I have never viewed cash as a long term survival need. Only short term. So I only keep $100 emergency funds in a small metal vial attached to my keychain. Of course, the last "emergency" we had was the non-credit-card purchase of a wool sweater up at the Llama Festival in Estes Park (don't laugh - I went along like a good husband!)

If I need lots of cash long term, that means the banking system has failed and so have my communications with relatives scattered across the country. Chances are, in such a widespread event, cash wouldn't be worth all that much anyway. Trading goods would be better. And I don't think gold would be all that great for trading myself. What would one do with a chunk of gold (except hide it and horde it) if what you really needed was food or a rifle? I certainly wouldn't trade my rifle for your chunk of gold (unless I had an endless supply of rifles!)