Something to consider for preppers....

I've got the National Geographic Doomsday Preppers show on and am just marveling at this. Some see these people as 'hip' or 'ahead of the curve'. I'm sitting here marveling that they are able to remain free of the criminal justice and mental health systems...and I'm really not kidding on a few of these guys.

There is something real specific I've noticed on some of these though and it's worth mentioning. For this point, I'm playing devil's advocate as the aggressor out hunting for supplies to 'liberate' and people to generally torment and pillage. There are sure to be plenty in that mindset after a week or two of true collapse in any form where hope was not bright that it would be corrected any time soon.

In the Episode that brought my interest for this thread, the man shows how he has traps, tricks and window sill boards with nails among the ways he plans to set 'area denial' traps around his home. Okay, now this sounds good and sure will make people FEEL better...but let's be that devil playing advocate for a minute.


Lets say I'm the bad guy and I've had a long day of raping and pillaging my fellow citizens to hoard the booty in my own little version of a treasure cove back home. Some will absolutely BE doing this...so it's hardly theoretical.

Now some homes I'll come across will be totally abandoned and who knows what happened to those that lived there. No one ever will in these situations. Some homes I come across to loot will have occupants...and being a bad guy, I imagine their future will depend on their ability to EFFECTIVELY resist or 100% comply ...whichever they'd choose.

Then..there are the preppers. Oh yes.. as a bad guy, these are the fun and challenging ones. After all, bad guys tend to have twisted and sadistic senses of humor. You know the BIG difference though? The first two home types, I'd enter cautious but generally not in full aggressive mode.

The window traps and booby traps of a Prepper though? Now... We know what comes at that home. No playing.....no benefit of any doubts given..and absolutely NO chances taken.

The Prepper in the episode there had knives hidden all over the house..in case ever the victim of a home invasion, which would assume they got past everything else too. So he's set right?

Well.. No.. and it's been the purpose of taking the time to explain the reasoning and basis for saying this next part.

PREPPING LIKE THAT WILL GET YOU DEAD. IT WILL GET YOUR FAMILY DEAD AND IT WILL DO IT WITH NO CHANCE OF DOING ANYTHING TO STOP IT.

Why for so would I say such a thing? Well... As I was eluding to above? The Prepper house is where I, as a bad guy, will shoot anything moving ...or the mere HINT of movement ..on the first indication. Mouse moves in a closet? The whole closet gets 30 rounds ....just to be sure. That wouldn't be the case in a home of normal folk...but by the prepper making their home a little war zone? War will be the only way company comes....and I've yet to see a prepper who has ANYTHING ready to face an active, aggressive and determined killer coming to simply shoot on sight and no play games.

reply to post by Wrabbit2000


I see that show as Comedy gold. I laugh throughout every episode.

I have to keep that sense of humor, otherwise I would be throwing something through the TV while yelling, "ARE YOU STUPID!" That would get expensive.

one thing is prepping for the worst and hoping the worst never happens.

but some of these guys come off like they are waiting and almost wanting the worst to happen.

prep all you want, but put it out of mind until if and when you need to go to your bug out shelter/plans.

It's best not to draw any attention to yourself at all. Try not to stockpile in bulk, do it in drips and drabs. Putting all that stuff out there around the house is just asking for it.

Also I would say, don't be too secretive either, try to be somewhere in the middle.

As a bad guy I would love to see a "Prepper" house. I would take a position and wait for the overly confident occupants to make a single mistake. Sooner or later they will stick their head out, and when they do? Well we all know how this goes..........

I would look at a "Prepper" house and see nothing but opportunity. IMHO anything more than 3 months of food stored at home, a decent handgun and a wicked crossbow packed inside your bugout bag is a waste of time money and effort. When the bad guys find out you have supplies you better be "prepped" to run for your life.

Oh and the Anti-Government Perppers? Someone should tell them about drones and bunker busting missiles.

I have watched a couple of episodes just out of curiosity. For the life of me I can't understand why anyone would agree to be on this show. WHY would you televise to the world who you are and what you are doing and what you have? It boggles the mind. There is NO way I would go on television and show how much food I have, what type of weapons I have. It's dangerous and stupid.

OH and the one episode where the assclown shoots himself and faints was priceless.

reply to post by Wrabbit2000


All the grocery shops will be looted, and then it will be the preppers mini grocery homes. Surly you can't shoot in all directions at once.

It sounds by the replies that folks here are in no danger of adding to the problem by following what the show is displaying as good ideas.

In watching the couple today, I can't see how bad guys CAN'T see who is a prepper and who isn't once the power drops and the differences become impossible to miss. In my mind, the best position is one where there is no reason to think your home is any different than any other.

If anything, I'd say looking a little trashier...a little worse off..and a little less capable than the other homes on a street is the safest. Then if someone does pick your home to loot...the response isn't expected. It comes as a total surprise. Just my thoughts.

Or is this show just designed to make people distance themselves from the idea of prepping so they won't be seen as a nut?

reply to post by Wrabbit2000


Kind of like, "The Book of Eli"

He looked harmless enough...till they screwed with him.

Good plan. But of course, that was just a movie.

reply to post by randomname

but some of these guys come off like they are waiting and almost wanting the worst to happen.

I'd wager most of them want this...they want to be validated. Me...??? I hope I never have to test my preparations. I live for today, but with eye out for possibilities. However, no way will I let it consume me, or keep me from enjoying today.

As for others targeting preppers aggressively? I doubt it. I'm much more confident they'd go for softer, easier targets first....much less risk. I know I'd steer clear of hard targets on a supply run.

reply to post by Wrabbit2000


Agreed, I remember watching an episode where the father made molotov cocktails to practice with.
Apparently the BATF did not see that episode, I believe those are a felony.
I may be wrong but....
Even being a STAUNCH supporter of my 2A, I believe there is no place in this world for explosives.
Well, until the zombie apocalypse anyway that is.

Yeah, most of the Rambo preppers will kill each other within the first week when SHTF. Then all of us sane ones can rebuild society.

reply to post by g146541

Agreed on this and I feel the same. I'd imagine everyone here by nature of the site and general interests it attracts for people has prepared to some degree for disaster or Mr Murphy coming for a visit. Still... Everything can go to extremes. lol

It's important to clarify of course that there are people who prepare and then there are preppers.. I recall the episode with the Molotov cocktails and I couldn't believe it. Umm.. I did that kind of stuff when I was about 16 and it's a miracle I didn't get a criminal record from one particular 'oops' with that nonsense. Grown adults making such things to "practice with" on a pile of rocks? Yea, I know what you mean. That's scary on more than one level.

@Superhans

Agreed... These are the people that set up road blocks 'to help the community' and in turn, run into each others roadblocks trying to 'help' the other community more than the guy there first. Our nation would turn homicidal quick for a short period anyway if it all fell apart for real IMO. I'd give it 3-4 weeks of no services for that to start.

Up here, there are a lot of people who eat what they hunt, fish, and grow gardens for their food. Their garden gives them all the veggies they need for the year, except maybe some lettuce and stuff like that. They buy flour by the fifty pound bag and salt and vinegar for canning their foods. A couple of deer in the freezer with some canned venison. Bottled fish and frozen fish from a summer sport they love. Partridge, rabbit, or any small animal is tasty. Their food bill for the year can't be over a grand. Their boat fuel kills half the profit. The other half goes for their hunting camp and for the new smoker and gas to go hunting and fishing. So in the end they break out even......With much healthier food......With a lot of fun and enjoyment in doing these things. Now some would say that they are not ahead but they own nice toys and usually have money in the bank because they do not waste it on new trucks to get scratched in the woods or brand new boats to get all fishy smelling. This is their hobby, one that pays itself back. They have friends of their kind and their stories always makes good conversation. They seem to be strong and healthy with very little doctor bills.

I enjoy the episodes that have self proclaimed "Christians" and yet they are filmed practicing with assault weapons so they can kill people just to protect their food supply.

reply to post by Wrabbit2000

PREPPING LIKE THAT WILL GET YOU DEAD. IT WILL GET YOUR FAMILY DEAD AND IT WILL DO IT WITH NO CHANCE OF DOING ANYTHING TO STOP IT.

Why for so would I say such a thing? Well... As I was eluding to above? The Prepper house is where I, as a bad guy, will shoot anything moving ...or the mere HINT of movement ..on the first indication. Mouse moves in a closet? The whole closet gets 30 rounds ....just to be sure. That wouldn't be the case in a home of normal folk...but by the prepper making their home a little war zone? War will be the only way company comes....and I've yet to see a prepper who has ANYTHING ready to face an active, aggressive and determined killer coming to simply shoot on sight and no play games.

Basically you are saying that by prepping and having some sort of self-defense during a collapse you are making yourself a target. It would be best for you to just not be armed so the people looting whatever resources you have dont kill you on the way out. This is some of the the worst anti-prepper logic there is.

The prepper's home isn't a "war zone" until the bad guy theives come in and start blasting 30 rounds at mice in the closet. Until then it is just a well supplied home getting through the bad times. Most preppers have taken home defense into great consideration, so its not going to be taken without a fight. Maybe your posse is bigger and you take it, but odds are greater that not being prepared will get you killed while you are trying to steal somebody elses stuff.

I've yet to see a prepper who has ANYTHING ready to face an active, aggressive and determined killer coming to simply shoot on sight and no play games.

Huh? Are you talking about on the show? No prepper worth his salt would be on that show first and real preppers do not rely on knives for defensive weapons. Real preppers will likely have taken you the bad guy out before you got near the house. Some preppers will be proactive in ridding the area of bad guys too...

reply to post by SouthernForkway26

Basically you are saying that by prepping and having some sort of self-defense during a collapse you are making yourself a target. It would be best for you to just not be armed so the people looting whatever resources you have dont kill you on the way out. This is some of the the worst anti-prepper logic there is.

Now that's just getting silly and I said no such thing. Basically, what I have pointed out is that making yourself stand out by being prepared in an obvious way means you make yourself a target in a chaotic situation.

Eventually, once a target, enough force or people at once will want what you have more than you do. If it's a long term disaster...as in 6-8 weeks or more without basic services, then I'd say it's a matter of time if someone in a city is noticeably more prepared than others. Others will see about changing that.

The alternative isn't to be unprepared...but not have little traps or stupid things in the windows with nails or other signs any idiot can see from the street is an indicator that someone with supplies and more lives there...and as someone else noted, is a mini-store if the defense can be overcome.

Watching the show just highlights some of the more extreme ways people set themselves apart and really make a spectacle of themselves.

reply to post by Wrabbit2000



Good stuff Wrabbit!

Some of the people who prep, are way to serious about it. Then again, if SHTF they will be the last ones laughing, most assured.


Just my take.