Mel Tappan: Did he get anything right?

[Mannlicher]

Back in the day, Mel was the king of preppers. His news letters and books were read, and relied upon. He had quite a reputation as a counselor and survival guru.

But.............did ne predict anything that has actually come to pass?

[protus]

what has anyone predicted that will come true?.

media age has produced 100 tappan type "gurus" if not more. some based in reality. some still spreading myths or info thats based on making folks feel good about their preparedness choices vs reality.

look at star trek....flip up phones 40 yrs later,,,i pads..tablets...stun guns.

say enough times that florida will get hit by the "big one" eventually it will happen....

[1Admin]

Someone on Arf once told me that Tappan "got his ideas from Don Robinson's book." So being the info hound I am, I searched and searched for this very hard to find book from Don Robinson on retreating. I ended up paying $70.00 for it, and it's kinda typical of half of the "prepper" books out now- a little info with a lot of LISTS! I was pissed at spending that much money on that book.

I've read Tappan on Survival probably two-three dozen times. It's a good book and forms the framework of modern survivalism IMO.

Was he a "panic pimp"? Hard to say. He seemed to have a very short time line- AS MANY DO NOW. Things weren't peachy in the 70's. As Austin Powers says "I checked into it (the 70's). There was an oil embargo and a Flock of Seagulls, that's about it...."

I'm sure then, as it seems to most now, that the table is on it's last leg. Just like you, I've been hearing that for forever. Yet a rabbit always seems to be pulled from the hat somehow. Problem is, each rabbit pulled from the hat has a new and higher price to pay.

So back to the original question- was Tappan right about anything? For me he was regarding country/retreat living. His book solidified ideas in my young teenage mind that I've put into play.

Did he have all the answers? No. The more I re-read Tappan on Survival it's clear that he had not been DOING a lot of actual boots on the ground survival retreat stuff for very long- just little things you pick up that smack of experience weren't there. Hell, this would apply today to many of what many consider the leaders of the preparedness movement today also....

And he wasn't the first to predict doom or play "panic pimp." I collect old survivalist type materials- phamlets, books, etc. Not considering old Civil Defense info and books, you can find books as far back as the 50's like "Get Thee into the high mountain." I enjoy the old school stuff like that. Just ignore the "hyperinflation will cripple America by 1979" type stuff LOL.

[prc-104]

Memories of Mel

Back in the day, Mel was the king of preppers. His news letters and books were read, and relied upon. He had quite a reputation as a counselor and survival guru.

But.............did ne predict anything that has actually come to pass?

I don't know how to address your post regarding Mel's predictions.

I never considered Mel to be a predictor.

He was in very poor health and wheelchair bound even before he moved to that mountaintop.
What I benefited from and learned from Mel was the evaluation of all of the subjects regarding what we now call prepping. He was an early version of Carla Emory in a different vein.
I benefited from Mel's evaluation of:
Firearms
food prep
water sources
clothing
firearm sights
tentage
tons of other small areas.

I may be getting old but I don't really recall Mel being an events forecaster.

/john

[Benn Gleck]

I agree with PRC, I benefited from his recommendations on many things foremost being firearms.

I purchased 2 hk91s in the early 80's based on his writings and I wish I would have bought many more.

[Diz]

I think one key concept that Mel got right was on working within the framework of a small town -vs- an isolated survival retreat. I think that it will take the numbers of a small town to be able to cover all the work that needs to be done, including 360 degree, 24/7 security. You may be able to hunker down for awhile, as an isolated outpost, but at some point I believe most folks will need to join up with some kind of community. So there is one concept you can take away from his writings. I don't look at him as some sort of Rasputin predicting the future. I see him as an early push-back against the current trend of reliance on someone else.

As someone who has been involved in the survivalist movement since the early 80's, I can offer a few thoughts. Yes, there have been dire warnings for decades now. It's easy to become jaded and ignore the danger. Panic pimps. I love it. With that being said, I have seen the situation steadily worsen over the years. In fact, I am amazed sometimes that it actually has gotten this bad. So with that in mind, can it actually get worse? I think so. When? There's the 64 dollar question.

The classic answer was to build your survival retreat cabin in the woods and wait fer the big one. Well, there's peeps that did just that, and well, they're still there waiting. So I think there has to be another solution, where you can live your life without waiting around for doomsday, like some religious cult on the mountain top.

Another trend has been the survivalist lite, aka prepper. Although you could claim this was just semantics, the use of a more palatable term for what you're doing, it has also introduced a newer philosophy or perhaps a more rational approach to survival in the post-cold war era.

This country has become more fractured and divided than ever before. We have become two nations with little if any common ground. The progressive movement has promised equality and freedom for all. What they didn't mention was the current civilization must be torn down first, so their utopian Marxist vision could be implemented. It's sad that so many have bought into their bull****. But I guess the promise of tearing everyone down to your level is a strong temptation to base human nature.

[1Admin]

Good points Diz.

I went with the classic answer but I'm not waiting for the big one, just like living in the country and being able to pee in the yard any time I want. LOL

[justanothergunnut]

Good points Diz.

I went with the classic answer but I'm not waiting for the big one, just like living in the country and being able to pee in the yard any time I want. LOL

I can pee in the front yard anytime I want.. Course there may be some repercussions but.....

[protus]

I can pee in the front yard anytime I want.. Course there may be some repercussions but.....

All I'm saying is.....elevated front porch.....I canget some distance...LOL

[DIM TIM]

I've been reading some of his stuff, and I think that it's like just about anything related to survival and preparedness.....you're going to get something out of ALL of it, but each person asked will have a different take than the next, and the next, and the next, and.............

Timelines are fickle things, but even a clock is right twice a day. The main point I think he tried to drive home regardless of any made or infered predictions, was that it is best to be prepared. If you are, and you never see a time when the SHTF, then fine, you were at least prepared. BUT... if it does hit, then woe unto all that were not ready, and good for you that you were.