"When it comes to prepping, look to the Mormons. It's right there, in the official name of the religion: To be a "Latter-day Saint" is explicitly to believe in, and prepare for, the end times. This is why, on a calm morning last September, I arrive just outside Salt Lake City in a place called American Fork and knock on the door of Tyler Stapleton, the chief product engineer for off-grid power products at 4Patriots, one of the biggest companies pushing preparedness into the mainstream."
"Stapleton is a bit sheepish but very nice, a nerdy mechanical engineer with degrees from Brigham Young University who lives with his wife and three young children. Inside their tidy home is a big clock, a bright kitchen, and the Book of Mormon on the shelf. After exchanging pleasantries, Stapleton begins showing off new products and prototypes, including a sleek "James Bond-like" solar generator that packs up like a briefcase."
Mormon communities and members hold prominent roles in a multibillion-dollar disaster-preparedness industry that merges politics and technology. Companies such as 4Patriots design and market portable off-grid power products and position them as tools for family energy independence rather than survivalist extremism. Engineers and employees often present polished consumer-focused rhetoric while personal practices can include private bunkers. Sales and mainstreaming are driven by social media dynamics, conspiracy narratives, and rising global instability. Government recommendations to keep disaster kits and plans further normalize preparedness and expand demand for generators and emergency gear.
Read at WIRED
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