A Dose Of Reality

More Than a Celebrity Survivalist, Grady Powell Walks the Line Between Authenticity and Entertainment

- Rob Curtis

On television, we’re used to seeing Grady Powell face  off against the Earth and elements in far-flung locales, but meeting him stateside, it’s clear the man is at home in any environment our planet offers.

If there’s one thing Powell embraces when it comes to survival and prepping, it’s practicality. He’s ready to deal with life as it comes, no matter where it attacks — on the side of an Andean mountain, on a stretch of I-80 between Denver and Omaha, or on the sidewalk near his apartment in St. Louis.

His is a healthy regard for danger that lurks in everyday life, but it doesn’t stray into paranoia. Instead, his prepper wheels turn below the surface. Sure, his Ford F-150 FX4 is permanently stocked with a sizable bug-out kit, and he’s rarely without a sidearm, but the core of his prepper toolbox isn’t gear or skills, but his survival mindset.

He could’ve been born with this strong survival drive, it could come from his upbringing, or maybe it’s something that surfaced during his time serving in the U.S. Army’s Special Forces.

In high school, Powell learned about the role of the Special Forces in the Vietnam War. He recognized the signature Green Beret these elite soldiers wore as something he discovered in his father’s closet as a kid.

“That’s when I found out that my dad used to be a badass back in Vietnam,” Powell says. “He was a Green Beret with 5th Group.”

Years later, with the Global War on Terror in full swing, Powell gave up after three semesters of a full ride scholarship to the University of Missouri and enlisted in the Army. “My heart wasn’t in it,” says Powell. “What I wanted to do was go join the war effort and put the hurt on some bad guys.”