Are you a groupie or a loner?

[Big_Saw]

When TSHTF, I think I'd be torn between the discretion of keeping to to my own and the resources and security of joining into a more numerous community or force.

Obviously, it would be easier to evade detection in smaller numbers, and the trust factor is also paramount. But small groups or communities can offer greater opportunities for supply-sharing, intel-gathering, successful hunting, combat pooling, etcetera.

Obviously, each scenario would have a laundry list of pros and cons.

I think, though, personally, if I could form up with a small group (maybe 20 or so) that I could reasonably trust to pull their own weight as gatherers, fighters, leaders and followers......I'd probably opt for that over the struggle of isolation with just my family.

Keep this in mind: I believe that when TSHTF, and we actually have to really bug out....I think it will be for the long haul. I don't think it's irresponsible to assume that this country, maybe even this world, is headed for a Red Dawn-like scenario.......

.....Hope I'm wrong.

[Diesel]

Bottom line is there's safety in numbers. If you EVER want a chance of defending your property or dwelling it's guaranteed to take more than 1 person. 3 guys can EASILY overtake just about any dwelling or property if guarded by one, there's no way you can protect every angle and watch your 6.

Plus eventually solitude will drive u nuts.

[Zombie Axe]

Actually Solitude is good for the soul, at least for me. I frequently go on camping/hiking trips to get away from everything and everyone...

That being said, you need someone to help watch your six. Diesel is correct in that a determined # of agressors can overtake a location guarded by one. Rambo does not work. Army of One doesn't work either.

You can be lone wolf, but you had better be so far removed from the outside world so as to never have contact with them. IOW a fantasy for most folks...

Several members on Xcolony have met a few times and that is what it is all about. Making contacts with those in your immediate area, networking, and possibly group formation is a goal that everyone should attempt.

Just my .02 from ZA, a recovering 'lone wolfer'...

[beebopcop]

This is a question I have pondered for a long time and I still haven't came up with an answer that completely satisfies me. Trust is a huge issue. Also, what about family? All of my family, extended or otherwise are sheeple as far as I know. I am the only one of this mind that we have here. What obligation do I have to them? I have a lot a questions in this area but few answers. I agree that we need to meet each other when possible and I would like to start doing that soon. I certainly agree that there are safety in numbers, but how big the number before it draws unwanted attention? Good post though and good discussion.

[Rustyshakelford]

There is an old German saying (in English) that says, 3 people can keep a secret if 2 of them are dead. It is a lot easier to get out of dodge and avoid other people. Since the times of Adam and Eve, deception, lying and trickery have been the ways of mankind. Can you really trust the guy next to you with a nipple ring, a tattoo of Bugs Bunny eating a carrot, and wearing a t-shirt that says "Gangsta" on it? Maybe later find like minded folks who have the same mentality and slowly make contact.

[forever_frost]

If there is someone who is like minded and I establish a connection with? I'm comfortable with about 5 or 6 people. I'd be happy with a few of yall out here

[Big_Saw]

I tend to agree w/both Rusty and Diesel. I think I will plan on reaching a safe zone on my own, then seeking out and making contact with others with maximum caution and as much intel as possible.
It seems the smart thing to do would be to establish connections now, and initiating relationships, command structures, logistics preparations, and rendezvous locations as soon as possible.
When TSHTF, established means of communication will probably either cease to exist, or not be secure. For this reason, I would recommend rehearsal for the bug out scenario with your established community, as discreetly as possible. I would do so without relying on any means of communication (to gauge efficiency and determine best strategy) and would develop a kind of DEFCON system which could be employed to determine readiness.
I do not (and don't recommend) hold any membership in any established militia or gun club. If your State doesn't require gun registry, abstain from doing so. If I lived in a State which did require registration, I would probably hold a few weapons under the radar, anyway.
In my universe, two words are paramount in the present day:
Preparedness and Faith.

God bless us all....we're gonna need it.

Thank you all for responding to this post. I find the input of other knowledgeable peers refreshing and educational.

[Visinedrops]

I am both a groupie and a loner. I am what I call a "shifter", which is basically similar to a nomadic person with the exception that; if I'm forced by whatever reason to remain stationary, my surroundings must change on occasion. Since I cannot move to a new apartment every few months, I have to rearrange my furnishings and decor to suit my ambition to be somewhere else.

In the case of meeting up with people, I'm the outsider. I remain at the edge of the social circle, and only approach when confronted. To give my trust to anyone is very difficult, as I am a cautiously paranoid person. While I will give my assistance to a group, I will always retreat to my own seclusion. Safety in numbers is appropriate, however, solitude allows you to notice your surroundings more.

For example, a family of 3 living in a wide-spread suburban community is much more aware and skeptical of a vehicle driving slow past their homes than someone living in an apartment building. The apartment building inhabitants see people coming and going all the time, and eventually ignore most of the activity outside their doors.

So, I am a groupie when needed, but a loner when it comes to my own satisfaction.

[Rustyshakelford]

I am both a groupie and a loner. I am what I call a "shifter", which is basically similar to a nomadic person with the exception that; if I'm forced by whatever reason to remain stationary, my surroundings must change on occasion. Since I cannot move to a new apartment every few months, I have to rearrange my furnishings and decor to suit my ambition to be somewhere else.

Get a fish tank. I used to be the same way. A 75 gal tank is always changing itself.

[Big_Saw]

I am both a groupie and a loner. I am what I call a "shifter", which is basically similar to a nomadic person with the exception that; if I'm forced by whatever reason to remain stationary, my surroundings must change on occasion. Since I cannot move to a new apartment every few months, I have to rearrange my furnishings and decor to suit my ambition to be somewhere else.

In the case of meeting up with people, I'm the outsider. I remain at the edge of the social circle, and only approach when confronted. To give my trust to anyone is very difficult, as I am a cautiously paranoid person. While I will give my assistance to a group, I will always retreat to my own seclusion. Safety in numbers is appropriate, however, solitude allows you to notice your surroundings more.

For example, a family of 3 living in a wide-spread suburban community is much more aware and skeptical of a vehicle driving slow past their homes than someone living in an apartment building. The apartment building inhabitants see people coming and going all the time, and eventually ignore most of the activity outside their doors.

So, I am a groupie when needed, but a loner when it comes to my own satisfaction.

Wow, probably one of the most well thought-out answers yet.....kudos.

[Visinedrops]

good advice...been meaning to get one actually.

[Red]

I can totally identify with Clint Eastwood's character The Outlaw Josey Wales. I want to be a loner, but it seems everyone wants to follow me... I don't really want to be a leader.... for me it's me and mine, but for whatever reason when I ask people (mostly those in the Evil Empire, that's Massachusetts if you live in NH! ha ha ) what they are going to do if and when the social fabric rips apart they seem to hint that they want to know where I live! ( I live in NH but work in said Empire). So basically I may use what I have in the big lock box to give people some sense of defense.... but when it comes down to it... sorry to say... it's me and mine (I have no kids so this would be me, my GF, my hetero life partner [from the Kevin Smith movies] and his kids probably not his wife. Pack the horses and get out of dodge as far into the forest as possible.

[Oddball]

I'm a loner, but not necessarily by choice. With only one family member who lives several states away, I have no built-in group to count on. And, I haven't had much luck finding like-minded people in my area. That's what brings me to Xcolony. If I don't meet people from my area here on the forum, perhaps I can learn how to meet them in my community. Being one person in a SHTF scenario is really not an option. I hope those with families or groups you know you can count on will consider including a 'single' or two if you come across them. Yes, trust takes time and works both ways. But, it seems to me that it would be better to find each other now than wonder if we're a threat later.

[Jeffro]

For me, I'm planning on trying to survive with a group. I have plans to hook up with two other families WTSHTF somewhere on the Appalachian Ridge. I trust the two men and their families with my life. We are that tight. Our only problem is that we are scattered across the state. So we are working on the logistics of how we reach our BOL and what to do if our primary BOL is already occupied. This IMHO is the difficulty of having a group that you may be planning to "depend" on. What if they don't make it? What if they make it, but show up wounded or debilitated in some way? So, it seems to me that even if you may have plans to survive with some sort of group, you better still be prepared to survive without them. Because life happens, and you never know what tomorrow holds.

Later,
Jeffro

[snal]

I suppose I'm a little of both. I don't have any real close friends nearby, but I do have about a dozen friends scattered throughout the southest that I would trust with my life, without question. My mom and dad live nearby, as does one brother, another brother and a sister are within 3 hours...but I'd have to be the leader...and they need firearms training!
My "friends" are much more like me...we're all into firearms...we think alike...and we would die for each other, but fight till there's no fight left. We're all like brothers and best friends, all wrapped up in one group, and we all have various skills. We'd be an awesome survival group...."if" we could link up.
I know "of" a few families in this area that are well organized, they have hand signals that the entire family knows well, all are marksmen, and they live NOW like they would have to in a SHTF scenario. I wish we were that way.