It's very timely that you bring up Doomsday Preppers as the National Geographic TV channel in the UK is beginning a series called 'Preppers UK, Surviving Armageddon'

http://www.radiotimes.com/news/2012-11-14/doomsday-preppers---usa-versus-uk

http://natgeotv.com/uk/preppers-uk-surviving-armageddon/galleries/british-preppers

armouredcockroach is I believe the star of the tonights show, who gives the BBC an interview.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9gKdF7YDwIg

Gear can make life easier, but I think that the emphasis should be on skills and common sense. Usually its the malfunctioning grey matter between the lug holes that gets most folks into trouble as with Paramedicpete's thread ' Some People Never Learn.

Oh and savings can quite literally disappear over night!