Preppers Having Their ‘Moment’?

So, preppers, are we having our ‘moment’?

It would certainly seem as though a lot of folks are preppers now. Judging by the level of panic buying it seems like hindsight is 2020 for a great deal of people. But with that said many of the late comers to the party are buying up all the wrong things. From what I’ve personally seen, most are buying items of convenience rather than items of longevity or sustainability. Toilet paper and bleach wipes were the first things to go and at least form my perspective that’s the last items you should be worried about.

They’re not laughing anymore amid panic buying that has cleared store shelves across the U.S. and growing fears that the new coronavirus will force many Americans to self-quarantine for weeks in their homes.

“Now my friends are like, ‘What should I do, what should I get?’” said La Haise, who operates a firearms and safety training business near Sun Prairie, Wisconsin. “Prepping doesn’t look so bad now.”

Toilet paper. First world problems. What will they do if and when the septic systems fail? How many know the number of people their septic systems are rated to handle? My guess would be not many.

“We’re not laughing. We’re not saying, ‘I told you so,’ when people are out there fighting over toilet paper and hand sanitizers,” said Paul Buescher, of Northfield Center Township, Ohio.

Prepping has been the commercialization of Survivalism for the past decade or so. But for me at least, prepping was never about having stuff, but rather having skills to back up the right items. Its about a mindset. The things people are snapping up now are unheard of items in much of the rest of the world, and while we could sit and point to other factors they deal with on an everyday basis, they also live fairly simple lives. Other corners of the world, for their lack of modernity, also do not fear the loss of such. Why is that?

Because they have the underlying skills to survive. No matter what you might by, there’s a finite source of consumables. Without the tools or skills to replenish them, there will become a time that you cannot replace what you consume. The underlying mindset is one of contributing to the others in your network- renewing the importance of extended family.

What did we do before the benefits of modernity? Can you boil water off-grid, with natural fuel sourced in your environment? How about cooking your food? That’s certainly one big step in the right direction. Do you know how to clean your clothes without a washing machine? Do you know how to barter? What hard skills do you have? Having tools like a Grain Mill and a sausage grinder will be well worth their weight in the long run, as will the Foxfire Series.

There’s a lot of reasons the rest of the world lives the way it does, and in many ways from which we’ve ventured too far. Whether someone is a prepper, survivalist, normie, or whatever, if everyone is not awakened to the fragility of our world as we know it now, there’s not much hope for them. Times such as these reinforce the lessons of the past. Our future will draw heavily upon them.

Re-learning these lessons is not going to be easy, nor will it always be fun. But it is important. Equally as important is the need to realize that no, the world is not ending, but it changing. And to survive, we must be willing to change with it. Its not that preppers are having a so-called moment, but rather, its a validation.

We will come out on the other side of this.

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About the Author: NC Scout

NC Scout is the nom de guerre of a former Infantry Scout and Sergeant in one of the Army’s best Reconnaissance Units. He has combat tours in both Iraq and Afghanistan. He teaches a series of courses focusing on small unit skills rarely if ever taught anywhere else in the prepping and survival field, including his RTO Course which focuses on small unit communications. In his free time he is an avid hunter, bushcrafter, writer, long range shooter, prepper, amateur radio operator and Libertarian activist. He can be contacted at [email protected] or via his blog at brushbeater.wordpress.com .

9 Comments

  1. pnoldguy March 16, 2020 at 15:48

    Yes, most of us will come out of this at the end, but at what cost to our rights and liberty? This third phase of the coup will deal a financial blow to the country like never seen before. The question I ask is, who benefits from all this? We need to follow the money!

    • NC Scout March 16, 2020 at 18:20

      I agree completely and that’s a central question I ask in my last episode of Radio Contra.

  2. Retired March 16, 2020 at 20:22

    You guys all had to make more of the virus than warranted, and you should know better. You and other doomsday substitutes for God Almighty, have actually joined hands with the power grabbers who want to enslave us all. You provided fuel to those who survive politically by the principle to “Never let a crisis go to waste.”

    But I understand. You play war games and you are ready. The rest of us need Trump, the only check that we have against the Leviathan.

    • johnyMac March 16, 2020 at 20:53

      Interesting point of view Retired.

      Just speaking about me, I preach Freedom Through Self-Reliance to whom will listen. I look to no man other than Jesus Christ for help. Next is me. Certainly no politician.

      Thanks for reading and commenting Brother

    • NC Scout March 16, 2020 at 22:08

      Who the hell have I ‘joined hands with’? And why in the bloody blue hell are you here, reading this? Glad I wasted a few moments of your life but you won’t have to worry about that any more.

      Best of luck out in the hot zone in WA. Hope you bought a lot of stock last week too. Bet that 3k drop stung a bit, yeah?

  3. HP March 16, 2020 at 21:30

    Literally just got a message from an in-law “where can I go to buy a gun cheap, dont have much to spend but unsure about this situation.” Responded with a link to the self defense archive page at survivalblog and a note about careful planning for firearms purchase and training. You dont wait for your kitchen to catch fire to go fire extinguisher shopping.

    • NC Scout March 16, 2020 at 22:07

      Do him one better: Palmetto State Armory

      Pick up an AK, grab a 100rds of 7.62 and ten magazines. Easy to learn, quick to handle, deadly effective.

      Done deal for under a grand.

  4. anonymous March 17, 2020 at 06:49

    I think this will be a short – mid length term emergency. A ‘wake-up’ call, that our distractions like latest I-Phone – chic restaurant – latest movie – vacation destination probably were not time and resource money well spent. A pair of water purifiers, a cook pot and a means of self protection will be needed more urgently than before.

    And maybe more attention to the company you keep. Who are the people who took the time to watch for you and your family. And who you took under your wing as well.

    Prioritieis – take care of them.

    The ones I pity are families who have loved ones who live far away. When / if things go sideways, there is nothing you can do.

  5. Anonymous March 24, 2020 at 00:27

    5

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