by Survival Sullivan, The Burning Platform:

When it comes to preppers and homesteaders, members of the two groups can live very different lifestyles. But which are better, preppers or homesteaders? And are they really that different? It’s true, the person you visualize when you hear the term “prepper” is likely very different from who you picture when you hear the term “homesteader”.

The Perception
If I were to say to you, my new neighbor is a “prepper” what picture do you get in your mind? Most people will likely picture a single male in his late 20’s to late 40’s wearing camouflage and loaded down with guns, knives, and ammo, right? You’d expect to find his basement, or maybe even an underground bunker, piled high with MREs, water, and bulk bags of rice and beans packed away in mylar bags and food grade buckets.

But if I were to tell you that my new neighbor is a homesteader, don’t you get a completely different picture? You likely picture a woman or a family with children who are homeschooled to protect them from the influence of public school. You see a family who all work together to harvest their garden and care for their livestock and who store any excess by home canning, dehydrating, or otherwise preserving the food for winter.

Two totally different images come to mind just based on the term used. But if you belong to one of these groups, then you probably know right away that your group is often misrepresented in the media.

The Reality
In reality, when you think of prepper or homesteader, imagine the group as a number line or a scale. The image you see when someone says “Prepper” is the doomsday prepper at the extreme end of the prepping group, whereas the image you see when someone says homesteader is a family who shuns anything modern and goes completely off grid.

Yes, there are some preppers and homesteaders who fit this stereotypical image, but don’t let that discourage you from digging deeper for lessons and advice that you can fit into your own lifestyle.

Most preppers and homesteaders fall somewhere along the scale and have very similar goals and values and there can be a lot of crossover skills and habits between the two groups. Members of both groups are committed to the protection of their families regardless of what it takes. The lifestyle that both groups lead is motivated by their desire to protect themselves and their families, although their methods may vary greatly.

Why Preppers Prep
Preppers are preparing or getting ready to survive some event they believe is coming. Most preppers are getting ready for some type of life altering event is looming on the horizon which will change life as we know it and threatens to wipe out anyone not prepared to withstand the initial chaos. The type of event varies depending on location, personal experience, beliefs, and knowledge.

But some members of this group are content to prepare for emergencies such as being stranded on the highway in winter weather or being in the path of a natural disaster such as a hurricane, flood, wildfire, or earthquake. Still others prepare for the more common short-term events like a power outage that lasts a few days or weeks or an unexpected loss of income due to illness or injury.

Many preppers are preparing for a longer-term event which they call SHTF or TEOTWAWKI. This is a more widespread catastrophic event, like an economic collapse, a long term or indefinite power outage caused by an EMP, or even nuclear war. The way they prepare can also vary depending on their values, and skill level.

Most preppers prepare to bug in inside their homes or to bug out to an isolated and well-stocked bug out retreat. Some preppers may go so far as to strategically relocate so they can bug in at a location that is away from the urban centers, military targets, extreme weather, and nuclear power plants.

Why Homesteaders Homestead
Homesteaders believe that living a more traditional, simplistic lifestyle is better for their long-term health and quality of life. Most strive for a self-sustaining lifestyle on a daily basis versus “waiting” for something bad to happen that necessitates a change. The lifestyle of a homesteader can look different based on how committed they are to a purely organic diet, personal taste, location, and whether they believe in raising their own livestock for food in addition to a garden.

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