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Are You a Prepper?

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Potato growers Albert Bartlett are warning of ‘ Spudflation ‘. Due to a bad harvest of 2023, cold weather increasing demand for hearty meals, loss of early seed in wet fields and delayed planting.
m.belfasttelegraph.co.uk

‘Spudflation’ hits record level, with prices to rise above £1 a kilogram

The cost of potatoes has reached its highest level for a decade, with prices expected to rise above £1 a kilogram, the highest in 30 years.
m.belfasttelegraph.co.uk m.belfasttelegraph.co.uk
 
I'm not a prepper by any means, but I think I could do alright. I don't really believe any amount of preparation would save you unless you happen to be around/inside what you have built at the time. To my mind the most useful things to have in an apocalyptic situation is knowledge and a willingness to suspend civility.
I have hand tools and enough knowledge to use them. I know enough about animals and their habits to hunt. I know the theory of preserving food, though aside from pickling my actual ability is limited. I also have a handy stock of books that cover survival techniques and what forage and fungus is safe. None of these things were accumulated for "prepping" though. They all came around from interest and function.

I knew a chap that was mad into it though. Full on crazy to my mind. I had multiple arguments with him over his various "perpetual motion machines" as he outright refused to acknowledge physics. He had an apocalypse bag by his front door at all times. I had to refuse him repeatedly when he asked me to teach him my "survival" skills too. Because I lived in a yurt in the woods at the time without water and power, he figured I was a nutter too.
It all came to a head in 2012. As the big day approached he turned into a total freakshow. He left his long term girlfriend and set out on a mission to bed as many people as possible, because he was certain that there would be no consequences. He quit his job, in a way that made it impossible to go back. He took all kinds of drugs and engaged in a mind boggling array of bad decisions. Then he said his goodbyes to everyone and settled in to wait.
I saw him a few days after the end of the world failed to materialise. I couldn't keep a straight face with him at all. He was having to go to the doctors regularly because he effectively sent his kidneys into shock and he practically rattled with the various STD treatments he was having to take. I tried to be sympathetic but I just couldn't maintain it. I heard from someone else that he moved away not long after.
 
christofloffer said:
I'm not a prepper by any means, but I think I could do alright. I don't really believe any amount of preparation would save you unless you happen to be around/inside what you have built at the time. To my mind the most useful things to have in an apocalyptic situation is knowledge and a willingness to suspend civility.
I have hand tools and enough knowledge to use them. I know enough about animals and their habits to hunt. I know the theory of preserving food, though aside from pickling my actual ability is limited. I also have a handy stock of books that cover survival techniques and what forage and fungus is safe. None of these things were accumulated for "prepping" though. They all came around from interest and function.
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I'd argue that without turning yourself into a fruitcake hermit there is no harm in being prepared - eg storm, power cuts, flooding, economic collapse, civil unrest.

A lot of the things I've bought for 'overlanding/camping' with the Defender could be classed and used as prepping equipment. I'm sure its the same for many on here. We live on a small island - where you going to run to? Unless you are towing a diesel tanker you ain't going far anyway.

A quick anecdote - in the USA during the 1929 Wall Street crash everyone tipped out of the cities into surrounding rural areas looking for food sources. Hunting decimated wildlife which took years to recover. Wildlife wouldn't last two seconds in the UK.

Like you I have tools, books and can use my hands. I can grow and preserve food, have water filters for camping and alternative means of cooking, power, etc. Managed for two weeks without mains electricity after Storm Arwen in 2021. If Utility Co's had lost power to pump mains water and sewage we'd still have managed. We'd do OK if need be.

You hit the nail on the head with your comment "a willingness to suspend civility". I'd add to that - not advertising what you have - people less able might see you as their supply depot. Anyone using their Defender to camp is likely to have more useful stuff than others.
 
Hitchhiker42 said:
I'd argue that without turning yourself into a fruitcake hermit there is no harm in being prepared - eg storm, power cuts, flooding, economic collapse, civil unrest.

A lot of the things I've bought for 'overlanding/camping' with the Defender could be classed and used as prepping equipment. I'm sure its the same for many on here. We live on a small island - where you going to run to? Unless you are towing a diesel tanker you ain't going far anyway.
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100% agree. It could also be argued that I was the fruitcake hermit. I lived in the woods without power or water for four years. It sounds about right for it. In reality I did that because I wanted a simple life and still worked for a living, grew my own little livelihood and was very happy there. At least until my health turned, then I kind of went out of my mind for a while.
It makes me laugh when you see some of these people who do a couple of bushcraft courses and then plough loads of money into kit but still don't really understand it. As with most things in life, the best prep you could have is knowledge and the best kit in the world wont help you without it. I always loved the Lofty Wiseman survival guide I got. It's really handy and full of interesting things to try out while camping, but I just love the mentality. The ruthless practicality he speaks with is refreshing. None of the Bear Grylls reality TV nonsense with that chap.
It also makes me laugh that the prepper types rarely account for emotional problems. I would often go 2-4 weeks without seeing anyone when I was in the woods. I am generally happy on my own but I still got lonely. Sometimes I would sometimes get maybe 12 hours of interaction in a month. The idea of being stuck in a bunker with the brain issues that comes with that is terrifying. When my health began to decline and the little money I could earn dwindled away, I ploughed into a breakdown. Not a little tantrum either, a "never been the same since" level of breakdown. Eventually I realised I had to leave, it was dangerous to stay there. I was either going to kill myself intentionally or kill myself accidentally. That period of time was the bleakest I've even known. I never hear any of the prepper considering that, but to my mind it's nearly as bad as no food, certainly more dangerous.
 
christofloffer said:
100% agree. It could also be argued that I was the fruitcake hermit. I lived in the woods without power or water for four years. It sounds about right for it. In reality I did that because I wanted a simple life and still worked for a living, grew my own little livelihood and was very happy there. At least until my health turned, then I kind of went out of my mind for a while.
It makes me laugh when you see some of these people who do a couple of bushcraft courses and then plough loads of money into kit but still don't really understand it. As with most things in life, the best prep you could have is knowledge and the best kit in the world wont help you without it. I always loved the Lofty Wiseman survival guide I got. It's really handy and full of interesting things to try out while camping, but I just love the mentality. The ruthless practicality he speaks with is refreshing. None of the Bear Grylls reality TV nonsense with that chap.
It also makes me laugh that the prepper types rarely account for emotional problems. I would often go 2-4 weeks without seeing anyone when I was in the woods. I am generally happy on my own but I still got lonely. Sometimes I would sometimes get maybe 12 hours of interaction in a month. The idea of being stuck in a bunker with the brain issues that comes with that is terrifying. When my health began to decline and the little money I could earn dwindled away, I ploughed into a breakdown. Not a little tantrum either, a "never been the same since" level of breakdown. Eventually I realised I had to leave, it was dangerous to stay there. I was either going to kill myself intentionally or kill myself accidentally. That period of time was the bleakest I've even known. I never hear any of the prepper considering that, but to my mind it's nearly as bad as no food, certainly more dangerous.
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It is very interesting to me to read about your experiences. Thank you for sharing that 👍
 
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