is survivalism a fad?

I have noticed that there is a tremendous interest in being self sufficient. From people stocking up on food to having bugout retreats in the woods. Are we repeating y2k all over again. will 2012 be a bummer or will the paranoid be proven right.

Why with all the 'survival' threads since you've obviously no interest in it?

I don't think it has anything to do with 2012 or prophesies.. People are just observing the current political climate and world news,then they're making informed decisions.
Thanks for asking.

Originally posted by heliumboy
I have noticed that there is a tremendous interest in being self sufficient. From people stocking up on food to having bugout retreats in the woods. Are we repeating y2k all over again. will 2012 be a bummer or will the paranoid be proven right.

Survivalism, retreatists, self-sufficiency, goodlifers, bushcrafting, preparedness, etc etc has been around in numbers since the 1960's and so has never been a 'fad'. It changes its shape, name and form and adapts itself to whatever the perceived threats are at the time. I suggest the following link:-
en.wikipedia.org...

It does depend on your point of view on what you see as a perceived threat and the location you are living in at the time. At the time of Y2K, I was in charge of a computer network, so the companies' 'survival' strategy was to prepare their PC's as best we could, should the s*** hit the fan and I was on 'standby' for the event ....... a nice little earner at the time I must say. My sister (a nurse) was also on 'standby' at the time of Y2K and she too earned a small fortune. That was the NHS's 'survival' strategy at the time. As we now know, it was a non-event.

I think that some of the 'weather events' and 911 and such-like have probably played a part in the recent resurgence of media interest in 'survivalism' in its many forms. For us in the UK, it is less in the media as it is in the US, so it is hard to gauge how many are involved in its many forms. By doing a websearch of survival/bushcraft schools I would say that there is a healthy resurgence of interest. Couple that with the fact of TV programs that are showing survivalism in its many forms, ie: SAS: Are you tough enough, Bush Tucker Man, Bear Gryls, Ray Mears, et al. Plus the numerous 'reality' TV programs that now abound the satelite channels.

As for 2012, what is significant about that date? Apart from being another four years older, it does take me into the possible early retirement age range ......... come on 2012!

I would say the majoirty of the survival community falls into two groups:

The Do'ers and The Talkers. I am a talker with do'er tendencies.

The Talkers are interested in the concept of survivalism and may do small, noncommital things to prepare. In my case it involved learning some basic first aid and getting a somewhat decent first aid/emergency kit for both my house and car.

I feel that the Talkers, and myself, make up decent portion of the community.

The Do'ers are the guys with the info. You have a question about gardens, security or water filtration? They have the answers. You have a question about tracking a small animal seventy-five miles through a river, all after building yourself a three story 'survival condo' complete with hot water and a mini-fridge? I am sure a few can help you out there too.

The point is, these guys know whats up and if anything should happen, from a power outage to SitX, they are prepared.

The smallest group is probably the after events/before dates type survivalist. They might stock up and then loose interest when the world doesn't come. And hey, they will be the star of the canned food drive that year.

To answer your question (about time!) is: We will probably see an increase in activity the closer 'doomsday' dates get. I don't believe that this makes survivalism a trend though (see long ass post up there).

[edit on 5/28/0808 by spines]

I think learning survival traits is becoming more of a necessity than a fad, just look at the state of the world at the min, with "climate change", wars, rising oil/food/house prices and natural disasters theres an inherent sense of doom in the air, it costs less to be prepared than to be caught with your arse hanging out waiting for government aid.

Hope for the best plan for the worst.

Originally posted by spines
I am a talker with do'er tendencies.

I'll be totally honest and admit that I fall into that there category too

Not that I just take a passing interest in survival subjects, I have to live on a very tight stoodent budget and cant afford the luxury of aquiring all the gear I'd like to or have the time/space to put it into practice, but that doesn't stop me from excercising my creative inventive survival streak and thinking of ways to make it through a societal breakdown.

You can have all the guns and tins of spam in the world but that aint going to help when you're unable look at a scrapped vehicle or pile of junk in a shed and wonder what you could build from it that would make life comfortable rather than just....survival

Mental preparedness, imagination, and a healthy dose of creativity are my main three tools that I excercise daily that I know they will ensure that I will be able to stay one step ahead of the herd...and I'm always happy to share those tools with the rest of the clan here

Im not a believer in much as im a skeptic,But rest assured its stated in many religions including the mayan calender 2012...if anything does happen,i would place my money on this date.All planets aligned is weird thought to me and shifting the magnetic fields is another.Im beginning to think this date means something.

I think its a fad but its a fad we have been needing for awhile. We have become to reliant on our governments and infrastructure and with the current issues out there it was a real wake up call to a lot of people out there. I think this fad will grow and I feel it will turn from a fad to a way of life. This whole experience is a wake up call to humanity.

Originally posted by citizen smith

Originally posted by spines
I am a talker with do'er tendencies.

I'll be totally honest and admit that I fall into that there category too

Not that I just take a passing interest in survival subjects, I have to live on a very tight stoodent budget and cant afford the luxury of aquiring all the gear I'd like to or have the time/space to put it into practice, but that doesn't stop me from excercising my creative inventive survival streak and thinking of ways to make it through a societal breakdown.

You can have all the guns and tins of spam in the world but that aint going to help when you're unable look at a scrapped vehicle or pile of junk in a shed and wonder what you could build from it that would make life comfortable rather than just....survival

You are really on my level here. Do you realize what a scrapped vehicle can be in parts?

think of this
the pistons and aluminum cylinder heads can be melted down and recast into
farming implements or into anything else such as a grain mill. the engine block can be used as a counter weight for lifting heavy items.
the injectors and fuel pump can be used as a evaporative refrigerator. the body can be sledgehammered into usable sheet metal the alternator can be used as a welder. the sulfuric acid in the battery can be boiled down and mixed with potassium nitrate to create nitroglycerin, the battery lead be be used as solder or bullets. the refridgeration system can be fitted to a smaller engine to make a ice box. the starter motor will make an excellent fan or high speed drill.
drill.

Originally posted by citizen smith

Originally posted by spines
I am a talker with do'er tendencies.

I'll be totally honest and admit that I fall into that there category too

No need to 'admit' anything. I think that, out of everyone who visits the survival section, there are very few 'true survivalists'. That just seems to be the way it is.

Originally posted by citizen smith
Not that I just take a passing interest in survival subjects, I have to live on a very tight stoodent budget and cant afford the luxury of aquiring all the gear I'd like to or have the time/space to put it into practice, but that doesn't stop me from excercising my creative inventive survival streak and thinking of ways to make it through a societal breakdown.

I feel your pain. I am a third year student starting next spring (after taking a 'break' this year to earn myself some money). Money is tight all over and it makes 'being ready' hard.

I do not feel that this should keep people away from basic preparedness. Hell, alot of it is cheap/free anyway. Instead of buying a large coffee from Dunkin Donuts every morning, I bought a small. The money saved from that alone bought me my emergency kits.

Get some decent emergency kits and supplement them with extra first aid equipment. It doesn't have to be a full out BOB, just something to have in case your car breaks down or your arm springs a leak.

Some basic first aid training is a great skill to have, SitX or not. You don't need to take a class even. Get some books, read up on the basic treatment and extended care of minor injuries and you can do a world of good, any time.

Actually learn how to make a fire...it's a chick magnet when camping. :p

Originally posted by citizen smith
You can have all the guns and tins of spam in the world but that aint going to help when you're unable look at a scrapped vehicle or pile of junk in a shed and wonder what you could build from it that would make life comfortable rather than just....survival,

Christ man, are you trying to marry me or something?

I can not agree more. I feel no ego in saying that I have a better then average ability to 'make' from junk. Knowing how to use what you can find is important, and you would be surprised how easy it is.

Originally posted by citizen smith
Mental preparedness, imagination, and a healthy dose of creativity are my main three tools that I excercise daily that I know they will ensure that I will be able to stay one step ahead of the herd.

Well said.

reply to post by heliumboy


You should start a thread with some basic 'how-to' information concerning cars. You obviously have more knowledge then myself and have peeked my interest.

Especially the ice box and other practicle 'accomidations' which we would otherwise have to live without.

reply to post by heliumboy



the groups of people who desire to live-off-the-grid,
or seek to be minimalists, or return to the earth culture,
see ecovillage living as a desirable alternative are not following a fad.

neither are those survivalists who are trying to prepare for what they see as a future period of anarchy..
all of those above mentioned peoples have a marginally shared ideology..

which is far different from the ideologies & visions of
prophecy driven sects
or the 'fad' crowd that once built fallout shelters during the cold-war era

Originally posted by heliumboy
Do you realize what a scrapped vehicle can be in parts?

Hmmm...Now you've really got me thinking

the pistons and aluminum cylinder heads can be melted down and recast into
farming implements or into anything else such as a grain mill

Here's a few good DIY foundry casting sites with plenty of further related links...

Homemade motorcycle parts on a budget

DIY Forge

Backyardmetalcasting.com

I've been hoarding all my copper coins for the last year or so and have carrier bags full of 1p & 2p coins that would be perfect for casting as soon as I get the chance to set a forge up, and probably a cheaper source of metal than going out and buying the raw bronze alloys from a foundry supplier too...just don't tell the man from the mint

the body can be sledgehammered into usable sheet metal [...] the starter motor will make an excellent fan or high speed drill [...] the sulfuric acid in the battery can be boiled down and mixed with potassium nitrate to create nitroglycerin, the battery lead be be used as solder or bullets.

Unless the battery is completely beyond use then all the above components can be built into a hydro/wind power generator.

To use a starter motor effectively you'd need to spin it up to a decent speed through a gear-box though...if you have the manpower to assist building a large scale static watermill, then a large enough waterwheel would give you all the torque needed to run a connected (and god knows how..) vehicle gearbox backwards (as an engines high RPM is translated to a very low RPM at the wheels in a car)

The wiring loom can be stripped to its component cables to carry the charge, blades made from body-panels, and of course the battery to store the charge...not forgetting the basic 'battery charge indicator' that you see on the dashboard of some vehicles

Alternatively, if the vehicle has electric windows the small DC motors that power them could be used for that same purpose...2-4 mini windmills vs. 1 medium/large windmill...you may have to build several smaller units but you would have a capability for 'redundancy' backup in case one or more units fails

I'd strongly advise against even thinking of messing with the acids to make nitroglycerin...you can't do much in a workshop after you've blown off most of your fingers!