Roll yer own!

As someone who is busily setting up for survival with as little reliance on 'civilized' society as possible, I am constantly looking for ways to get the things I need without going to a store (or an website). Today my attention turned to that age-old friend of the family, tobacco.

How will I get cigarettes should the SHTF? Well, I know tobacco is a plant, and not hard to grow. I have land to grow it. I can set up something to cure/age it, and I have found some sites with info on how to shave it into cigarette filler.

The rolling machines are dirt cheap, and the tubes are not bad either. I could get a 5-year supply of tubes and a machine for under $500. I can grow the tobacco and hand-process it. What I don't know is the following:

How many ounces (pounds, etc) of tobacco can I expect on average from each plant?

What are the advantages of the more expensive rolling machines (~$35) over the cheapos (

I'm with ya on growing a very tradeable commodity, that, and the *ahem* other kind!

Why bother with trying to favricate rolling machines when it takes only a little practice to be able to hand-roll...perhaps you could create an ancilliary business to produce rizlas to roll them in and sell as a finished product?

PS: Nicotiana plants are very hardy and have very few predators owing to nicotines highly poisonous nature, I've grown a couple of these plants in pots in the back yard as ornamental foliage plants and haven't tried smoking them, but they grow huge leaves in the UK climate

I just quit smoking, and have two full boxes of nicatrol inhalers I never used, as I quit using only one package of cartridges. I will keep them though, because if it hits, them babies will be valuable.

Ama

why dont you smoke out of a pipe instead of worring about a roller? I started smoking out of a pipe a while ago and its not so bad, you still get your nicotine fix, and look pretty cool while doing it. Albert einstien did it and so can you! BUt i still like smoking a good old fashined ciggarette with the filter. I just bought a house and got some land for a decent sized garden, and if i have time i am going to try and grow some tobacco. I researched online and you can buy plants fairly cheap. Some take more care than others. you can also get different herbs for smoking, probably not for a ciggarette, but a pipe they would taste good. I will see how it goes this summer, hopefully i can grow something good.

My rolling machine is a dollar bill and that's getting cheaper every day! Dunno how easy it is with tobacco if you want to roll a filter in or something.

The only thing I know anything about with tobacco is it's the curing process that produces most of the nasty stuff in a typical cigarette. Nitrosamines. You can significantly reduce them using a different curing method that uses tight control of the curing environment. A patent for such a process can be found here. If I recall there were several brands marketed for a short time using this process, one was Advance. As the nitrosamines are produced by the break down of nicotine during curing, preventing the break down also maintains higher nicotine content making the tobacco more addictive and heart-unfriendly, but you're less likely to get cancer.

Thanks for the advice, as long as that advice is not 'just stop smoking'. For those who want me to stop, no offense, but I don't want to stop.

All I know is I don't wanna stop
All fired up, I'm gonna go till I drop
You're either in or in the way
Don't make me, I don't wanna stop.

Whats going to happen when you run out of rolling paper in sitx?

I heard you could use news paper, but I am not sure about that.

Anyways this is why you use pipes. With a pipe you wont have to worry about rolling, or rolling paper. And their pretty easy to use. They are also pretty cheap.

pipe smoking is a great idea. i used to do that on and off. it's very tasteful. You can whittle one out of a corn cob or use "other devices" i'm sure.

brings up a good point. while not technically a true survival need, tobacco does offer trading value and something I believe in....moral. If you are living it rough, the slightest little positive thing has a big impact. taking the time to enjoy a good smoke is a great moral booster. It also gives you a reason to socialize with people in your outfit. Just food for thought. When your life collapses around you and we're implementing all these ideas, it's great to do something that is pleasurable. The greatest survival tool of all time is your Will. Lose the will to survive and you've lost everything.

I have to side with everyone else here. If the stuff really does hit the fan and we are in full blown Sit X, then paper to roll your cigs wouldn't be sustainable. Pipes would be the way to go. Now, if you had that 5 year supply of paper, it would be great for trading as cigs would be very hard to come by. But for personal use, I would think a pipe is about the only practical way to do it. That or a hookah.

I got a 4 lb sack of gambler for 20 bucks. A box of filtered tubes 250 cnt for 3 bucks. An ez slider for 6. I'm still working on it 3 mos later. Disappointed with the slider. Jams and not tight pack. Better off with traditional roller sans the filter. For some reason though I just can't get my yayas off with this and still find myself buying my marlborlos. I use it to make them last much longer. Smoke less than a pack a day. I like the pipe idea. Going to try that.

Doing everything yourself makes the most sense when looked at from a survivalist mentality. One must be completely self-sufficient in the wilderness, why not in town or at home?

Almost any fibrous plant material can be used for rolling papers, hemp is a great example.

As for medical herbs, such as tobacco, these can be organically and locally grown to ensure maximum potency and quality.

One can provide all the tobacco and rolling papers [if a cigarette is the chosen delivery method] one needs all on one's own.

Another win for the survivalists. Check that one off the list.

How bout some Longbottom Leaf?! Seriously, I don't even smoke and I reckon growing tobacco is a great idea cos of trading and social benefits But if pot stays illegal under sitX / NWO then I wouldn't want to be caught anywhere near it due to expected draconian laws.

I remember I used to like the smell of my neighbours pipesmoke as a child, it was very sweet and rich, but I have no idea what kind it was - nothing like todays ciggys thats for sure. If I grew it myself I'd prolly smoke, amusing to be thinking of taking up smoking at this point of my life

Now, how about some COFFEE!

I just had a thought. Put my crude leafy gambler in a blender and whip it fine. That should take care of jamming a loose pack issues. Need more tubes anyway. One more stop for tomorrow.

reply to post by Karlhungis


my great aunt, as the story goes, lived to be over 100 years old...and was a chain smoker. she'd sit on the front porch, and roll the tobacco up in CORN HUSK and smoke on after the other....

or so the story goes... cigars are wrapped in tobacco leaves..
maybe papers aren't that necessary?

Rofl dawnstar. My neighbor and his wife are both retired cleveland school teachers. He told me of his aunt in kentucky who lived to 98. She got mowed down by a diesel locomotive on her way to buy her pall malls. Damn things will kill ya!

Originally posted by biggie smalls
As for medical herbs, such as tobacco, these can be organically and locally grown to ensure maximum potency and quality.

What common medical ailments does tobacco treat? I'm only aware of constipation and IBS. I'm finding it's used to treat neurological problems like tourettes, schizophrenia, and alzheimers, but that's not something most people suffer from.

It also cures IWTHMCW. I Want To Hurt My Co-Workers if I dont get my hourly smoke. Sorry couldnt help myself.

I'm thinking if it ever gets that bad,that would be a good reason to quit smoking

reply to post by TheRedneck


This guy has all the seeds and stuff you will need to grow and roll your own cigs.
Seedman.com

I have been rolling my own for years and have worn out a few high end (expensive) rolling machines. I now use a Top-o-matic. Look for the one with a handle and metal blade. This machine is the best I have tried. Forget about the “sliders” they are a real pain to use and not very fast. Maybe for travel, but you will not enjoy the roll-your-own experience if you start out with one.

The cost savings for me, are well worth the effort. I smoke about a carton a week (used to smoke Marlboro) so at about $35 per carton vs. $9 per carton rolled, that’s a yearly savings of around $1350! Don’t skimp on your rolling machine, $50 bucks will get you a Top-o-Matic a couple of pounds of Zen or Farmers Gold tobacco and a box of El Rey tubes. Now, what will I spend the other $1300 bucks on….hmmm stockin’ up the pantry.


I just video taped me rolling 16 cigs in 3 minutes, not really trying to go all that fast.
I will try to post the vid. But I am not sure how to do it. Do I have to save it on my downloads here at ATS or what? If anyone is interested.

If you grow your own, you will need to dry out the tobacco. From the same source as above, here is some plans to build your own drying kiln.
DIY tobacco drying kiln


Although I have never grown my own, After seeing your thread I am thinking about it.


Peace

Does anyone have any advice for growing your own tobacco strains for cigar production?

Im not a fan of cigarettes, but I would love the chance to grow my own cigars... if only to compare them to the cubans and nicaraguans.

I suspect that cigars would be far too niche for a sitX, because they use so much tobacco and are not usually smoked by those who want a nicotine rush.

Nonetheless, it would be fun to try out!

Here are some types of cigar tobaccos from
Seedman.com

The link I posted in the post before yours.

He has seeds and instructions for all types of tobacco products..cigs, cigars, chewing, snuff, etc.

TA32 Havana #142
An excellent Havana tobacco that produces a quick harvest in about 65 days. This is a good tobacco for both chewing and cigars. This is an especially good tobacco for the North and is easily raised as far North as Wisconsin.

TA24 Madole
A fine commercial variety that is fast growing and hardy. I recommend growing this one if you smoke cigars.

TA34 Havana #608
Said to be the best Havana for home use. Produces a quick crop in about 65 days, and is good for cigars or chewing. This plant gives a high yield and is also recommended for growing in the North. First time growers should definitely try this one!

Many many others click the link and scroll down a bit.

This guy has seeds for most any exotic plant in the world! Flowers, herbs, you name it …he’s got it.