Surviving The Zombie Apocalypse (And Other Disasters)

[ShakeZuma 585]

http://store.lds.org...58_-1_N_image_0

 

thinking i'm going to go with the katadyn combi. just as good on bacteria but also effective on chemical pollutants. and amazon has them cheaper than LE.

 

so this whole thread was just a front to recruit board members to the church of mormon... well played hank, well played.

 

 

 

and tell me more about this combi... from what I read I thought they were basically all the same, just that the more expensive ones filtered more water. one of the main things I was worrying about was whether or not it filters things other than just bacteria like... hell, I don't even know. does this one do that?

[hank213 1,823]

so this whole thread was just a front to recruit board members to the church of mormon... well played hank, well played.

 

 

 

and tell me more about this combi... from what I read I thought they were basically all the same, just that the more expensive ones filtered more water. one of the main things I was worrying about was whether or not it filters things other than just bacteria like... hell, I don't even know. does this one do that?

 

here is the most succinct explanation i've found as to the differences. http://www.ar15.com/...18/653699_.html

 

with the combi you can add or leave off charcoal filtering which will help to remove chemical pollutants in addition to the filter which removes bacteria and protazoa.

 

here's a review http://www.pocketwat...-filter-review/

 

basically, the combi is bigger and heavier but I'm willing to sacrifice a little extra bulk to gain the additional purification.

 

don't forget to put on your magic underwear.

[hank213 1,823]

so I've sold my personal stocks that I was playing around with and I'm thinking about using some for precious metals. right now i'm leaning toward 1-1oz gold bar, a few ounces of silver bars, and then some pre-65 dimes. here's my thoughts let me know what you think.

 

The bars i'm hanging to from a protectionist stand point in case the dollar takes a shit. the dimes i would use in the interim market where dollars ain't shit but there isn't a readily available currency that is worth a damn. i like the dimes because they're .07 oz silver so you can use them to make smaller purchases more easily and they're easily authenticated.

[ajs510 122]

so I've sold my personal stocks that I was playing around with and I'm thinking about using some for precious metals. right now i'm leaning toward 1-1oz gold bar, a few ounces of silver bars, and then some pre-65 dimes. here's my thoughts let me know what you think.

 

The bars i'm hanging to from a protectionist stand point in case the dollar takes a shit. the dimes i would use in the interim market where dollars ain't shit but there isn't a readily available currency that is worth a damn. i like the dimes because they're .07 oz silver so you can use them to make smaller purchases more easily and they're easily authenticated.

 

I kind of gear away from the precious metals POV...I think if the entire economy collapses the most valuable things on the face of the earth will be stored food, guns/ammo, and gasoline. With precious metals, they still have to be worth something to someone else to have any value...the goods will have a known and predictable value to you.

[Whiskers 680]

This is how to survive the zombie apocalypse:

 

[ajs510 122]

What game is that? I wanna play!

[Whiskers 680]

Left 4 Dead

[hank213 1,823]

I kind of gear away from the precious metals POV...I think if the entire economy collapses the most valuable things on the face of the earth will be stored food, guns/ammo, and gasoline. With precious metals, they still have to be worth something to someone else to have any value...the goods will have a known and predictable value to you.

 

I was pretty firmly planted in that camp. Part of what changed my mind was reading the account of a guy who lived throught the Agrentinian financial collapse around the turn of the millenium http://www.silverbea....08/tshtf1.html The largest portion of the capital for this would be intended to be in a vehicle that will retain solid value after things begin to normalize, a way to "buy back in" without starting from scratch or losing a huge amount of value in paper currency. Only approx 30% or less would be in "junk silver" like the pre-65 coins that may be potentially useful in a gray/black market in the interim.

 

for barter goods in the interim I'm looking at hygiene items like toothpaste etc, booze, coffee, lighters, socks, cheap tools like screwdrivers etc.

 

 

I guess what I'm struggling more with in the decison is to go with bars or something like krugerrands and maple leaf coins which are easily authenticated but carry a higher premium.

[BigDMcGee 3,352]

Depends what kind of collapse you're preparing for. A full on Zombie apocalypse Walking Dead Style, gold and silver will be absolutely useless, but in the (much more realistic, imo) event of massive economic meltdown/hyper-inflation, physical silver and gold are much more likely to retain value, if history is any guide at all. I tend to think that the gold/silver's value should come from the actual gold/silver content, and that coins are aesthetic mark up that will ultimately hold no value in the case of a collapse. However, they are also easier to sell in a pinch, so I'd probably go with mix of coins and bars.

[ShakeZuma 585]

I'd say just buy more ammo so you can shoot people who invested in gold coins

[hank213 1,823]

Depends what kind of collapse you're preparing for. A full on Zombie apocalypse Walking Dead Style, gold and silver will be absolutely useless, but in the (much more realistic, imo) event of massive economic meltdown/hyper-inflation, physical silver and gold are much more likely to retain value, if history is any guide at all. I tend to think that the gold/silver's value should come from the actual gold/silver content, and that coins are aesthetic mark up that will ultimately hold no value in the case of a collapse. However, they are also easier to sell in a pinch, so I'd probably go with mix of coins and bars.

 

the silver content is the primary value indicator for "junk silver" coins. For example, a pre 65 dime is .723 troy ounces of silver and would, presumably, be fairly fungible in dollarless market. The primary question for me is bars vs. .999 coins or bars. I'm leaning towards bars because if I'm buying "new" dollars in a post-SHTF economy I'm not going to worry too much if they need to test for purity. The only reason to go with coins like krugerrands or the like would be easier authentication and I don't really feel like paying the higher premium for it.

[ajs510 122]

Sometimes I wonder how many people would be aware of the existence of the Krugerrand without Lethal Weapon 2.

 

I said sometimes, not always.

[BigDMcGee 3,352]

the silver content is the primary value indicator for "junk silver" coins. For example, a pre 65 dime is .723 troy ounces of silver and would, presumably, be fairly fungible in dollarless market. The primary question for me is bars vs. .999 coins or bars. I'm leaning towards bars because if I'm buying "new" dollars in a post-SHTF economy I'm not going to worry too much if they need to test for purity. The only reason to go with coins like krugerrands or the like would be easier authentication and I don't really feel like paying the higher premium for it.

 

Yes yes, Hank I know. I was talking about the coin markup on .999 coins over spot is basically aesthetics, which will be of little value in the case of a collapse.

 

 

If you'd go coins, I'd go Maples because they are .9999... a free .0009 #whynot.

[hank213 1,823]

Yes yes, Hank I know. I was talking about the coin markup on .999 coins over spot is basically aesthetics, which will be of little value in the case of a collapse.

 

 

If you'd go coins, I'd go Maples because they are .9999... a free .0009 #whynot.

 

yes, you'll have to pardon me for being stupid. Fair point on the maples, a perfunctory search indicates a slightly better buy price for them over krugers or eagles. gratzi.

[BigDMcGee 3,352]

www.comparesilverprices.com

 

www.comparegoldprices.com

 

Is a great site to compare silver/gold prices across many websites.

[ajs510 122]

What's the best avenue for purchasing those Canadian maples? I've always admired them but never had the money to shell out for one or a few.

[BigDMcGee 3,352]

Well, Your local bullion dealers can often have them, if not you can order them on line from people like Liberty or Apmex or which ever. They generally don't take credit cards (or add fees for it) so You have to do things like cash transfers or personal checks ( which can take a while). You can look around though, there are lots of reputable bullion companies online.

[hank213 1,823]

went to a local shop here on friday and they didn't have shit. didn't know when they would get shit, and when they did get shit there was no way to know if they were going to get the shit I wanted. so shit on them.

 

think i'm going to place an order through liberty coin & precious metal, prices aren't terrible, decent rep, and I can get pretty much everything with a phone call to lock in the price and they've got several payment methods available.

[BigDMcGee 3,352]

The only place I'd trust in Lincoln to buy/sell is Lincoln Coin and Bullion on south 48th You can get better prices on line, and they don't always have a great selection but they are nice and knowledgable, and won't rip you off if you're selling. Every other place in town is run by old squirelly dirtbag coin "collectors"

[hank213 1,823]

The only place I'd trust in Lincoln to buy/sell is Lincoln Coin and Bullion on south 48th You can get better prices on line, and they don't always have a great selection but they are nice and knowledgable, and won't rip you off if you're selling. Every other place in town is run by old squirelly dirtbag coin "collectors"

 

that was where I went. they were busy so maybe the lady was just flustered and wanted me out of the store to deal with the AARP crowd in there but she was rather brusque.

[BigDMcGee 3,352]

lol there are two ladies in there, one I like and one I don't, I'm guessing you got the one I don't. They aren't really very well stocked, I think they make most of their money buying junk silver/gold. However, i have bought several Eagles/maples and bars from there. I've learned to call ahead, though.

 

 

With the sales tax and the mark up though, I think Liberty is the way to go.

[GWCGWC 83]

I don't think PM hording is a bad thing but neither is buying the Ka-Bar BK9 that I'm leaning towards getting next month. This is not part of my OHMYGODTHEWORLDISENDINGIMBUGGINGIN prep but it's super sweet......super super super sweet.

 

I know you've given your reason for switching your position but let's revisit this for the 2 other people who may read this and have an interest in being prepared.

 

 

 

 

 

How much time do you think would have to pass before bartering of any kind happens or even partial-trust contact between people is acceptable in a honest to dog SHTF scenario?

 

Why would anyone be interested in trading something useful for gold and silver vs other metals like brass, lead and tin?

 

What products do you think would be better suited for barter in your scenario that won't be appreciably larger in scale and costs less than current PM's prices?

 

What's more important 3 months into a pandemic that wipes out 80% of humans where social chaos/lack of infrastructure wipes out an additional 5%; 1oz bar of gold or one roll of Charmin? How about 10 months after a hard winter/spring which along with attrition and the disease created by living circumstances takes out another 5%? What value would any PM have?

 

Change the scenario to a perfect storm of social unrest, wars, civil protests, massive natural disaster and an international run on the dollar that creates world wide hyper inflation and a completely breaks down the trust we put into our monetary systems and you still have better options for barter materials than PM's.

 

 

 

Personally, PM's aren't a hedge I'd be investing in.

[BigDMcGee 3,352]

My main answer for this is that I think massive inflation/currency devaluation/ economic crisis short of total society collapse is much more likely than out and out doomsday scenarios. If you look at situations where a currency has collapsed, historically PM's have retained their value. As I said before, PM's won't likely be of much use in an actual zombie Apocalypse, but I think the principal of preparedness should be about preparing for a multitude of disasters , not the most extreme ( and unlikely) ones

 

Worst case scenario ( well. um... I guess this would be best case scenario ) is that no massive disaster happens in your life time while your gold/silver investments retain their value (or have moderate growth). In anything short of an out and out barter situation, PM's will have value.

[ShakeZuma 585]

not to mention that I think people will always assume that we'd get back to some sort of normalcy at some point, and gold and stuff would be worth a lot then, so people would still be inclined to accept them as currency. I'm not into buying that stuff though. I'd rather spend my money on food and ammo. I'd prefer to go as far as I can with the whole self reliance thing without bartering/trading.

 

 

and when that doesn't work: shoot people.

[GWCGWC 83]

My main answer for this is that I think massive inflation/currency devaluation/ economic crisis short of total society collapse is much more likely than out and out doomsday scenarios. If you look at situations where a currency has collapsed, historically PM's have retained their value. As I said before, PM's won't likely be of much use in an actual zombie Apocalypse, but I think the principal of preparedness should be about preparing for a multitude of disasters , not the most extreme ( and unlikely) ones

 

Worst case scenario ( well. um... I guess this would be best case scenario ) is that no massive disaster happens in your life time while your gold/silver investments retain their value (or have moderate growth). In anything short of an out and out barter situation, PM's will have value.

 

That's reasonable but you're talking with someone who's not exactly reasonable here. I'm a crazy fringe person looking to have a head start in front of he first wave of panic people(anyone without water, food, shelter) and the second wave of controlled power grabbers(shake) for a real SHTF scenario.

 

I'm not nearly as worried about hyper inflation and it doesn't change my bug in philosophy.

 

If I had to give a percentage chance that something catastrophic to society as we know it will happen at some point, the percentage is an absolute 100%. Hopefully not in my lifetime or before humans leave the planet but something will happen. This conviction is why I'm considered a bit wack-a-doo.

 

Know what could be great for the human race? If you could maybe find a way to obtain and store some non GM seed. I'd bet you could.