Whether your home is a large sprawling property, a suburban house, or an apartment in a big city, nosey neighbors seem to always find a way to encroach on your privacy. Some of them are blatant and others may be very sneaky about it.
As a prepper, what your neighbor already knows about you can dramatically influence how they behave towards you when a crisis arises.
At the root of prepping is the pursuit of security. Instead of relying on others, you take the initiative to provide food, electrical, physical, and many other forms of security for yourself and your family.
One of the greatest strengths a prepper can have is a robust knowledge base. On the flip side, others having significant knowledge about YOU and your efforts may become a troublesome vulnerability.
Here are some things your neighbor may already know about you and how to make it more difficult for them to learn more.
Firearm Ownership
Firearms are an integral part of even the most basic bugout kits.
They provide a critical layer of defense, and their mere presence is often enough to ward off unwanted encounters.
To a neighbor who has known for a while that you have firearms, they may see it as an opportunity for exploitation, biding their time and hatching a plan to get them from you.
Preventing them from knowing you have firearms is the best way to ensure you retain the advantage.
Neighbors may find out you have firearms from seeing gun cases on your way to and from the shooting range, overhearing your conversations about firearms, or visible gun-related items through your windows or on your person.
Related: The Guns the Government Doesn’t Want You to Have
To avoid this, consider using discrete gun bags that could pass as something else, keeping conversations about firearms inside your home, and refraining from open displays of ownership. These displays could be as simple as the Molon Labe sticker on your truck, gun collections on your walls that are visible from the outside, or even something as blatant as open carry. Meld discretion into your interests, and you can have the best of both worlds.
Energy Independence
Energy, a pillar of the modern world, is a significant endeavor for preppers. Off-grid systems often consume considerable space, and the very nature of energy harvesting means the devices cannot be easily hidden. Even temporary energy sources like generators can be bulky.
Neighbors may see visible installations like solar panels, large propane tanks, generators, wind turbines, or hydroelectric setups. Wind turbines, however small, are difficult to hide because they need to be in the open and exposed to work.
For generators, try to place them inside your home or an external enclosure while maintaining proper ventilation and fire safety.
Generators are also extremely loud. Here’s a great solution if you want to get rid of this noise, and stay safe during a major blackout.
Solar panels can be obscured with dense shrubs or trees without reducing access to the sun.
Vegetation can also be used for hydroelectric systems if you are fortunate enough to have a stream in your backyard.
Propane tanks, if you are the owner, can be buried, painted to blend in, or even have a faux rock cover placed on them to look like a large boulder.
When dealing with electricity and flammable substances, local ordinances can vary widely, so be sure to do some research on this one.
Gardening, Livestock, and Food Stockpiling
Chickens clucking, goats bleating, and pigs oinking are unmistakable signs you have livestock. That, paired with the smell, can be a dead giveaway.
While it may be impossible to conceal the presence of livestock on your property fully, you can minimize how much is known about it.
Fencing can keep prying eyes from getting an accurate count, while regularly cleaning the enclosures can keep the smell from traveling very far and attracting distant attention.
Gardening is another space-intensive process, and a sprawling garden with bright red tomatoes will be hard for anyone to miss.
To minimize the ability of neighbors to see the extent of your gardening, tall shrubs or a fence can be installed around the garden.
If space is limited, you could grow distinctive plants like tomatoes, squash, and jalapenos indoors while growing medicinal and nondescript plants outdoors by planting in a way that seems just part of the landscaping.
If you are serious about growing a survival garden that your neighbor know nothing about, I strongly recommend this comprehensive guide. It offers invaluable insights and practical advice for transforming your backyard into an invisible self-sustaining vegetable garden.
Spread your food purchases out over time to reduce the appearance of stockpiling. You will want to store the food in a cool, dry place anyway, so the basement is a perfect location that is suitable for avoiding detection by the neighbors.
If you are ordering food products specific to prepping, such as emergency rations or dehydrated products, see if they are (or can be) shipped in generic boxes so neighbors will not know what the contents are.
Water Sources
If you are fortunate enough to have a well on your property, it is likely a pump well that can be easily hidden or even piped inside your house. Old-fashioned bucket wells and rainwater collectors are more difficult to hide and are clear indicators that you have water procurement and storage capabilities.
Related: 8 Myths About Storing Water That Are Actually True
Rainwater barrels can be painted to blend in with the surroundings or obscured with vegetation.
They can even be built within smaller structures or under the deck.
If you are using hydroponics, rainwater can be directly piped to your internal water system for your garden.
Underground Shelters or Safe Rooms
The highly coveted underground shelter/bunker or safe room is generally well-concealed by design. Secrecy is the first line of defense for these structures. Still, your neighbor could find out about this shelter by overhearing your conversations or, critically, by seeing the construction efforts.
If you are constructing a shelter externally from your house, build a large screen to obscure the view and cover ventilation pipes or entrances with effective camouflage. Interior construction is easier to hide, though the materials coming in and out will still be obvious.
A good cover story about remodeling this or that can go a long way. Hiring a contractor from a fairly distant city can reduce the possibility of word spreading locally about what you are building. Even better, you can build a hidden bunker like this one in your backyard for cheap.
Communication Equipment
Some communication equipment, like satellite dishes, are perfectly ordinary to have on a house and will not draw unusual attention. Large antennas, on the other hand, signify communications equipment beyond just your internet and TV service.
Ham radio antennas can be quite large, and CB radio antennas are distinguishable.
Even if your neighbors have food stocks of their own, they may come knocking on your door if traditional communication channels go down, trying to find out what information you have heard or if you have had contact with anyone.
Related: How to Get a Ham Radio License For When SHTF
Fortunately, antennas can be concealed with a bit of work. Dipole antennas can be run in the attic or up trees in the backyard. Special considerations may have to be taken to reduce interference, but the antenna will be concealed.
False tree branch antennas are also on the market, and you can even modify a spare satellite dish to become a 2-meter slot antenna.
Surveillance Equipment
The presence of security cameras is a strong preventative measure and is often enough to keep criminals off your property. It can also hint at an advanced security setup. Neighbors may see abundant cameras and suspect you have even more security contained within your house.
To get the best of both worlds and avoid neighbors from inferring too much, you can have a handful of typical security cameras around the house that are visible and offer preventative measures against criminals while having additional cameras and detection equipment concealed within structures or around the property.
“Out of sight, out of mind” and “loose lips sink ships” are two phrases that summarize this article. The better you are at concealing your prepping endeavors, the more advantageous your position will be when your preparations are needed.
While it is generally better to live in your own skin and not worry about what people think about you, it is indeed important to worry about what they KNOW about you, especially when it comes to prepping.
Keep your prepping information secure, try not to boast or be too casual with conversations, and blend your preparations into regular life to avoid detection. Do this, and you will retain the advantage.
Share your top stealth-prepping tips in the comments below!
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Why not work together with the neighbors.
Let’s hold hands and dance around the maypole.
“Originally, the maypole was a living tree. Over time it usually became a tree trunk of the correct height, age, and type (usually pine or birch). Some say that the tree represented masculine energy, and the ribbons and floral garlands that adorned it represented feminine energy.”
Time for America to rebalance and get our Macho Mojo back as the low “T” males need a shot in the arm of testosterone to be better. Think better than get in touch with their feelings. Our American national security is a steak for more meat eating and less SOY, estrogen food.
This country was not built on wimps but by real men and women, not some gay lesbian tranny garbage. Get your balls back men and women be all you can be as a partner not an amazon competitor.
There is more to life than being an indoctrinated jumping on the bandwagon of the LGBT Cultism fad in these Bidenomics times that hate America.
God bless the strong ones of America, MAGA!
Good idea.
However, some might see that as them trying to find out just what you have.
Jam
I agree better to work together then die alone
I do as much as I can under cover of night.
You can not trust anyone anymore.
People suck they will lie and steal and drop a dime on you.
O’ and “DO NOT trust the cops or anyone saying we are here to help”.
Cops are liars.
People stop telling your neighbors and friends and your family, your everything..
.Remember they are there for them selfs and no one else’s, just remember that…
THE EVIL and weak people are out to get you when the time comes to attack.
Watch your six…
No one is there for you, but you.
stay sharp
Very true and I am…shake my head… at people who post things on unsociable media. red ant is correct. If there is a neighbor worth trusting, you will find out soon enough. If you have one now, great. I have found the most troubling are not the children but siblings and cousins. Learn to pressure can. Pressure can your leftovers. I am opening stuff now from 4 years ago and it is fine. If you have a bug out location that crosses bridges, rivers or bayous, you better rethink it now. I choose to bug in.
Do you prefer pressure canning over water bath canning or use both methods?
On prepper sites many posters give too much detail in preps and bug in or out that the sneaky alphabet agencies use against us.
You are right some of the old tried and true bug out movements to the location have changed with all the new surveillance tactics being used against the citizens of America. The Biden govt don’t what the illegals do in our country. But the sure want to to know what we are doing.
Once the digital currency is in place we all are screwed and the elites will be loophole out as they make the rules or laws on us.
@Katzen: NO: pressure canning is using a pressure CANNER. Pressure COOKERS and pressure CANNERS are not the same. Pressure cookers usually do not come to pressure canner temps. (there are other reasons pressure canners are used for some foods) Please use a pressure canner for all canning that requires one, and leave the water bath for foods that don’t require one.
To Major issues 2, You can’t really work together unless you are blood brother family. Today’s public are not the same public we can trust with our children in the hands of strangers. Back in the 1960’s neighbors would watch the neighbor hood kids from the outside strangers. That has eroded since the legal system and social services involved made a mess of the family fabric.
Red Ant is partly right in that we can no longer trust our neighbors of 5 years or less to be trustworthy or Seinfeld’s Elaine’s view of being “Sponge Worthy.” Since Obama was and still is, he is the great divider in chief of American politics. Pitting Americans against Americans who would normally be friends into adversaries. To divide and concur for the elites.
A house divided can not stand united, as we see lately in our country.
This has always been the way of humankind since the caveman, roman empire, Muslim empire to the weak presidents. Like Carter, Clinton, Obama and Biden in our modern times of the smartphone generations.
James Donner Pressure canning is using a pressure cooker.
Water bath canning is using a stove top pan of boiling water.
Pressure canning will preserve meat and other stuff for many years.
Water bath canning doesn’t get hot enough to preserve meat long term. It’s also a lot quicker E.g 45 minutes as opposed to 3 hours in a water bath for tomato sauce
Pressure is best if you can do it.
Well , good luck with that lone wolf idea…. it won’t last you very long but make sure you send out a address. I would love a great loot drop like yourself.
You left out Regan and Bush SR/JR
Well just had to put my little dog buddy down. He was 15 yrs old.
It’s so hard to lose something as a pet.
I really miss him.
RIP Bucky buddy,
stay sharp
MY HEART HURTS FOR YOU! KNOW HOW U FEEL PEAVE BE W/U
So very sad for losing a best friend. It is very difficult, my condolences.
NannerBee
Sorry man
red ant
I’m so sorry for your loss. I know how it feels when you loose your best friend.
I agree with most of the posting as Obama and Biden have steered our America into a wimpy free fall down the drain. To appease their handlers as we know pretty who these are.
Remember San Francisco officials said they could not keep the sidewalks clean and homeless tents gone. The China’s president Xi visited the San Fransicko and overnight the streets were immaculately clean for the CCP. The city residents have complained about the sidewalk conditions for years, go figure. The California liberal’s boss came to town, they kowtowed and bowed to they CCP.
We must go back to our sacred American roots of honest hard working males and females. Then the crud we see daily on the sidewalks and streets of our hometowns.
Kick the illegals back to where they came from. They can come back the American immigration sovereign legal way. Then by paying the Mexican drug cartels to come illegally with fentanyl to kill us an squatter’s right into our home sweet homes in America.
This coming presidential election is the last final vote for restoring America or becoming second an subservient to China’s CCP of world dominance.
God help us all in these final few months of freedom and hope for the best.
Believe it or not, your mail carrier knows exactly who you are. They see everything that is being sent to you via return addresses. This includes catalogs and small packages. I spoke to mine years after I moved to the area and she knew that I prepped and how often I bought that type of stuff. Good thing for me that she is like minded but not everyone will have a mail carrier with the same disposition.
My neighbor knows me quite well. We went to school together and 20 years ago he moved in next door.. We work together. When our generator wasn’t working he ran a cord from his generator to our house so we could get a few things done. They know I can and I know where I can get eggs because they raise chickens. Sometimes working together is better.
As far as long term food preparation and storage is concerned, nothing beats freeze drying if you can afford one. The food can be pretty much anything you like. I recommend cooking it first because that takes the most energy. After freeze drying, vacuum sealing with oxygen absorbers in Mylar bags is best, and can last 15-20 years but a sealed plastic bag will easily last a couple of years w/o refrigeration. 2 or 3 people with limited means can share the cost to make it more affordable.
I garden, pressure can and water bath along with freezing. I agree that if we do not get the right and real president in office come November we are all going to be serfs to the elite and CCP.
I have an opposite opinion on firearms. I make it quite clear that I have them……lots of them. I have a large, heavy, bolted to the floor gun safe in a room that can be seen from outside and I have my curtains open as often as I want. I have 2A stickers on my vehicles and I tell anyone that I conceal carry.
There is some credible evidence that knowledge of ones firearms is an active deterrent for criminals. Criminals could be hungry neighbors. The way I see it, the more people that know I have guns, and am not afraid to us them, the better.
We (not ME) have become a society of pansies! We turn tail at the drop of a criminal’s hat, and run! Fight back! It’s the only LAW that works.
God bless (save) America!
seems odd you would conceal carry….. only weak beta do that
I open carry
Which means they will know to shoot you first.
surely you don’t read much
Virtually everyone, for ten miles in every direction, is a prepper. Panels, livestock, gardens, green houses, guns, flags, and some with underground bunkers. And there are tillers, tools, and gunfire noises almost every day. We trade, talk, offer chickens and produce to each other quite often. A cammo truck pulled up one time, and he handed me some of my solar panels that had been misdelivered to him. I showed him how to install a solar well pump. One couple are retired electrical engineers, and I purchased a Judge and pump .22 from them. All is well here, as we already have a community, and I wish it was the same for other preppers out there. Work on it.