Originally published at Notes from the bunker…. You can comment here or there.

Lurk around the discussion boards long enough and you’ll see the same questions being asked over and over and over again. One that turns up regularly is the ‘how (or where) do I meet like-minded individuals?’ This is a pretty good question. If you ‘come out’ to the wrong person you can easily wind up being known as ‘that survivalist whacko’ or, worse, wind up compromising an uncomfortable amount of your privacy and security. But, while there is a certain amount of stereotyping of the ‘lone wolf’ type of survivalist, it’s often more practical and simply more enjoyable to have people you can discuss this sort of thing with without them looking at you like you’ve lost your mind. Although survivalists are often pegged as anti-social (and, to be sure, some are) I like having a small group of like-minded individuals I can talk to about things and feel comfortable speaking my mind.

For example, I enjoy being able to kick back at the range, plink with .22’s and chat with my buddies and kick around ideas like propane vs. diesel storage, freezedrieds vs. air dried, .308 vs. 30-06 for sniping, etc, etc. and not feel like I have to watch what I say lest I be considered a kook of some sort.

That is what we call ‘acceptance’. Its genuinely nice to be able to be yourself around other people without having to worry that your coming off like some sort of paranoid whacko. Additionally, aside from the social aspect, its beneficial to have a few friends or social acquaintances who share common goals. It certainly makes bulk purchasing easier. When I did the bulk purchases of Mountain House last year there was no way I could make the minimum order on my own..but by bringing in my like-minded friends and acquaintances it was possible.

So, how do you find these elusive and secretive people? I’m willing to bet money you already know a few. I’m only going to go by my own experiences, so this is not an all inclusive Guide To Detecting Survivalists. Its just whats worked for me in the past.

First off, I never actively seek out these folks. Its always been that I knew them through some other interest and then later discovered we had a shared interest in preparedness. The internet makes this sort of thing a lot easier since you can actually ‘meet’ these people on forums and then later get together ‘in real life’. In this regard, I’ve had two people just walk into the shop, introduce themselves, and say they knew me from the internet.

Fella I knew collected guns and liked to shoot. Right off the bat, we had that in common. But I noticed his choices of guns were…interesting. What clinched it was that he bought everything in pairs. That’s pairs as in ‘one to use, one as a backup’. Hmmmmm. We’d chat a little about politics and discover we were pretty much on the same page. From there it was a short trip to talking about preparedness-related topics and finding that we both had more than a passing interest in that sort of thing. Through him, I met one of his longtime friends who was also ‘one of us’ and in that way formed a little nucleus of like-minded friends.

The Mormons, naturally, already have a head start in that direction and I’ve met several of them who would definitely fit the bill as ‘well prepared individuals’. I’m not a member of their faith (or any faith for that matter) but I’ve found that doesn’t seem to matter too much when talking about preparedness. A nice bonus is that lately they’ve been very generous and let me use their canning facilities.

There are plenty of people I know whom I would suspect to one degree or another are more prepared than your average individual. Customers who come in and buy AR mags by the dozen are a good example. Since Im in a gun-centric business that’s my barometer. If I worked in, say, a bookstore I’d probably notice the folks that buy books on things like food preservation, first aid and medicine, and that sort of thing. Books, by the way, are almost always an excellent indicator of a persons interest. Loan out a copy of Lucifers Hammer or Alas Babylon and get some feedback when the book is returned. Odds are that’ll tell you all you need to know.

Like any other demographic, theres ‘good’ and ‘bad’. Personally, I don’t think anyone who prepares, to any degree, against the uncertain future is ‘bad’. However, Im far more likely to be social and interact with someone who has a bunker full of guns, food, fuel, spare parts, clothing, medical gear, etc. than with someone whose sole benchmark for ‘preparedness’ is how much camouflage clothing and ammo they have. Yes, I can be a snob. The guy who thinks firepower is all its gonna take to come out on top of any crisis is probably someone I don’t really wanna hang out with.

So, you probably already have several friends and acquaintances (especially your shooting buddies) who are like-minded individuals and just don’t wave it around in front of people. Quietly observe, ask a few casual questions about their opinions on things and maybe you’ll be surprised.