The Prepping Industry

[JohnR]

Just wondering what anyone thought of the idea of getting into the Prepper business. Selling stuff to preppers. Seems to be a growth industry. I'm looking for an angle or niche that isn't being covered.

I see a lot of websites selling various prepping goods like flashlights, crank radios, freeze dried food, etc., but I don't know if they're doing a lot of business.

My main goal is to have a second income stream, and deal in something I believe in. Not that I'm a turbo-prepper, conspiracy theorist, or backwoods survivalist; I just believe "it" is a reasonable enough possibility to take simple and easy steps to be ready for. This will give me a good opportunity to stockpile some items of my own, too.

Any thoughts? :crazy:

[Planedude]

My wife and I watched the movie "Contagion" last night on HBO. That event was modeled on the 1918 Spanish flu outbreak.
Had her asking me "what should we do..."

That market get sightly riper every year.

[ripley16]

I'm looking for an angle or niche that isn't being covered.

That would exclude food, water, medicines and shelter. What do survivors then need? How about entertainment! Maybe such things as glow-in-the dark footballs, ruggedized musical intruments, maps to secret government bunkers, sea shells to use in trading and last but not least... camouflaged condoms, (a big seller I'd predict). :D

[MW surveyor]

You might get some mileage out of prepping supplies but if it is anything like I saw yesterday at the gun show..........you might be eating a bunch of the food stuffs. There was a display of about 5 tables of food, first aid kits, general "survival" stuff, etc. Sure didn't see any money changing hands or even a lot of folks perusing the merchandise.

[JohnR]

Yeah, the outdoorsman survival stuff doesn't make sense to me. I don't see city slickers or suburbanites like me suddenly becoming mountain men, roughing it in tents.

I'm thinking more like toilet paper, candles, matches, soap; things we take for granted, but are essential to civilization and may not be available.

My wife is from Nicaragua and when the Marxists took over (the first time) you practically had to sleep with the local block comandante to get enough toilet paper for your family. And more recently they've had rolling power blackouts and for some reason the candle business never seemed to catch on. We spent two months there that year and I was considering going into the candle making business but people just put up with the blackouts and sat in the dark.

And I'd like to offer all "Made in USA" items, just for a feel-good factor. And because we may not trade so much with China some day.

[jeepster09]

Just wondering what anyone thought of the idea of getting into the Prepper business. Selling stuff to preppers. Seems to be a growth industry. I'm looking for an angle or niche that isn't being covered.

I see a lot of websites selling various prepping goods like flashlights, crank radios, freeze dried food, etc., but I don't know if they're doing a lot of business.

My main goal is to have a second income stream, and deal in something I believe in. Not that I'm a turbo-prepper, conspiracy theorist, or backwoods survivalist; I just believe "it" is a reasonable enough possibility to take simple and easy steps to be ready for. This will give me a good opportunity to stockpile some items of my own, too.

Any thoughts? :crazy:


I think it is a good idea. Just buy smart and buy stuff that YOU would buy and think will sell. Don't gouge people and make a fare profit and you should do well.

[Garland]

I think once Costco has gotten on the bandwagon it is a sign the field is saturated and the easy money is gone.

[jocko]

My opinion: Save ur money. There is alot more competition out there than u think in those fields My bet is none are making any real money..This is a very shaky economy due to obama administration andif that fokker gets backin office u can see 4 more years of a slow down. It is world wide and we are a global economy, believe it or not. China or europe sneezes, we are grabbing kleenex. He ain't smart enough to realize that we should be leading not following. save ur money.

[JohnR]

I'm trying to earn enough money to save! Gotta have some to save it.

Besides, dollars will be the next toilet paper thanks to inflation. Or is that what you meant, Jocko? :D

[jocko]

gonna take bucks to get started also. I wish u well, . I once had alot of freeze dried food for slae in my sporting goods business. It wasn't realy bad to eat either, but it never sold worth a damn. Nice thing was it never spoiled. but again that wasmany years ago, so maybe the market has changed since then. I thought it would be a good line to carry as nobody within miles stocked any freezedrie3d food. I thought the hunters would eat it up as a gotta have. Now I know why the other stores arond my area never stocked it . IT DIDN'T SELL FOR SH!T.

I think I would do as much research on line as possable, ,mayber u hve done that even and feel it is the right thing to go into. I a probably living to far in the past and passing judgement of my experiences. But one can go into any Gander mt and found aisles of camp type food and emergency supplies etc..

[JohnR]

No, I agree food isn't the thing. I have not done much research, but it's logical to me that people are naturally skeptical of food in any form staying edible for years and years.

[wyntrout]

Dang, I just bought some survival food at Publix down here in North Florida... Chef Boy-Ar-Dee 2 for the price of 1... cans of 440 calories or so each... with pop-top aluminum-topped cans... $1.49 for two. it's not like I like that stuff... haven't eaten any in many DECADES... but, pop the top and chow down without heating in an emergency. I don't want crap that I have to add water and heat to reconstitute. Pop the top and eat without any smoke or the smell of cooking food sounds good to me. I don't want unwanted guests for supper!

I'm not worried about YEARS... just getting by for a few months... maybe.

Wynn:)

[ripley16]

No, I agree food isn't the thing. I have not done much research, but it's logical to me that people are naturally skeptical of food in any form staying edible for years and years.

Skeptical certainly described me as I was eating C-rations dated from the 1940s... in the 1970s! :ohmy: The cigarettes were a bit stale but the food was still eatible and most importantly, the toilet paper was 100% functional. ;) I wouldn't want to live on anything that old though.

[Charlie]

My wife and I have always had two weeks of food,water,power, and meds. We lose power alot ,last years freak snow storm left us without power for six days. To be prepared is good and it won't cost you an arm and a leg if you do it smart. Water filters from CTD are 40 bucks a pop and will give you 20 gallons of clean drinking water a day per filter.If you have drinkable water then food is an easy task. Canned meat dried fruit and veggys are readily available at any grocery outlet.Thing like generators will take a biteout of your budget but will keep you warm,lit and comfortable. Are we preppers?, no were just ready for the unexpected.

[JohnR]

I think once Costco has gotten on the bandwagon it is a sign the field is saturated and the easy money is gone.

Costco offers 576 servings of 25 year shelf life freeze dried chicken for $329.99 delivered. It's in the online Only flier we got today. :)

Also a year's worth of food for 4, for $3,699.99.

[QuercusMax]

Are we preppers?, no were just ready for the unexpected.

That is a very practical and realistic approach. While it might be fun for some people to prepare for Armageddon, one is more likely to win a PowerBall or MegaMillions (maybe even without buying any tickets) than face true Armageddon.

But like the Boy Scout motto says, it's wise to "Be prepared."

Losing power is not that uncommon, and can leave one in a bind almost no matter where you live. In my case, I have backup wood heat to keep warm, but most of my water comes from a well, which stops working if the power goes out. Next to oxygen, I need water more than anything else. Thus I have a generator. Plus some food in the root cellar in case I am snowed in for a week or two. And lots of booze, in case of a real emergency! :tongue:

[JohnR]

Here in Florida, hurricane season is prepping season.

[AIRret]

My greatest concern is water, and it's purification!!!! We alway have canned goods and some dry items like rice etc... But clean water is a big deal to us.
One little survival tip that I learned (from the locals) when station at a radar site in King Salmon AK was to carry some cotton balls gooped up with vaseline petroleum jelly. You spread out the cotton ball on a thin piece of wood and it will burn long enough to get even wet wood burning. I know I've tried it.

[wyntrout]

Skeptical is watching all of these post-apocalypse movies with cars and motorcycles running around many years after gas stopped being produced. Gas degrades after about 6 months and even Sta-Bil... I use some of both the regular and the Marine in my cans... only prolongs the gas up to 2 years. The Sta-Bil is good for two years after you break the seal. I put an ounce of each in the 5-gallon cans... the Marine because it helps with gasahol. This should make it last two years, but I use the gas in our vehicles after a year and get more for the next hurricane season. I just bought 6x5 gallons for my generator. I like my AC when the power goes out, and if I can turn the AC off for 20-30 minutes to let the water heater heat up the water, or to use the stove. I've tested all of this and just have to remember to shut off the water heater before switching to the generator. I wired my own panel and made a disconnector so I can't backfeed power to the line, or the line to the generator.

I got a large Mr. Filter... 15 gpm... to filter the gas from the lawn tractor and the generator to remove impurities and water.

Wynn:)