Alright, so we’ve been selling survival gear for a long time now, and with that comes all our wisdom and experience…as well as all our observations of the types of preppers out there.
We see your faces, we read your comments, we talk about your lives, and, well, we’ve come to the realization that each of you is your own, individual, “very special snowflake” – yet, everyone seems to fit into at least one category of prepper.
Confused about what I mean? Well, you’re about to find out.
Whether it turns out you belong to a herd of sheeple, are a complete know-it-all, or are a bit trigger-happy, you’ll most likely find yourself in one (or multiple) of these categories…we know we did.
So now the real question is…
Which Type Of Prepper Are You?
Now before we get started, I figured I’d show you this video. This guy claims there are three basic types of preppers…but I say there are at least 15. Go ahead and watch it, and then scroll down for lots more categories.
1 – The Sheeple
When you ask these people how they prepare for when things get baaaad (gotta love sheep puns), they just look at you with those doe eyes and innocently explain that no crises, emergencies, or threats will ever ever occur in this lifetime.
After all, this is America! Home of the Free! Land of the Brave! They also have no idea what SHTF means, and never heard of “bugging out” or TEOTWAWKI.
So rather than stocking up on food, gear and ammo to survive, they choose to live in ignorant bliss and spend their money on cars, booze, restaurants and other frivolity.
They live a more care-free life to be sure, but when that SHTF, these sheeple they’ll end up finding themselves in the slaughter house.
2 – The Off-Grid Survivalist
This guy (or gal) is living permanently off the grid and likes it that way. They’ve pretty much flipped the bird to society and its rules and conformity, and has chosen to, instead, live truly off the land.
You don’t have to tell the off-grid survivalist how to build a trap or how to tell if plants are edible – they know how to fend for themselves in almost every area of life, and probably even have a bicycle powered laundry machine (like this guy in #2 of our previous blog) just to prove they’re just fine without society’s fancy, expensive luxuries.
The only potential downsides of this way of living are that these people often isolate themselves from the world (which can feel lonely at times), and they often are far from hospitals or doctors if a medical emergency were to occur.
3 – The Minimalist Prepper
When it comes to prepping, the minimalist believes that no amount of stockpiling will save you if you’ve got no skills. As a result, they virtually ignore any kind of food/gear storing and focus primarily on honing various talents, such as self-defense, gardening, or hunting.
When SHTF, these people will be light on their feet and ready to put their abilities into action (making them very successful out in the wild).
However, what they have in talent and skill, they lack in storage; so if they’re forced to bug in and rely on their own food and water to survive, these people will be hurting for sure.
4 – The Hoarder Prepper
Seems we all know someone like this – the guy/girl that has zero room to walk around in their house because the floor is covered with hundreds of pounds of preps.
The hoarder prepper is the one that’s ready for another Great Depression to strike – the one who’s got 10 years’ worth of SPAM stored away in their basement, along with four freezers chock-full of every type of meat you can think of.
This prepper is convinced they’ll survive in any type of situation as long as they’ve got their instant mashed potatoes and their 350 boxes of ammo. Plus, they’re usually excellent at finding amazing deals, and get most everything from a garage sale or dollar store.
However, although seemingly prepared, this prepper might not last too long in the bush if forced to bug out (due to lack of survival skills and possible weight gain). Also, they tend to not rotate their stock, leaving them with expired food and medication in a crisis.
5 – The “It’s A Conspiracy!” Prepper
This is the guy/gal that believes absolutely everything in their world is a treacherous act made against them from the government (or other influence) to somehow steal their power, money and livelihood.
They question anyone in a role of authority, and see them as a threat more than a person. Paranoia often runs rampant with these preppers, and they’ll be the first to tell you how anything from the walk on the moon to the price increase at the supermarket is an act of a larger power looking to keep us down and control us.
As such, these preppers often spend more time feeding off online discussion forums and political websites than they do learning a new skill or stockpiling.
6 – The Trigger-Happy Prepper
This is the prepper that takes gun ownership to the extreme. Typically owning at least five firearms (and always on the search for more), these preppers believe they can handle anything from an EMP to an economic spiral as long as they’ve got their gun by their side.
They often stockpile ammunition more than any other resource, and are constantly debating with other preppers about which rifle is best for survival.
Seeing as they’re passionate, these preppers are often excellent shots and could help you take down anything from an ant to an elephant without batting an eye. However, they tend to ignore every other survival skill, and would have a hard time if forced to be without their weaponry.
7 – The Terrified Prepper
This is the prepper that’s frightened of their own shadow, not to mention walking out the front door. This prepper has read/heard about so many disasters (or threats of which) that they often find themselves in “analysis paralysis,” and frozen in fear.
They wake up and go to bed in trepidation of everything from a robbery to the apocalypse, and constantly imagine horrifying situations happening to them (whether realistic or not).
The unfortunate thing is, these preppers are so inside their mind that it prevents them from learning any self-dense or stocking up on supplies, leaving them to fend for themselves alone and unarmed if anything actually happens.
8 – The Know-It-All Prepper
As the name suggests, this prepper knows it all. From what wild berries to eat for survival to how to stop bleeding from a gun shot wound, he/she has done the research and will give you step-by-step, lengthy explanations on how to get it done, how to get it done right and all the reasons why their ways are the ABSOLUTE BEST.
These preppers have already imagined every crisis that could ever happen to them (which makes them an awful friend to those in category #7) and have already researched every way to not only survive, but THRIVE in each scenario.
The only problem with this prepper is they’ve actually done none of what they’re talking about themselves. They’ve never practically used their own advice, and so they really have no first-hand experience in knowing if what they’re suggesting actually works (which could be a major weakness in the field).
9 – The Accidental Prepper
These are the people that were preparing for short-term emergencies long before they ever heard the name “prepper.”
Whether it was due to how they were raised or just a natural heightened sense of awareness, these accidental preppers just knew something was off, and they decided to equip themselves for it.
These are the people that have had first-aid-kits in their cars for years “just in case,” decided to grow their own food on a whim, and have collected a small supply of extra canned goods and medicine for “a rainy day.”
These are great practices, and these preppers seem to already be in the right mindset; however, if a long-term emergency were to occur, they might not feel so prepared with how they’ve equipped thus far.
10 – The Fitness Guru Prepper
This prepper knows a ton of self-defense moves, is probably fluent in five styles of martial arts, and is in excellent shape because of it.
This is the guy/girl that spends three hours a day at the gym, and knows exactly how to take down an attacker in any situation. These preppers are primed for combat, and would probably do extremely well in a bug out situation due to their physical fitness level.
However, this fitness guru probably hasn’t spent too much time stocking up on food, meds, and other resources, and would have a hard time if forced to bug in.
Also, unlike the trigger-happy prepper, the fitness guru often isn’t an excellent shot, and might not be as helpful with a rifle as he/she is in hand-to-hand combat.
11 – The Doomsday Prepper
These are the preppers that reality show producers love to get their hands on – the ones that are armed with bazookas and long to live in crazy, over-the-top bug out shelters .
These preppers are compulsively lining up/organizing their food supply in neat little rows, have a boxing ring/training ground in their basement, and have first-aid kits for days ready and waiting to be used.
These people are incredibly committed to their cause, and have devised extensive plans and gone to great lengths to ensure their survival.
However, the typical doomsday prepper is preparing for one specific type of emergency. As a result, they tend to focus solely on this and ignore other people’s opinions (as well as the warning signs of other impending crises)
They also are often so fixated on their doomsday scenarios that they spend excessive amounts of money on preps, and have trouble getting out of an “all or nothing” mindset.
12 – The Homesteader Prepper
This guy/gal is practically the ultimate DIYer – they tend to live at least slightly off-grid, and have incredible motivation and know-how to be completely self-sustained.
These preppers grow their own food, sew their own clothing, and probably built the house they’re living in. They also are excellent at saving money, and find ways around having to purchase everyday goods, such as by making their own soap and laundry detergent.
Although the homesteaders are excellent in utilizing their knowledge and resources, they’re strongest when bugging in, and would probably have a hard time being away from their home for extended periods of time.
13 – The Economically Concerned Prepper
These are the economist preppers – the ones that are incredibly concerned about the U.S debt, and know that an economic collapse is close.
They’re typically focused on preparing for a time when all hell breaks loose and cash becomes useless – therefore, they heavily invest in gold coins and precious metals. These preppers are often incredibly distrusting of banks, have few to zero credit cards, and hide the cash they do have in unexpected places.
They also tend to stockpile food, water and ammo much moreso than most preppers – this is because they know these resources will be crucial for survival when we can no longer depend on credit cards.
Although the economically concerned are very prepared, they are only focused on this one type of crisis; therefore, they not handle unexpected tragedies (or bugging out) very well at all.
14 – The Bug Out Prepper
This is the guy/gal that believes that, no matter what type of SHTF, they will ultimately have to leave their home (probably permanently) and bug out.
These preppers are incredibly prepared for living outside the home, and often have a bug out shelter under construction (or already finished), as well as a rugged bug out vehicle.
They’ve had their BOB stocked for years, and continually rotate its supplies and add to it, as well as constantly look for ways to pack/carry the essentials while not being weighed down.
As you can suspect, these preppers are heavily prepared for bugging out, but may not survive very long if forced to spend years inside the home.
15 – The Bug In Prepper
Completely opposite of those listed in #14, this prepper is committed to his/her home, and is prepared to do anything and everything they can to defend it.
This is the guy/gal that probably has security cameras all around the premises, and would probably invest in an alligator and a moat if they could.
They, like the hoarder prepper, have a large stockpile of food, ammo, water and medical supplies to last them years. However, unlike those listed in #4, the bug in prepper is used to eating from their own supply, and tends to use the FIFO method much more effectively.
These preppers are prepared for the worst…as long as they can stay indoors. If forced to leave home and fend for themselves, these folks would have some trouble adapting to the outside world.
Well, there you have it – the 15 most common types of preppers. You might have recognized yourself in these descriptions, as well as some of your family and friends.
We here at Survival Frog want you to know that, no matter what type of prepper you are, we support you and your prepping efforts. And that’s why we want you to share your love of prepping with our super convenient e-gift card.
Whether it’s by bugging in or bugging out, we want you to be able to push your prepping efforts further. That’s why we’ve packed our online store chock-full of all kinds of high-quality, top-rated survival gear and pantry food, all to fit your needs and priorities.
And, considering our crazy low prices and 6-month “any reason” refund guarantee, you know you’ll be getting a good deal no matter what you purchase.
Share this article with a friend or family member, and then give the gift of prepping by clicking here or on the picture below. After all, we may all prep differently, but we all deserve to be given our best chance at survival.
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