# How old were you when you started preping and what did your do



## upstateprepper (Nov 15, 2012)

I was 16 and my first survival kit consisted of a three gallon stainless steel ice cream tub. I filled it with fish hooks a sharp hollow handle knife, hatchet with three inches of the handle trimed off to fit in the can a book on survival, a first aid book bandages water pure tabs, salt tabs small first aid kit, latex and vinyl gloves ,roll of garbage bags a fire starter kit and a skyblazer signal kit, rope and a ball of strong twine . The kit was created for when my dad and i were flying in his plane. A small beechcraft he used for delivering special hi rush equipment to customers. 
Typed on my I phone while I recover from gout in my ankles and right shoulder not bad for a left hand thumb typing huh... Lol glen


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## taylort5 (Nov 6, 2008)

Started about three years ago when I was 40. 

Just putting extra food away , and buying extra ammo and such. My wife has just recently started buying extra food stuff for the pantry. Yea!
She used to think I was crazy I think, but I belive she now on board. I have also made several small EDC survival kits , and have two of the needed 4 BOB 's packed and ready to go!


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## fedorthedog (Apr 14, 2011)

Ive been an ammo hoarder all of my adult life and kept more food in my house then most. I got serious about it in 2008 after a major flood where I live. I was 47 then.


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## upstateprepper (Nov 15, 2012)

Oh forgot to add the age now 52.


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## CrackbottomLouis (May 20, 2012)

Prepping in one form or another has always been a part of my life even if I didnt call it that. Started hunting at age 4 with my pops. Boy scouts till 15. Farm work from 15 to 20. Really started stockin food and ammo about two years ago after the service. Been pretty focused especially the last year. Have a long way to go .


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## Padre (Oct 7, 2011)

15 or 16, started buying knives, MREs camping gear, and storing stuff like water. I was convinced of the danger of Y2K and spent that New Years eve with a rifle, my preps, and all my bath tubs filled with water, glued to the news.

That's why its important to remember that: "you know not the hour..."


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## 101airborne (Jan 29, 2010)

I guess I started at about age 6-7 I grew up in a semi self sufficent family. Had full blooded Cherokee Grandparents. So I learned many of the traditional skills including plant lore.


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## Sentry18 (Aug 5, 2012)

I just started "prepping" this year, but I have been getting ready to be a prepper my entire life. I was around 8 years old when I started shooting, 9 when we started camping regularly (and I am not talking about sitting in a camper at a park), 11 when I started hunting, 17 when I joined the military and 21 when I went into law enforcement. Seems like I have been getting ready since elementary school!


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## Jimthewagontraveler (Feb 8, 2012)

I'm not really sure.
I personally don't remember it but mom says I bit down
real hard and refused to let up until I fell asleep.
Truthfully I didn't know what prepping was until very 
recently so that may not count.
And honestly I don't feel like I am now I just like collecting
junk and canning and watching animals and plants grow
What guy doesn't like guns?
The only thing that's better than guns is more guns.
I'd say most of my preps are eating the yard and field 
right now.
Well except for what everybody else calls my junk collection.
Lots of hand cranks and harnesses around here.
My daughter REALLY got on board when I told her she had just
EARNED a horse wagon. Lol very funny I had all but 2 bushings
Laying around.
The look on her face as I told her she was going to have the prettiest
wagon in town.really hopeful cause if "daddy says" then it's so
but cautious to throw her heart into it cause she knew how poor we 
were.
I made her a list of "junk" to bring to the barn.
31 days later my daughter in law was married with that wagon.
Sure was pretty, gloss black and high polished walnut!
Now when folks talk about hauling off my junk boy do they
get an earful.
She caught one idiot stealing from my piles and he got a black eye
and has dog teeth marks on his butt.


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## tugboats (Feb 15, 2009)

upstateprepper said:


> I was 16 and my first survival kit consisted of a three gallon stainless steel ice cream tub. I filled it with fish hooks a sharp hollow handle knife, hatchet with three inches of the handle trimed off to fit in the can a book on survival, a first aid book bandages water pure tabs, salt tabs small first aid kit, latex and vinyl gloves ,roll of garbage bags a fire starter kit and a skyblazer signal kit, rope and a ball of strong twine . The kit was created for when my dad and i were flying in his plane. A small beechcraft he used for delivering special hi rush equipment to customers.
> Typed on my I phone while I recover from gout in my ankles and right shoulder not bad for a left hand thumb typing huh... Lol glen


Well over 55 years ago I went on an excursion with some of my buds. I sustained a flat on my trusty Schwin bike. Had to push that slug home for a lot of miles. The torment I got from my "soon to be former" buds was terrible. I cut lawns, mucked horse stalls, washed windows and did not buy an ice-cream cone when we were in town. Instead, I bought a tube repair kit, spoke wrench and a pump. I have always played the: What if game? for the rest of my life (I hope it ain't over yet).

Since that day I have always "prepped" myself to never be at the mercy of others. I willingly rely on others for skills and talents that I do not have but I will never be at their mercy. The Gooberment will not provide for me. The system will not support me. I maintain my little part of the world by being as self reliant as possible. I have tried to learn as many skills as possible. The only thing that you can not be robbed of is your faith, self respect and knowledge.

I have never really had a "Prepper" kit but I choose to call my collection of stuff a self sustaining kit. I will not be one of those that die cold, hungry and in the dark. I have choosen to burn out rather than rust out like so many of the sheeple.

Tugs


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## bacpacker (Jul 15, 2011)

I grew up farming with my parents and grandparents (who lived thru the great depression farming). Boy scouts after that. I never considered being ready for winter or a unexpected situation was just living life as it came to you. 

For a prep type look on things, I guess that got moving into high gear was in the early 90's after Clinton got elected. That scared the crap out of me and really opened my eyes to all the stuff going on around us. Y2k added more. Since then I have just focused on moving forward and learning as much as possible of many topics.


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## cgsurvivalman (Sep 20, 2012)

I guess I was born into prepping we just did not call it prepping back then. I born in the 60's and lived on a small rual farm growing up. What we call prepping now is what we did everyday. We had a root cellar with lots of food in it, always had a big garden, had big water tanks and salt cured ham and other meats. This was just things we had to do to survive. We were poor so we did not have the money to go buy everything at a store.


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## k0xxx (Oct 27, 2011)

Living in the hurricane country of southeast Louisiana, I grew up in a family that always kept emergency supplies. After Hurricane Betsy in 1965 (7 years old), I started "hoarding" my own stash of the important stuff, like candles, coloring books, and a lot of candy bars. From there on it was just natural to put back supplies. In my early teens I would save 5 shotgun shells from each box that my father bought for hunting, and put them in my emergency stash. As I got later into my teens I started buy an extra box or two of ammo most months.

By the time the 80's rolled around, I was married and had children to look after, and the supplies kept growing. Fast forward to today and I have two whole rooms devoted as pantries, two out buildings and a rented storage shed for other supplies. I even still have some of my original ammo from my youth, although I started using/selling and replacing it about 5 years ago. It was amazing what some people would pay for older ammo in the original boxes.


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## BillS (May 30, 2011)

I started prepping last year at the age of 52. I immediately went all out and started stockpiling food, water, and other things.


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## oif_ghost_tod (Sep 25, 2012)

I grew up with a rowdy group of farm boys who dreamed of being in the military. All through high school we were the ones out in the woods hunting crows, checking trap lines, and wearing self-made animal furs.
We built a log cabin together with a double sided ax
I would check my traps every day after my farm chores and before school. 
As many of us did, my bush experience ( translated perfectly to military service so I joined the USMC out of high school.
Four and a half years later, I went to Iraq.


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## machinist (Jul 4, 2012)

*Born to It*

Mom and Dad were Depression survivors and never changed how they lived through that. Born in 1946, I grew up as an assistant prepper on my parent's farm and kept going on my own since then.

I backslid after college, but I got a kick in the pants in 1973-4 when OPEC did the oil embargo thing. We depended on my auto industry job then, but after that attitude adjustment, my prepping genes reawakened and I got busy. I put in a big garden, lots of fruit trees, 100 chickens, and a wood stove. Three years later, we moved to a 45 acre homestead that we farmed with Percherons.

Wife and I were both 32 when we moved to that homestead. Now 66, we are still going at it on a new place.


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## Rainy13 (Aug 5, 2011)

I really started prepping when the Y2K thing was big news.....since i got a very late start i only had about 6 months to do as much as possible... I had one bedroom stacked floor to ceiling with stuff... and even though it didn't happen I learn to love having thing's already on hand..... so here i am today still keepin' on.. and by the way i am 48 now..


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## oif_ghost_tod (Sep 25, 2012)

I grew up with a rowdy group of farm boys who dreamed of being in the military. All through high school we were the ones out in the woods hunting crows, checking trap lines, and wearing self-made animal furs.
We built a complete log cabin together prior to any of us driving.
I would check my traps every day after my farm chores and before school. We hunted crows and turkeys with a .22.
As many of us did, my bush experience (living off the woods, shooting) translated perfectly to military service so I joined the USMC out of high school.
Four and a half years later, I went to Iraq.
Now I'm back here and completely understand why guys had a hard time after Vietnam.
So I started to prep out of necessity because I no longer had Uncle Sam to give me all my boots and bread in exchange for my rifle skills.

I guess I never quit prepping.


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## VoorTrekker (Oct 7, 2012)

I was six when the Cuban Missile Crisis happened. When I was nine I put together "Air Force Survival Kits" using tobacco pouches and candy. 

Got serious when I was fifteen preparing for economic collapse and civil unrest. It went south from there.


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## GrinnanBarrett (Aug 31, 2012)

I was born into a survivalist family. Not just my parents but my extended family. I still have the stuff my grand parents used to do things like make soap or do canning with. We had to learn to fix our own shoes when we were kids. If they wore out too soon we did not get anymore till next Fall. 

We had to learn to fix about anything we had. We worked as young as eleven at real jobs. I worked with family building houses and commercial properties. You learned wiring, plumbing, roofing, framing, to laying down flooring. We cleaned toilets to earn extra money for school. It made you want to get an education. 

I don't regret one moment of it. Even being homeless taught me a lot about life and liberals. You learn to understand why you prepare for tge worst and pray for the best. GB


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## jsriley5 (Sep 22, 2012)

Well long story  Moved to the family farm when I was 5 Grandma needed help with the place. So I grew up on a small family farm (160 acres) The whole thing was held together with stick welds and baling wire so knocking around with dad I learned how to keep things ticking with very little. I was always a gun enthusiast and started running a BB gun when I could keep both ends off the ground at the same time,and shooting real guns with dad. I was always a bit of a packrat and had a big imagination I could repurpose about anything even if it was a purely imaginary use. I also tinkered with all kinds of broken stuff often getting them going again or making franken machines out of them. But the real Prepping/survivalist part started when I was about 9 and Boy's Life magazine (scouting magazine) ran a few survival articals especially one about making a small survival kit in a sucrets box. From that time on I was constantly making little kits in band aid boxes, prince albert cans, sucrets tins and every little plastic or metal box that came my way. Those kits slowly over time grew to small butt packs, multi pocket vests, a 2.5 gal metal bucket, back packs and on and on evolving changing with my experiences and the new threat of the day. I of course was intrested in fall out shelters and stuff since I grew up on the the Comie threat, or Russioan threat or whatever. I have always loved gadgets and multipurpose items or the newest latest miniaturized versions of stuff and as such have a slew of gear that is in various kits or boxes lockers and totes. IN the last 15 or so years I think I have actualy gotten to the sweet spot of age and wisdon and have gotten more real with my preps and really started to take in to account my own limitations, and that of course has been coupled with being a father and having responsibilies much greater than before. (the father thing started more than 15 years ago just not my full understanding of how it changed things).


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## *Andi (Nov 8, 2009)

I was born into it and I loved to learn ... (and listen)

IMO ~ Knowledge is the key ...


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## thoughtsofTHAtmom (Apr 21, 2011)

Well, I am "29" and have been prepping since I was 22...so, um...13 years of prepping and I'm "29" which means I started when I was 16. What's odd, is that next year, I will have been prepping for 14 years & will have started when I was 15...

If anyone does the math, you're in trouble.


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## invision (Aug 14, 2012)

I started this year, and I am 41. I became a life time member of NRA at 21, at one time before leaving Ohio for Ga, I had close to 30 different rifles and handguns... Shooting has been a long time love for me... As for what I did to start - spent about $5,000 getting started... Now I spend about $1,000 a month on food, and supplies, and $1800 on PMs...


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## jadedsoul (Feb 15, 2012)

I have been prepping for 24 years. I cannot remember a time when we had too little. I grew up on my grandparents farm and it was ingrained into my life at an early age. I bought the farm my father lives on at 19. He and my family are good for at least 7 years. I recently bought another price of land after a personal shtf situation and have not once felt unprepared. 
When my father asked when to expect me I proudly said "give me a few years and I may need help". As for now most is on a tight schedule but I do not feel unprepared. While learning to live with my grandparents I also learned how to live a sustainable life. I never considered myself a prepper but it has just comes naturally. If people ask about what I purchase I tell them the same thing every time "you know how to feed 3 families on a tight budget?" Never has someone asked a second time. I have 3 chickens one cow and calf, a bull, 2 goats and a very large garden (pre freeze). My job allows me to purchase PM's rather than a 401k. So all in all a lifestyle I have grown up with is how I ended up here. "Never will I succumb to lean days" my grandmother told me weeks before she passed. I hold that truth close to my heart.


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## preponomics (Nov 18, 2012)

I dont believe in prepper conversion, just in a metamorphosis, where our minds transfigure into the creature of self reliance that we always subconsciously knew we were. Like the little bird on the edge of a nest, who knows in their heart, that they can fly, even though it has never left the nest.

A leap of faith unto gathering, hunting and risk assessment have I changed ever so slowly. At first cutting my first okra and then skinning my first dear, I transformed in to the mighty prepper! A fierce monument unto sustainability!

So I dont remember it but I probably started in diapers just after birth, hording pacifiers and rattles 

I have always had a natural inclination to save and prepare, not from fear but because I like having momentum over the natural gravity of life that ever so consistently tries to put our lives at a disadvantage. Although there are some things that life throws at us that are indefensible, I shall endeavor to prevail if attainable upon any event or circumstance causing my individual demise.


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## bahramthered (Mar 10, 2012)

My path to prepping was a little odd. I broke down one day on the highway and had to hike home. In the middle of a heatwave. My hike home taught me, in what might have been considered near ideal situation, that maybe I could be a little better set up. 

That lead me to a fair GHB, and logic and this site led me to making a BoB and having some home preps. Course I'm doing it slow and don't expect the end of the world, I'm just ready for another breakdown, blizzard, or whatever. Course I'm slowly approaching being ready for aliens or the zombie apocalypse...

This started at about 29 or so.


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## DJgang (Apr 10, 2011)

Oh, started a few years back...always prepped for ice storms, losing power, it was the way of life :laugh: but didn't get serious until a few years back.

As for your gout, drink lots of water and consider eating cherries. Go buy a big bucket of them and eat all day long, or cherry juice.


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## Tweto (Nov 26, 2011)

I was raise by my depression era Grandparents, but I also think that their is some DNA in me that is prepper friendly, because my Grandparents raised allot of kids and none of them are preppers. My Grandparents had no debt, a full old country style pantry and all the food was home made and nothing was wasted. I have always had reserves of food, money, very little debt or no debt, and a garden. At the age of about 11, I had saved $14 from doing yard work a purchase a daisy BB gun, it was my pride and joy and I still have it. Since then I have purchased several other real firearms, the most recent was about a year ago.

So, I think the answer to the question of how long have you prepping, it's been all my life. I'm 59 now.

BTW I do not know any one personally that is a prepper.

This forum has been a big help in learning new ideas and I thanks the posters for this.


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## mdprepper (Jan 22, 2010)

I felt the need to start prepping, not that I knew what that was what it was called, about 4 years ago. That would make me 40ish when I started. It was just a feeling, prompting in my heart to do it. Within a few months of that Hubby was laid off for the first time in over 20 years.


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## Padre (Oct 7, 2011)

thoughtsofTHAtmom said:


> Well, I am "29" and have been prepping since I was 22...so, um...13 years of prepping and I'm "29" which means I started when I was 16. What's odd, is that next year, I will have been prepping for 14 years & will have started when I was 15...
> 
> If anyone does the math, you're in trouble.


you are only as old as you act... take me for example, I've been 68 since I was 15.... LOL


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