I’ve always been an avid outdoorsman. I’ve been camping and backpacking through the mountains around me ever since I was a little kid. I do consider myself a prepper, but not in the ordinary sense of the word. It’s not like I have years worth of food stockpiled or anything. I do keep about two weeks of freeze dried Mountain House meals on hand, as well as a 5 gallon unopened Culligan water bottle.
This takes up only a small space in one of my closets. I do have a massive amount of camping, backpacking, and survival gear though. This has mostly been collected throughout my lifetime of backpacking and outdoor trips. I do know a few hardcore stockpiling preppers, but I actually view them as wise. Many of whom just want to make sure that their families will be safe in the event of an emergency.
I know that many may view those types of preppers as odd or weirdos, but at least from my experience, most of them were just regular people who simply don’t take for granted the fact that their power will always be on. I don’t see a problem with it, unless it becomes a financial or storage burden. I have seen some shows where people took it overboard. For me, I personally would go mobile if something “catastrophic” happened. It’s why I “prep” the way I do. I would not want to be confined or trapped in a stationary area or city if chaos erupted.
Honestly, I have gained enough extra camping gear over time, to equip several others too. I feel confident in my personal abilities, although I definitely feel that it would be best if you had a small group of at least semi experienced people to tag along with you. I have prepped a lot mentally, just through real life repetition and experience in the outdoors. With the gear and knowledge that I have gained over time, I could probably survive for years off the land.
However, not everyone has the option of doing that. Some may have a loved one that needs care, a wife and kids, some may not have enough experience, and some may simply not have time or physical conditioning on their side anymore. Who knows though, maybe for some guys (like myself) it may just be a genetic thing, because I definitely have this drive to survive at all costs, and to keep myself ready and prepared…just in case.
In my case, it's not that I’m trying to be ready for the Biblical end of days, it’s just that I like having a sense of security in knowing that I can completely take care of myself. I think that maybe for me, all of my outdoor activities may have led to my recognition of the importance of self-sufficiency. There’s something about the ability of not having to rely on others, that is appealing to some. Maybe this is more prevalent in people who live in the country, I don’t know.
