dont worry ime not an end of the world junkie,but my family does 'prep' ,I hoard lamps mostly for trading/renting out to others in time of need.Most preppers i know have a lamp or two. In practicle terms the prepping has helped us when we have had no income at all for 6 weeks,the tilley lamps came in handy for lighting and i sold a tilley 246b for the bare esentials like nappies for the youngun etc,the food lasted well as i try to gave 3 months of dried goods ,tins etc,we grow our own veg and hunt/fish. currently i have 10 tilleys,2 bialladins,40 hurricanes ,15 gas lamps and a dozen or-so wick lamps,i think if i lit them all it could be seen from the ISS !
For those that aren't familiar with the term "preppers" - and you have some interest in finding out what they do: http://graywolfsurvival.com/1779/prepping-10-simple-ideas-start/ (I suspect a high correlation between "prepping" and the acceptance in parts of the community of conspiracy theories). In my island we have, from time to time, people from across the other side of the pacific buying blocks of land and building bunkers in case of who knows what. Living in a country where each year a significant proportion of the population has to be prepared for bushfire (and sometimes flood and drought at the same time), being prepared is a matter of personal and community routine. The best bet is to know your neighbours, community and emergency services, and contribute to everyone's well being. Tony
Interesting link ! Never heard of the term 'Prepper' till this thread. Guess I 'prep' to a small degree, more for occasions that I know will happen, got a backup generator for power cuts, and water pumps (electric and petrol) for flooding (I live in a flood risk area) along with firewood and of course, lamps lanterns and stoves by default of our hobby. interesting to read about the the real preppers though Cheers
yep your a prepper! lol there are some real nut jobs at the other end of the scale,think the gun guy in tremors the movie with a hint of walking dead!
Think my neighbours thought I was a bit of a nut job, when they saw me making up sandbags from a bulk delivery of sharp sand sometime ago Ah man like you say, guess I must be a Prepper after all
The one with most food, wood and ammo wins I wouldnt call myself a prepper.. But im somwhat prepared..
We have preppers around here, but they are mostly into guns and ammo. Ridiculous. We are far enough out of town that we have generators, a fuel cache (diesel mostly), and our primary heat is a wood-fired boiler. I prefer not to think about running out of coffee... My lamps are for fun.
Sandwich board men walked the High Streets on Saturday mornings warning The End is Nigh sixty years ago. I fancy 'preppers' is an American slang for those preparing for the worst - stocking up on essentials - fortified nuclear bunkers and the like. Don't do much of that in Cheam or Surbiton . . . . Did buy a few loo rolls yesterday though. No - it wasn't curry night.
Not a prepper by did build a 10'X13' storm room when I added a large garage/workshop to the house in 2002. Basically a concrete box with two inward opening doors. Spent two category 3 hurricanes in it so it has well paid for itself. There's more of a write up over on the stove forum under the grits thread.
Not a prepper, but I know a thing or two about not having electricity or running water, I love camping in remote places, and I found out that most of what you will ever need is a pocket knife and a pot for boiling water. I like lanterns and stoves for camping purposes and sometimes to play at home, it does not hurt to have them ready in case of a severe storm, in 2003 we were holed in our home for a week after a series of blizzards, we lost power two days, we had enough food and water was running. we had lots of fun, and I even made an igloo in the backyard.
Well, there's being prepared for power cuts, fire, flood, weather etc, which is a sensible. I wouldn't call these people 'prepper'. On the other hand there is being prepared for the complete collapse of society, which may be sensible should Donald Trump become US president, but until then, it's a little bit OTT. These are the traditional 'prepper'. That's where I draw the line. The second group might want to be quiet about what they have and where it is, lest someone a little better armed or in larger number comes and takes it from them when society collapses...
hahaha, if ( and that is in the realm of hard fiction) society collapses, people will be too concerned about finding toilet paper to be a problem.
I would consider myself to be a prepper. Whilst collecting, fettling, and talking about pressure lamps can be most interesting, in my case I consider them to be primarily a prep for any long term power outage. I have about 20 Tilley lamps in working order together with at least 100 mantles and 12 each of glasses and vaporisers. Whilst other pressure lamps have their merits, I standardised on Tilleys so as to avoid keeping spare parts for other brands. I recently sold a couple of other pressure lamps for a good price, because I felt happier having only one type of lamp to keep spares for. A pressure lamp cant be beat for a good bright light without electricity. Wick lamps are better of course when the need is long run time and only a dim light is needed. I have a couple of lamp units intended for lighting railway signals, these only output about 1 CP but do run for a week on a modest supply of oil. I keep stocks of food, water, fuel, batteries, and other useful goods.
In the UK I think it really depends on your location, circumstances and what you're "prepping" for. Our government's emergency powers are extensive and rather draconian and it is not a great exaggeration to say that once a state of emergency has been declared everything which is located in the UK may be co-opted by the State "for the greater good". The "prepper" may become the "hoarder" over night, I wouldn't rely on habaeus corpus being in effect either. So... Having a bit put by to see you through a week or so of civil unrest or industrial action is common sense. Much more than that and you're either going to have to be very careful or you might as well spend the money now on gin, fast motorcycles or whatever else makes you happy.
There are many simple and sensible things that can "prepare" a family for the unexpected. I've chosen to start with the financials. Pay the bills putting the biggest, your home as the priority. Everything else will be chicken feed compared to your mortgage. Maintain a stocked pantry. This is efficient in the operation of your household avoiding wasted time and trips to the grocery but also surplus for the unexpected. Growing up in areas with prolonged -40deg and/or extended power outage has given me a great appreciation for food and fuel and supplemental heat. I've weathered hurricane, flood, blizzard, ice storms, earthquake and extended power outage while living in various regions across the USA. Fire is the number one thing that scares the living $#!^ out of me. I hope that I never have to throw my junk into the truck and "bug out". May better fortune shine down on us all but if not have a good "Plan B"
my family of 7 (2 disabled kids)were stitched up by the DWP 2 years ago and stopped all financial aid for 6 weeks,prepping sure helped,we foraged,hunted and fished,had 3 months of food in the larder and the allotment was in full swing,we didnt go hungry and with my lamps and wood burner didnt go cold or sit in the dark,it actually drew the family unit closer together.so yes prepping worked for us.
It is best IMHO to keep all but the most trivial preps private. If you discuss such matters on line, then it might be prudent to keep your location private. The last time that I actually needed significant numbers of lamps was in the large area and multi day power cut that afflicted Dartford and surrounding areas. At least a dozen tilleys were in regular use. Prior to that, the previous large scale use of lamps was when my then employers went bust and the electricity was cut off to a pub that they owned. I was appointed as a temporary manager by the official receiver, in order that trade might continue and the pub be sold as a going concern. A large pub was well lit by well over a dozen tilley storm lanterns, plus other pressure lamps, and duplex wick lamps, and hurricane lamps. It was a splendid sight ! And continued thus for nearly a week. Looking ahead, I foresee a significant risk of UK electrical generating capacity falling short of demand at peak times. That could lead to regular rota power cuts at times of peak demand. Also about half our electricity comes from natural gas, much of which is imported from unstable parts of world. Any prolonged interruption to gas imports would result in regular power cuts. Whilst times are normal, I regularly use one tilley lamp all day in the winter for the heat output. I take care to use each one in rotation and not to have "favourites" Some faults only become apparent with prolonged use, and I prefer to find out now rather than in any emergency.
