What Does It Mean To Be A Prepper?

If you are new to “prepping” or are trying to figure out what exactly it means to be a “prepper,” then this article is for you. Interestingly enough, there are differing views of what constitutes a prepper.

- Robert Bellenir and Jeff Goldsmith

Wikipedia defines preppers as “a movement of individuals or groups … who are actively preparing for emergencies, as well as possible disruptions in social or political order, on scales ranging from local to international.” A prepper is not the same as a survivalist. A survivalist typically focuses on learning primitive and other outdoors skills and has little focus on actually stocking up supplies and building an extensive repository of every necessity for survival. Whereas survivalists prepare and learn to live off the land, preppers prepare to maintain their current lifestyles, as much as possible. While they are not synonymous, many preppers are also survivalists and are very adept at living off the land. Likewise, many survivalists are preppers and store resources to be able to sustain their standards of living.