Survival UK Forums

"Shoot me now" preppers
Has anyone else noticed the alarming trend spreading through parts of the survivalist and prepper community that I call the "Shoot me now" preppers. Very wise and intelligent people but normally young men, some clearly with a degree of military training under their belts but equally many with no training, are buying and equipping themselves with the latest “must have” Gucci kit which is more suited to close protection and contractor work than prepping.

These highly motivated folks post images of them regaled in their tactical gear with their Eagle Industries rucksacks, 5:11 clothing, Oakley shades, Danner boots, Tan coloured baseball cap, M4 clone carbine, Tactical gloves, Knee and Elbow pads, and often topped with a Samurai sword or hatchet, coil of rope and big bloody nitrite coated Rambo knife.

The kit selection is fine, but where the plans goes all to hell in my mind is 99% of these folks say " As soon as TSHTF I'll get my kit on and work my way out of the city / town to my place of safety" fighting off Zombie, Hells angels, Rioters, Refugees, Armed Cops and Troops along the way.

C'mon folks puleeease look at these folks, they are just bloody great big walking targets saying " Hey look at me I'm cool, I'm armed and I've got shit loads of expensive kit" YES they frequently have a tactical carbine or similar weapon system to protect themselves with, but for heavens sake most of them will die (especially in the US) when some teen with a 22 cal plinking gun puts a 22 round into his head as he goes down the street looking like he is protecting Sheik Rattle N Roll in Baghdad.

Yes we do need to be as best equipped and ready as possible, but our chances of survival, especially if we are being forced to walk out of a big city on foot is to NOT attract attention to ourselves. We are NOT looking for a fight, we are NOT expert warriors, and a kid in the nearby council flats we are walking past could just as easily shoot us with a 22, drop a lump of concrete on our heads or put a bolt or arrow into us because we look like we have stuff worth taking.

It does not matter one iota if you have the latest version of the Colt M416 with H & K updates, forward grips, lasers, flashlights and tactical sling. The kid or thug in the shadows with the half brick, illegal sawn off, or dodgy reactivated pistol has the upper hand he is still, in the shadows waiting for you to come into his kill zone. if you look just like another scared sheeple with nothing to offer he is less likely to take you on. We must lose the Rambo attitude and adopt the quiet professional prepper attitude of not making ourselves inviting targets because of vanity or machismo.

A good sensible piece that everyone should think about when assesing their situation. In my humble opinion people seriously underestimate other Humans, especially when they have weapons and they percieive this gives them an overwhelming advantage over others. This " I am a bad ass and will fook you up" attitude is a recipe for disaster and will bring nothing but stress and conflict.
Humans are the greatest predators the planet has ever seen, and that "normal" looking bloke has the potential to be a stone cold killer just like the best armed Johny Rambo, and being hungry will turn him into one.
In any serious scenario I believe the only approach that will help you survive is one of stealth. You have to take a leaf out of your Hunter Gatherer ancestors book and become totally familiar with your surroundings and have the ability to move through it without being seen or drawing attention to yourself. "See everything but don't be seen, hear everything but don't be heard" is a good mantra. If you have to fight, fight because you have to, and not because you can, will keep you alive longer. I would also take the approach that if I had to meet other people I would make sure it was on my terms rather than have them stumble upon me unawares. The Rambo's won't last long, and will no doubt die in a blaze of glory, reminiscent of their Hollywood fantasies, whilst the real survivors get on with life quietly in the background, unnoticed.

Maybe a few of those Rambo types will sit up and take notice...

Thanks for sharing, Gentlemen.

I think this is partially true and partially either based on prejudice or ignorance.

I think it's wrong to take the assumption that people (especially from this forum) with new gear that's the best they can afford, are going to be strutting it around post SHTF with all their equipment branded high and on show, while keeping themselves as unhidden as possible. That just seems like ignorance in understanding the mindset of someone that is "Very wise and intelligent". I'm pretty certain everyone on this forum understands the need to not stand out and the need to hold to the Grey Man ideals.

I'm not 100% sure whether you're trying to rehash the point that holding to the Grey Man ethos is correct, or whether it's just an article about being careful who you interact with. Could you please clarify which it is?

What seems obvious to me, is that a wise and intelligent person, isn't going to be the person strutting their stuff down the road, gun hung on the hip, cheering about how they've got so much stuff stored!

This thread has totally lost me!

where I live theres a lot of people who walk round in camo pants or jackets...this is the norm here ,see it on the school runs or in the local co-op....no big deal to me .I wear it ....no one is any the wiser ,a lot of kids/blokes shoot over the woods with air guns,dog walkers etc....its come to be an accepted fashion these days ...not unlike shell suits IMO just these are made by Jack pyke ....I have a 4x4 but so does a lot round here....no one notices...plus the wife uses it mostly because of the shit mpg...anyway ..being the grey man is a state of mind not a look ...I prefer black to grey anyway....I know what NR means tho....like dressed up like an swat/armed response team member.

i think not sticking out from the crowed is best or tramps dont get mugged because crims dont think they have anything of value

I have a lot of the gear you've mentioned. Will I be strutting my funky stuff when I should be keeping my head down? No. BUT, you do have a point. Should your neighbours see that you have all this gear (I know we all pay due diligence to our opsec, but to think that people don't notice things like this is wrong) then the flag goes up and you suddenly look like a tramp, well that's also going to draw attention. Not widespread, like walking down the high street all geared up, but people who have seen you as you go about your daily routine will notice a change.

Evidently you don't want to go buying all the latest gear and not use it until the time comes, cause how do you know it's any good? But it does pose a question that's tricky to answer.

The answer, well I'd probably still keep all the tactical gear on, but an old woollen blanket or poncho will go far in hiding your goodies and making you look like less of a target and more of a refugee.

I found this with Bird watching gear, I get many an odd look when I'm all Jack Pyke camo and netting wandering across the heath, but hay, My bird list has more ticks than most...so I put it down to Envy and move on...LOL

I have a lot of camo gear, not specially cos its camo but because I can get the size! I wear it all the time, usually out with the dog and nobody bats an eyelid, you see its NORMAL working gear around here, everyone wears it, I could take you to our Tuesday market and show you, half the traders are wearing it! but if I lived in a city that would be a different kettle of fish, I would stand out a mile.

The amount if people that ive worked with who want to move into close protection is unreal. Now those people want to do the maritime security work because theyve heard it pays more. All dreams but theres a lot of rambos out there I wouldnt want to fight with recently a lads been arrested for impersonating police and door staff, he had all the uniform,must have cost him a fortune.