If you want to meet other survivalists face to face

I get the impression that many of the posts on this furum are honourable and noble attempts to unite survivalists into more unified or organised groups, Things like registries of forts and retreats, forming groups etc crop up just about weekly.
The problem is threefold, First is trust, most survies are wary of meeting other folks incase the others turn out to be loons, journalists or govt oficers.
Second is security, people dont want other to know where they live, where their retreats are, where their caches are etc.
Third we have the problem with groups, because groups tend to have leaders, these leaders can be rather in your face, religous nuts, anarchists, gun nuts, or just very bullish. Some very strong willed people run survival groups and they often will not tolerate any other viewpoint than their own, this usually buggers up new groups fairly quickly.

I believe there is an easier option that is less stressful and less risky, Its to simply have a social gathering / RZ/ BBQ at a quiet out of the way location, People meeting people face to face without obligation, having a chat over a tea/ coffee or beer, perhaps having a bbq and generally chatting away, bartering, exchanging info, and building up trust with others.
The Yanks came up with the concept of Rendezvous in the 1800s, it started wity mountainmen and fur trapping simply agreeing to meet at a set location in spring each year to sell their furs, restock with food and supplies and to get all the gossip.

My people first met each other in 1998 in Birmingham UK , we met at a hotel where we sat and talked all day and most of the night, from their strong bonds and links were formed with people organising simple gatherings for people in their own areas in the following years.
In the Uk many survivalists and bushcraft types meet each year at the Wilderness Gathering event which is held each Sept on a Buffalo Farm in Wiltshire. Up north we on occasion hire a rally field on camp sites and gathering for a weekends talk, barter, gossip and cross training, or simply pick a nice spot to meet up one of the dales or on the moors ( Its a good test of visitors map reading skills )

Instead of trying to get people to GIVE such as addresses, full names etc, Its probably easier and more beneficial to GIVE, IE find a spot for a gathering and invite people to come.
Dont expect wild success especially in the UK, People make all sorts of promises then break them, I found that people in the SE and SW are very relucatant to travel north, we held multiple RZs in the south east and south west with lots of us travelling down from the north. But when we repeatedly tried to arrange RZs up north in the year after a southern meet NONE, Absolutely none of the southern folks would keep their word and travel north. ( probably why theres two distinct groups in the UK north and south. On another occasion I booked at my own expense after accepting the word of various people, 4 x Four bedroom lodges at Oasis in the lake district for an RZ, none of the folk from the south turned up again, even though they promised to do so. So dont expect fantasic rssults but if you are careful and you work with other interested parties in your own areas you can probably establish links with other survivalists.

Meet at a truck stop, meet at a camp site, meet at a nice village, but just meet and talk.

Shame that most survivalists are IMO individualists also.

You yourself, OP, seem worried at losing your independence to another leader... This is the main obstacle, I think.

Here in rural SW US- nearly everyone who doesn't live in town is a survivalist to some degree, and such gatherings already exist here ( also ) to some degree.

A mistake I often see ( with people who are into networking ) is that they don't realize that the internet is one gigantic data-mining engine. There would likely be a couple of frauds at our BBQ, my friend.

Maybe I'm just overly cautious.

Survival? I've been thinking about that. Would you just want to survive - i have images like mad max appearing in my head. THen i got thinkin. What ligefe would be like? If you had to survive. Well if we were a century back we would probably be thinking along those lines. Diffrence being now, their is a higher number of the population with an education, work skills, from scientist down to gardeners. Everyone you see has an occupation. What i'm trying to get at is you coud work for each other rather than for money, to keep the system going. Real FREE trade. money needn't exist - it really is the root of all evil when you think about it. Maybe i'm being too idealistic.

Originally posted by MCoG1980
Survival? I've been thinking about that. Would you just want to survive - i have images like mad max appearing in my head. THen i got thinkin. What ligefe would be like? If you had to survive. Well if we were a century back we would probably be thinking along those lines. Diffrence being now, their is a higher number of the population with an education, work skills, from scientist down to gardeners. Everyone you see has an occupation. What i'm trying to get at is you coud work for each other rather than for money, to keep the system going. Real FREE trade. money needn't exist - it really is the root of all evil when you think about it. Maybe i'm being too idealistic.

That mentality you have is the one of the cushioned masses my friend.
A by-product of easy living and post-modern mentality, if you want to rough it and get by you'll need to just go with the flow of any changes to things.

As for meetings, well I'm usually pretty up for it.
I live on the other side of the country from where most of the UK survivalists are. The Western side of Northern England doesn't seem to have many survivalists except Mr Lizard (another user on ATS) who is a solo-kinda guy.
The Wiltshire thing you speak of Raider is a nice groove but not really my thing.
As soon as you mentioned the southerners I knew there was going to be a hitch.
It's not that I don't like them, its just that they tend to be of a radically different mindset to Northerners.
And this is from someone who worked with them for 2 years!

I'm up for meeting or expedition in the N.E whenever the next one is being planned for.
I think a mini-one just took place recently but I couldn't make it.

Surviving...surviving against what? Personally I have made lists of stuff, like that I need to buy, gear to go in a pack, etc, but what good does it actually do in the long run? Some people might be able to grab thier gear in the middle of a major catasrophy, but what if you don't? Worst case scenerio...you got caught in a bad situation with no gear, and no hope in sight...does anyone know how to make a hickory bow for hunting? What about how to tell which one is hickory? What can you do for shelter if you have no tarp or tent? Just some stuff to think about.

For me, I don't see the reason to have meetings like mentioned to learn anything, because I can survive off the land if need be...but others may not. However, you learn something new everyday, so the meetings wouldn't be a bad idea. I wouldn't mind showing stuff to people who want to learn, but usually people are too busy checking thier text messages to keep up. Any case, anyone who is in west TN and can stand turning off your phone, I'd be glad to help out with my knowledge

One thing I was curious about...people buy gear bags for thier stuff, but I have noticed that some people complain that there isn't enough space, or some compartments have no purpose...has anyone that ran into this problem ever think about making thier own? Just another thought.

''As soon as you mentioned the southerners I knew there was going to be a hitch.
It's not that I don't like them, its just that they tend to be of a radically different mindset to Northerners.
And this is from someone who worked with them for 2 years!''

Hmm, dont know quite what to think of that statement. I am as far south as you can go in the UK, that makes me quite radical in your way of thinking

For me, its not quite so easy to ''get up north'' for meetings though in principal I wouldnt mind meeting up with some like-minded people.

Perhaps I was being hasty in my wording Wotan but all I meant was that Southerners and Northerners tend to be a different breed. Not black and white, but more of different shades

Originally posted by WatchRider
Perhaps I was being hasty in my wording Wotan but all I meant was that Southerners and Northerners tend to be a different breed. Not black and white, but more of different shades

Its okay, I am not offended and I do know what you mean. In my line of work, I see all sorts and from all places.

There's a few of us that meet up now and again up in the N.E region...mainly for beers and laughs over "so I went on a solo hike, and sh1t happened..." stories and survivalist fun on the beach [cheers for a couple ov good evenings you two...you know who you are! ]

We're all 'individualists' at heart and choose to be apart from the madding crowds...which is why we're here on ATS to debate with like minds (i'll assume that anyway) but the main point of this thread is to establish comms with other cadres and seek to help those others who ask and openly bring their skills and knowledge to add to the mix

I've been into the 'survival groove' since I was little and asked my ma what all the jars under the stairs were for...the 'winter of discontent' was an adventure for me, but a pain for many others!

anyhow, please feel free to U2U

Originally posted by Taledus
Surviving...surviving against what?

There are two determining factors that ensure the stability of society as we know it...food and energy

Grocery stores like ASDA/Tesco/Sainsburys rely on a business-principle known as 'just-in-time' logistics. This means that there are only 2-3 days worth of food resource reserves held at any one store to cater for 'averaged demand'

should that constantly running J.I.T. logistics supply-chain break then you have a store of even the biggest size being depleted of stock in a very short time...especially when you factor in the public-panic mindset

The other scenario is a failure of the National Grid to supply elecrtical energy to cater for public demand. Even if you think that such an event wont affect the public and create a panic atmosphere, consider that most modern C.H. combi or other boilers wont operate without electricity, nor will the water supply, which relies on electrically powered pumping stations to deliver a consistant flow through your taps...

so thats pretty much all of society gravely affected by the outcome of two factors alone

question: what are YOU planning to survive against?

In question to the original post, I dont want to sound like a complete arse here but from what I've seen most of the people that are south, And I'm talking way south here.
And bearing in mind I dont know where the northern lads travelled to, But survivalists down in cornwall?

OK, probably one or two but thats your lot, I wasn't born in cornwall but still south as far as the northern lads are involved...

I would be willing to meet up but at the moment I don't have the funds to do so.

I have forged good friendships with a couple of the guys since I've been here though so its all good.

The other thing northern raider touched upon was leadership, I personally think leaders while sometimes good its probably always better if there are two or more that can talk to each other, offer some idea that one of the others might not have thought of, Its all about communication, not leadership.

Originally posted by Dar Kuma
The other thing northern raider touched upon was leadership, I personally think leaders while sometimes good its probably always better if there are two or more that can talk to each other, offer some idea that one of the others might not have thought of, Its all about communication, not leadership.

I'm not a fan of the phrase 'leadership'...too 'knight-and-serf' medieval-based thinking for my liking, although in an emergency life-or-death situation, the one strong voice amongst the many may help others to pull through

'comradeship' is more my cup of tea...everyone's input is valid regardless of age or status, and everyone has a unique skill or talent that can be brought to the cadre, that way the group survive at the groups combined efforts, rather than one living in leaders-luxury whilst the others toil

Years ago in southern Calif we had survivalist conventions.

They were always packed then they stopped and i never found what happened.

Originally posted by citizen smith

Originally posted by Taledus
Surviving...surviving against what?

question: what are YOU planning to survive against?

Darned emoticons! I always forget to use them. I was being somewhat sarcastic in that statement. The fact is if anything were to ever happen I would be prepared even if I had no resources available. I believe it is not just the pre-planning that will help, but the knowledge of making it if you have absolutely nothing but a knife (which since I am in the south just happens to be with me at all times). The only thing I know I would not survive due to never being able to come up with the funds for proper shelter would be a nuclear attack.

The point I was trying to make is survivalist training isn't exactly publicised in the local papers, and it would definately help to learn how to make it with little or no equipment. I am picturing worst case where you are dragging your family through the woods to escape from, whatever you are escaping from. Personally I feel very lucky being a computer nerd who doesn't ever go hunting with the guys...I atleast know martial arts and how to gut a deer through learning from the rednecks that do.

Having been a survivalist all my life and living in the same town since birth I know who the like minded people are.

In my travel in other states and around the world I have always made it my job to size up the citizens in the areas I worked in to know which way to run in bad situation.

In many states gun shows are a good source of information. You Would be surprised what you learn milling around for a few hours.

Taledus, I agree with you concerning being able to survive with just a pocket knife. I am a very feminine woman but you will always find a knife in my pocket or purse.

Real men in the South always carry a pocket knife.

As far as meeting up with survivalist as a group I would be very closed mouth about my business. I can see how it would be fun and informative to meet and share ideas but that would be as far as I would go.

As far as I'm concerned plans should already be in place in the event of situation X.

Originally posted by Taledus
The point I was trying to make is survivalist training isn't exactly publicised in the local papers

There wont be a 'survivamental' section in the small-ads of your paper, but there are plenty of free/subsidised/cheap-for-the-price evening classes and other events that skills could be gained from and applied to an 'X'

It would depend on what you consider to be 'survival training'... the Lofty Wiseman/Ray Mears survive-or-die type of alone-in-the-wilderness skills perhaps? or focus on a specific team-member skill such as EMT/Engineering/Electrics/Navigation/Communications...

There's indoor climbing walls for one, where you can learn as much as you like in the arts of rope-craft and rock-climbing, get fit, and have valuable hands-on knowledge and how to apply it

Alternatively, you could join an allotment club and learn small-scale self-sufficiency horticulture, tap into a wealth knowledge from the old boys for the price of a pint or two, and cut down your food-bill...not to mention all the digging and other labour that will have you fit in no time and a healthy glow from scoffing your own hard-tended veggies

It all depends on where you see yourself in 'the event' and what skills you could provide for you-and-yours and barter trade-out to others

[edit on 8-10-2008 by citizen smith]

People, not only do we not need leaders, cos mutual respect and teamwork always work out best, Every group I have seen form that had a leader either failed or become very restrictive in its way of doing things. but alliances, loose coalitions, or equipment baseed groups nearly always flourish ( Landrover based survies, AR15 owner survies, campervan owning survies, and of course Family based groups).
To be a survivalist in the first place generally means you are a head strong, well directed, thinking person in your own right. You will be willing to learn from others with useful information or specialist skills, but you dont want to be commanded by them.

But we seriously dont need a section in the local paper advertising for survival group members. Those enlightened people who become serious survivalists nearly always manage to find us by simply researching various resources. Just doing seatrches on various forums and magazines tends in time to lead you to others with similar interests.

I note yet again some confusion is coming out over the defination of survivalism. Living it rough in the woods or up mountains or in the artic/ desert is either bushcraft survival or wilderness survival, great skills to have but its NOT survivalism. Survivalism is training, planning and preparing for disasters or events that disrupt tcommunities ability to function. Storm, Flood, riots, power cuts, terror attacks, food shortages, Hurricanes, blizzards, wild fires, wars etc.

reply to post by dizziedame



Dizziedame darling,

I am up here on the Chesapeake Bay of Olde Virginia.

Taledus, I agree with you concerning being able to survive with just a pocket knife. I am a very feminine woman but you will always find a knife in my pocket or purse.

Real men in the South always carry a pocket knife.

Yes Ma'am. I agree with you here. I have in fact purchased several pocket knives for women I know. Most do not carry them so it is very encouraging to read your post.

Even when I wear a suit and tie I am not fully dressed if I do not have my jacknife. I simply switch out my daily working jacknife for one more polished.... a smaller swiss army knife.

My normal working compliment carried on my belt is a mag light, my Gerber Multi tool, and a set of feeler gauges..for my trade. Shipbuilding.

I also of course carry my working pocket knife daily. Taught myself how to sharpen one too. Amazing how many people cannot put an edge on a knife of any kind. Next to an olde screwdriver..the jacknife is one of the most abused tools in the inventory.

To be frank.....dizziedame..I consider myself "butt nekked" if I ain't got my jacknife. Same thing with a small flashlight. I've been caught to many times down on a ship without a light. You cannot see your hand in front of your nose if the power goes out. Very dangerous.

I too, when I have time, like to go to gun shows...not necessarily to buy guns or ammo...but to see..read and learn. Occasionally they have intresting tools as well.

I too would like to go meet with survivalists..but would tend to be closed mouthed about certain buisness.

Agree ..plans should already be in place for certain events. Start small and work up in plans as moneys and resources become available.

My thanks to you Ma'am for your post ..it is refreshing and encouraging to see a woman who understands it.

I tip my hat to you dizziedame.

Orangetom