Finding preppers in your area becomes a necessity if you’ve just moved to a new place. Except if you’re hiding your trails or would just prefer to remain unnoticed. The typical American is not concerned with the steps to take in an emergency, supply storage, or essential survival skills. Prepping can therefore be a lonely activity in the absence of fellow practitioners. In fact, you may altogether lose interest in prepping if there are no other preppers to hang out with.
But how do you find preppers in a new place? How are you sure you’re not ending with a person merely looking to prey on your interests in others? This article discusses what to do to find the right preppers and the things to avoid doing in this instance, starting with the latter.
I have a suggestion, though, before you head off to find fellow preppers. You should be sure of what prepper type you’re looking for. Being specific will help a lot in what to look out for.
Things Not to Do While Finding Preppers in Your Area
To get off to a good start, I think we should look at the things not to do on your search.
You should never:
Divulge Operational Security
This is familiar with the grey man art. The logic here is to conceal your skills &, more importantly, what you have to offer until you are sure of a person. The typical prepper has a couple of firearms, ammunition, various weapons, tools, food, water & medical supplies, fuel & many more. Letting others know of these things may lead you to opportunists.
So, in your attempts to meet individuals who think like you, be careful not to make yourself an easy target. Do not discuss your plans unnecessarily. Keep sensitive information to yourself until a person has proven him- or herself trustworthy.
Be too Direct
Preppers have not had a merciful reputation for quite a while, and things are not significantly changing anytime soon. Sure, more & more people are embracing prepping even more, but you can’t fully count on this. So, when you’re trying to get a person interested in prepping for possible disasters, I suggest that you take things gradually & keep discussions light to avoid scaring them off.
For instance, avoid starting your discussions with lines like “I needed to talk to you about preparations in the event of an EMP strike or nuclear holocaust…” I can guarantee that you’d lose at 9 out of 10 persons that you approach this way.
Rather, give information in bits to the discussion you’re holding. Like how you recently started using a pressure cooker to preserve foods. Or how to prepare dehydrated soup to make it last longer. You can talk about your garden & the plants it contains while ensuring that you maintain a genuine interest in his or hers.
Don’t be a Figure of Doom & Gloom
On more than one occasion, I must admit that I have caught myself wrapped up in the mentality of doom portrayal. However, it is not necessary, and it is unhealthy & unrealistic.
While the possibility of asteroid impacts & a supervolcano eruption is 100% plausible, you shouldn’t be the figure constantly reminding the world of that. Besides, these are not everyday events & you may not have even witnessed any. The most familiar catastrophes in history are hurricanes, floods, earthquakes & tornadoes. Not the end of the world.
When you have this understanding, you’d realize why many get easily turned off when you’re looking all so doom & gloom all the time. The least you could do as a prepper seeking to meet others is to portray homeliness & keep a welcoming attitude.
You need to live your best life hoping for the best and preparing for the worst.
Don’t Become Frustrated
Even I should listen to myself on this. It is easy to develop frustrations when the people around you do not show any interest in something you’re passionate about. If you’re someone who can’t handle rejections, you may want to avoid wooing people to prepping altogether.
Convincing a person will take a lot of effort & time, and it doesn’t always end well. You can’t force people to get involved in things they are not ready for. Just supply necessary facts & info and leave the decision for them to make themselves.
Strategies for Finding Preppers in Your Area
Now that we know what to never do when finding other preppers, we should see what to do.
Begin With People Around You
I should sound you a warning ahead: this doesn’t necessarily end well. Don’t approach friends & family with the belief that they have to jump at your offer because of the relationship between you. There may be instances where these people will readily listen to you. But avoid thinking they’re mandated to listen.
The reason to start with friends & family is because they are the ones you love most & will mostly be closest to you when a disaster breaks out. They are naturally the ones you want to protect when SHTF.
Remember not to become frustrated, although it can be difficult not to. They mean a lot to you & having to deal with their rejection can be very hard. Don’t make their decisions for them.
Explore the Internet
The internet remains the largest source of information you can find anywhere. A simple search on emergency survival will lead to many sites where you can make your pick from. You have a good chance of finding people with similar interests on sites like this.
You can go through the comments of commenters to pick those you want to be close with. However, be wary of the internet. People can pose to be whatever they are not. Don’t divulge sensitive information online to persons whose identities you haven’t confirmed or to people you’re yet to trust.
Community Involvement
Rolling more with people around you can be a great way of finding other preppers. Preppers are naturally geared to help others, so trust to meet one soon as you get involved in a crowd.
The assumption is that there are preppers in your community, although they may not be vocal about it. So, mix more with people & see how things go.
Final Lines on Finding Preppers in Your Area
Finding preppers in your area should not get you worked up or frustrated. Just know for sure that you’ll find them around you or online. Don’t force others to join them. The choice is always for anyone to make; the best you can educate them & let them be. Let’s learn from you: how did you find preppers when you got to a new city?