How Prepper Camp Works And Why It’s Worth The Trip

100,000 downloads doesn’t happen because of algorithms, it happens because real people keep showing up, sharing the show, and building skills where they live. I’m taking a deeper dive into Prepper Camp 2026 (August 14th, 15th, and 16th) in Mill Spring, North Carolina, because it’s one of the biggest, most practical gatherings for self-reliance, homesteading, off-grid living, and preparedness in the United States and it’s the kind of place that turns “I should learn that someday” into hands-on competence.

I break down what Prepper Camp actually looks like on the ground: the pace of the schedule, the scale of the class lineup, and why the best learning often happens between sessions while you’re eating, walking, and talking with people who think about problems differently than you do. I also share what surprised me as a first-time attendee: the vibe is practical and community-oriented, the vendor area is full of legit gear and real conversations, and it feels more like a family reunion than a bunker fantasy.

This year I’m also speaking, teaching active shooter survival using the Run Hide Fight framework plus what I call the survivor mindset. We get into the decisions that matter in ordinary places like grocery stores, restaurants, churches, and theaters, and we talk about a piece many civilian talks skip: what to do when law enforcement arrives so you don’t accidentally become the next problem. I also share pro tips on tickets, lodging, scheduling, note-taking, and leaving space for networking, plus a hint about a giveaway at each session.

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Transcript

Cold Open And Show Intro

SPEAKER_00 0:02

You are listening to the Common Sense Practical Prepper. Monsieur by Duck Date. The real duct tape. It fixes everything except that decision. Good evening, Mr. and Mrs. America. From border to border, coast to coast, and all ships at sea. Here is your host, Keith.

SPEAKER_01 0:21

Hey all, this is Keith, and welcome back to the Common Sense Practical Prepper Podcast for July the 25th, 2026.

Why Prepper Camp Matters This Year

SPEAKER_01 0:29

And tonight I want to do a deeper dive into Prepper Camp, August 14th, 15th, and 16th, down in Mill Spring, North Carolina.

100,000 Downloads And Global Listeners

SPEAKER_01 0:40

But first, some very exciting news. I just got a notification via BuzzSprout that the podcast just crossed over 100,000 downloads, 235 episodes, 124 countries, and just shy of 5,000 unique cities. We have listeners in all 50 states. My number one city in the world, Sydney, Australia. Charlotte, don't worry, you are very close. You are right behind Sydney, so don't despair. From the UK, Australia, all the way to Mongolia and Bhutan. B-H-U-T-A-N. I had to look that one up. So to my listener in Bhutan, I apologize. I'm a little rusty on my geography, but thank you to my listener in Bhutan. We have folks listening in Afghanistan, somebody in Iraq. So some of these places where preparedness is not a hobby, it's it's an everyday activity. When I started this from my office in 2022, basically I was talking to nobody. So thank you, each and every listener, each and every time you log in to listen to the podcast. I have over 100,000 downloads because of you.

What Prepper Camp Actually Is

SPEAKER_01 2:03

Okay, let's dive into Prepper Camp 2026. So, as you know, last year, 2025, was the first time that I attended. I'd heard about it for years, but I finally made the trip. And it really exceeded my expectations. So this year I'm going back, but this time I'm also going back as a speaker. I'll be teaching a class on active shooter survival, specifically the run, hide, fight framework that the FBI puts out. So today let's do three things. I want to talk to you about what Prepper Camp actually is for those who have not been. Second, I want to tell you what I learned the first year. And third, I want to talk about what I'm teaching and why I think it matters. So for those who have not heard of it, Prepper Camp is the largest self-reliance homesteading, off-grid living, and preparedness conference in the United States. It's been running since 2014. It's hosted by Rick Austin, the survivalist gardener, and his wife, Survivor Jane. This is not some tiny meetup in a church basement. This is a full-scale three-day event. So here's some numbers. Eight classes running every hour for eight hours. Somebody checked my math. That's nearly 200 classes over the long three-day weekend. Demonstrations, vendors, entertainment, and enough like-minded people to make your head spin. And unlike your typical conference, you are not stuck in some convention center under fluorescent light. This is outdoors in the mountains of western North Carolina. The venue is a fantastic new venue. RV sites, tent camping, cabins, hotel rooms, and I believe seven restaurants on site. You can make this easily a full weekend with the entire family. The speaker lineup this year has over 45 folks: retired special forces, search and rescue team leaders, herbalists, food preservation experts, off-grid electrical specialists, trauma medics, communication experts. It goes on and on and on. And these folks are not internet personalities that are reading from a teleprompter. These are people with decades, some of them with multiple decades of real world experience, teaching hands-on skills that you can use immediately. And what I'm very excited about, the keynote speaker this year is Stephanie Johnson, and she's from the Rebuilding Hollers Foundation. She was on the ground during Hurricane Helene in Western North Carolina. So you know how devastating that was. So she is going to talk about what it looked like from the inside.

What I Learned As A First-Timer

SPEAKER_01 4:48

What I learned last year as a first-time attendee. I went in with a very open mind, like I do with most things, and I think that's very important. I believe you do yourself a disservice if you walk into something with preconceived notions. So I'm going to tell you what I actually found, not what I expected to find. Number one, the people. So my advice, so my advice, and more about this in a minute, is to look at the schedule ahead of time and prioritize. You will not see everything that you want. So just understand that from the get-go. Third is the networking. The classes are great, but the conversation between classes around the campfire at dinner, in the vendor area, walking to your class, that is where the real value is. I met people last year that I still talked to, people who have skills that I don't have, who live in the areas that I don't live in, and who think about problems differently than I do. That kind of networking is worth more than any single class. Number four, the vendors. The vendor area is legit. It's not full of flea market junk. These are people selling real gear. First aid and trauma kits, plate carriers, the ballistic kind. Speakers are selling their books. Diane Devereaux, the Canning Diva, she presented last year, she'll be back this year, and I'm sure she'll have her books with her. You can talk to people who make the product, ask questions, hands-on, things you don't get when you order something off the internet. And as always, you're supporting small businesses in the preparedness community, which is key. Fifth, it's not what you see online. There's no tinfoil hat contest. Okay? Actually, there is a tinfoil hat contest, but it's it's literally a joke contest, and it is a lot of fun. The vibe around prepper camp is not doom and gloom. It's practical, positive, and community oriented. If you've been hesitant to attend something like this because you think it's going to be a bunch of angry people in a bunker, that's not what prepper camp is. It's more like a family reunion for people who like to be ready for whatever comes whenever it comes. All right, more about what

My Class On Active Shooter Survival

SPEAKER_01 7:51

I'm teaching. So this year I'm on the other side of the podium. So here's not what I'm doing. I'm not spending the class throwing stats at you. I don't care how many active shooter situations happened last year. You know why? Because it doesn't matter if it was 3, 33, or 333. If you find yourself in one of these situations, you are in it. The number of active shooter situations does not change what you need to do. What matters is knowing your surroundings, regardless of where you are, and having a plan when something goes sideways. So what am I focusing on? Two things. The framework itself, run, hide, fight, and what I'm calling the survivor's mindset. The survivor's mindset is a proactive way of thinking. It's resilience, bouncing back and adapting. It's empowerment, taking responsibility for your own actions instead of waiting for somebody to save you. It's being solution focused instead of feeling helpless. You have every right to survive. You have every right to go home at night. And your actions in those first few critical seconds will decide the outcome. Now, you're listening to a prepper podcast. You wouldn't be here if you already didn't have some version of the survival mindset. But have you applied that to a five-minute scenario? Like the one when you're in a grocery store, a movie theater, a church, or sitting in a restaurant with your family or friends, and something goes sideways with zero warning. In

Run Hide Fight In Real Places

SPEAKER_01 9:35

the class, we're going to talk about each section. Run. If there's a safe path, escape immediately. Have an escape route in mind. Help others if you can, but don't stay if it endangers you. Hide, find a place out of the shooter's view, lock and barricade the door, silence your cell phone, stay quiet. But don't trap yourself. If you can have an escape route, have one. As a last resort, if you have to fight, fight aggressively. Use improvised weapons. Commit fully. Do not fight fair. Remember, your goal is to survive. Your goal is to go home that night. And here's something that most civilian presentations skip. What

When Law Enforcement Arrives

SPEAKER_01 10:16

happens when law enforcement arrives? Because that moment is very dangerous as well. Officers are moving towards the gunfire. Their job is to stop the killing, not help the wounded, at least not yet. Everyone running towards the police officers is a potential threat until they are not. If you run towards the officers with something in your hands, a phone, a bag, a jacket, it could look like a weapon. Follow their commands immediately. If you are armed, holster your weapon before the police see you. Hands up, comply, then explain. You are not rescued yet. You are being processed. Make yourself not a threat. So that's what my class is going to be about. It's interactive. I'm going to ask for audience participation. We're going to walk through some scenarios, and you're going to walk out of this class with what I call a better framework that works whether you're at Walmart or sitting at a restaurant with your family and friends. And one more thing. And at each session, I'm doing a giveaway. I'm not going to tell you what exactly it is yet, but I will say this. If you are a prepper, you are going to want this. It's something tangible, it's something you hold in your hands, it's something that holds its value, and something you'll be happy to have when you walk out. So come to my class, and that's all the hints I'm going to give you right now. So

Tickets Lodging Schedule And Pro Tips

SPEAKER_01 11:48

if you're thinking about going to prepper camp and you're kind of on the fence and you're hearing me talk about my class and thinking, well, that sounds kind of useful. Let me give you some pro tips based on what I know from last year. Here's something that caught my eye in the stats. Charlotte, North Carolina, again, you are the second biggest city for listeners. That means a lot. And guess what, Charlotte? You are within driving distance of prepper camp. Get your tickets and lodging now. You have about two weeks left. You will not be able to buy your tickets at the door. Lodging goes quick. Again, RV sites, tent camping, hotels, they've got it all. There's a coupon. Prepper25 gets you 25% off lodging and your RV sites. If you're going, use the code. Number two, look at the schedule before you go. They normally post it a week or two before. The class list is published before the event. So with 64 options per day, you're going to need to prioritize. Pick your mus-sees, then you're nice to haves, and leave some gaps for spontaneous conversations and wandering around the vendor area. You will really enjoy the vendor area. Bring something to take notes. I did not last year. I saw people with notebooks, iPads, making notes on their phones, whatever works, capture the key takeaways from each class because you are not going to remember everything that you see and hear. Number four, talk to people. Just don't go to class and leave. Introduce yourself. Ask what people are working on. Share what you're working on. The community aspect at Prepper Camp is at least half the value. Some of the best conversations that I had last year were completely spontaneous, completely unplanned. Bring your family if you can. It's a very family-oriented event. There's stuff for the kids to do. The setting is beautiful. And honestly, getting your spouse, younger kids, older kids exposed to this community and this information is probably one of the best things you can do. Preparedness works better as a household commitment rather than a solo hobby. And six, don't try to do everything. Three days sounds like a lot, but it's not. It goes very quickly. You will miss great classes, and that's okay. Go deep on the topics that matter to you most this year rather than trying to surface level everything. So,

Why In-Person Events Beat Online

SPEAKER_01 14:23

in my opinion, why do events like this matter? We spend a lot of time online, podcasts, YouTube, forums, social media, and there's value in that, don't get me wrong, but there's something fundamentally different about being in the room, or in this case, being in an open-air pavilion in the foothills of the Appalachians. You are there with a lot of other people that are on the same path. You learn differently in person. You can ask follow-up questions, demonstration, hands-on skills, not just reading something on a screen or listening to a podcast. And again, networking. You get to build relationships that you simply cannot build through an online comment section to a video. I've talked in previous episodes about community being one of the most important preps. You cannot do this alone, at least not in the long term. Prepper Camp is one of those few places where you can meet dozens, if not more, of capable, serious, like-minded folks in a single weekend. Some of these people might end up being your network for years and years to come. So going last year as an attendee is what gave me the confidence to reach out and offer to speak this year. The environment is very welcoming. The organizers, Rick and Jane, have built something that feels like community, not a conference, and that matters a lot.

Meet Me There And Final Thanks

SPEAKER_01 15:51

So here's the bottom line for Prepper Camp. If you've never been, this is the year to go. If you've been before, come back. The lineup is tremendous. Come to my class, outside the class, come find me. Honestly, if you see me between sessions, you see me at dinner, you see me at lunch, you see me walking through the vendor mall, come up and say hello. Tell me you love my podcast, tell me you don't like my podcast. You are not interrupting me. I promise. You are not being an inconvenience. You are not being a bother. I want to network with as many people as I can. That is a huge part of why I go to events like this. Some of the best connections that I made last year happened over a meal, standing around between classes, walking to class, walking back to camp. So don't be shy. I would genuinely like to meet folks face to face. And for you listeners outside the US, you are not an afterthought. Trust me, you are 23% of my audience. And again, Sydney, you are my number one city worldwide, ahead of every American city, UK, Canada, Germany, New Zealand, Sweden, Netherlands, Japan, and Mexico, and I could go on and on. The next few episodes I've got lined up are for everyone, no matter what country you're in. And I mentioned at the top of the show, we just broke 100,000 downloads. That happens because folks like you keep showing up. You share episodes, you leave reviews, you tell people about the show, and that matters more than any algorithm. So if you're at prepper camp and you see me walking around, come say hello. I want to shake your hand. I want to meet the folks that make this podcast real. If you have any questions about the event, about my class, or about anything else, practicalprepodcast at gmail.com. I'm on the Twitters, prep underscore podcast. Folks, thank you so much for stopping by. I cannot explain enough how much I appreciate every single one of my listeners. And as always, please be careful out there. Take care of one another, and until next time.

SPEAKER_00 18:07

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