Time to Form a Prepper Community?

I’ve been thinking about this more and more lately. After all, it seems the world is coming to an end with the seemingly never-ending pandemic and the more recent protests and riots.

So, maybe it’s time to form a community of like-minded, prepared folks? No doubt, that’s easier said than done as most people simply aren’t interested in being truly prepared. Even the recent pandemic has instilled only a short-term interest in preparedness which I suspect will wain very quickly if/when things return to normal. In fact, I believe interest in preparedness has already declined greatly in recent weeks from what I’ve noticed.

Regardless, I’ve looked into forming a prepper group in the past and I can say that I was less than thrilled with the “applicants” I found, most of who seemed more interested in finding people they could live off of, in my opinion, when things go wrong.

Now, you might think that your close friends and family are the mostly likely starting point. I say not so much! Unfortunately, there’s a lot of baggage and history with these people, some good and some bad, which could cause you to go against your better judgment when evaluating them for their usefulness in your prepper group or, worse, when forced to remove them later on. Of course, there may be some people that simply MUST be included, such as parents or children.

I’d say most folks you likely interact with on a daily basis (e.g., friends, family, neighbors) would be poor choices for a variety of reasons. That said, there are plenty of other potentially useful candidates, from church members and clubs you’re a part of (e.g., Lions Club) to first responders and former military, each of whom will have very useful skills in such a community.

Here’s a good recent video on how to find members of a prepper group, if interested:

Overall, the video offers some good thoughts, although I disagree with family and friends as being a good source. I also found it interesting that he mentions groups like militias as a potentially good source to find members for your community, though he does warn you about them as they could quickly lead you astray of your actual goals.

On the other hand, he also mentions small towns as a viable option which may be one of the better choices because I’d suspect that most folks in rural small towns are already relatively self-sufficient and are less likely to be a burden on you during hard times. Of course, if you don’t already live in a small town like this then it may be difficult for you to become accepted by the locals if you simply show up one day after SHTF. You’ll need to foster this relationship early on.

Perhaps most importantly is the character of the individuals in your group. For example, are they upstanding and honorable people with a calm manner or do they have a bad temper and are prone to rash decision making? Are they willing to pitch in and help out as needed or are they lazy and expect you to do a majority of the work? Do they even see the need to prepare for hard times NOW or do they expect that you’ll do it for them?

These are the types of questions you need to ask of the people you’re contemplating including in your group. Odds are you already know the answers deep down, particularly of friends and family. All others can be sussed out relatively quickly.

Granted, like the video above mentions, you may not have much of a choice with whom your prepper group includes if, say, you’re forced to attempt to survive with your neighbors. These could be good and useful people or not. At the very least, you should being to know what type of person they are so you know if they should be avoided at all costs or if they can be counted on when SHTF.

My belief is that most people should be avoided, but you may find a few nuggets of gold if you start looking. And even if the people you find can’t pitch in as much when it comes to buying food or putting away other supplies, some people could be useful due to their knowledge (e.g., medical or security) or they’re young and can get a lot more work done that you can no longer do yourself. In this case, it’s a beneficial trade off for each of you.

Of course, don’t divulge too much early on since you won’t want people who don’t make the cut into your group to know you’re prepared and to look at you as a potential source of supplies or sanctuary. That’s just asking for trouble down the road!

Granted, all of this is easier said than done. Finding other like-minded people who are relatively nearby, who see things as you do, and who are willing to put their money, time, and effort into preparedness efforts is hard. But, if you’re diligent I’m willing to bet they’re out there.