Have you ever thought about how you would survive if the nation, or even the world, faced a disaster?

For many Australians, the question is simply an uncomfortable thought, but for a small section of society, known commonly as 'preppers', it is a driving passion.

Despite the hype around the term which may call into mind doomsday preachers or conspiracy fanatics, the close-knit community want to be known simply as regular people who are prepared- very prepared.

Scroll down for video

Peter (above) runs the Australian 'prepping' website OzPrepper and has filled his house with prepping gear

Peter, head of Australia's prepping website OzPrepper, said that he saw the movement as a way of 'making active preparations for a possible catastrophic disaster or emergency'.

'Being a prepper is no more crazy than buying a first aid kit, its just a sensible thing to do,' said Peter.

'In general, I live a relatively 'normal' life, but prepping tends to make me more aware of my surroundings and the possible things that can go wrong,' he said.

After becoming interested in world politics a decade ago, Peter became increasingly fascinated with events that could end society- nuclear war, financial collapse, electrical grids shutting down, water running out.

He became convinced that it was only a matter of time before some sort of disaster happened in Australia, and decided to prepare for the imminent event.

Peter said he is a 'regular guy', and sees prepping as something sensible to protect himself and his dog Minnie (right) for who he has a baby holster for her to sit in when he is bush tracking

Peter with his 'bug out bag' filled with necessities in case of an emergency or natural disaster

While Peter is prepared for large-scale catastrophes and smaller natural disasters such as bushfires or earthquakes, he doesn't put much stock in the fear of some in the community who predict the end of the world.

'There are preppers who are seriously preparing for a zombie apocalypse, but personally I think that’s absurd,' Peter said.

Paul, another prepper who chronicles his cross-country travels, said that prepping is 'all about being ready to deal with the curve balls that life can throw at you,'

'In other words take responsibility for your own wellbeing. There are hundreds of likely events like power outages or job losses that can befall any of us.

'Forget Armageddon and zombies, think "company restructure" or "backhoe cuts power lines",' said Paul.

After working in a corporate environment for many years, Paul decided to go off the grid, 'returning to a simpler more independent and self-sustaining lifestyle.'

Peter's unit has prepping items including batteries, supplies of food and water, world-band radios, and first aid

'There are preppers who are seriously preparing for a zombie apocalypse, but personally I think that’s absurd,' Peter said

'Being a prepper is no more crazy than buying a first aid kit, its just a sensible thing to do,' said Peter

For him, prepping simply seems like a logical step to take in order to protect himself and his loved ones against the possibility of a disaster.

'Why shouldn't people be preppers? They prepare for the chance of a flat tyre by having a spare, they prepare for the chance of a house fire by holding insurance,' Paul pointed out.

'These are very infrequent events, and yet almost everyone prepares for them. So why not prepare for events such as a pandemic, a financial collapse or even just a cyclone or flood?'

Paul said that he viewed the economy as a very fragile system which could be easily upended by a disaster, as most people source their food from companies who have it imported from thousands of kilometers away.

'What happens when the trucks can't deliver the food because the power grid has failed, and diesel isn't available?' he asked.

'After about three days the supermarket shelves will be empty and people will start looking for food. You are better off not being one of those people.'

Peter agreed, saying that without power society would quickly deteriorate into chaos, which is why he has identified three main areas of prepping: bugging in, bugging out, and everyday carry items.

'Bugging in' means 'staying put in your place of residence in an emergency or disaster' and 'bugging out' means 'leaving your place of residence in an emergency or disaster, typically to a bug out location (BOL), a predetermined location that has a clean and plentiful water source, and is private and secure,' said Peter.

Peter's 'bug out vehicle' (BOV), a specially designed bicycle with a 1000 watt electric hub motor with 100 kilometre range

'In a true SHTF (S**t Hit Th Fan) scenario, driving a car would be useless, because the roads would be grid locked. Here in Sydney, on a normal day, the roads are close to grid locked in peak hour,' Peter said

Peter's specially modified bicycle has a pet basket for Minnie, his 12-yeat-old chihuaua

Peter's 'bug out bag', a pack which contains all the esential items he would need in case of an emergency, is one of his most prized possessions.

From Army-grade energy bars and cooking devices, to weapons, a world-band radio, a first aid kit, and a complete survival manual, the bug out bag stays in his 'bug out vehicle' (BOV), a specially designed bicycle with a 1000 watt electric hub motor with 100 kilometre range.

'In a true SHTF (S**t Hit Th Fan) scenario, driving a car would be useless, because the roads would be grid locked. Here in Sydney, on a normal day, the roads are close to grid locked in peak hour.'

'Imagine just a small disaster, it would be chaos, let alone a full blown emergency. So, that said, I plan on using my BOV'.

Paul said that preppers are often depicted as 'tin-foil-hat-wearing paranoids,' and though he admitted that a minority may be fanatics, 'most are just providing their own insurance against whatever may happen in their lives,' an attitude he encourages others to adopt.

Peter's unit uses every inch of his living room and bedroom for his prepping gear

Peter has created machines in anticipation of a disaster, and is seen here with his mobile solar panel

'Figure it out now, not after there's a disaster,' Paul said.

Even for those who aren't interested in becoming preppers, both men insist that some level of preparation is essential.

'It isn’t everyone’s cup of tea to be prepared for the end of the world, but there are small things people should do, things that won’t impact on their everyday life, like having 3 to 4 months supply of food and water. And a first aid kit,' said Peter.

'Depending on where you live, you should at least be prepared for likely local disasters. Like far north Queenslanders should be prepared for a cyclone. Or someone in a bush fire prone area should be prepared for a bush fire.'

Paul said that it was a good idea to consider being prepared for the most likely scenarios, to store some food and water that would last at least a few days.