107: Prepping Groups or Going It Alone – Which Is Best?

Prepping groups or going it alone? That's always a raging debate in the preparedness world, much like the "best gun," where you should live, and whether to bug out or bug in.

While the first Rambo was a great movie, it set a bad precedent for many people in the preparedness niche who now feel they can go it alone during a disaster or other difficult times.

Since I first began prepping back in the ‘80s, there is always talk of people going solo during difficult times, while others swear by having prepping groups. Well, we're in a difficult time right now, and how does the idea of being completely on your own, reliant just on yourself, feel? While living like John Rambo in the woods of Washington may seem doable on the big screen, is it really? And it is smart?

Most People are Not John Rambo, Even If They Think They Are

Most people are not John Rambo, and those who are even close would probably tell you it's not a good idea.

But people who know less are often the ones who are most apt to make this lone-wolf survival ideal the basis of their plan. Part of this is something called the Dunning-Krueger Effect. Psychology Concepts website defines it:

The Dunning Kruger effect is a cognitive bias in which individuals, who are unskilled at a particular task, believe themselves to possess above-average ability in performing the task. 

Let me know if you're a professional that is ready to go out and do everything solo. You have it one hundred percent wired. You can live out of your backpack for the rest of eternity and do your own thing. I imagine not many hands went up. And if your hands did go up, well, man, please call me because I'd love to have you on the podcast because you must be the tactical solo survival genius out there who can do it forever.

The truth is most people don't have the mindset, don't have the capabilities, the skills, and knowledge to go solo for really long periods of time. You're going to have to interact with people because we need that support, and that's just one reason why prepping groups are so important.

Even most movies show that going it alone is difficult, if not impossible.

In the movie "Cast Away," how ready was Wilson to help Tom Hanks? Daily survival needs never stop. Did he help him get water? Did he help him start a fire? What did he help did? No, he was a do with a handprint on. It was a ball with a handprint on him that Tom Hanks used to have somebody to talk to and break the social isolation he was dealing with. And other than that psychological effect, Wilson was absolutely worthless for helping Tom Hanks, his character, do anything right. 

The movie "Leave No Trace" shows how it's not hard to get hurt or sick, yet if you're solo, it may be hard to get help. It really shows how you are so vulnerable to what goes on out in nature when you're on your own. So I recommend watching, Leave No Trace, and you can see what happens when you're solo.

“Alone” shows professionals had a difficult time. These are trained professionals on there, Alan Kay and everybody else that was on there knows what they're doing in the woods, and they still have a difficult time.

Prepping Groups Help Us Survive

Those who are a part of prepping groups have a higher chance of survival.

Eyes in the back of your head or when sleeping? None of us can be locked in one hundred percent of the time watching everything, too, and everything around us. It's impossible to do that. You will wear out if you're on your own, and you're trying to be hyper-vigilant and watch everything going around you. It would be best if you had a team for that.

We cannot control what happens in nature. Trees fall, sometimes on us. Storms happen, damaging our structures or causing extreme temperatures. We get sick or injured. But no matter what is happening, our food, water, and shelter needs still have to be met.