What do you plan to barter?

Assuming cash is not available to you or has become relatively useless in your environment, what do you plan to use as trade goods to barter for your needs? Thanks.

Hopefully i'll have all I need in place when TSHTF. I have a ranch and plan on stock piling long term food, medical supplies etc. But if I MUST trade I would probably do food, animal feed, medical services, clothing etc. Nothing that would weaken my posistion or draw unnecessary attention to us or what we have. Fuel, weapons, ammunition etc would NOT be offered.

At the current moment, it would be toilet paper, paper towels, and shelter for up to 5 people. By the way, I think it's a tactical error to think you'll have everything and won't need to barter.

I agree IRECKON. But I'm trying to look at every possibility and seeking advice. No shelter here. I have ranch hands and a few others. And I don't want people coming on the property and seeing the livestock and gardens etc. In that sitution it would just encourage them to try and take it. I hadn't thought of paper products, Thanks.

Yeah, good thinking... As for shelter, I was thinking that's only for people I know. Also, no free board, you need to be of value to the group in some way. For example, my brother-in-law would get shelter, no questions asked. He's a general surgeon. If it's mom, then it's mom, enough said. :-)

Good points hiker. I hadn't thought of dollar store items but I had thought of hygiene items. It would be embaressing to get shot with my own reloads or a trade gun.

Laundry Detergent and bars of soap keep a long time in storage. Ditto pager towels, toilet tissue and regular tissues.

These are all relatively cheap, don't go bad in dry storage, and are the type of things you don't appreciate until you don't have them.

Very true ireckon. In the zombie series I write to pass time the major has a strict rule for the survivors. No free rides. Everyone works or fights to earn thier keep. A few who have read some of the stories think thats highly unfair. Smh.

psstttt! Hey Izzy! Have I ever got a deal for you...

I have a couple of 100 packs of 2/0 hooks squirreled away that might be used for barter...my protein source is the Gulf of Mexico

I inherited silver from both my Grandmothers - tea service, cutlery, serving utensils, etc. My aunts think I keep it for sentimental reasons. We use it all at big family gatherings. Little do they know that it's all part of my "just in case" supplies.

EDIT: The quilts and cedar chests I inherited are just plain awesome utilitarian goodness. My cousin got the good wool blankets though. dang!

What would I barter? Pretty much anything I have that I think is worth losing in order to gain something else I need.

As a specific item, I like bartering in alcohol. I figure it's not really essential to my survival and if they're totally inebriated they're less likely to be a real threat.

With that said, I will not barter weapons/ammunition. I know some people who think .22lr ammo is a great bartering item, but I just feel like there is too much potential for it to be used against you. Plus I'd rather not let people know whether or not I'm armed unless I have to; as it could make some situations more tense than they need to be.

I have some junk silver coins and also have some gold coins from before the price shot out of sight. Alcohol and furs have historically been high-valued barter items, though I don't stock excesses of the former and have none of the latter at present. Excess vegetables from the garden and eggs from chickens, if it gets to that.

I supposed I could dust-off my old electrical/electronics skills, but I doubt that my current IT skills would be worth much if we are down to trading fish hooks and corn.

I would hope to barter from a position of power. Giving the impression of not needing anything would be a starting point. I would trade ammunition to those that were low but not out. I would also suggest that I could offer them more if they needed it later. I have already offered firearms and ammunition to a poor family in the area. I told them to continue stocking what they are good at and we would trade later.

Snake Doctor – You have some medicine to trade? I do need Flagyl & Leviquin & Cipro, what do you need for it? I will store medicine in return for firearms and ammunition.

NightHiker – What type of manual labor would you like to do. How can I pay you? What would you charge me to bury these 8 Foxholes that I just got form Lar-Ken concrete in Garden City? Security? What kind of a group can you shoot at 400 yards?

IzzyJG99 – I could use as many multi tools as you can spare. What do you need in trade?

LesSnyder – I also have quite a collection of large hooks for mammals. I will trade you one for one and we will each be better supplied. I could trade you RV parking at my location for RV parking at yours. What caliber firearms and ammunition do you rank the highest?

Paul810 – Liquor, you say. What are you short of? I think we could be friends. Continue to stock as much as you can. I can provide the hard core equipment.

ponder... not sure if that was a legit question... but here goes...as I've said I'm a paper puncher...the 1050 is set up for 9mm (G34) and the 550 with case feeder for .45 (custom 1911) and try to keep a 5gal bucket of brass on hand for both... still have a couple of bricks of .22lr from the Chevy Team Challenge days (M41 and 10/22)...if need be can feed the 870 or Benelli with MEC Grabber... don't hunt so my AR10 is a game gun, but somewhat limited in ammo... my 4x32 topped 5.56 carbine will shoot 4inches at 400m with 55grain S&B and about 5inches with USGI

IMHO - those are all quality barter categories. I will expect all of your centerfire ammunition to be in short supply in the future. I am stocking a significant quantity of .308 & .223. Both are in high demand in Idaho. I also favor long range targeting with a Remington 700 Sendero in .300 WM.

If you are riding thru Idaho, you can resupply here.

[quote=Paul810]As a specific item, I like bartering in alcohol./quote]

The interesting part about bartering in alcohol is the value variation across the country. A redneck in Skagway, AK took a liking to my Benchmade AFO. He supplied Bud Tall cheaper than the Bud delivery truck supplies our store. Idaho liquor taxes are extremely high. Nevada residents use Everclear to trade for ammo in Idaho.

I have taken my ideas for barter from history. There were many traders that worked with Natives here in North America. I will NOT trade away alcohol, food, medicine, weapons or ammunition. I have a few skills, but mostly I am looking at sundries- thread, needles, disposable razors, nail clippers, clothing/fabric, tarps, mirrors, old camp pots, soap, boot laces, etc.

Keep the customers at a distance and trust no new folks.

Of course, this is all a TEOTWAWKI situation.

For the most part, I am not all that worried about barter after a TEOTWAWKI type event. No matter what you have, getting good value for your stuff is going to require widespread knowledge of just what you have and I think a much lower profile is in order.

I also think the idea of bartering services for hard goods is probably more fantasy then reality. I often see people suggesting they would be able to barter their service as security guards or first aid suppliers. Really? Those kind of skills are very widespread in varying degrees. I am personally not going to hire just anyone that shows up with a gun as a security guard. There will be a lot of supply of unskilled and semi-skilled labor and not much demand.

I don't think that even highly skilled people like doctors and nurses would be in that great of a position. Our modern medical system sucks up a lot of skilled people to care for the chronically and acutely ill people who will die off pretty quickly if things get really bad, leaving a large overhanging supply of skilled medical people with little to do.

I think it's true that the skills (and they definitely are real skills) of a good many of those highly trained medical people is dependent upon the technology available in hospitals or treatment centers. The further into the woods you are, the more reduced anyone's treatment capabilities become.

I am currently reading, with great pleasure, the latest edition of [/u]Medicine for Mountaineering[u], which goes significantly beyond typical first responder/first aid measures. Still, in a good many discussions, the ending is the familiar "evacuation to definitive care is required." In a good many disaster situations, that option may not be realistic.

Let me suggest a slight change in focus: do you include barter goods in your set of preparedness gear? If so, what?

Not particularly. It might be a little difficult to decide what would be good barter material in any given situation. What if every one stocks up on 22 ammo.....?

On a somewhat interesting/historical note, this is what Lewis and Clark took on their expedition for trade (or presents) with Native Americans:

12 Dozen pocket mirrors
4,600 Sewing needles
144 Small scissors
10 Pounds (4.5 kilograms) of sewing thread
Silk ribbons
Ivory combs
Handkerchiefs
Yards of bright-colored cloth
130 Rolls of tobacco
Tomahawks that doubled as pipes
288 Knives
8 Brass kettles
Vermilion face paint
20 Pounds (9 kilograms) of assorted beads, mostly blue
5 Pounds (2 kilograms) of small, white, glass beads
288 Brass thimbles
Armbands
Ear trinkets

That was not my point. These are bright people or they would not have graduated from medical or nursing school. They will adapt pretty quickly and on an individual basis could be pretty useful.

But the thing is once their patients die off, there will be a huge glut of these kind of people available which will tend to make their value a lot lower than you might think at first glance, which was the point I was trying and appear to have failed to make.

Not all that bad of a list even for today, especially considering this was a list from 200 some years ago.

I don't *plan* on bartering anything. However, if I end up in a situation where I absolutely must barter to obtain something else I desperately need, it would probably be ammunition I'd be offering. I have plenty enough ammo to cover such bartering, and then some.

"once their patients die off"...I think I would agree that many of the initial victims will perish, but the drastically altered circumstances will be generating new patients, perhaps in very large numbers, due to degraded sanitation, environmental exposure, trauma from cleanup efforts, inadequate diet, psychological reaction to stress - you name it.

Have there been any historical instances of "surplus" medical personnel in disaster situations? I haven't heard of any, but I certainly haven't really considered the issue....

Electrons. I've set up a solar panel system I can use to recharge people's batteries from AAA up to 12v car batteries. The best things about this is:
1. I'm using those panels to run my computers right now, saving me money.
2. As long as the panels remain intact I can keep trading energy from them, they won't run out of electrons.

It's like being Ben Bernanke, I'll just be able to keep printing money!

Of course, there's also the whole wild edible and medicinal plant stuff.
-Blast

Oh yeah, one other thing. I read a lot of history books about bad times. From these I've learned one of the best positions to be in is not a trader but rather be the person who owns the land where the trading takes place. If you can guarantee people a safe place to make trades where they won't be beat over the head and robbed in exchange for a reasonable fee then you are well on your way to become the local head honcho.
-Blast

People of whom have the knowledge to process Crude oil into Petrol,will also Flourish very well during Hard Times.The Chechens & Armenians,& many other ex-Soviet area's, have been doing "Bathtub" refining for a Longtime with Good results=Cheap gas!

My brother-in-law is a general surgeon. He's currently in high demand in a time that's not even close to TEOTWAWKI. I'm not understanding the concept of how his demand would suddenly go down when his "other patients die off". I have personally been the recipient of his medical care when we were outside the hospital, and he didn't have all his expensive tools at his disposal. I think most, or all, doctors have training in primitive care.

This is how you barter with this kind of guy: You give him a place to stay, make sure he's fed, etc., in order to keep him around. I don't have his expertise. I don't always need it, but when I need it, I NEED IT. There is no substitute for his skill set. It's quite different than being, for example, an auto mechanic where you have wide latitude to experiment and see if something will work.

On the flip side, the poor guy is clueless outside of medicine, as many doctors are. He would need someone like me for stuff that's common knowledge to people on this site.

Hmmm, I think I'll open up a small restaurant cafe, with a little live music bar next door. Bring in your fresh meat, fish, garden vegetables, quality spirits, and we'll talk prices.

Oh, and we've got fresh apple pie on Thursdays. And for $1 you can leave your help wanted/needed notes on the tackboard. Thanks for visiting the SHTF Cafe, and ya'll come back now ya hear.

Get a lot of decks of cards.

Note what I actually wrote



A disaster, even a widespread one like a tsunami or hurricane is not a TEOTWAWKI type event that would be required to reduce us to a barter economy. TEOTWAWKI would make some very serious changes in the way things are very quickly for everyone. I don't see anyway that I can prepare for such an event, so I do not even try.

In the midst of a widespread disaster it is quite possible I might well make some trades. For instance, I might well trade some beef jerky for a bag of peanuts. But that kind of thing is not part of my planning.

How good is his bargaining position when the services of hundreds of thousands of similarly qualified people becomes available over a short period of time?

Keep in mind too that the fancy gizmos won't be available, severely limiting what surgeries can be performed at all, much less with a reasonable chance of success.

It seems quite possible that people like auto mechanics whose skills might well be more readily transfered to problems at hand could be in more demand.

OK, note taken, we'll just have to recognize we disagree on a fundamental assumption.

Docs, dentists, nurses, even vets will all be useful in a post-applesauce situation. Babies will continue to be born, accidents with sharp pointy things, you get the idea.

People who have zero skills to barter - any theoretical scientist. Most social scientists, pshychologists, those with PHDs in fine arts.

People I want to have around - Mechanical engineers, any engineer, welders, carpenters, plumbers, electricians, those with infantry training/military skills in general - paintballers need not apply - farmers, animal breeders/trainers. People who can make stuff with their hands and hand tools.

I'm taking Blast's advice and opening Bartertown.

Good entertainers (comedians, actors, pro athletes, etc.) will be in demand after things settle down a bit. Actually, if I have no practical skill set or even if I do, then being funny or entertaining will have concrete value. Note that even in a down economy, people still figure out a way to pay for their entertainment.

with the typical prepper storing a variety of grains like rice and barley...I'm sure an enterprising entrepreneur can supply the brewing tanks and bottle capping machine...spring water and the finest hops, rice, and best barley malt...adult beverages

how do you freeze dry hops?

the more I think about this, I may be on to something....

My SO spent some years traveling and working for NGO's in some of the most hellish 3rd world countries and unsanitary conditions that you could not ever imagine. Although she is not in the medical field, at various times it was necessary for her to work with Doctors, Specialists, Nurses from all over Canada and the USA. Many of these people who had studied and who were trained in modern western medicine and under strict sanitary settings, had a very difficult time adjusting to "dirt medicine" techniques. Some of them could not adjust and were either sent home or left on their own accord. Based on my SO experiences, those who fared best, had previous military experience or had practiced/worked in small towns or communities where they were the only Doctor, Nurse etc and had to work in underfunded and under-equipped clinics with less then idea equipment, conditions etc.

Although I don't foresee any type of future in this thread that many imagine. It is worth noting though that health care professionals, even those with years of experience will have their skills tested, taxed and tempered by inadequate resources and less then idea clinical settings in any large scale disaster.

Why wait? Brew it now

Those who possess the traditional skills that were in demand when this country was founded will be in demand in any post-modern era:

Butcher, baker, preacher, doc, blacksmith, taylor, tinker, farmer, vet, general merchant, wrangler, farrier.....

I've got five pots of stew over the fire. Each pot is marked with the main meat ingredient. It has been a couple of years since we could get regular meat.

For a big bowl Son, the price is 10 .22 rounds, 2 .223 rounds or 1 .308 round. How are you paying and name your choice.

If you like, this music will be played with bowl 4.
http://catrecipes.com/pekingmoon.html

I may have extra Cipro. And I hit the drugstores in Mexico when I go there for work.
I like zihtromax myself. Stock up on it when I can. Not sure what Hikers group is but at 1000 meters with my .243 and handloads I can break 10 rounds into one hole. My A2 serves for longer range applications.

What the gentleman hasn't seemed to take into consideration is that doctors, er personnel, surgeons etc, even paramedics and emts are used to sterile conditions with bright lighting inside out of the elements and with plenty of back up to call on. Combat medics work under the absolute worst conditions, with minimal supplies they had to carry in. When the bullets are flying and men are dying they have to to decide who lives and dies (triage) and all the while they themselves are targets of enemy fire. So who do you REALLY want working on you in tghe back country after being bear mauled, shot or snake bit? A heart surgeon with a first aid kit or the guy that spent a tour or two under fire and brings whats really needed to the party? I'll take the medic. Just my opinion.

Snake Doctor... make mine an SF medic...on the other note, so you are the one with the .243 rail gun.. is it the Gerald Bull signature model?

I could trade alcohol. We make wine, shine and beer. Just small amounts, of course.

How about I trade half a loaf of bread for a big bowl?

So did the old MASH doctors.

The fact that we're splitting hairs with doctors proves their value. We could go through the same dance with auto mechanic, baker, blacksmith, taylor, farmer, vet, general merchant, etc. However, we know with medical doctors in a dire situation, we're probably talking about a life-or-death situation right now. So, we have this discussion that's quite a bit more more intriguing.

It's an easy enough question for every professional. Is this skilled person accustomed to working under primitive conditions, or do they only know how to operate with their expensive equipment? It's a case-by-case situation for each professional. It's a totally valid question today when we have the comforts of modern technology.

In the case of my brother-in-law, he went into medicine specifically with the intent to treat people in less equipped countries. Like I said a couple times, he's a general surgeon. Part of his training required him to spend years in the ER room of hospitals that didn't have all the expensive toys.

At this point, he knows how to treat someone who got stabbed or shot in the inner thigh. That's one of many examples. He has done his time with cadavers, and knows human anatomy inside and out. If you talk to a doctor who has actually done stuff like this, they are likely to tell you something like they fainted the first time they had to do these things. Some top-of-the-class doctors go through medical school and realize they can't get past the idea of working with blood all day. So, they manage a hospital, or move to practicing orthopedics, or whatever.

By asking a few pinpoint questions, it's easy enough to figure out what type of doctor you have before you, right? The same is true for any other skilled person. One shortcut, if you're talking to a general surgeon who has spent time in an ER, then there's a high chance this person is fully capable of working under primitive conditions and has already been there and back. Apparently, the same is true for combat vets.

Wow. Didn't mean to kick the hornets nest.

Nope. It's a standard model with a bull barrel we added when I was young and worked at a gunshop. An M-16 is capable of hitting a man sized target a 1000 meters. I have always been very good at long range shots. That session I used a bench rest and took my time on a dead calm summer day. Look at the snipers in Nam who were using .30 caliber weapons and the shots they performed. White Feather was one. Thanks for responding.

Wonder how this response got into this particular thread.

[quote=ILBob...Wonder how this response got into this particular thread... [/quote]

READ! He was responding to LesSnyder.

(To quote a phrase from the rule book - ...If the discussion of firearms use bothers you ... ignore threads (or messages) involving firearms...)

I gotta say, in my 8 years as an EMT, I can't remember all that many sterile conditions and bright lights ... so not sure where you're basing that stereotype.

"Combat" medics is pretty broad. Every 68W in the Army is a "combat medic" but few truly see combat. Heck, most of them end up in some sort of clinic setting or rear setting. And most of THEM don't know what to do after 30 minutes ... that casevac isn't going to come in a SHTF. And they won't be all that good with non-trauma stuff. So, you pick who you want.

A SF medic is probably better trained, or an IDC for the Navy folks. Ideally, some sort of surgeon or ER doc that has real world, out of hospital experiences.

I guess I with MD Diana on this one - I can't recall anything like sterile conditions inside out of the elements on any calls I have been privy to. And, yes, I have seen physicians and ER personnel perform quite well. I think your point could be better stated as "physicians will be able to do more in a hospital or standard medical setting than they can do in the wild." And yes, some will do better and be more effective and comfortable than others. If I am ever the victim I will be perfectly happy to receive medical treatment from an MD in the field.

I can recall at least one instance where an onscene physician made the difference and saved a life. Everyone there, including a couple of paramedics, agreed.

1000 meters with a typical M16? Yikes. I've shot out to 800 yards with my 20" HBAR and that was plenty for me. At that point your shot is dropping some 20 feet and carries less energy than a .22lr.

Wow, a .22 lr holds a lot of energy out to 800 yards.

Should have clarified......22lr at the muzzle.

The hair-splitting about doctors seems to be a meditation upon a luxury that we probably won't have in any emergency situation. While I agree on the relative suitability of various sorts of doctors, we'd be lucky to find even one doctor, much less someone who specializes in exactly what we need. It's not like we'll have a special forces combat medic, an ER doctor who's comfortable improvising, an OBGYN, a neurosurgeon, and an osteopath to pick from, unless the emergency happens in the middle of a medical convention. It's hard enough already in our current First World life to find a good doctor. It's going to be a throw of the dice in a disaster.

The *Ditch Medicine* book looks... exactly like the sort of stuff I hope I'll never have to do in real life. Many grim scenarios. Better get a copy of the book. Thanks for the recommendation.

But doctors and medical professionals are out there in the general population, and are random events that can coincide with your emergency. It has happened to me on more than one occasion - the timely appearance of a doctor or nurse on the scene of an emergency. On at least one of those occasions, the physician just turned to our team and said, "go ahead, your treatment looks fine, you know more about this than I do."

The most outstanding example I can recall was treatment of a victim of high altitude cerebral edema on Denali. The victim was able to descend to 14,000, Advanced Base Camp, was in much better shape, and was examined by our team. Also in camp was Dr. James Wilkerson, who wrote several books on the subject (Medicine for Mountaineering). He came over, as word spread about the incident through camp, and monitored our performance. Afterwards, we had a very insightful and educational critique and evaluation, which is one of the highlights of my climbing career. The event messed up our attempt of the summit, but is was easily a fair trade.

Just got to add. This one wins the all time championship for thread drift - physicians and ballistics of .22 rounds! I wouldn't trade it for anything..

We had a good thread on this not that long ago that would be a good read.

In situations that are not yet TEOTWAWKI, the concept of a "time bank" apparently is catching on in Greece as many people just don't have the Euros to pay for a lot of things. In a time bank, you trade time/services, like an hour of babysitting for an hour of piano lessons. So you don't necessarily need specialized skills like a doctor or mechanic to barter your services.

Personally, I don't think barter would ever be the main means of exchange, or not for long. It's just too unwieldy for frequent day-to-day needs and if trading a lot of consumables, the supply of them are going to be used up fairly rapidly.

And with large or expensive items, it's going to be hard to weigh relative value. People will get ripped off a lot with big items, probably because one side doesn't have a choice and are desperate.

If things really got that bad, I think some sort of alternative currency or scrip system would come about, or perhaps certain items, like cigarettes, would essentially become money. You wouldn't trade cigarettes so you could smoke, you'd hold onto them and trade them for other things.

Unfortunately, I think it's hard to predict what items might become some new trading medium. Bar soap? Sewing needles? If cigarettes, maybe only a particular brand will be acceptable as money and anything else will only be good for smoking. I was reading about a recent example of cigarettes as money a while back, but I forget the details or where I read it (did I read it on ETS?). Only one particular brand was acceptable, though, like Merit or something like that. If you had a closet full of Camels, you were out of luck. You could still trade, of course, but you'd need to spend more effort to negotiate a trade.

Here are some bigger options for people or companies that have the means:

-water purifying service
-power supplier
-garbage hauling service
-ISP (Internet Service Provider)
-information technology service
-cell phone network service

Hey, it's not like our modern technology is all going to vanish suddenly.

If that happened, that would come much later rather than sooner. Everybody in the system would have to agree the alternative currency has value, or everybody would have to believe they would get their skull knocked in if they don't honor the currency. If just a few influential people didn't honor the alternative currency, then the whole system would collapse because those few people would cause a ripple effect. The U.S. Dollar works because substantially everybody believes Federal Reserve Notes have value. I'm sure even Ron Paul believes it's possible to walk into almost any store and buy something with cash in his wallet.

Bartering is clumsier and less precise, but several orders of magnitude simpler.

Agreed, and I'm part of the problem! But even a mediocre doc SHOULD have enough knowledge to treat most basic things that are above a paramedic level. It'll also be harder to do damage to someone as meds run out ...

I've got nothing to add re: 5.56 ballistics ... lol.

Where there is no doctor and where there is no dentist are good also.

Thanks Ponder. SD

Sorry Mdiana. I lumped in the emts without the intended qualifier. My bad.

I didn't mean to disparage anyone on the forum. I suppose I was just reacting to my personal experience. I am chronically ill, and I live in a small town. I had to travel almost halfway across the country to find a doctor who could treat me. I'm sure there are many excellent doctors, medics, and nurses out there, and on this forum. It just may take a bit of work finding them.

I didn't say it would be a fatal hit. But that it could hit at that range. I have no faith in the 5.56 past 300 meters. I prefer my H&K 91 or a good BA past that range. However I don't want this turning into a my gun is bigger than yours contest. It's not germane to the subject and I don't think the thread should get locked.

Unless we have EMP Ireckon.

I include more of what I need of some goods, partly so that I have a surplus I can give to others. Example goods include toilet paper, rice, even water.

Alcohol is an interesting one because I don't consider it to preparedness item in the normal sense, of something I'd need for my own survival. I do stockpile it as a potential barter item, but I probably wouldn't bother if I didn't also drink it in normal life.

Everything kept needs to justify its place, and the most useful things for barter are going to be the things useful in themselves, so nothing is really kept purely for barter. And it's hard to predict what other people will want; most likely it will be the same things I want. You can hope to get lucky with consumables that often get overlooked, but you never know what there will be shortages of. Partly I am driven by convenience. Toilet paper is convenient for me because it doesn't expire.

I don't intend to collect things for barter only.

I will have what we need , and if barter seems necessary, I amy exchange a few things.

Having said that let me ask you what you think about these as bater items :

- Survival/prep books ( like SAS manual , Dare to prepare, Cody's books, LDS manual , and such )

- Three ring binders of prep info ( selectively printed from the net, some you can giveaway to relatives/frinds after SHTF)

- CONDOMS ( non-lubricated )

- Survival kit in a can.
Sure it isn't much but can be used like a "small bill".

Small things such as toothbrushes and pens. But if you have a long term view - skills not things is the way to go

Trying to get back into the swing of things after a long hiatus.

This is quite an interesting thread! I, myself, brew beer and making wine and mead is even easier. I would most likely try to barter this skill set and product.

You also don't need to go "big" with brewing tanks and whatnot. All us home brewers work off 5 - 10 gal batches at a time, usually. Besides, limited availability should increase demand, no?

Re: medical professionals, I would rather have someone who has been field-tested than a prima donna who specializes in rhinoplasty.

BUT... if I've got a compound fracture or am bleeding out from a gut wound, I'll take ANYONE with ANY medical training over someone without or no one at all.

this is not the sort of thing that i prepare for but around the camp fire on a canoe trip the subject came up and i ventured things like thread,canned meat,lard,salt,when a buddy chimed in the best answer,alcohol-booze-vodka to be exact.his idea was to buy a bottle of cheap vodka,the stuff made in New Jersey that comes in plastic quarts,every time you went to the store for a case of beer or a bottle of wine.in time you would have cases of it.he said that if things in the USA ever got so bad that people had to barter like they did in Europe during WW2 then what people would really want was something to blot out the bad world they fell into,like the people in Russia did/do.

I shop Sam's Club but medical is the area where I have more than enough. Water is lagging in second place.

Jeanette Isabelle

We inherited some nice china,and bought a bit more,we use it daily because you only live once.

Would love a sterling silverware set,have a friend who uses hers daily.

Nothing like eating off of and with quality substantial utensils.

Got our cast iron,after being brought up to speed on that its our #1 go to cookware,only SS for a few things.Lesson from my parents that I'd forgot about,dummy!

Yup,more cost upfront but it lasts generations,cheaper by buying REAL quality from the get go.
============================
For barter? Foodstuffs,knife sharpening and maybe some solar and health things,have a friend who is an herbologist (is that correct?) and we will be working together in It hit the fan times,though hopefully that never happens.

How about Wellies?

They should be easy to trade when folks realize that they will have to dig for victory come the SHTF.

Im going to set aside a small cache of various booze and tobacco products. Batteries and then cheep extras like compasses, binos, some of my knives and bic lighters.

I figure its stuff I can use except tobacco so no hardship stocking up on it.

Guess you have to think what the unprepared folks would forget/neglect to pack and what vices are needed to calm nerves.

Hi Greenghost, I'm not a smoker, but my understanding is that tobacco doesn't keep !

I'm sure a smoker can correct me on that ?

For bartering I think a combination of essentials and luxuries would be good. Anyone who has been “away from civilization” for an extended will have experienced the surreal feeling of being in a big shop again and the desires for all the goods on the shelves. You may have your shopping list of “essentials” but then you see all the “must have” extras; or “wouldn’t that be nice...”; I think this mentality would push folk to desire some of your non-essential items and perhaps value them quite highly as luxuries ?

An additional consideration is to think about what do you may want yourself.
You want to be sure that you have things which people will want, and which will command a high enough price to enable you to get what you want too ....

Say you stock up on matches and TP, how many packets would you need if you wanted to barter for axe, or a bike ? If I had a bike, I’d want more than just a box or two !

I haven’t really considered in depth enough to have a list of actual items, but the list would be determined by the duration and depth of the situation anticipated.

What about the basic morality of stocking something like tobacco, one of the most toxic, unhealthy, dangerous, and debilitating products available? Wouldn't it be better to stock something else of real utility and value?

Spices, salt, pepper.

Pepper used to be worth it's weight in gold. Roman Legionaires were paid in salt (salary). Spices per pound are worth more than gold/silver.

Easy to keep, easy to store, easy to buy - now.