When people think of prepping, they automatically think of the USA. This is because there has long been a culture of prepping there, more so in some states than others. It has been the subject of most of the media coverage over the years.

However, prepping happens all over the world, including in the UK. In recent times, more than ever, more and more people are looking at prepping with increased interest. So, how does prepping here in the UK compare to in the USA?

Geography

A common view of prepping to both preppers and non-preppers is that of either bugging-out, the process of leaving your home when staying there threatens your survival or actually living off-grid and away from built-up areas and population centres.  That is far more possible in the USA than it is in the UK.

Whilst the USA has large cities with extremely dense populations, it has far more land per head of population than there is in the UK.  It might be hard for them initially to get out of population centres but once they do, the possibilities of living safely away from other people are far greater.  Here in the UK, we have less countryside in which to avoid the millions of other people who would ultimately be trying to do the same.  There are only so many completely off the beaten track locations available and they would quickly be overwhelmed and their resources consumed.

This means that prepping in the UK works around the idea that bugging out and off-grid living are the last resort and nowhere near as likely in any given scenario.

The Prepping Mind

There is a much greater tendency towards prepping in the USA than there is in the UK. This is due to two factors; necessity and trust (or in truth a lack of it)

The USA has a much higher incidence of extreme weather than we do here in the UK.  We may have the occasional storm or flood but we do not have any expectation of hurricanes, tornados, extreme cold weather and even earthquakes.  So, out of necessity, the people of the USA are more likely to be prepping in order to make sure they survive these extreme SHTF events and come out the other side in the best shape possible.

There is also a more widespread lack of trust in government and authority in the USA.  Many people do not trust the government to provide for them in the event of an extreme event so they are more willing (and some are more insistent) on self-reliance and self-defence.  We are not quite so skeptical here in the UK, although that is certainly changing in recent times, hence the rise in prepping this side of the Atlantic.

Acceptance

In the USA, prepping is seen overall as an acceptable and even admirable activity, certainly within reason.  There is still a limit to their acceptance of course and there always will be to the more extreme fringes of the prepping community.  In the UK, where prepping is more in its infancy, most peoples’ exposure to the idea is from the US TV shows which promote this more extreme fringe of prepping where a bunker and a weapons cache are required resources.  This leads to a less accepting attitude to prepping in the UK.  Even media coverage in the UK routinely shows preppers as tin-foil hat wearers trying to do US-style prepping minus the bullets.

God and Guns

Many peoples’ exposure to prepping will be tainted by the often significant US focus on what I call ‘God and Guns’.

When it comes to religion it is very much each to their own, but not many in the UK will be of the belief that God backs one politician over another, has any plans for an apocalypse nor will he be saving us when it comes.  Some will even be of the belief that the deeply religious will be some of the most dangerous people after any such event.

There is also a huge focus in US prepping on weapons. This is mainly firearms but also knives and bows to a lesser extent.  US law allows ownership of multiple firearms and some states allow concealed carry of firearms. Therefore, a lot of prepping in the USA includes discussion of handguns, assault rifles and ammunition.  Since the ownership and use of firearms is prohibited or in some cases extremely tightly controlled, this can be a big turn-off to potential UK preppers.

Information

We’ve touched on this in the section above. Avaiable Information about prepping whether to preppers or not, on the internet or television programs is mostly US-centric.  It only makes allowances for US geography, threats, laws and attitudes.  Due to the differences in our approach to it, much of this content can see extreme and unnecessary. This puts up barriers to prepping that some will find either insurmountable or at least uncomfortable.

There are UK-specific sites but they are much smaller and some (including this one) can be difficult to find amongst the larger and more numerous American sites.  That said there are some good sites available to the UK prepper and they are worth finding.

Despite the Differences

So, the USA approaches prepping in different ways to the UK, some subtle and some more head-on. That doesn’t change the fact that in the UK it is a worthwhile and completely justifiable activity.  We may not be planning for a zombie apocalypse or a nuclear war. We may not be planning to bug out to our fully armed wilderness bunker at the first sign of trouble. But that doesn’t mean that we shouldn’t still have plans.  Are you prepared if you lose your job? What if your home is subject to a flood or fire? An extended power cut?  And, there are still bigger threats for which you can take a pragmatic approach to prepping for. Are you prepared for a pandemic? A terrorist attack?

Plan for events, make preparations to respond to those events. Learn what is useful and ignore the rest.  Live the life you have but be try to be prepared for that life to change.