This guide was originally published by M.D. Creekmore at The Survivalist
Blog
M.D. is the author of The Prepper’s Guide to Surviving the End of the World as We
Know It: Gear, Skills, and Related Know-How
Barter items for survival – What would you have to trade
in a survival situation?
Any conversation about prepping first starts with the “the
best survival gun” followed by “bugging
out vs hunkering down” and then on to “the best
retreat location” and then to “what to have on hand for barter… well
today, I’m going to answer that question.
The first thing to consider is what items do people need and use every
day, followed by will they need these items after a long-term disaster and if
so will those items be readily available when the resupply lines are cut. If
not, then would those items be easy to make from other common items?
These are the questions I asked when putting away my own barter items –
those are included in the list below in no order.
1. Ammunition
While I don’t advocate bartering most ammo after a collapse simply because
that ammo could be used against you. Stop and think about it, if a person
needs to barter for ammo in the first weeks and months after a collapse then
it’s evident that that person has not prepped and will need other stuff,
stuff they figure that you now have and there is no guarantee that they won’t
use the ammo that you traded them at a later date to kill you and take your
preps for their own use.
The exception that I make with ammo for barter purposes is for shotgun
ammo. I’ve stocked up a large amount (500 rounds) of 12
gauge bird shot in #6 and smaller shot sizes for barter purposes. Sure
birdshot can kill someone, however, it’s low penetration and short range make
it one of the least threatening ammo types that can be stocked up and used
for barter purposes.
2. Water Filters
Fresh, clean drinking water will always be in demand and while storing
water for barter might not be feasible for most people it’s easy and takes up
little room to store water filters such as the life
straw. The life straw is an excellent barter item, that is easy to store,
has a long shelf-life and is small and lightweight meaning that 25 or more of
these types of water filters can be stored in a small space life a military
ammo can.
3. Garden
Seed
Seed to grow food is one of the if the best barter items that you can have
on hand post collapse. I store both non-hybrid
seed as well as hybrid vegetable seed for barter. Seed is light-weight
and inexpensive but will be worth more than gold to a survivor who is trying
to barter for those seed after the balloon goes up. But, before, you go out
and buy a bunch of seed for barter (or for your own use) do some research on
what grows well in your local area. Another thing that I’ve done is print off
copies of the PDF guide “Planting
a Home Vegetable Garden” to handout when bartering with vegetable seed
because most people have no idea how to plant a garden and this pamphlet will
give them more confidence in their own ability to take the seed and grow
food. This will help them to be successful as well as increase the perceived
value of the seeds when you’re negotiating your barter deal.
4. Solar Panels and Rechargeable Batteries
Wow! Wipe that look off your face, I know what you’re thinking… solar
panels… those are expensive and I can’t afford those for myself let alone
stockpile enough for barter. Well, in some cases you would be correct,
however, I’m not talking about expensive 200-watt panels, no not for
barter, what I’m talking about here is smaller solar chargers such as
the C.Crane 11-in-1 Solar
Battery Charger priced at $24.99 each or the SunJack Portable Solar Charger
with a SunJack USB Battery
Charger for Rechargeable AA/AAA Ni-Mh and Ni-Cd Batteries for under $60
dollars. You can also set up a charging center where people can bring you
their batteries to charge and you use your solar set up to charge their
batteries in exchange for goods.
5. First Aid Supplies
You could stock up on individual first-aid items such as bandages and
gauze and while that’s a good idea, I’ve also stocked up on premade first-aid kits for
barter. These kits can be bought for under $20 each now but post-collapse
would be worth much, much more. Don’t forget about antibiotics – you can get antibiotics here and find out more
about their use here. If you have medical skills (or someone in your
group does) then those medical skills will be in high demand and can be
bartered for just about anything that you need.
6. Skills
As mentioned above in item number five medical skills are and will
continue to be in high demand after any major disaster especially a long-term
disaster, however other skills will be in demand too. Skills such as
carpentry, auto and shop mechanics, sewing, firearms repair etc will be in
high demand and those skills can be bartered for goods that you need.
Don’t forget to put back the tools you’ll need to get the job done in the
best, quickest and safest way possible.
7. Toilet Paper, Baby Diapers, and Tampons
Toilet paper, baby diapers, and tampons are always in demand will continue
to be in the aftermath of both short-term and long-term disaster. Sure some
folks might substitute toilet paper with something else like a cloth or even
leaves if forced but toilet paper would be a luxury and preferred by nearly
everyone and survivors would pay handsomely for that luxury post collapse.
Same with tampons and pads. Baby diapers would also be needed and in demand –
if you have a baby, plan to or someone in your prepper group has one then I
suggest that you look into cloth diapers
8. Coffee, Tobacco, and Booze
Oh, my… need I say more. Most people have their vices and most of those
vices involve one or all of the three. Bags of tobacco that have been vacuum
sealed with give the longest shelf life. If you can brew your own booze then
you and your product would be in high demand, but by so doing you would
probably increase your chances of being robbed for your product so security
and caution would be a top priority. Currently, there are laws regarding the
brewing of booze, find out the laws in your state if this is something that
you’re interested in learning and follow those now, but after a major
collapse, they probably won’t be a whole lot of enforcement of those laws
that are currently on the books.
9. Condoms
Yes, I said it… condoms, we all hate to have to use them but the
consequences of not using them could be disastrous now but even more so post
collapse (I have a whole
section in my book dedicated to birth control). The best ones that I’ve
used are the Crown Condoms
and at only $15 per 100, they are a great investment for barter and for your
own personal use post collapse. People will continue to have sex after a
disaster and protection from pregnancy and STD’s will be needed and if you’re
the person in your community with the condom stockpile for barter, you’ll be
in the catbird seat.
10. Lighters and Matches
Lighters and matches for barter should be self-explanatory, but keep in
mind that these like condoms and some of the other items mentioned above
would most valuable for barter after a major long-term EOTWAWKI type of
event. Because we don’t know exactly what is going to happen or when
it’s best to stockpile smaller amounts of many different barter items than a
massive amount of only one or two items. Before anyone sends an email
telling me that matches have a short self-life, it should be noted that I have
matches from over 15 years ago in a glass jar that still strike and burn just
as well as the day I put them into storage. The key is to keep them dry and
add a desiccant.
What barter Items for survival do have you stockpiled? Please
share your thoughts and comments below.
M.D. Creekmore is the founder of TheSurvivalistBlog.net
and the author of several books, including The Prepper’s Guide to
Surviving the End of the World as We Know It: Gear, Skills, and Related
Know-How.
