Survivalist VS Preppers.

Is There A Difference?

I have came across a couple prepper / survival sites that have articles that compare and try to differentiate between survivalist and preppers. And for some reason certain people believe the term survivalist seems to be associated with criminals and extremists. I know the media seems to describe every criminal that retreats and hides in the woods after committing a crime as a survivalist. If that person wears a pair of camo pants or who has a scary “Assault Rifle AKA Machine Gun” in media terms is a survivalist. Well it makes for good news and ratings. “Will they find him? He is a trained survivalist hiding in the forest!” I call BULL%&*#!. Then the general masses root for LEO to find the evil survival person. And ruining credibility and labeling the majority of good people based on one persons actions because the news said so. Once again BULL%&*#!

If you are a prepper and are planning to survive a catastrophic event or collapse then in my opinion I feel like we are technically survivalist. We are planning on hopefully surviving a unplanned event either by preparing by either building up supplies and survival skills that will help increase our odds for the long term of staying alive.

What Are You?  A Prepper Or Survivalist?

I more or less feel like both preppers and survivalist are very closely woven together. I classify myself a prepper that also learns and practises survival skills for when the preps run out or are no longer obtainable or for when unexpected emergencies happen such as a job lay off. Maybe the term prepper is more discreet to keep people from thinking you are one of the media exaggerated boogieman survivalist.

Unfortunately shows like Doomsday Preppers has made preppers look psychotic and crazy to the sheeple masses. So using the term prepper can be almost as shocking to people because they instantly think you’re one of those crazy people seen on TV living in a bunker wearing a tinfoil hat plotting conspiracies. Most preppers I know, myself included are very easy going and laid back people who yes PREP and learn several different skill sets such as homesteading, bushcraft, wilderness survival, military tactics, martial arts, foraging, radio communications, weapons training, medical skills and emergency and disaster preparedness to name just a few. Basicly the same identical things so called survivalist learn as well, so whats the difference between the two? Or is there any difference? Is it kind of like a person changing a American Pit Bull Terrier’s name to American Staffordshire Terrier hopefully to create the illusion thats its different than what it actually is. Regardless what you call it its still a pitbull.

Now a prepper in a catastrophic TEOTWAWKI event will eventually run out or run low on supplies and when they do, do they somehow magically metamorphose into survivalists?? Or where they survivalist all along? I would be curious to hear peoples thoughts on this topic!