In a total SHTF/TEOTWAWKI situation, what will be some valuable barter items?

Same here, that is an awsome list. I think I recall learning a lot of that in scouts, but that would be useful to retouch on old things and learn some of the new. I'm going to copy/paste that and save it on my pc.
 
A good list RFMäyrä. One thing though, it is quite location sensitive but that is life I guess.

TLM
 
Personally, I think anything that will aid someone in killing you and taking your stores is out of the question and to me, booze would be like giving them a weapon or ammo.

Salt, sugar, coffee, honey, water, food, stabilized gasoline, warm blankets, firewood, warm coat, matches, lighter, skills, first aid.
 
Doc,
I actually think it is possible, the next ice age or maybe a meteor strike. I watched a discovery channel special night before last on the sahara. In the very center of the driest place on earth where no one has lived or travelled in modern history, there is cave art of people swimming. The sahara desert was once lush with rivers, lakes, people and game and then a few thousand years ago the earth's axis shifted about 1 degree and now it gets >1" of rainfall a year. Something of this magnitude or worse is going to happen again, it is inevitable. The world is too populated as it is and those that don't have the skills and can't take care of themselves/family are going to turn to taking what they need by force. If the New Madrid fault cuts loose it will be bad enough, but I am talking about things that change the climate of the world.

I agree with you though, knowledge and skill are at the very top of the list. Chris
 
If this scenerio really happened, I would stay as far away people as possible, except of course family and very close friends. If it was just me, I'd grab my Fieldline belt and my lever-action rifle and head for the woods.
 
runningboar said:
Doc,
I actually think it is possible, the next ice age or maybe a meteor strike. I watched a special night before last on the sahara. In the very center of the driest place on earth there is cave art of people swimming. The shara desert used to be lush with rivers, lakes, people and game and then a few thousand years ago the earth's axis shifted about 1 degree and now it gets >1" of rainfall a year. Something of this magnitude or worse is going to happen again, it is inevitable. The world is too populated as it is and those that don't have the skills and can't take care of themselves/family are going to turn to taking what they need by force. If the New Madrid fault cuts loose it will be bad enough but I am talking about things that change the climate of the world.

I agree with you though, knowledge and skill are at the very top of the list. Chris
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Hey, I saw that too, it was about 1:00am central time on discovery the other night. I think it was called "fierce planet." Very interesting show, I had no idea that the sahara was once a lush environment with lakebeds all over the place. Amazing how that one degree changed everything. Now if that happened I would head for the hills and grab every last knife in my collection on the way out!!!
 
batosai117 said:
Hey, I saw that too, it was about 1:00am central time on discovery the other night. I think it was called "fierce planet." Very interesting show, I had no idea that the sahara was once a lush environment with lakebeds all over the place. Amazing how that one degree changed everything. Now if that happened I would head for the hills and grab every last knife in my collection on the way out!!!
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According to the show, it went from lush to what it is now in less than 50 years. Pretty sobering if you really think about it. Chris
 
Over the counter Medicines:
ibuprofen
aspirin
antihistamines (more people will be gettin dirty)
...

When things start to go bad, I would buy about 10 times a
years supply. This would still be a small cost.
 
Large plastic trash bags.- a million and one uses for waterproof containers.
Lots of asprin, and other over the counter meds.
Sewing needles and strong button/carpet thread. Lots of clothing will need repair.
Salt and pepper. -spices were valueble in the old days for preserving food.

And very good primitive living skills. the one poster was right, they can't take knowledge away from you.
 
runningboar said:
According to the show, it went from lush to what it is now in less than 50 years. Pretty sobering if you really think about it. Chris
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Yeah, that is pretty crazy how quickly the whole top part of Africa changed in such a short amount of time, and that was before the meteor hit too. With the world wobbling around and global warming being talked about we better gear up.....and buy even MORE knives!!!
 
Very interesting thread, especially the lists. I realized that I'm woefully inadequate as far as knowledge goes.

Question - has anyone read Alas Babylon? I read it a couple of years ago, and it really got me thinking about what would happen to me & my family if an event occurred that forced us all to be self reliant. I liked the fact that it wasn't an armageddon story as much as those who are left, deal with issues realistically; at least that's my opinion. I started learning what I could, and building a family 'kit', so we could get through something like that.

I've never believed in a complete EOTWAWKI scenario, but things like hurricane Katrina are going to happen a lot more often, I think. Even the recent floods in the pacific northwest are enough to give me pause.

I figure if we can get through a couple of months, we should be ok.

And I like batosai117's idea. Any reason to buy more knives is good enough for me!

thx - cpr
 
batosai117 said:
True, we are only "civilized" because the lights turn on with the flick of a switch and we obey the laws (for the most part) because there is always food and water readily available. Now, take that away and people will do anything to save themselves, no matter what the cost. At least most of us here in this forum have the know how to survive and hopefully stay calm, whereas everyone else is going to run rampant on the streets trying to steal our stuff. . . .
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While it is true that things run smoother in the absence of crisis, you need to consider history (read "The 500 Days" or "Resistance [Gutman] for example) to see that civilization has, in fact, survived in the absence of electricity or other "comforts," in the presence of starvation and plague, and even under a rain of shells and bombs. Some? Sure. "Everyone" is belied by actual human experience.

Good lists above.

Needles and thread?
Nails?
Wire?
Hand tools?
Files?
Spices in general - sage, savory, garlic, mustard, pepper, RED PEPPER!!!!!
Honey
Could you have too much salt?
Hand-loading supplies in general.
 
Seeds.

Without a victory garden you would be in bad shape, plus fresh veggies would be a good item to barter. Chris
 
runningboar said:
Seeds.

Without a victory garden you would be in bad shape, plus fresh veggies would be a good item to barter. Chris
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Oh yes!!! :thumbup:

Some seeds last for years, others for one season. You need a supply and knowledge of which is which.

Eat the smaller. Save the bigger.
 
Thomas Linton said:
While it is true that things run smoother in the absence of crisis, you need to consider history (read "The 500 Days" or "Resistance [Gutman] for example) to see that civilization has, in fact, survived in the absence of electricity or other "comforts," in the presence of starvation and plague, and even under a rain of shells and bombs. Some? Sure. "Everyone" is belied by actual human experience.

Good lists above.

Needles and thread?
Nails?
Wire?
Hand tools?
Files?
Spices in general - sage, savory, garlic, mustard, pepper, RED PEPPER!!!!!
Honey
Could you have too much salt?
Hand-loading supplies in general.
Click to expand...

Of course, I agree with you 100%. The only problem is that the frantic sheeple of today would freak out the second the light switch doesn't work and the phone lines (more like cell phones) don't work. Then they will run rampant while all of us who have gear will be picking them off like a zombie movie as they run at us for all of our things!!! A little dramatic, but you get my point ;).
 
batosai117 said:
Of course, I agree with you 100%. The only problem is that the frantic sheeple of today would freak out the second the light switch doesn't work and the phone lines (more like cell phones) don't work. Then they will run rampant while all of us who have gear will be picking them off like a zombie movie as they run at us for all of our things!!! A little dramatic, but you get my point ;).
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I get your point. I disagree. Hopefully, we will never find out.
 
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