Interviewing Preppers – Omega Survival

It’s common to feel alone when you have a preparedness mindset. It’s been my experience that preppers value education, being self-reliant, developing skills, and being capable of helping in stressful situations. However, many people act like having an emergency kit is a foreign concept. For example, I was in a doctors office when a power outage happened. The only emergency light was in the hallway which left the waiting room and reception area in the dark. The examining room had a large window, so the doctor was able to continue examining patients by sunlight. However, she needed patients files to take notes. The medical staff couldn’t read the names on the medical folders using the light from their cell phones. I went to my car to get a Luci Lantern and brought it back to them. They were amazed that it lit up the room allowing them to quickly find the patients folders. One nurse says, “Why did you have that in your car? It’s like you’re prepared for Y2K?”  Comments like this make me want to spotlight preppers so that when any of you have these moments, you’ll remember you are not alone; there are many preparedness-minded individuals out there.




This article is the start of a new series called Interviewing Preppers. The idea is to shed some light on the different styles of prepping. Just as no two people would define success the same way, no two preppers would define their method of prepping the same way. In each interview, I ask the spotlighted prepper seven questions regarding their journey, goals, and how they’re connected to the preparedness community.

1. Tell us a little bit about yourself.

For OPSEC’s sake (Operational Security), you can call me Rusty Shackleford. I’m the owner of Omega Outdoor & Emergency Supply, Co., here in Dayton, Ohio.  We’ve had our retail showroom for preparedness & outdoor equipment here for over 3-1/2 years now.  I’ve been prepping for over 18 years and I bring that experience to our clients.

2. Tell us about one event in your life that has played a role in you becoming a prepper.

There’s not one event I can pin down.  I’ve been politically aware since a young age, always having paid attention to the news as well as to history.  When you see what is happening in the world and then choose to investigate it for yourself, you’re choosing to be an informed person and that’s an important decision because it often leads to disbelief, fear, anger, and alarm.  My “one event”  is, therefore, consciously choosing to be an informed person.  The old addage of [with wisdom and knowledge comes great sadness] is all too true.  I’m not claiming to be a wise sage.  My point is that if you’re not concerned about emergency preparedness —  you’re just not paying attention.

3. Do you personally have a preparedness goal you are currently working on?

One of the biggest problems for the prepper is finding a durable, defendable house and property.  Houses just aren’t made with these thoughts in mind.  Consequently, when we try to outfit our homes to meet a prepper’s needs, we’re really putting a band-aid on a problem which required outfitting from the very beginning; from the design phase forward.  Having come to this conclusion I’ve been working with an architect to design a hardened home from the ground up.  That’s what I’m working towards now.  Finding land and building a defendable home.  A big project.

4. Have you noticed a common mindset or concern in the people that shop at your store or attend your training classes?

Let’s face it, many aspects of preparedness (and the reasons we prepare) are dark and gloomy.  It’s refreshing to see the clients we serve in the store.  Regardless of age, gender, or skin color, a prepper is a prepper — we have a very friendly and open environment.  When someone starts talking about preparedness it’s an immediate connection point.  General preparedness needs are the mindset of the day at Omega:  Food, water, and defense.  Many people are concerned over war fears with North Korea or the Middle East in general, but many others feel economic collapse is on the horizon.

     5. Describe “Trade Blanket Field Day”?

Yes, we recently had our “Trade Blanket Day” and I’d say it was a success for a first-time event.  We had seven or eight big trade blankets and about sixty people bartering or buying survival goods.  A trade blanket event, for those who don’t know, is where you bring surplus gear or goods, lay it out on a blanket and let the bartering, buying and selling begin.  It’s kind of like a flea market.  In our case, a flea market for survival enthusiasts.  We’re going to do it again in the fall, by popular request, and combine it with our general Field Day to make it a larger event.

6. What are the 3 most popular products you sell?

As I mentioned earlier, food, water, and defense are the main concerns for most preppers, including myself.  So while no three products could be described as “most popular” due to our clients’ wide-ranging needs, these three categories are where the concentration for most people abounds.  Water filter-wise, we recommend Berkey.  Food can’t be contained to just one company in my experience, as you’ll need to go to at least eight providers as well as package some of your own food in order to properly and fully stock your larder.  A quick word on defense, if you can’t protect it, you don’t really own it or even have it, right?  If someone can take it from you.  We’ve had arguments in the shop before over the “ranking” of preparedness concerns and the case can be made for defense as the main concern, even above water and food.  All preppers should hit these areas:  food, water, defense.

7. Tell us a little about your company and the services you provide.

We provide gear of course, but we do much more than that.  Getting every American prepared for a crisis is our mission.  Gear you can buy anywhere, but what gear are you buying?  What do you do with it?  When might you need it?  We are as much a source of information and knowledge as we are a source for gear.  We shepherd and guide people of all skill levels through the rough waters which are emergency preparedness.  Omega Survival helps beginners get what they need and keep them from feeling overwhelmed, while we help the experienced client fine-tune their supplies and ideas.

Staying up on domestic and international events and trends is part and parcel to the preparedness lifestyle, so we’ve even developed a mobile app which we use to send out news items and theories of interest to people like us.  It’s called Prepare Alerts and you can search for “Omega Survival” in your app store to download it for free, or check out PrepareAlerts.com first to see what info we provide.

Anyone is welcome to join the “family” here at Omega.  We’re happy to provide free consultation and you can take advantage of our many articles, blog entries, Youtube videos, and the mobile app to help you with your preparedness goals.  You can visit us at our online store, OmegaSurvivalSupply.com, and please, if you’re ever near southern Ohio stop in, say “Hello!” and see our thousands of products!

If you have any questions for Rusty add them in the comments below!

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