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My friend George has been writing about prepping – and the economic reasons to do so – since 1997, and I too have been prepping for more practical reasons going on several years now. At first, I wondered “Am I becoming one of those squirrels or “nut jobs”?” But now, with the world growing more and more uncertain, it has become clear that prepping is indeed a rational response to an irrational world.
I assume you know what a “perma-bear” is – that is someone who is very skeptical about the prospects for further growth in the economy. So much so that they are stocking up on readily available goods now because they don’t trust the future. Which leads me to say this: if I was not a perma-bear before, I sure am now.
A decade ago, what is now the prepping community was mostly “perma-bears” – folks who came through the Y2K prepping prequel. That includes people like my BFF George Ure and Gary North who was extremely popular in the run-up to Y2K. You can bet that I, being an old COBOL programmer, was ready for Y2K because I knew first hand about the Y2K problem from my code-writing days in the early 80s.
You know the old saying “You can’t eat gold.” ? Well the same applies to dollar bills which is why, I believe, prepping has entered into the fringe of mainstream. (Now if that is not an oxymoron, I don’t know what is.) So if you you can’t trust the money and you can’t eat the gold, what does make sense in what George calls “this wonky world of drifting values”?
Nice to look at but you can’t eat gold or money!
Michael Snyder, whose The Economic Collapse blog is also a favorite haunt of us “perma-bears”, did a report recently on the “Rise of the Preppers: 50 of the Best Prepper Websites and Blogs on the Internet” which was posted at The Truth Wins:
The Rise of the Preppers: 50 of the Best Prepper Websites
Are you preparing for the collapse of society?
If so, the truth is that you are definitely not alone. The number of preppers in the U.S. has absolutely exploded in recent years. It has been estimated that there are now approximately 3 million preppers in the United States, and “Doomsday Preppers” is currently the highest rated show on the National Geographic channel.
In fact, you could be living next to a prepper and never even know it. All over America, families are transforming spare rooms into long-term food storage pantries, planting survival gardens, unplugging from the grid, converting their homes over to alternative sources of energy, taking self-defense courses and stocking up on just about everything that you can imagine.
The re-election of Barack Obama and other recent events seem to have given the prepper movement even more momentum. For example, in January the U.S. Mint broke all kinds of records and sold nearly half a billion dollars worth of gold and silver coins to the public. Not only that, Americans bought enough guns during the last two months of 2012 alone to supply the entire armies of China and India. When it comes to prepping, nobody can match the passion that Americans put into it.
So what are all of these people prepping for?
Well, the truth is that no two preppers have the exact same motivation. There is a general consensus among preppers that our world is becoming increasingly unstable, but when you sit down and talk with them you find out that there are a whole host of different civilization-killing events that various preppers are concerned about. Some are preparing for the collapse of the economy. Others are extremely concerned about the potential for crippling natural disasters and catastrophic earth changes. To other preppers, the rise of the “Big Brother” surveillance grid that is being constructed all around us is the greatest danger, and many of them warn of the tyrannical agenda of the New World Order. Terrorism, killer pandemics, EMP attacks, World War III, martial law, solar megastorms, asteroid strikes and societal chaos are some of the other things that many preppers are worried about. There are even some preppers that are not worried about any “threats” at all – they just want to get “back to the land” and want to become less dependent on the system.
Whatever the motivation, it is undeniable that the prepper movement has gotten very large and that it continues to grow.
In fact, there was a recent article in the New York Times about preppers that was actually written by a prepper entitled “The Preppers Next Door“…
“To the unprepared, the very word “prepper” is likely to summon images of armed zealots hunkered down in bunkers awaiting the End of Days, but the reality, at least here in New York, is less dramatic. Local Preppers are doctors, doormen, charter school executives, subway conductors, advertising writers and happily married couples from the Bronx. They are no doubt people that you know — your acquaintances and neighbors. People, I’ll admit, like myself”.”
I was absolutely amazed that one of the key mouthpieces of the establishment, the New York Times, would publish an article that was mostly positive about preppers, because the truth is that prepping is essentially a huge expression of a lack of faith in the establishment. Even the article admitted as much…
“PREPPING IS THE BIG SHORT: a bet not just against a city, or a country or a government, but against the whole idea of sustainable civilization. For that reason, it chafes against one of polite society’s last remaining taboos — that the way we live is not simply plagued by certain problems, but is itself insolubly problematic.”
And that is exactly right. There are millions of us that are entirely convinced that the world around us is becoming increasingly unstable and that “the system” will not be there to take care of us when everything falls to pieces.
With each passing day, even more Americans lose faith in the system and begin prepping. If you are one of those new preppers, there are actually dozens of great websites out there on the Internet where you can get an education about prepping for free. The list of websites and blogs that I have compiled below contains more articles and resources than you could ever possibly need. Hopefully many of you will find this list to be extremely helpful.
The following are 50 of the best prepper websites and blogs on the Internet…
4. SHTFPlan.com
12. The Great Northern Prepper
13. Prepper Website
15. Doom And Bloom
17. Prepper.org
19. SHTFblog.com
20. Survival Cache
22. Rural Revolution
24. Prep-Blog.com
26. TEOTWAWKI Blog
33. Prepography
34. Bacon And Eggs
35. SHTF School
37. Maximum Survival
38. Survivor Jane
40. SaltnPrepper
41. SGTReport
42. SHTF Wiki
43. Jewish Preppers
45. Survival Week
46. Prepper Forums
(Gaye’s note: I count 51 not 50)
The sad truth is that our world is becoming increasingly unstable in a whole bunch of different ways and we all need to learn how to prepare for the difficult years ahead.
Unfortunately, most Americans simply are not prepared for much of anything.
For example, a large percentage of Americans do not even have enough savings to get them through a single financial emergency. According to one recent report, approximately 44 percent of all households in the United States are just one unexpected event away from financial disaster.
Most American families do not have much food stored up either. One recent survey discovered that 55 percent of all Americans have less than three days supply of food in their homes.
Could that possibly be accurate? Do people really keep that little food in their homes?
Another survey asked Americans how long they think they could survive if the entire electrical grid went down and there was no more power for an extended period of time. Incredibly, 21 percent of those who responded said that they would survive for less than a week, and an additional 28 percent of those who responded said that they would survive for less than two weeks. Close to 75 percent of those who responded said that they would be dead before the two month mark.
So who are the crazy ones?
Are the people trying to become more independent and self-sufficient crazy, or are the people who have complete and total faith that the system will take care of them no matter what happens actually the crazy ones?
I don’t know about you, but I would prefer for myself and my family to at least have a chance to survive if society melts down for some reason.
The Final Word
I know that George over at Urban Survival was pleased with his #6 ranking and I was more than pleasantly shocked to see Backdoor Survival at #7. In addition I am familiar with many of the sites on the list and am friendly with a number of the bloggers including Todd at Prepper Website, Bernie at Apartment Prepper, Rourke at Modern Survival Online many others including some not listed this time around,
All in all though, kudos to Michael Snyder for getting it right with his list of prepper sites and also for his ongoing analysis of the state of our world and our society.
Enjoy your next adventure through common sense and thoughtful preparation!
Gaye
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Spotlight Item: I recently read the e-book, How to Hide Your Guns and must say, found it full of ideas for keeping your firearms hidden in plain sight. The suggestions are practical and with a few tools and materials available from your local hardware store, you will be on your way to hiding your guns in fully accessible manner with no one being the wiser.
Bargain Bin: Preparing for hard times requires so much stuff. Just where do you start? How do you know whether what you have will do the job? I always like to recommend that you start by taking inventory of what you already have on hand. And then? How about these ten items that were the most popular purchases by Backdoor Survival readers in 2012.
1. Emergency Mylar Thermal Blankets (Pack of 10): This was the #1 item. These thermal blankets provide compact emergency protection in all weather conditions.
2. Streamlight Nano Light Miniature Keychain LED Flashlight: You know how I love my little flashlight. I have ad mine for over a year and it is still going strong.
3. Potable Aqua Water Treatment Tablets: Another inexpensive basic for your bug out bag and your home. Water treatment tabs won’t improve the taste but they will make your water safe to drink.
4. Kershaw OSO Sweet Knife: You can’t beat a Kershaw knife for quality at a reasonable price point. This knife will become your favorite for every day carry. And that includes the ladies, too.
5. Smith’s PP1 Pocket Pal Multifunction Sharpener: I wrote about this is in the article The Easy Way to Sharpen a Knife Without Spending a Lot of Money. It sharpens everything from pocket knives to kitchen blades.
6. The Doom and Bloom Survival Medicine Handbook: This book will teach you how to deal with all the likely medical issues you will face in a disaster situation, and shows you strategies to keep your family healthy even in the worse scenarios. You’ll learn skills like performing a physical exam, transporting the injured patient, and even how to suture a wound. This medical reference belongs in every survival library!
7. Emergency Fire Starter: Hugely popular with my readers, this inexpensive magnesium emergency fire starter will do the job.
8. Dorcy 41-1071 LED Wireless Motion Sensor Flood Lite: This light is awesome. I use mine downstairs as well as on my stairway and when I get up in the middle of the night, they come on automatically. They are quite unobtrusive (I have the black one) and give off a ton of light. Runs for a year on 3 D size batteries.
9. Clara’s Kitchen: Wisdom, Memories, and Recipes from the Great Depression: If you don’t know about Clara, be sure to read Depression Cooking: A Visit to Clara’s Kitchen.
10. SE 5 in 1 Survival Whistle: Just a tad over two bucks – and the #1 seller in camping signal whistles at Amazon.
For Your Long Term Food Storage: Be sure to shop the Emergency Essentials Monthly Sales some great deals – typically 20% to 30% off or more.
Specials that I like this month are their SUPERPAIL of Soft White Wheat, a Deluxe Grain Mill and Motor and the Provident Pantry Freeze Dried Meat Essentials Combo. The grain mill is on sale and is such a good deal I plan to get one as my starter mill until I can afford a more expensive model.
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13 Responses to “Special Report: The Best Prepper Websites”
Great list. We hope to be on there next round @ //www.trueprepper.com/
I’m offering Wonder Ovens for $40 plus shipping. This is the lowest price I’ve seen lately…I think it will give more people a chance to get one and learn how to use it. Can you pass my email along and let others know?
Thanks, Jennifer Frandsen
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