Ever since the National Geographic show “Doomsday Preppers” made prepping go mainstream, people ask what is the difference between a prepper vs. a survivalist. There are as many opinions as there are preppers and survivalists, but let’s look at the broader definitions.
A prepper is anyone who is concerned about not being a helpless victim in case of an emergency like a natural disaster, a terror attack or a failure of the power grid. Preppers store up food and supplies and are the resourceful “Go-To” people in there neighborhoods. Preppers are the kind of people you want to have around if something bad happens.
The term “survivalist” generally refers to a person who takes prepping to an extreme, with a focus on being worried about the collapse of civilization. Therefore, a survivalist will be more likely to focus on self-defense and having a “bugout location” – like a cottage in a remote area – where they can retreat to if there are widespread riots and civil unrest.
The fact is that there is a lot of overlap between preppers vs. survivalists and they probably have a lot more in common than they do differences. Generally speaking, it is just a matter of degrees.
One thing that they do have in common is a concern for food shortages, which could happen due to any number of different things happening.
So now you know the difference between a prepper and a survivalist. Which one better fits your attitude about being prepared instead of being a victim? And how much confidence do you have that you will be okay if things ever go south…