A founder, author, and trusted voice in the preparedness, privacy, and self-reliance movement.
Forrest Garvin has spent more than two decades building communities, teaching thousands, and writing on what it really takes to be ready in the modern world.
Help ordinary people become more prepared, more private, and more free.
Forrest's work is built on a simple conviction: families that are ready are families that are free. Free to make their own decisions, protect the people they love, and live without flinching at every headline.
For more than 25 years he has worked across preparedness, privacy, security, training, and consulting, quietly building an ecosystem of companies, books, and communities that all serve that one idea.
Not a celebrity. Not a doomsday salesman. A founder, a teacher, and a steady hand for people who want to be ready without losing their hope.
From the field to the founder's chair.
Forrest's path started with a military background and a lifelong pull toward self-reliance. Long before "prepping" was a category online, he was reading the manuals, building the systems, and living the work.
What began as personal practice became a community when he founded PrepperNet, a place where families, veterans, pastors, and first-time preppers could trade real knowledge without the showmanship.
Today that same instinct drives the rest of his work: more than a dozen companies, seven books, a long-running podcast, and a national platform built on the same plain promise, show people what actually works, and treat them like adults.
Six pillars. One mission.
Preparedness & Self-Reliance
Two-plus decades teaching ordinary families how to be ready, without the noise, theatrics, or fear-mongering that defines most of this space.
Privacy & Personal Security
From OPSEC fundamentals to digital footprint reduction, Forrest's privacy work helps people quietly remove themselves from the wrong people's radar.
Building Communities
PrepperNet, a 120,000+ member community, Garvin Academy, Prepper Shows USA, and Prepare The Church are all part of one mission: people don't make it alone.
Entrepreneurship
More than a dozen companies built and operated, all centered on the same belief: ownership is the foundation of freedom.
Media & Speaking
The Prepping Academy podcast, keynotes, expos, and interviews, translating field experience into clear, story-driven talks.
Faith & Family Values
A faith-grounded, family-first perspective shapes everything, from Prepare The Church to The Case for Christian Preparedness.
The full story of Forrest Garvin.
Forrest Garvin is widely known as "The Prepper's Prepper" — a leader, builder, and educator who has spent over 25 years on the front lines of the preparedness movement.
He is the founder of PrepperNet, one of the largest preparedness communities in the country, connecting tens of thousands of individuals and families focused on self-reliance, security, and real-world readiness.
Forrest's background is a rare blend of military, technology, and entrepreneurship. He served as a U.S. Air Force NCO supporting operations with the 317th Airlift Wing and JSOC SOLL II out of Pope Air Force Base. After his military service, he transitioned into high-level technology roles with the Strategic Technology Group at NationsBank and Bank of America, where he worked on advanced systems and infrastructure.
He went on to launch multiple technology companies and even built an incubator that helped develop and scale successful startups—bringing a systems-based, real-world approach to everything he teaches.
Today, Forrest is the owner of My Solar Oven, founder of Garvin Academy, and leads Carolina Survival & Preparedness Academy in Charlotte, North Carolina. He also owns Grayman Protection LLC and continues to train individuals and families across a wide range of disciplines.
His credentials span both tactical and practical skillsets—he is an NRA instructor, HAM radio operator (General Class), and Krav Maga apprentice instructor. He is also the host of multiple podcasts, where he teaches on privacy, preparedness, and freedom.
Forrest has trained thousands of students in areas including self-defense, firearms, homesteading, communications, operational security, home-based business, and complete family preparedness. His approach is simple: practical, actionable, and built for real life—not theory.
As an author, he brings that same clarity and experience to his work, including The Preparedness Roadmap, Entrepreneurship for Survival, The Case for Christian Preparedness, and Stand Firm to the End—guides designed to help people take control of their future in uncertain times.
Based in North Carolina, Forrest is committed to his faith, his family, and his mission: equipping others with the skills, mindset, and systems needed to thrive—no matter what comes next.
A founder of more than a dozen companies.
The 120,000+ member preparedness community.
Long-form podcast and education platform.
Modern content and media platform.
Nationwide preparedness expos and events.
A tabletop game built around real-world readiness.
Helping faith communities become resilient.
Tactical area-study and mapping for serious operators.
Personal privacy audits and digital footprint reduction.
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