'Prepper' Movement Goes Mainstream

The “preppers”—survivalists hoarding supplies and learning essential skills in anticipation of a disastrous event—may have seemed like a fringe movement at first, but they’re growing. Don’t believe it? Just take a look at the numerous blogs, podcasts, and websites that teach everything from what supplies to stockpile to how to build a bomb shelter. Costco even sells a 1-year supply of freeze-dried food, for $999.99.

"People are waking up to the fact that they cannot always rely on outside sources for their personal safety and survival," the American Preppers Network CEO tells Asylum. Whether it’s a natural disaster, nuclear war, or collapsing economy, when it comes to supplies, “it is better to have it and not need it than to need it and not have it,” says the guy who runs the United States Prepper Networks. “Not prepping is an unwise decision.”
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