Survival Barter Items by Douglas P. Bell Many people are looking for a way to make a living "after the day" and barter looks like the only way it is going to be done for quite some time. This is nothing new of course, barter goes on all the time now and has been around since there were two or more people. But what would make a good survival barter item? Everyone has their own ideas about that, but many don't make much sense when looked at rationally. First off the "gold bugs" tell you gold will be KING. When you ask why, they really can't back up why except to say that it will. While there is a government that will back gold, or an industry that needs it, gold will do all right, but in a survival situation where you are looking for your next meal and there is no government or industry, gold will be just another shiny, soft metal and is fairly easy to make. The same goes for silver and jewels too, with no practical use and without a government or industry to use them, there will be no demand and fake "silver" or "precious" stones, which are easy to fake, will be rampant. The other item that most people or books recommend for survival barter are guns and ammunition. The reason for this is simple, all through history and all over the world, fine weapons have been in demand. In any bad times, guns and ammunition will be literally worth their weight in gold. Don't believe it? If you have all the gold, and I have all the guns, in short order I'll have both and there is nothing you could do to stop me. However that is exactly the problem many people see with guns and ammunition, the chance that they might be used against the seller or to terrorize the countryside. This is a valid point too, so instead of high powered rifles, you might look at such items as inexpensive .22 rifles and . 22 ammunition or gun parts such as springs and magazines (clips). Cleaning gear would be (and is now) like money in the bank, it being a safe bet that cleaning rods, rod tips, bore solvent, gun oils, patches, etc. will be in great demand. Along these lines would also be reloading gear. Obviously powder and primers will top the list. A set of reloading dies in the ten most popular calibers along with the various military calibers would also be a good survival investment so as to be able to trade loaded ammunition for other goods, or to be able to use any firearms that you trade for. Always get carbide dies where available, especially in straight-walled pistol cartridges. as they last much longer and normally don't need the case to be lubed when resized. While the exact top ten cartridges might change from year to year due to a new cartridge coming out and making the top ten that year, most years include the following: .38 Spec./.357 Mag. (use the .38 Spec. dies for both), .308, .30-06, .223, .30-30, .270 Win., .45 ACP, .243 Win., .44 Spec./.44 Mag. (use the .44 Spec. dies for both), 9mm, etc. The .30 M1 Carbine, .380 ACP, .45 Colt, all make the top 20 each year as well, so it might be a good idea to include them as well. The military cartridges would include the 7.62x39 Russian Short, 7.62x54 Russian Rimmed, .303 British, 8mm Mauser, 7mm Mauser, 7.65 Mauser, 7.35 Carcano, 7.5x54 MAS, 7.7 Jap, and the various 6.5s like the Jap, Swedish, Carcano, and Mann. Schoenauer. Other reloading gear would include reloading die lubricant to lubricate the cartridge cases before reloading so they don't stick in the reloading dies, spare decapping pins in case you break them, bullet lubricants for cast bullets, shell holder kits, and possibly bullet casting equipment such as molds for the calibers you reload for. Inexpensive single stage reloading presses, such as the Lee or Lyman presses would also be in demand and are cheap enough to buy several without busting the bank. Don't forget the priming tool attachments that go on the presses either. Hand held priming tools are very handy as well. Next on the list is food, or more generally seeds. This is a good idea, but too many people seem to think all they have to do is go to the local garden store and buy some seeds, put them away and that is that. Well the problem is the seeds you normally buy are hybrids that will not bred true. That is they will be OK for the first year, but after that they will not be like what was planted or hoped for. What you need is the standard non-hybrid plant or seeds and to keep the seeds from each year's planting so you can grow more next year. Also keep enough seed back so if you have a crop failure you can either replant if early enough in the season or have enough to plant the following year. Other food items that are currently fairly cheap and will keep literally forever include salt, pepper, honey, sugar, flour, baking powder, baking soda, powdered milk, and the various spices. Dried fruits, fruit leathers, and the like will also keep for more years than you are likely to need them. Grains or other dried seeds such as corn, wheat, rice, beans, peas, etc. will last for centuries if properly stored. Coffee, tea, and cocoa, if kept sealed, should last quite a while as well. The various high grade liqueurs should also be in demand, but rot-gut is rot-gut no matter how long it has been bottled and can be made at home fairly easily so it probably won't be worth much then either. While at least one "survivalist" had pinned all their hopes on being the Survival Soap King, soap will only be a short term investment while things are up in the air and then everyone will be making their own out of lye (wood ashes) and animal fat (grease). Other than that soap might be a good specialty item in such items especially gentle/baby soap, shampoo, or scented soaps and shampoos. A quick look around will point out a number of items that are used every day, but most are not even made in this country, or can't be made without some sort of industry. These items are such simple items as safety pins, sewing needles (not made in the US anymore), thread, pencils, pens, hand tools, etc. To expand on the hand tool list, just about anything needed to rebuild, such as axes, shovels, picks, hammers, files, pliers, locking pliers (a/k/a Vice-Grips), screwdrivers, jewelers screwdrivers for those who wear glasses, tap and die sets, drills, drill bits, and saws would be in great demand. Medical items such as scissors, gauze bandages, adhesive tape, petroleum jelly, tweezers, syringes, needles, catheters, elastic bandages, snake bite kits, rubber gloves, burn or other salves, etc. will also be in great demand. Don't forget the teeth either, and get toothbrushes and toothpaste. get some Oil of Cloves and Zinc Oxide to make temporary fillings, or better yet, Intermediate Restorative Material (IRM) for longer lasting fillings. For pulling teeth, you will need a probe, elevator, upper universal forceps, and lower bicuspid forceps if you would like to be the "Painless Pete" in your area.