Marauders
Marauders are hostile individuals or groups who, in a breakdown of order, prey on others by taking resources through force or intimidation. They differ from the golden horde, which is a mass of desperate but not necessarily malicious people. Marauders deliberately target others to take what they have.
Why Preppers Meet the Term
In stable times, law enforcement and the certainty of consequences keep predatory behavior rare. In a prolonged WROL or societal collapse scenario, that deterrent weakens, and opportunistic actors may organize. We treat the marauder threat as a sober planning point, not a source of fear. To see how ordinary people can turn to taking what others have, read about desperation in survival situations.
The right defenses are rarely lone heroics. Good OPSEC keeps your supplies from being advertised. A defensible location with controlled access helps, and a community deters predation better than any one person can. A gray man approach adds another layer when you travel, including when following railroad tracks on foot.
