Are survivalists as rife in the UK?

The recent winter only highlighted the lack of preparedness of both the UK government and public at large. The finely tuned society soon began to stutter at the first flurry of snow and did not abate. Panic buying Road Salt from Scandinavia was a pitiful demonstration of lessons not learnt from the previous year. If ever confronted by a true natural, national disaster I think it's fair to say that British public would not be in a position to look after themselves.

Originally posted by CX
You can't help noticing recently the emergance of many threads on the subject of survival here on ATS. Mind if i ask a few questions on this?

From what i can make out, the majority of the people actively participating in these threads are from the US. Why is this? Where are the UK members on this issue and why are'nt they starting survival thread after survival thread?

I rarely hear about survivalist groups or the likes here in the UK, but some of the threads i read on here from our US members, such as outlining the virtual armoury they have stashed away "just incase", are commonplace.

How long has this been the norm in the US? How much is sensible preparation and how much would you say is paranoia or slight overkill? Do you feel your country is in that bad a way that you have to learn to survive in the most deadliest way before it's too late?

I know there are different levels to this. Some people are just ready for an emergency such as floods or whatever nature throws at them, then there are the more extreme sides to this. Don't get me wrong, i think it's great to prepare, as i was always taught, remember the 7 P's.....prior planning and preparation prevents piss poor performance!

I just wonder sometimes about the stockpiles of ammo people talk about, the mass of weaponry stored, knives bigger than Rambo's (jeeez he has a lot to answer for!), the need for tactical gear and people talking as though they're on constant standby for a black ops mission. Do you honestly believe all this is really neccessary?

Maybe us Brits are too laid back and underprepared, what do you think? I certainly don't envisage having to fight for my life and having to survive off of the land any time soon here in the UK, but who knows....maybe that will be my downfall one day?

I'm not just finger pointing at americans here, it's just they make up a large majority of the people i am referring to. Maybe other countries are similar in this way?

What is it that makes you prepare as much as you do? Seriously, i'm not talking about general readyness for floods and storms etc, i mean the more extreme survival readyness, comms, weapons, stealth bows etc? Do you really think you'll be using all that in your life time?

Thanks for listening, i don't want this to sound negative towards survivalists or anything, i think it's great to learn some of these skills and i enjoy participating in these threads. Just interested in your views thats all.

CX.

The problem is people in the UK are lazy, urbanised and have been brainwashed into a push-button society.
The areas of survivalism in the UK are:

Highlands of Scotland
and
Wales

All other areas are covered by the Government via National Trust / Heritige which forbids people wild camping and basically being adventurous.

To live in the UK and be a survivalist is precarious, if you own an FAC rated weapon you can't be too gung-ho or pro-gun rights/self-defence or the plods (cops) will try and find out who it is and you'll get a phone call to pull your videos and forum content etc.
You've also got the fact that gun owners (FAC) are typically insular, club-based and live in a world of secrecy that verges on a secret society. That's why no guns are shown or displayed (usually).

The consumer masses of the UK think, for want of a better word, that outdoor living is 'weird', gun ownership people are closet gun-nuts gearing up for a killing spree and being self-sufficient is pointless.
With this level of hostility survivalists are ultra-wary of even peeking above the parapet.
I personally know a gun owner who was threatened by the cops (his firearm enforcement officer) to shut-up, delete his YT videos and all forum content! That's how bad it is if you try to show your rights in the UK!

Prepping is more popular in the UK.

But yes, the OP is right people in the UK are too laid back and mind-numbingly banal when it comes to survivalism. The welfare state and a broad combination of social problems also factor into this.

reply to post by CX

the majority of the people actively participating in these threads are from the US. Why is this?

because compared to the U.S. the u.k. is a tiny place with millions of people, if the SHTF imagine trying to find a hiding place or survival area inside a fully attended football stadium.

sure i think about it, but know if the SHTF then its more a matter of luck rather than survival skills, basically we are done for.

mostly open country side, very little woodland, the wildlife consists of mostly small mammels and birds, polluted waterways, with fish in, which with 60 odd million competing for the same things would not last long.

that's how i see it.

Originally posted by lifeform11
reply to post by CX

 

the majority of the people actively participating in these threads are from the US. Why is this?

because compared to the U.S. the u.k. is a tiny place with millions of people, if the SHTF imagine trying to find a hiding place or survival area inside a fully attended football stadium.

sure i think about it, but know if the SHTF then its more a matter of luck rather than survival skills, basically we are done for.

mostly open country side, very little woodland, the wildlife consists of mostly small mammels and birds, polluted waterways, with fish in, which with 60 odd million competing for the same things would not last long.

that's how i see it.

I think you have a point but to I also think that the masses not have the first clue on where to start in a national emergency. Not all scenarios are of the Mad Max variety, requiring you to pimp your ride into some sort of gun totting land shark. A weapon is not always required either. The gun laws in the UK mean that a break down in society will not lead to people spilling onto the street with arms.

The lack of a preparedness mindset would/could, in turn, lead to an abundance of locations for those that do think ahead.

Hi there,

My name is Lucy and I am studying at the Glasgow School of Art. My current project is to create a product for doomsday preppers and I was just wondering if anyone on this thread is a prepper and would be willing to help me?

Thanks

if UK residents were to google preppers forums UK a list would be shown from which you could take your pick, there are loads of us online in the UK.

a reply to: CX

I am prepared for a 3-6month emergency I also have some agreement with close friends to form a team.

I have some hunting material too crossbow (that im pretty deadly with), air rifle and working toward getting a hunting rifle.


But no I dont have a bunker stocked with 200 AR-15's

you don't need any AR15s in the UK....unless your in the middle of one of our wonderful multi cultural cities that is!

originally posted by: Zanzibar
To be honest, I think it's because Brits are more laid back than our American cousins. I've found that Americans in general are much more paranoid than the rest of the world, which I think makes sense, them being the 'most hated power on the planet'.

Survivalism, in the UK is different than in the US, we have limited access to firearms, so we don't really bother. If the worst comes to the worst, we're a hardy lot, we'd be just fine. Another things that pops to mind is that survivalists over the pond have guns, all of them. This means that there all probably fight with each other to survive. If one has a gun, they all need them.

I disagree with the "paranoid" bit. Americans traditionally have been self-reliant individualists and that is where the survivor mentality comes from, although that self reliant mindset is rapidly fading from the average American there still are many who have it, especially in rural areas.

The UK has been a very stable society for hundreds of years before the US and thus that "frontier mentality" is long gone and there is more of a collective mindset--consider how excellently Brits got together and helped each other through the Blitz.

Neither is better than the other, just different.

originally posted by: bigpaul
you don't need any AR15s in the UK....unless your in the middle of one of our wonderful multi cultural cities that is!

My friends in the UK have AR-15's. You can legally own a semi-auto AR 15 if it is chambered in .22 or a manually operated "straight pull" if it is chambered in 5.56. You guys can own silencers too.

originally posted by: Extreme Pilgrim

Originally posted by lifeform11
reply to post by CX

 

the majority of the people actively participating in these threads are from the US. Why is this?

because compared to the U.S. the u.k. is a tiny place with millions of people, if the SHTF imagine trying to find a hiding place or survival area inside a fully attended football stadium.

sure i think about it, but know if the SHTF then its more a matter of luck rather than survival skills, basically we are done for.

mostly open country side, very little woodland, the wildlife consists of mostly small mammels and birds, polluted waterways, with fish in, which with 60 odd million competing for the same things would not last long.

that's how i see it.

I think you have a point but to I also think that the masses not have the first clue on where to start in a national emergency. Not all scenarios are of the Mad Max variety, requiring you to pimp your ride into some sort of gun totting land shark. A weapon is not always required either. The gun laws in the UK mean that a break down in society will not lead to people spilling onto the street with arms.

The lack of a preparedness mindset would/could, in turn, lead to an abundance of locations for those that do think ahead.

You'd be surprised just how many arms there are in the UK, hidden in basements and attics and legally owned.

A breakdown is society could possibly lead into violence with people spilling into the streets or it could not.

a reply to: CX
I haven't filled my house with protective suits or three years worth of food, however, I do have enough to ensure I don't need to leave my house for three months if needed. I have ensured I know where to find a gun and ammo, have found somewhere to grow food if needed and have hard copies of instructions for all types of necessities. Eg, creating and maintaning a basic generator and electrical motor, catching and growing wild yeast, soap making, brick making, etc etc.

Im not a survivalist, however I do keep my eyes and ears open and I am aware that our way of life isn't going to go on for ever so I want to ensure that if this happens in my life time myself and my family will survive.

International Preppers



there are more than you think... its more acceptable in the USA, so many will be very very quiet about it.


You have to dig, and it will probably take time but I will bet you can find people in your region that can help you get started if your interested, once you earn some degree of trust.

most people in the UK haven't got a clue, they will wait "the govt will save us" and run out of food within a couple of weeks or a month at most once the power goes off and the deliveries stop going to the shops. 95% of the population will be dead within 6 months of Starvation, Dehydration, Suicide or Accidental.

a reply to: bigpaul

While you don't paint a very rosy picture for the UK, I'm willing to bet your 90% guesstimate applies not to only the UK but most of the planet as well on the whole.

a reply to: Waterdog1 yes, it applies to anyone who isn't prepared but I'm concentrating on the UK as opposed to anywhere else.

I am also in the UK and have probably 2 months worth of stuff for my 5 person family , have built a log burner , have axes, saws, led and solar equipment ( wind up radios and lights sources ) a plan..

hell like i always say even if it just a power cut for a week the above would be helpful.

am looking at crossbows and some form of protection but difficult in the UK unless you want a .22 air rifle that can just about maim a butterfly at ten paces .... useless

although i am very proud of my axe 'Zombie stopper' as my brother called it.

have not looked into any groups or help as am worried about legitimacy of such groups , although forming one with skills would be good , my relatives have also started buying the above stuff, after years of me telling them they finally see the need for such equipment.

I actually think that (population ratio's aside) there might be more than you think in the UK , its just we are reserved and don't shout about it , but you know if SHTF , you can rely on us to kick names and take ass!! you know what i mean

Q

originally posted by: Quantum_Squirrel

I am also in the UK and have probably 2 months worth of stuff for my 5 person family , have built a log burner , have axes, saws, led and solar equipment ( wind up radios and lights sources ) a plan..

hell like i always say even if it just a power cut for a week the above would be helpful.

am looking at crossbows and some form of protection but difficult in the UK unless you want a .22 air rifle that can just about maim a butterfly at ten paces .... useless

although i am very proud of my axe 'Zombie stopper' as my brother called it.

have not looked into any groups or help as am worried about legitimacy of such groups , although forming one with skills would be good , my relatives have also started buying the above stuff, after years of me telling them they finally see the need for such equipment.

I actually think that (population ratio's aside) there might be more than you think in the UK , its just we are reserved and don't shout about it , but you know if SHTF , you can rely on us to kick names and take ass!! you know what i mean

Q

Rather than finding a "survivalist" group, it might just be better to get to know your neighbors and talk about and plan what to do and how you can help each other out. It doesn't have to be couched in "scary end of the world" terms but more in terms of a natural disaster like the previous winter.

a reply to: Quantum_Squirrel

i agree m8 , the problem is every time you talk to anyone about it , even in terms of power cuts or flooding people look at you like your insane.

People honestly believe that they could just nip to the shops in 3 days if the roads were cut off etc and sit nice and cosy watching Britains got dancers on ice with talent .. etc and the true friends that do entertain the idea live to far away for an emergency situation.

Our relative comfort of the past few decades has made everyone soft

QS have another look at air rifles-there are some good ones out there these days, possible to taking squirrels and rabbits and pheasants at the very least, a break barrel is best for after TSHTF no messing about with gas bottles and pumps and the like, "Weirhauch"(German) make good air rifles if you can afford one, if not go for an old BSA meteor or something similar. Navy DOC, I'm not much into "groups", I don't trust people and would prefer to be on my own. I'm not a newbie at this, I've been around for awhile and you can find me on other sites.