how old were you when you started prepping

Can get it down to the year 1976 and I was 22 years old. But the idea wasn't new. I just hadn't thought of it int that way. My mom and dad grew up in the 1930's and mom was a farm girl and knew all that was needed. From butchering, hunting and canning and so on.

 

I'll echo Sapper John. Additionally, I was raised near Tucson AZ, far enough back that the local Air base hosted B-36 and later, B-52 bombers and the area was ringed by ICBMs - in other words, in the middle of a big fat bulls-eye. We were set to leave, but it is doubtful that had the balloon gone up that we would have survived. That really stuck with me. Once married, I started 'prepping' so as to be able to take care of my family if we were forced from our residence.

 

Like most here, the mindset has been in my family for generations- not so much on my wife's side. Family saw the great depression from both the city perspective in Chicago as well as farms in WI, lived through the King riots in Chicago, and hurricanes in Florida- they learned real quick you need to be able to take care of yourself. We grew up helping Mom boil and freeze tomatoes, etc, and always had the big freezer in the basement full.

I've been prepping for a couple years now but only recently was able to afford to kick it into high gear- unfortunately prices have gone up on quite a bit at the same time.

 

Hurricane Betsy, Made a believer out of me.

 

All 36 years of my life and seriously when I was 18 and my grandfather passed. He was of the mindset, One is none, two is one and well he had in some cases 4 of everything tool, camping, farming related. My father & I split everything in those areas and I have since been given all my father took. Oh the joys of using "real" tools made in the 40's & 50's.

 

Won't break like that cheap chinese made shit ya buy these days either

Just remember to run sum fine sandpaper over sum the handles first, or you'll get blisters in places on your hands you didn't think you could!!

 

my hands are like leather (or so my wife says) the old tools feel great in my hands. Solid as a rock.