Gold: A Healthy Part of a Balanced Survival Strategy
I take umbrage with Simon Rierdon’s latest article about gold being sub-optimal for WTSHTF scenarios. Primarily, I do this because I want more people to buy more gold, driving the value of my investment even higher. He arrives at a pretty balanced assessment, one which includes loading up on a reasonable amount of pirate treasure, but he does it in a sort of roundabout way. It’s not really clear what the next steps are, aside from buying a gun.
Being a White male, one of the things I spend my day doing is feverishly envisioning doomsday scenarios in which my lust for power, esteem, and relevance can finally be fulfilled. I’ve scribbled some notes with my non-dominant hand while doing so. Having never ventured from my climate-controlled incubation chamber of suburban middle-class SWPLdom, this is entirely speculative, but Ferd will almost certainly publish it, anyway…
1. Preparedness is Not Politics
If you—like me—believe it will all burn, then it’s only natural that you would arrive at taking preparedness seriously as an outgrowth of your political worldview. There is; however, nothing really political about taking the necessary steps to assure that you, your loved ones, and your ideals can survive a tempest. Shit happens, and a lot of it’s apolitical. The San Andreas fault line threatens to drop millions into the ocean without a moment’s notice. The New Madrid fault threatens to send the Mississippi River backwards and set the Midwest back to the stone age. The ocean will continue to batter our aging infrastructure with epic hurricanes and godawful tsunamis. And if those don’t get us, the Yellowstone Supercauldron will.
The point is that one should take a very general approach to preparedness, more or less setting their particular political prognostications aside. A tornado may well take out your neighborhood tomorrow, and your gold coin may well empower you to stay at a nice hotel rather than at some seedy homeless shelter. Houses catch on fire, cars break down, shit happens. Epic metapolitical shit also happens from time to time, but the point is that preparedness is about far more than having your powder dry for when the EBT cards run out and Detroit’s inner city ghettos unleash a flood of rampaging gang-bangers.
2. Prepare Your Preparedness Portfolio
If you have an investment portfolio, think of Preparedness as the left tail of your portfolio. You have some safe investments and some more risky investments, right? Well, in light of current events, shouldn’t you consider firming up some even safer investments? Given the insolvency of the government, the volatility of the market, the godawful balance sheets of most blue chip multinational corporations, and the Jewish faith of most of the middle-men between you and your “safe” investment, how safe is it?
A balanced perspective demands that a certain fraction of a comprehensive investment strategy account for authentic doomsday scenarios. After all, wouldn’t it suck to spend all that time getting rich, only to roll snake eyes on your E*Trade account and end up completely hosed? Even if you’re a fool who thinks there’s only a 1% chance of the market suffering a devastating crash, you buckle your seat belt and invite people to finger your anus over similarly minuscule odds of dying in a car accident or developing prostate cancer, don’t you?
In addition to balancing your total portfolio to include preparedness, you should balance your preparedness portfolio to account for a range of potentialities. If you have it all in gold, you’re going to be hosed if the government instigates another round-up of gold. While you may be deft enough to effectively hide it, you’ll be unable to barter it or even dig it up for an indeterminate amount of time. Loading up on firearms alone could leave you starving to death while clasping an AK-47.
Note: If you’re in America, don’t get the simplistic idea that you’ll be able to go out and use your gun to take somebody else’s stuff—most of your potential targets will be packing, too.
A basic balanced preparedness portfolio includes three basic categories:
- Barterables
- Bug-Out Bag
- Weapons
Barterables
Gold is the most obvious barterable, to the point where it’s often synonymous with doomsday exchange. It’s definitely the most reliable way to pack a large investment into a small and durable commodity that’s universally valued. But it’s almost too valuable, in a way. What if you need a meal, but all you have is a krugerrand coin? Judging from the latest spot price, you’re talking about something that will be worth far more than a family meal. In a true doomsday situation, silver’s equally universal but a coin is also nearer to the value of the sorts of basic things one would need to get by. There’s no harm in holding a bit of both, but silver’s probably more practical unless you’re talking about hording obscene amounts of wealth.
Other things (like bullets, for instance) could hypothetically make for convenient barterables. It’s probably sensible to factor in the potential resell value of things you’re stocking up on, but gold and silver are the only items which are virtually guaranteed to hold some sort of value in any conceivable survival context that involves engaging with other human beings. While one would do well to account for a variety of contingencies, a good supply of barterables is what will empower you with the flexibility to bridge the gap between what you’ve planned for and what’s actually happening.
Bug-Out Bag
This is the most important and fun part of preparedness, and my family had a great time taking on this project. Each bug-out bag must necessarily be different, because each person’s location, needs, and perspectives on what’s most likely to happen will be different. Are you urban? Are you rural? Are your winters typically severe? These considerations will affect how the bag gets loaded up. Last—but not least!—you have to take into account the weight of the bag. You negate the whole point of loading it up with all that cool stuff if it’s too heavy to carry a considerable distance.
To jump-start the conversion, I’ll list the items I’ve included in my own bug-out bag. This may prove helpful as a starting point for your own preparedness preparations, and I may be able to crowd-source some ideas from you guys about smarter ways to pack the bag.
- Excedrin – I suffer from debilitating migraines.
- Caffeine pills – That little boost may prove helpful, and will relieve me of having to cope with withdrawal symptoms in the middle of a crisis.
- A roll of rope - This is relatively thin rope, rope which could serve a variety of purposes.
- Portable Aqua – 200 germicidal tablets for drinking non-potable water.
- Lighters – 4 cigarette lighters for starting fires.
- Toilet paper – A roll for when leaves just won’t do.
- Energy bars – 4 big energy bars, for protein.
- Gatorade bottle – Hydration, electrolytes, and a sturdy bottle for.
- Wind-up AM/FM radio – This dandy contraption contains an LED flashlight.
- First aid kit – It’s one of the smaller ones, containing a few band-aids and such.
- Emergency blanket – This is something to lay on the ground so I’m not sleeping directly on the dirt.
- Hooded poncho – This will provide some protection from wind, rain, and snow, and serve as a blanket.
- Hand warmers – Midwestern winters can get pretty cold.
- Socks – Wet feet are a major health concern.
- Whistle compass – Whistles can be handy for making noise across a long distance.
- Duct tape – ‘Nuff said.
- Hatchet – It could make gathering firewood easier, and seemed like a cool thing to add.
- Pocket knife – This is probably redundant considering the Leatherman I keep on me and the hatchet.
- $20 Bill – This will make a useful barterable or extra toilet paper, depending on the situation.
- Laminated map – It’s just of Indiana, but I don’t get out much.
I’m sure many of you out there can think of better ways to pack your own bags. I’ll be watching the comments for suggestions.
Note: If you think I’m stupid for failing to pack Item X but have no bag of your own packed, then you’re the stupid one.
Weapons
Personally, I think people get carried away with this. I really don’t understand why people make a lot of the firearm decisions they make, like getting a CCW and a concealable pistol, then locking it up in the gun safe. If you need to run back to your gun safe before taking on the intruder, you might as well be pulling out a shotgun, right? The whole subject is legally awkward and politically contentious. My general advice is to give self-defense some serious thought, then take the sensible and practical steps necessary to defend yourself from hostiles you may encounter in a survival context.
As for the more elaborate concerns about bands of urban folks sweeping the countryside, I believe they’re overblown. Judging from the response to Hurricane Katrina, they’ll most likely crowd in together and turn on themselves. The ones who start roving around through the suburbs aren’t likely to make it very far, anyway. All but the most well-organized predatory threats are better dealt with by having a humble concealed pistol than they are by having bad-ass assault weapons. I don’t mean to interfere with anybody attempting to rationalize such a purchase…but I’m not feeling it.
3. Preparedness Persuasion
Preparedness items make the perfect gifts for birthdays and holidays. They show your friends and loved ones that you sincerely care about their welfare without loading them up with more consumerist clutter. They also make great conversation starters:
Mom: Why on Earth do I need germicidal tablets?
You: I’m concerned about [insert political hobby horse] and I just want to be sure you’re safe no matter what, mom.
When you either convince or help your friends and family with their preparedness, you’re being magnanimous in a very beneficial way. Not only will it help the people you care about survive the tribulation, but it might get their own imaginations working. Additionally, as things spiral, they’ll be more inclined to turn to your for advice, cooperation, and collaboration.
Too frequently, preparedness aficionados think in exclusively individual terms, failing to appreciate that cultivating a network of trusted cohorts is crucial. Find ways to integrate a conversation about preparedness into whatever social circles you’re already part of. It’s not necessary or even constructive to be too morbid or political about it. After all, the necessity of preparedness is a big excuse to have a lot of fun buying and playing with nifty manly toys. Why not share the fun with your friends?
Continuing Education
I wrote this article with the typical American slacker in mind, and have neither covered everything I recommend nor covered everything I’ve done. There’s always a bit more that can be done, but every bit could help and folks who are considering assembling a bug-out bag shouldn’t be scolded by guys who are living completely off-the-grid on wild bear meat in remote cabins in the Northwestern wilderness. I aspire to be that guy one day. But for now, I’ve taken some practical preparedness steps that work with my current lifestyle and I encourage others to do the same.
{ 12 comments… read them below or add one }
Wouldn’t the capacity to assay gold need to widespread for gold to function as a useful commodity for trade in such a scenario?
Gold acid testing kits are pretty cheap and easily available now.
That might actually be a must-have in addition to the material itself, perhaps even something to consider as an investment.
Damn, that’s a rough gig. Chicago to the west, Detroit and Cleveland to the east, Louisville to the south. You’re tree-ed! There are parts of Indiana I wouldn’t want to live in right now.
“Wouldn’t the capacity to assay gold need to widespread for gold to function as a useful commodity for trade in such a scenario?”
Minted coins with ridged edges don’t need to be assayed.
Also, I have a crapload of nicotine lozenges in my bo bag.
I accept the argument that firearms / ammunition probably have limited functional value in a real SHTF situation, however the true value of a currency is how valuable that your trading partner believes it to be.
Thus, if the panicked and unwashed masses think that 9mm and .308 rounds are the greatest thing since heavily laden apples trees, you might find yourself trying to feed your family chemistry kit sandwiches while all the crazy gun nuts enjoy full soup bowls.
Ryu,
The risk of a massive chimp-out is dramatically overblown. Given America’s current situation, there’s a very low ceiling on how much can go on—if it much exceeds the steady grinding levels we currently suffer, then it will be stopped rather swiftly.
As Hurricane Katrina demonstrated, WTSHTF the inner city’s non-Whites cluster together and turn on themselves with virtually none of them venturing into the countryside. Those who do wander away from the metaphorical Superdome don’t stand much chance against an armed, entrenched, and mobilized White hinterland.
http://www.thenation.com/article/katrinas-hidden-race-war
Re. gold: One of the better ideas I came across was gold in the form of actual jewelry. The writer of that idea remarked on how people were getting hosed by outfits that buy old gold trinkets, and that some rings and chains would likewise be ideal for barter, particularly when the other guy is ignorant of how to accurately appraise shiny things.
Re. weapons: When I first started building my own bag, I browsed the survivalist blogs and Youtube channels for ideas. I like weapons as much as any young man, but the obsession and tunnel-vision (not to mention movie fantasies) of some ‘survivors’ is embarrassing. I remember one guy’s bag… He had a rifle. And a shotgun. And a pistol. And a back-up long-gun. And cheap spare pistol to give to someone if he, like, hooked up with a doctor. And deodorant for when he meets chicks.
Too many movies and video games, and likely too much burb living with vehicles used for even the shortest of distances. At least campers, backpackers and hunters (even casual outdoors types) will have a realistic appreciation for pack weight and functionality.
Re. ghetto marauders: Katrina offers a lot of good data for SHTF scenarios, but it was relatively short-lived and localized. If things go bad for a longer period of time, some of the more imaginative hoods are going to broaden their horizons. Throw in some crude coordination like we saw in the London rioters, or the ‘flash robs’ on this side of the pond, and there’s a credible threat to anyone trying to go it solo, even if they are fortified. I’d recommend reading personal accounts of, say, Argentina’s fiscal crisis a decade ago, to add some perspective on less-spectacular disasters over the medium-term.
Good stuff! Excellent topic to bring up and a good list of stuff to have. One thing that needs to be emphasized is that a bail-out bag/ bug-out bag, whichever, is fort exactly that: grabbing up and hitting the road when shit gets too think to stay put. That’s why it’s not called a “few trips back and forth bag” or a “so heavy I can barely walk bag”. Don’t get it in your head that you’re going to start living in a ditch behind a tree for the forseeable future, your bag should be built around getting you the fuck outta Dodge for the next week or so until you can resurface somewhere and try to reintegrate with like-minded individuals, hopefully in a place you’ve already considered getting to.
That said, it’s OK to have a larger cache of good stuff apart from your bail-out bag both in your house that you can resort to if it gets thick but you don’t have to run just yet, as well as coordinating with someone 3 or 4 days travel away if you have to bail and link up.
As for weapons, focus should be on protecting yourself, breaking contact, and getting away in one piece; if you’re not Mad Max when it goes sideways, you’re not gonna magically become Mad Max just because you have a gun in hand.
As for currency, I’ve heard ideas on using liquor, meds, like excedrin, motrin, etc., or if you can get your hands on anti-biotics you cold come out pretty well.
Randy,
Plenty of my friends and family are crazy gun nuts, so perhaps I can barter my nifty whistle compass for some cold steel.
You’re forgetting the really important emergency supplies:
1- fedora;
2- extra hatband;
3- cedar hat block.
Best thing posted here in ages.
Hey, we’ve got earthquakes on the East Coast now too. Historic picture of the aftermath:
http://randysright.files.wordpress.com/2011/08/296638_269080073104549_100000076758898_1151113_2824653_n.jpg?w=500&h=322
Maybe a big ziplock bag with protein powder, and a shaker cup. You could fit 30 “meals” into a freezer bag.