Out of curiosity...

Hi AlbertaPrepper:
I must agree with Denob about what the National Geographic series Doomsday Preppers series shows. They look for ones that stand way out from the crowd or else their series would be pretty mundane and not get much if any in the way of ratings.
Most preppers are pretty darned ordinary and do things like stock up on food and water to nourish however many people they are planning to have live with them, if in fact the feces hits the fan. They look to get as far off the grid as they can or are able to in their particular area. Not everyone wants to or can quit their job and get back to nature, so to speak, or in some cases stock up on enough firearms to supply a militia or overthrow a small country’s government. I don’t see the need to have one (or two or even more) of every fire arm produced and as an ex-military man I feel that a handgun, a rifle and a shotgun for each adult member of the family along with enough ammunition to fulfill each person’s individual requirement is about all that most people need.
Myself personally, I am married to an amazing woman who like me sees global troubles in the forecast and we are actively involved in doing what we can to prepare for whatever may come our way. While we are in BC at the moment, we live in a very large 5th wheel trailer and tow it with our Ford F350 and are able to pick up and go wherever we feel is best for us. Right now we are looking for property here in Canada (the best country in the world, especially for prepping) and once we find our acreage we intend to set up our own power and water supply as well as build a shelter that will withstand what may come.
We do not consider ourselves Doomsday Preppers as National Geographic portrays them but we are Canadian Preppers and damned proud of it.
Glad to see your opinion on the series is about the same as most others.
Take care.

AMEN !.......to all of you above who have commented!

Unfortunately, Doomsday Preppers, as well as many other shows, focus on the fanatical. Regular day to day preppers like you and me are simply too boring to get the ratings.

I second Denob. Judging from the people walking through my doors at work, 99% of them are moms and dads quietly concerned about the future and looking for a small insurance policy in this area. We do get a few of the more hard core preppers as well. The concepts of preparing are the same across the board, food, water, gear etc. And everyone is free to make their own decision on how far they take it.

I'm not sure anything with prepping could be called excessive, I often think of Noah and what people thought of him " excessive " yes. End result just right...and prepared...So my point, what is excessive today may result in preparedness tomorrow....So before you judge the idiot with the big boat " [ today that would be the equivalent of a Bomb Shelter." ] in his back yard. Remember this, You maybe the Idiot begging him/her to let you in tomorrow....Judge not those that do today, but watch and learn from all around you...

I can only think excessive would come in if you were over extending your resources to get what the "Jones'" have in their steel reinforced concrete bunker. If you have the financial resources to invest $100 Mil on your preparations, all the power to you. If you happen to have a similar budget, please, let me know if you need a personal consultant to help you invest in your preps. I would be happy to assist. 😉

Sorry, folks I can't really comment on the show. We gave up cable a couple years back. Is this show on Netflix??

An Ark may be a good option, if you can pre-load all your gear, food, water purification equipment and power sources. Never know the Earth could open up and we could see another Great Flood. Things that make you go, hmmmmmm.

Mountainman.

I dont think anyone who preps could be called excessive. We all do what we think is best for our families. I get called "excessive" and when I do I ask them how much do they spend on house,auto and other insurances for those what if issues. I own my bussiness and pay around $30000 on insurance per year. I have never used it. I have spent close to $30000 prepping. I may never need it, but I might. I sleep well knowing that if shtf, my family will be ok. Do what makes you feel safe. Those of us who are prepared will survive and those who dont ------good luck

You can find some of the episodes on youtube. The show was entertaining but showed many of the fringe prepper element. It also appears the show manipulated questions and answers to get the effect they wanted. See THIS as to some of what I'm referring to.

Thanks Cortexburn. That was a good link. Link most things on TV, it's all about sell commercials not pleasing the viewer.

Mountainman.

I'm not sure anything with prepping could be called excessive, I often think of Noah and what people thought of him " excessive " yes. End result just right...and prepared...So my point, what is excessive today may result in preparedness tomorrow....So before you judge the idiot with the big boat " [ today that would be the equivalent of a Bomb Shelter." ] in his back yard. Remember this, You maybe the Idiot begging him/her to let you in tomorrow....Judge not those that do today, but watch and learn from all around you...

I agree with this comment 1000000% and yes there is no amount of prepperation that is excessive in my opinion the only time it would be bad is if the head of the household decided to put his family through finacial hard times by spending more than he can afford in the name of prepping. As long as you prep within your means then go hard!!!

I am the guy who was on the Doomsday Preppers show. I wasn't pleased with the way we were presented. Nor am I too thrilled with some of the comments by some people on this forum.

My wife & I were quite undecided whether to go on the show. But we thought SOMEBODY has to get the ball rolling to bring prepping into mainstream and to do that means you stick your neck out.

The dream bit started out as a minor comment by my wife during the interview. We had no idea they were going to build a show around it. Just like the gas mask. I told them I knew how to make a water filter. I knew how to make a wood gasifier or make chlorine bleach by electrolyzing salt water. But they didn't show any of that. Out of about 24 hours of filming you got about 7 1/2 minutes carefully edited.

Forward,

I feel for you man but unfortunately that's how reality TV works and you can't trust any of these idiots in media! They twist and distort everything before putting it on air. Sorry to hear they screwed around with you and your family.

Forward
I really do appreciate the effort and openness you and your family showed in coming forward and bring more light to the issue. I am sorry for the way you were treated. Reality TV follows an old adage 'never let the truth get in the way of a good story.'

However, you have definitely stepped up to pass the message, something that I don't have the courage to do.

Perhaps I misspoke and made myself misunderstood, please allow me to clarify my opinion.

There exists in the general public (sheeple, zombies, whatever you call them) a negative stereotype that was born from the media depicting preppers as nutjobs. Hoarding more MRE's, bandaids and bullets than actual brains and living deep in the wilderness waiting or even wishing for apocolyptic events so that they can rise from the ashes as paramilitary rebels, shooting their way through whatever is left of society. As WE all know, this couldn't be farther from the truth. Preppers are our common everyday neighbor who goes to work, takes the kids to hockey practice, and mows the lawn on Sunday afternoon. Our goals are simple; be ready to support our families through tough times...whatever those times may be.

HOWEVER, shows like doomsday preppers do nothing but highlight the stereotype that unfortunately exits. For instance, some preppers may live near a chemical plant and therefor have gas masks at the ready. In my opinion, a smart move. But that one prep will be exploited so as to depict the prepper as a paranoid individual and ignore the fact that he also stores a generator and some fuel should a storm knock out the power for a few days (a common practice that even those who do not consider themselves preppers partake in). My point was not that Doomsday Preppers only depicts the excessive, but that they turn the ordinary into the excessive.

As one who has always tried to educate the media on the "normalcy" of being a prepper, I commend anyone who puts themselves out there with education in mind. Of course, many preppers will not speak to the media for OPSEC and for good reason...but those who do expose themselves and the prepper mindset should be commended for their efforts. Unfortunately, the media wants ratings, and how better to get them than to make the viewers think "OMG...look at that nutcase"

The show was shot in November 2011. At the time we were not aware of this web site. If I remember right I found a couple of Canadian prepper blogs but they were not very helpful so I was reading - (but not posting) at the American ones gleaning what I could from them.

I recommend Survival Mom. Good site. She was one of the first to be on Doomsday Preppers and that is one housewife who knows her stuff.

Basically my wife & I tried to get our relatives & friends involved but few were interested. Some other people we talked to were interested in prepping but whenever you tried to talk nuts & bolts preparation all they ever seemed to do is want to talk about guns, Mad Max, fighting off the starving hordes and all that fantasy garbage.

So we said screw it. We weren't going to wait for somebody else to lead us by the hand. We did our own research and got busy without support. We decided that this would be our activity and that's how we would spend our disposable money. Some people spend money on bowling, some go to the pub, some buy a cabin or RV. We would prep. We determined that money spent on Prepping must be the minimum necessary to get the job done and must not interfere with bill paying.

We put off buying firearms because they were one of the most expensive items on our list and probably the ones that would get the least use. But guns WERE ON the list.
They are tools and have a use. They can gather dust in your basement for ten years but with proper upkeep will be perfectly ready for use when you need them. Like a can opener if you need one and you haven't got one you have some real trouble.

There are a couple other expensive items: an extra vehicle (I hate the term bug out vehicle) and a small trailer. We'll get those too but only when we can afford it.