him the opportunity to talk to them about their prepartions for the future, and he says that that is going well, and one of them has taken the first steps as a result. Probably would not have happened if my brother-in-law had not shared his generator.

I'm not saying you need to go make up kits for all your neighbors (obviously not practical) but coming up with some kind of gesture of friendliness, good will, good intention, etc. is a great way to draw people in. Nobody likes to be lectured. Nobody likes to be frightened into doing anything. Nobody likes to be treated badly, or to be criticized and that's just the way people are. I'm that way, and so are, to some degree, all of us.

So if you can find a way to talk to people or initiate the conversation without telling people what to do, that goes a long way most of the time.

And even if you never sell them on the whole lifestyle - some preps is always better than none at all.

[ForgedPatriot]

Special K

Thanks for that story! Wow....sure seemed like a great way to break the ice with someone, guess it just depends on the someone...lol. I have been very cautious of going to any meetups as of yet, because to be honest with you I am not sure who I am ready to share the idea (face to face) that I am a prepper. There is a huge difference between coming on a forum and IRL. You also said;

The biggest hurdle thus far is trying to get these guys to communicate with each other between meetings and it's becoming like pulling hen's teeth.

This is exactly what I am trying to avoid. I have just got to a point in my life where I don't have the time to deal with people that don't know what they want, or people with drama. Period. Once again, thanks for the comment and story!

[ForgedPatriot]

cptd

Great post and suggestions! I actually went to my Pastors house one time to talk to him, and while I was there I noticed he had several 5 gallon buckets with preps in them. It was a great opportunity to talk to him a bit about it, and see what someone else was doing! In reading all the responses so far it seems like the general consensus that works for most is working in the idea of prepping (or even just calling it being prepared, since there seems to be an alarmist view of a prepper sometimes), and seeing how the other party reacts to how the conversation is steered. I have tried talking to my own parents about prepping, just to see if they have anything stored or any place to go, a generator, etc. They pretty much don't have any plan or any preps. Their plan if a disaster happens is to get as far away from it as they can by vehicle and wait it out.....that's it. Needless to say, that's a crappy plan, but if they won't listen there is not much I can do. Thanks again for the response!

[flippydidit]

We've met with many (and I mean MANY) members of our local prepper community.  There are some newcomers, but for the most part there are quite a few "committed and dedicated" preppers.  Well, it turns out that after sifting through dozens of these people, there are really a very small percentage that actually practice what they preach.  It's as if attending the meetings and talking themselves up is their "support group" obligation.  Kind of like those religious people that show up to church once a week as a way to make themselves feel better.

Long story short, it's going to take some time and real commitment to find those special people that make up a close knit group.  The good news is that while you're doing this, there's a good chance that others are doing the same thing in your area.  Once your core group is fairly well established, start seeking out other groups and build MAG's (mutual assistance groups).  It's worked for us, and takes some of the leg work out of vetting everyone that says they're serious.

[ForgedPatriot]

We've met with many (and I mean MANY) members of our local prepper community.  There are some newcomers, but for the most part there are quite a few "committed and dedicated" preppers.  Well, it turns out that after sifting through dozens of these people, there are really a very small percentage that actually practice what they preach.  It's as if attending the meetings and talking themselves up is their "support group" obligation.  Kind of like those religious people that show up to church once a week as a way to make themselves feel better.

Long story short, it's going to take some time and real commitment to find those special people that make up a close knit group.  The good news is that while you're doing this, there's a good chance that others are doing the same thing in your area.  Once your core group is fairly well established, start seeking out other groups and build MAG's (mutual assistance groups).  It's worked for us, and takes some of the leg work out of vetting everyone that says they're serious.

Thanks for that advice, I appreciate it. I have a friend (has been for many years) and he recently talked to me about how unprepared he and his family are. I used that conversation to delve a little deeper with a conversation about being prepared, and he started mentioning having a friend with land that is like minded and we should all meet. I am approaching this cautiously. He has not said a thing about it in a couple of weeks, and I have already mentioned that I would like to get together and discuss it further. We will see what happens.

[flippydidit]

Thanks for that advice, I appreciate it. I have a friend (has been for many years) and he recently talked to me about how unprepared he and his family are. I used that conversation to delve a little deeper with a conversation about being prepared, and he started mentioning having a friend with land that is like minded and we should all meet. I am approaching this cautiously. He has not said a thing about it in a couple of weeks, and I have already mentioned that I would like to get together and discuss it further. We will see what happens.

I wish you the best of luck in your meeting.  My advice is to do the best you can at worrying about you and yours first.  Depending on "a friend" or "my uncle so-and-so" doesn't always work out.  We had to take charge of our lives and goals.  Then we went out and bought a property that met our needs (didn't happen overnight).  We had gone two years talking with other people, himming and hawing back and forth, and eventually said, "This isn't going to happen unless we do it."  Now we're the "family they use as an example" to the other so-called "preppers" in our area.

I'm not telling you this to come off as arrogant or to use as a "position of strength" when negotiating with new members.  My intention is that just with other preparations you make, the more your family can depend on yourselves, the less dependent you'll be on others (seems like a no-brainer, but some people get to the mental block when they hit the BOL decision).  Every other thing the average prepper family seems to handle for themselves without problem.  "Put up our own food?"  "No problem."  "Pack our bug out bag?"  "No problem."  "Set up a bug out location?"  "We shouldn't do that without help."

It's probably the most difficult but valuable preparation you can make.  Many people have lives that don't allow them to do it without help.  But, no one that I know has a lifestyle that won't let them TRY.  You don't have to go for that multi-million dollar zombie fortress bunker.  A smaller rural parcel can go VERY inexpensively (especially in this buyer's market).  So before considering that next $5,000 purchase of beans, bullets and Band-Aids, look at what it would take to make a down payment on some land.  In fact, I saw you're former military and live in Texas.  Last I checked there was a Texas program for veterans buying land in the State.  I don't know if you personally qualify, but you can check eligibility here:

http://www.glo.texas.gov/vlb/veterans-benefits/veteran-loans/land-loans/index.html

That's my advice.  Just don't get discouraged.  Hang in there and in a shorter time than you think the ball will really be rolling for you.  If you were in Florida I would say come over to our place and we'll get to know you better.  That's how our group is growing.

Hope this helps!

[ForgedPatriot]

flippydidit

My advice is to do the best you can at worrying about you and yours first.  Depending on "a friend" or "my uncle so-and-so" doesn't always work out.  We had to take charge of our lives and goals.  Then we went out and bought a property that met our needs

Exactly what I was talking to my wife about. I don't like the idea of depending on others, or splitting the cost of land, etc. with others. It just leads to problems. I am interested however to see just how far it goes with my friend to see how serious he and this other guy are. My gut tells not so serious...lol

My intention is that just with other preparations you make, the more your family can depend on yourselves, the less dependent you'll be on others

Exactly. The only thing I have read about, and my friend has mentioned (and it made sense), is that you really don't want to be the lone ranger out there. There is safety in numbers. There are many advantages to a group vs. a single family (spread out duties, LP/OP when needed, having more than one skill set, etc). What are your thoughts on that? My main concern obviously would be security wise and having more skill sets available.

You don't have to go for that multi-million dollar zombie fortress bunker.  A smaller rural parcel can go VERY inexpensively (especially in this buyer's market).  So before considering that next $5,000 purchase of beans, bullets and Band-Aids, look at what it would take to make a down payment on some land.

We have been doing exactly that. We are currently only looking for a few acres in the ideal location for us. Something that we can fit into the budget on our own and not have to share with anyone payment wise.

Thanks for the military link! I will check it out. Yes, I was 4 years US Army and stationed in the desert the entire time. I worked alot on the range where they exploded the first atomic bomb...Trinity. I see you are in Florida. I had a buddy from the Military that lived there for a bit, but he has since moved away. Sounds like you guys have a great group down there, appreciate the invite! Looking forward to talking to you more! Thanks for the timely advice!

[flippydidit]

No problem ForgedPatriot.  We were living in a small rental house in Pinellas County, FL.  It was probably the WORST tactical and strategic location that I've ever known (never lived in LA, Miami, NYC, etc).  It would have been a nightmare to exfiltrate.  At the time we only had a Honda Civic with a family of 5 and a dog.

As far as group security....I would say to focus on your own family security and preparedness first.  Get your homestead, food, water and other essentials.  The LP/OP's and round the clock group security will come together eventually.  Set yourselves up as a solidly prepared family, and you'll probably see that others will "come around".  That's what we found.  Act as a light of inspiration to others.  I have a brother in law who stated that if there was a collapse he would, "Stand on the porch and watch it all burn."  He has a wife and 4 children.  He's starting to see that there are other options as we consistently and compassionately nudge him toward preparedness.

Even if you NEVER find one soul to join your group, there are other ways to maximize your survivability.  The biggest and most effective element is removing yourself from the large population of idiots.  Then you could add in force multipliers and other security tools.  So try not to get frustrated by the lack of a "group" at this point.

[ForgedPatriot]

Sounds good flippydidit

Looks like we have similar thoughts on alot of things. Thanks again for the advice, appreciate it.

[NorIDhunter]

Fwiw, I lost 3  of what I considered good at the time friendships, by predicting Y2k would be a major event and they a) needed to prepare accordingly, and b) we should consider a multi-family homestead/farm with a better growing season to help survive it.
Obviously my premise was wrong and the differences in opinions concerning a & b helped cause irreconcilable differences.    Helped teach me about prepping for specific event(s) though.

I haven't had much luck through websites either, yet, though I just a "meet up" PM from someone here on the TSP forum who's pretty local. Maybe after the holidays and things slow down a bit.

I just saw a ad in our local free "mickel's worth" paper yesterday:
HAVE YOU BEEN prepping?
If you have been stacking your beans & bullets, but still looking for safety in numbers, we should talk, couples welcome.  Email "xxxx" at xxx@notmail.
The Huntress just kind of went "ehhhh, not too sure about that." 

[ForgedPatriot]

NorIDhunter

Yeah, I am in no way preparing for any one specific event. I am trying to round it out and prepare for multiple threats at once. You sound like me on the whole meetup thing.....I am also very cautious. Hope it work out for you, thanks for checking in on the thread!

[osubuckeye4]

I have had some difficulity (conversations that went nowhere or that turned a little ugly before I walked away) with accquaintences and random people when the topic of prepping came up, but I can't say that I've ever ended a real friendship over it.


Right off the bat, I can say that while there are hundreds of people I will meet up with for a dinner or drinks or hang out with, there are less than 25 people (not including my family) that I consider true friends.

Some of these friends aren't preppers at all, others are WAY further along in prepping than I will probably ever be.

What's worked for me is being upfront with people I consider friends. Everyone I consider a friend knows exactly where they stand with me. Some friends know that if SHTF in their life (their house blows up or something), they can always stay at my place until they get back on their feet. Other friends know that offer doesn't apply to them and if they want to know why I have no problem explaining it to them.

I'm a pretty straightfoward guy.

I find that being direct and honest with people is generally the best way to go about things. Not everyone is going to have your same views towards prepping, but it doesn't mean you have to lose an otherwise solid friendship over it.

I should also point out the fact that don't push the fact that I prep on anyone and never look down on someone who isn't a prepper. If the topic comes up I'm open about it and always enjoy talking to other preppers. Sometimes we agree, sometimes we disagree.

The reason I don't look down on non-preppers is because in my early 20's I wasn't a prepper at all. I've really only become a prepper since I bought my own place at the age of 25 (I'm 30 now).

As far as my friends? Some of my friends come to me and bounce prepping ideas off of me. Some of my friends I go to them to bounce ideas off of because they are way further along than me. Other friends can't stand the topic of prepping so we really never discuss it. If I notice that their fridge is empty I might toss out a, "dude, what would you do if a huge blizzard hit and you couldn't order in food or leave your house?"... but I never really harp on them any more than that.

As far as why I don't? It's becuase I hate it when people pry and constantly harp at my flaws. I'm not perfect and while I appreciate it when people see me doing something wrong and offer helpful advice or suggestions... it bothers me when they take it a step further and start to lecture me like I'm a child.

Here's the way I see it:

If you see me working on my house and I'm putting a window in wrong, please tell me and then show me the correct way.

If you come to my house for dinner and interrupt me in the middle of something I'm saying to tell me you think my windows suck... I will probably ask you to leave.

I kind of feel the same way about prepping. I don't push it on others just like I wouldn't want someone pushing a new religion or diet or some product they are interested in on me.


As far as the multi-person bugouts, I have a trusted buddy in the area that I've known since grade school that is a likeminded prepper. If SHTF overnight, we would definitely team up and have talked about it (he has way more guns and ammo, I have way more food and medical supplies).

On a more perment SHTF level where I knew I'd be leaving and not looking back? I have family up in the NW woods of Wisconsin and if things got REALLY bad I'd gather up my wife and kid and supplies and we'd head up there.

[ForgedPatriot]

osubuckeye4

I have had to get the same way with friends and family members as well. I have tried to be that person in the past that tried everything to get along with everyone (and not that I don't still attempt that now), but the difference now is that I am much older, have a wife and kids that depend on me, and I have just come back to the realization that I am not that same person that I used to be. I just don't have the time or patience for alot of the things that come with some friendships to be honest. Times have changed, and it seems that alot of priorities in my life have shifted. I just no longer have the time or inclination to invest alot into someone or some thing that I really don't get much of a return out of (that literally sucks you dry for everything you can give it).

Without going into specifics, there was a huge change in my life a few years ago. I realized that what had worked for me in the past, was no longer working. With change comes changes in so called "friends"....thats the part when you really find out who the real ones are. Needless to say, we found that there were not too many left, and out of those...ZERO are preppers, and none are interested. So, that brings us to where we are....currently on our own and starting to feel our way around and seek out other like minded people. We are just looking for serious people that are committed to working together, hopefully we can find them! lol. Thanks for sharing your experiences, I appreciate it!

[RitaRose1945]

I've had the most luck in talking to other people by using an incremental approach. Don't star by talking about full-blown SHTF scenarios, gangs of looters, dogs and cats living together. That's a huge turnoff. Talk instead about real-life events. Hurricane Sandy and things like that are great icebreakers. Ask what they would do if they had to go a few days without food, and see if you can get them to set aside at least that much, because it's a start. If you never sell them on the complete lifestyle, it's at least something for them to be able to get through a blackout or whatever.

Exactly.

Every area has its natural disaster.  Some places it's blizzards, and for others it might be tropical storms an hurricames.  Out here, it's earthquakes, flashflooding and excess heat causing the grid to overload when 3 million air conditioners are on all at once.  People can identitfy with that because they've seen it happen, and you can ask what they would do if things weren't fixed within a few hours like they usually are.  Many out here are California transplants and were around for the Northridge quake, so they have seen that it sometimes takes a week or so.  Maybe they witnessed the Rodney King riots, but they probably think that only happens in "those kinds of neighborhoods", so I'd be hesitant to bring that into the conversation.

It's all about making it something they can relate to, something they've already seen and accepted as a possibility, then letting them know they can make it easier next time it happens if they just take some steps to prepare for it.

I don't like to use the words "prepping", "prepper" or anything that makes me something other than just a person that is planning ahead.  People might be fine with being smart and getting ready "just in case", but they don't want to be anything with a label, especially one that mainstream society sees as a little different.

[osubuckeye4]

osubuckeye4

Without going into specifics, there was a huge change in my life a few years ago. I realized that what had worked for me in the past, was no longer working. With change comes changes in so called "friends"....thats the part when you really find out who the real ones are. Needless to say, we found that there were not too many left, and out of those...ZERO are preppers, and none are interested. So, that brings us to where we are....currently on our own and starting to feel our way around and seek out other like minded people. We are just looking for serious people that are committed to working together, hopefully we can find them! lol. Thanks for sharing your experiences, I appreciate it!

I can agree with you on that. When times get tough you definitely find out who your true friends are.



As far as your current friends not being preppers, that's unfortunate but it doesn't mean that you can't nudge them in the right direction. It also doesn't mean that if a disaster struck, they would be completely SOL.


If there's one thing I've learned... it is not to write off or underestimate people. You would be surprised at how resilant people can be when they are forced to be.


Maybe you will never be able to get your current friends to go in on a BOL or underground bunker with you... but you might be able to get one or two of them to purchase a gun and go to some firearms training classes with you. Or you might be able to convince them that having a pantry stocked with can goods is a good idea. Or you might be able to get one to plant a garden, or can some tomatos.

You never know... and the key is definitely not to be pushy and alienate them. Just mention from time to time some of the things you're doing (tell them you're growing a garden, maybe one of them will want you to teach them?), or point out some of the things you're seeing that you view as areas of improvement for them (in constructive ways).

Example would be the fridge/freezer comment ("dude, you have one empty box of pizza, what would you do if tornado came through and you were stuck in your house for a week?")

If they don't respond, meh, not a big deal. If they do respond, go with it.

You never know, maybe one of your friends will surprise you. I know one of mine did. I had never went to a gun range in Illinois (I had a FOID card, but, I had done all of my firearms training in Ohio when I lived there)... but one day one of my buddies who, at the time, was a bit more of a gun nut than what anyone would consider a prepper, brought up the idea of going. We went and it was a lot of fun. We started talking about guns and he talked about zombies, that opened the door to talking about things like food preps and he got on board.

If I would have ambushed him about prepping he would have laughed at me. But, I found that an interest of his (something as stupid as zombie hunting) was a way to open the door to talking about prepping. I didn't being with BOB's, but started with really basic stuff like first aid kits and food storage.


What I'm saying is, baby steps. Don't write otherwise good people (if they are people you consider friends they must have admirable/good qualities to consider them as such) off just because they don't agree completely with something you believe in (to the same degree you believe in it). I never would have thought my gun nut buddy would have turned into a prepper, but he's probably further along than me now in terms of his preps.

So, while your friends might not want to go in on the bunker... maybe you can get them to grow a garden? Maybe they will like it and you can get them to purchase a gun and ammo? Who knows where it goes from there.

And... maybe you don't get them to do anything and you consider to use the internet as a resource for finding like-minded preppers. That is okay too.

I'm just saying... don't write off those around you just because they haven't shown an interset yet.

[bcksknr]

I've had two experiences with "coming out of the survivalist closet". I met an individual, who as it turned out only lived a few miles away through a service provided by the long-defunct American Survival Guide magazine. We became good friends and we shared many common ideas and interests. His family and mine were close until they moved to Oregon. The second instance was during the build up to Y2K. I went out on a limb and organized an informal, informational meeting in our valley at a local restaurant. About twenty families showed up as well as representatives from our Rural Electrical Cooperative. We kept it factual and not "apocalyptic". The theme was that as neighbors, we could/should be supportive of each other in any emergency, not just "Y2K". We all had skills and resources to offer. Some of the neighbors have horses. I have a generator that will run my wellpump. If there was any type of outage, at any time for any reason, I volunteered to supply water for whoever needed it. There were two LDS families, and they offered to assist anyone who was interested in food storage resources. There was a doctor and his family and he said he would have extra medical supplies on hand, just in case. We ended by agreeing all around that if things really did go bad, that it was good to have talked this out beforehand, and that we could count on each other. In the ensuing decade, we've had a few picnics and such, but without the motivation of an imminent crisis, the neighborhood has reverted back to an insular lifestyle. When the sun is shining, most people won't carry an umbrella.       

[rikkrack]

I guess I am lucky and we have a Prepper store which has large meetings rooms and we meet regularly. We have met people new to prepping and the more experienced. While I am not wanting the communal living situation I have found a group of friends and fellow preppers I could call and get help if something happened, and depend on if something happened. What I find more beneficial is the meetings/classes that bring the “doomsday Prepper” big  a dose of reality and stop believing that is what is needed. We meet and I have learned, and I hope I have passed on what I have learned to others. I look at it this way. If I can educate 20 other people about prepping and being more prepared, then that is 20 less people I have to worry about banging on my door wanting something in a bad situation or they are less dependent on government programs.

[mj1angier]

I kinda stumbled into my group. I was doing some gun trading on a local gun forum and got to know some of the guys over the net. When someone said something about a meet and greet for forum members, I took time to go to it. After talking to some of them about non-gun stuff ( bee keeping, canning, rabbits) it lead to an invite to a more "prepper" meeting.  After a visits, we  became more open to each other about what we we looking for. The rest, as they say, is history, lol.

[ForgedPatriot]

I can agree with you on that. When times get tough you definitely find out who your true friends are.



As far as your current friends not being preppers, that's unfortunate but it doesn't mean that you can't nudge them in the right direction. It also doesn't mean that if a disaster struck, they would be completely SOL.


If there's one thing I've learned... it is not to write off or underestimate people. You would be surprised at how resilant people can be when they are forced to be.


Maybe you will never be able to get your current friends to go in on a BOL or underground bunker with you... but you might be able to get one or two of them to purchase a gun and go to some firearms training classes with you. Or you might be able to convince them that having a pantry stocked with can goods is a good idea. Or you might be able to get one to plant a garden, or can some tomatos.

You never know... and the key is definitely not to be pushy and alienate them. Just mention from time to time some of the things you're doing (tell them you're growing a garden, maybe one of them will want you to teach them?), or point out some of the things you're seeing that you view as areas of improvement for them (in constructive ways).

Example would be the fridge/freezer comment ("dude, you have one empty box of pizza, what would you do if tornado came through and you were stuck in your house for a week?")

If they don't respond, meh, not a big deal. If they do respond, go with it.

You never know, maybe one of your friends will surprise you. I know one of mine did. I had never went to a gun range in Illinois (I had a FOID card, but, I had done all of my firearms training in Ohio when I lived there)... but one day one of my buddies who, at the time, was a bit more of a gun nut than what anyone would consider a prepper, brought up the idea of going. We went and it was a lot of fun. We started talking about guns and he talked about zombies, that opened the door to talking about things like food preps and he got on board.

If I would have ambushed him about prepping he would have laughed at me. But, I found that an interest of his (something as stupid as zombie hunting) was a way to open the door to talking about prepping. I didn't being with BOB's, but started with really basic stuff like first aid kits and food storage.


What I'm saying is, baby steps. Don't write otherwise good people (if they are people you consider friends they must have admirable/good qualities to consider them as such) off just because they don't agree completely with something you believe in (to the same degree you believe in it). I never would have thought my gun nut buddy would have turned into a prepper, but he's probably further along than me now in terms of his preps.

So, while your friends might not want to go in on the bunker... maybe you can get them to grow a garden? Maybe they will like it and you can get them to purchase a gun and ammo? Who knows where it goes from there.

And... maybe you don't get them to do anything and you consider to use the internet as a resource for finding like-minded preppers. That is okay too.

I'm just saying... don't write off those around you just because they haven't shown an interset yet.

Great advice! I have been getting some really useful suggestions and observations from this post. Really appreciate everyone taking the time to weigh in!

[ForgedPatriot]

I've had two experiences with "coming out of the survivalist closet". I met an individual, who as it turned out only lived a few miles away through a service provided by the long-defunct American Survival Guide magazine. We became good friends and we shared many common ideas and interests. His family and mine were close until they moved to Oregon. The second instance was during the build up to Y2K. I went out on a limb and organized an informal, informational meeting in our valley at a local restaurant. About twenty families showed up as well as representatives from our Rural Electrical Cooperative. We kept it factual and not "apocalyptic". The theme was that as neighbors, we could/should be supportive of each other in any emergency, not just "Y2K". We all had skills and resources to offer. Some of the neighbors have horses. I have a generator that will run my wellpump. If there was any type of outage, at any time for any reason, I volunteered to supply water for whoever needed it. There were two LDS families, and they offered to assist anyone who was interested in food storage resources. There was a doctor and his family and he said he would have extra medical supplies on hand, just in case. We ended by agreeing all around that if things really did go bad, that it was good to have talked this out beforehand, and that we could count on each other. In the ensuing decade, we've had a few picnics and such, but without the motivation of an imminent crisis, the neighborhood has reverted back to an insular lifestyle. When the sun is shining, most people won't carry an umbrella.     

Without asking you where you live, what is the population in your area? Twenty families seems pretty good for an informal meeting. What a great group of people to come together like that, but like you say, when there is no imminent crisis looming alot of people get lulled into a sense of everything is fine and basically stop doing what they were.

[ForgedPatriot]

I guess I am lucky and we have a Prepper store which has large meetings rooms and we meet regularly. We have met people new to prepping and the more experienced. While I am not wanting the communal living situation I have found a group of friends and fellow preppers I could call and get help if something happened, and depend on if something happened. What I find more beneficial is the meetings/classes that bring the “doomsday Prepper” big  a dose of reality and stop believing that is what is needed. We meet and I have learned, and I hope I have passed on what I have learned to others. I look at it this way. If I can educate 20 other people about prepping and being more prepared, then that is 20 less people I have to worry about banging on my door wanting something in a bad situation or they are less dependent on government programs.

That's pretty cool! I have not seen or heard of anything like that in my area. I have seen that there are some meet ups in my area that I will eventually get around to going to. Sounds like you have a good thing going there!

[ForgedPatriot]

I kinda stumbled into my group. I was doing some gun trading on a local gun forum and got to know some of the guys over the net. When someone said something about a meet and greet for forum members, I took time to go to it. After talking to some of them about non-gun stuff ( bee keeping, canning, rabbits) it lead to an invite to a more "prepper" meeting.  After a visits, we  became more open to each other about what we we looking for. The rest, as they say, is history, lol.

Sounds like a good opportunity.