I think that would be a great idea! What kind would you get? lol I would probably get Marboro Reds or maybe whatever kind was on sale/buy 1 get 1 free type thing.
Cigarettes
I was thinking that having a carton of cigarettes in my kit would be a good bartering item. Does anybody know the shelf life of cigarettes in a sealed plastic zip lock baggie?
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smokin'
That's a downright smokin' idea.
I have a smoke occasionally, but I think I'd trade them all for some grub or clean water as needed....gotta have your priorities!
That's a downright smokin' idea.
I have a smoke occasionally
, but I think I'd trade them all for some grub or clean water as needed....gotta have your priorities! 
I think a much better solution would be buy roll your own tobacco. You can buy a higher grade than most mainstream brands and it will be much cheaper. Throw in a couple packs of ZigZags and you got a cheaper more efficient solution.
My dad chain smokes, and he was amazed how long you can keep cigarettes in a freezer bag (no vacuum)...I think a much better solution would be buy roll your own tobacco. You can buy a higher grade than most mainstream brands and it will be much cheaper. Throw in a couple packs of ZigZags and you got a cheaper more efficient solution.
Use the vacuum, suck out all the 'Air' you can get out.
Use your welder and inject Argon, CO2, or what ever DRY & INERT gas you have around,
Then seal up the bag with the heater element.
The idea isn't to have vacuum, but to have the oxygen and moisture sucked out,
Then replaced with dry Inert gas with NO OXYGEN.
I got dad cartons and evacuated the oxygen out and replaced with inert gasses, and they were still 'Fresh' after a year!
(.35 cents a pack off an Indian reservation, but no tax stamp, so don't try this at home kiddies!)
I learned this trick from the jerky companies.
They pack the jerky in all sorts of strange gasses,
Carbon Monoxide,
Carbon Dioxide,
Argon,
Ect.
The military stores food, bullets, missile parts, ect. the same way.
No oxygen, no corrosion!
You can keep in the bottom of the can from skimming over by doing the same thing in the can,
Replace the oxygen with argon or carbon dioxide and it won't skim over or dry up in the bottom of the can...
-------------------
As for Loose tobacco vs. rolled cigarettes,
Storage would favor the loose tobacco.
Trade value would favor packs of factory rolled cigarettes.
Cigars and pipe tobacco would both be very good trading material for tobacco addicts...
Cigars and pipes can be put out and re lit again and again with little to now loss, you can't do that with a cigarette...
BUT,
I believe the trading value would still be with factory rolled, pre-packaged cigarettes...
-------------------------------
Now, I don't believe in the 'End Of The World As We Know It' crap,
BUT,
When I was a kid, my grandpa used to trade with the 'River Rats', Coffee, bacon, smokes, ect.
I don't think I ever had to cut any fire wood after they found out we weren't going to feed them breakfast including coffee and bacon if they didn't contribute to the wood pile, or bring eels, fish, turtles to throw in the frying pan for dinner!
We NEVER wanted for stuff like that at the river, and all it usually took was some bacon, a couple of cups of real coffee and a smoke or two!
Times have changed, and society in general doesn't allow 'River Rats' to mind their own business and sustain themselves on the river anymore...
Everyone has to 'Conform' and be in the 'System' or they are cast as killers, thieves & perverts!
Personally, I'm respectful to everyone, and down right polite to most people I meet down at the river or out in the woods, and it's ALWAYS returned...
(Unless they are wearing brand new cammo and carrying brand new gear!...)
Jeephammer that ther was a mouth full
"Personally, I'm respectful to everyone, and down right polite to most people I meet down at the river or out in the woods, and it's ALWAYS returned..."
Yea me to
(Unless they are wearing brand new cammo and carrying brand new gear!...)
to me that is down right antagonizing, everybody at some point goes out with brand new stuff it is what it is.
"Personally, I'm respectful to everyone, and down right polite to most people I meet down at the river or out in the woods, and it's ALWAYS returned..."
Yea me to
(Unless they are wearing brand new cammo and carrying brand new gear!...)
to me that is down right antagonizing, everybody at some point goes out with brand new stuff it is what it is.
Buying rolling tobacco does sound like a good idea...unless whoever wants them doesn't know how to roll their own, in which case I'm betting they would figure it out quickly though.
There is a specific group that comes to mind...to me that is down right antagonizing, everybody at some point goes out with brand new stuff it is what it is.
When I go out flyfishing, I usually have a flyrod, and a few flies in a small box in my shirt pocket, and a baseball cap to sheild my eyes from the sun. If the weather (and the water) is warm enough, I will usually will be wading in shorts and an old pair of sneakers.
Splashing down the river comes 3 idiots with $1000 flyrods, dress head to toe in everything they could possibly buy from Orvis & LL Bean, tags still on half of their "equipment", graphite framed landing net, 45 pocket vest, every pocket filled with some gadget or gimmick to catch fish. Between them they have one trout, and it isn't even one they caught, they just scooped it up after it laughed to death.
We call them 'Christmas Hunters',
They are out there in all their 'Christmas' gear, stomping around, generally ruining hunting/fishing for everyone else...
I just smile, wave,...
Get stared at because I smiled and waved at them for no apparent reason,
...And then I go home or back to camp until things settle down and the fish/game comes back.
Last weekend we went camping at a local lake that is REAL popular with 'Out of town' fishermen...
Just about daylight, there are (no exaggeration) boats making about 40 trips back and forth around the point where we were camping...
Then about 8:00 AM, while me, the girl friend, her sister, a 3 year old nephew and two other kid under the age of 10 from another camp are setting around and we are dishing up the SECOND breakfast for the boys,
We hear LOUD cussing about,
"NO F#&$ING FISH IN THIS F#&$ING LAKE!"
So, in a normal conversational voice, my girlfriend says to them, "Please watch your language, we have small children up here."
To which both occupants in the boat let go with a string of obscenity that would make a Marine blush...
And I'm a Marine.
Must be nice to be that stupid and not have any idea of how they look to other people.
Also must be nice to be able to say and do things to people you assume are unarmed or won't deal with you later when women and children aren't around.
Just a word to the wise, even though you don't hear banjos playing in the background,
Don't piss the natives off, you never know when they know EXACTLY where you camp ground, boat trailer and big over sized dual wheel pickup is....
They are out there in all their 'Christmas' gear, stomping around, generally ruining hunting/fishing for everyone else...
I just smile, wave,...
Get stared at because I smiled and waved at them for no apparent reason,
...And then I go home or back to camp until things settle down and the fish/game comes back.
Last weekend we went camping at a local lake that is REAL popular with 'Out of town' fishermen...
Just about daylight, there are (no exaggeration) boats making about 40 trips back and forth around the point where we were camping...
Then about 8:00 AM, while me, the girl friend, her sister, a 3 year old nephew and two other kid under the age of 10 from another camp are setting around and we are dishing up the SECOND breakfast for the boys,
We hear LOUD cussing about,
"NO F#&$ING FISH IN THIS F#&$ING LAKE!"
So, in a normal conversational voice, my girlfriend says to them, "Please watch your language, we have small children up here."
To which both occupants in the boat let go with a string of obscenity that would make a Marine blush...
And I'm a Marine.
Must be nice to be that stupid and not have any idea of how they look to other people.
Also must be nice to be able to say and do things to people you assume are unarmed or won't deal with you later when women and children aren't around.
Just a word to the wise, even though you don't hear banjos playing in the background,
Don't piss the natives off, you never know when they know EXACTLY where you camp ground, boat trailer and big over sized dual wheel pickup is....
JeepHammer:
That reminds me of a story that my brother told me ..
My brother is a forestry tech, he told me all kinds of stories of non-locals out hunting. One story was a time when he was on a survey of the forest and landed on two hunters.
The hunters started going on and on about the area was supposed to be filled with game and they were from the city hunting to bring back a prize and .... then .... WTH??? Where did you guys come from?
These "hunters" thought they were so far from civilization that no-one would ever find them.
Never forget that when you are in the back-40, the locals have been there first, and will be there after you are gone.
That reminds me of a story that my brother told me ..
My brother is a forestry tech, he told me all kinds of stories of non-locals out hunting. One story was a time when he was on a survey of the forest and landed on two hunters.
The hunters started going on and on about the area was supposed to be filled with game and they were from the city hunting to bring back a prize and .... then .... WTH??? Where did you guys come from?
These "hunters" thought they were so far from civilization that no-one would ever find them.
Never forget that when you are in the back-40, the locals have been there first, and will be there after you are gone.
cigs
Most tobacco is aged for several years before the cigarette process
Most tobacco is aged for several years before the cigarette process
i store roll your own (premium) tobacco with OCB brand papers, in used (free) cigar boxes. a dash of booze, a week in a hot spot, tape it up and freeze it.. no brainer. for 10-12$ I can get 200-300 hand rolled cigarettes that have taste.. I buy Drum tobacco online, add some turkish for smoothness and dark shag for flavor, a dash of whichever booze is open (usually cognac) and a few days to blend & mellow.. then -20F for the duration.. long term i'd foodsaver the cigar boxes.. keep meaning to.. hasn't mattered yet..
but they'll trade, and even better, make for a real enjoyable rich soft smoke that isn't but half price.. even counting PX or smokeshop pricing...
not healthy of course, but i'd planned on dyin' anyway..
but they'll trade, and even better, make for a real enjoyable rich soft smoke that isn't but half price.. even counting PX or smokeshop pricing...
not healthy of course, but i'd planned on dyin' anyway..
I keep several cases of booze and packs of smokes for barter - or for guests.
Ditto with Canadian....long ago I stored away several hundred cartons of cigarettes and several cases of cheap whiskey, vodka, tequila and rum thinking one day they'd be useful for bartering. Still waiting for that day....
I quit smoking a while back. I still have a bag of tobacco, some papers and some filtered tubes lying around "just in case". The tobacco lives in the back of the freezer. I imagine that even if it's a little stale there will still be a lot of demand for it.
I recently smoked some that came out of a Vietnam-era C-ration pack.I was thinking that having a carton of cigarettes in my kit would be a good bartering item. Does anybody know the shelf life of cigarettes in a sealed plastic zip lock baggie?
They smoke.a bit rough,but they'll fix a nicotine fit.I'd keep them in some kind of permanently sealed vacuum pack until needed.my Y2K smokes kept three years in a 5 gallon drum with a screw-off lid.
You can freeze them or keep them chilled and out of sunlight and they will still be fairly fresh almost a year later.I was thinking that having a carton of cigarettes in my kit would be a good bartering item. Does anybody know the shelf life of cigarettes in a sealed plastic zip lock baggie?
tabacco would be a good item to ave i plan to have several cartons and containers of loose tobacco here...but what about TP i tink not just for personel use but trade if you have enough could keep you supplier quit awhile if not allow you to acquire items for defense.
"Pre made cigarettes such as Marlboro, Mayfair B&H Silvers are vacuum sealed in the plastic wrapping so they will last for 5-7 years in the box, however if the box is opened to the elements then the shelf life goes down dramatically. My Marlboro Red's lasted for 2 months during my non-smoking era, after the 2 months there was mold and all other sorts of furry things growing all over the cigarettes.
Rolling tobacco lasts the same when sealed but does go rather "crispy" after 5 months. If the tobacco isn't sealed then your looking at a shelf life of 1 week due the moisture in the actual product (Golden Virgina has the most moisture)."
off of an answer.com site............i dont smoke but they are a good item for bartering services....all vice-related items will be.
Rolling tobacco lasts the same when sealed but does go rather "crispy" after 5 months. If the tobacco isn't sealed then your looking at a shelf life of 1 week due the moisture in the actual product (Golden Virgina has the most moisture)."
off of an answer.com site............i dont smoke but they are a good item for bartering services....all vice-related items will be.
I guess I'll jump in on this one.
Last March before the new federal excise tax went into effect, DW and I (we make our own cigs) bought 50# of tobacco in 1# bags. We keep it stored in plastic totes in the cellar. It is just as fresh today as it was a year ago.
Last March before the new federal excise tax went into effect, DW and I (we make our own cigs) bought 50# of tobacco in 1# bags. We keep it stored in plastic totes in the cellar. It is just as fresh today as it was a year ago.
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