Survival Skills for Bartering

We have seen threads on supply lists on if the SHTF already. These are extremely important. However, I have not seen many threads on skills afterward in case society cannot switch back to how we are used to it today. (Grocery stores, Walmart, etc...) What skills are you learning in case we are forced to live in a medieval type era for an extended period of time. Eventually all of us will run out of a supply and may need to barter or trade with someone else who does have excess supply.

I am learning leather crafting. I hunt and thus can turn the hides into blankets and leather for trade. I am also gathering and practicing making various leather goods from scratch (gloves, belts, harnesses, etc...)

As I see it, there are a few skills which may become in high demand which would benefit those with the resources and skills. Let's say electricity no longer existed.

Blacksmith
Leather crafting
Rope crafting
Agriculture (obvious)
Carpenter
Masonry

Anyone else care to share their views and offer other alternatives not covered in this OP?

Undertaking but you could just bury or burn the dead I suppose.

Ammunition Maker
Radio Technician
Fermentation Specialist
Prostitution

And I'm serious about that last one too. No business has lived on earth as long as the business of sex. And in distopia, you can bet it would get you anything you wanted.

Very good thread. I assume no matter how bad it gets, we'll always use some form of currency exchange. I recomend buying gold chains. nothing to big or expensive, but something you can break down into links, or pieces. Also, Ive never heard anyone on this site recomend stocking up on fishing tackle. IMO here are a few trades that will be completely necessary, but are fairly easy to learn.

Gutting/Butchering animals.
Finding underground water supplies
Ammo reloading
Basic first aid
Midwife
Dog breeding
Teaching how to read, and write
baking
lumberjacking

I also think that brewing beer would be a fairly easy trade to survive on, altough not a necessity.

the new world wont be like the old world, we know how to make electricity - i for one won't forget. Being able to make and use electrical power will be very worthwhile, making fuel to run cars and motorbikes from fruit, melting down the metal waste into useful forged or cast parts, etc, etc

the most important skill as ever is pragmatism, closely followed by the ability to learn - with these two skills you can turn your hand to anything that life might throw at you.

Good Topic
We could also use advanced sciences as applied to simple things anyone can build without too much hassle.
Simple batteries made from caustic materials.
Simple wind trubines whipped up from car alternators.
Knowledge of chemistry.
How to dig wells.
How to maintain a root cellar.
How to build a greenhouse from trash.
How to eat new things

First thing I thought of was flintnapping. Very old, very usefull skill that is being lost in our steel world. Good enough napper can make knives, arrowheads, spears, I've even seen axeheads.

Next up was the ability to make paper. Doesnt need to be something worth writing on, merely something worth wiping with. A man with TP has a very valuable skill and product indeed.

The ability to convert sugars into something intoxicating as someone else mentioned will have its place. Wine is the easiest I can think of, keep the needed parts around for a still in your cache as well. If you build a still, youre on your own with the law, I am not saying you should have one running in your backyard.

The ability to make cheese should you have milk. Milk spoils fast, cheese is the best way I can think of to preserve the calcium.

Leathercraft was mentioned, but in order to get leather, you had better know how to tan a hide. Brain tanning is traditional, and still practiced by some, good thing to know. With that, trapping is a skill that not many of the masses are any good at. Sure to take a deer with a gun or bow is one thing, but to have a 24 hour "hunter" taking game for you is another. Also, some animals with very warm dense fur are difficult to hunt, while trapping seems to do rather well. Think beaver, martin, wolves, wolverine.

Obvious one is medicine. As has been stated in other threads, take an EMT course, books wont cut it.

Thats all I can think of for now, will offer any other ideas I come up with. Good thread BTW.

Good thread decent info.

BUT remember get out and practice, (where legal of course). Knowledge without experience reduces your chances.

Apart from practicing survival type skills, I am a Nurse and so is my Partner. I think my normal career will be enough to help me get by should the SHTF.

I make soap for a living, from scratch. I have taught myself to make it using wood ash just for this reason. It doesn't come out nearly as pretty as the kind made with pure lye, but it is safe and it cleans~
That will come in handy if I even need to barter for goods.

Also herbal tinctures, oils, salves etc and a working knowledge of medicinal plants.

Seamstress/Tailor...sew, knit, crochet, weave, etc.... for making and mending clothes, blankets, stuff like that.

Breadmaker... everyone can cook to a degree, knowing to make a variety of breads is a useful skill (especially if you know stovetop, fireside methods and not just sticking stuff in an oven) Oh and having a handmill would be good too.

Herbalist/Midwife/"healer" (covers nurses,dr's, masseuse, etc)... are mentioned above. but imo are the most useful and valuable skills to have so I mention them again.

reply to post by kcired_tsew


I wouldnt say that ''learning'' to become a Midwife was easy. I dont know about the US and other parts of the world but in the UK it is a 3/4 year course at Uni and you need more qualifications for entry to Midwifery than you do for Nursing.

Botanist. To show you what plants can be used for diffrent situations.

Fisherman, obviouse reasons.

A quick search regarding this topic led me to an article here.

If you read down under the responses, you get the idea that the general populas really doesnt have the skills needed.

Eyeopening and mildly humorous.

My list of skills to server me as I move into the great wide open,

Massage threapy,
Rife machine owner,
I own an ER-50 I bought from Eagle-research,
Jack of all trades, I have done most every crap job you think of for dish washing to roofing and all things in-between,
I know the basic process to ferment and I got a book on how to ferment beer!,
POT....I got seed and that means I got someones vice,
ANd I can garden both indoor and out,
I own a large Fresnel lens and I know how to use it and where to find more......

I have limited bullets and no guns... yes I know, sucks on my part so you can imagine what I will need in trade....Oh I know how to have dangerous fun with basic house hold chemicals but Not how to pack a bullet or clean a gun..(Shameful but true) I got some exotic protections and enough gumption to protect myself... But I totally lack firearms...

Wanna trade some grass for a gun?.... I got tobacco too.

I have read through the posts thus far and I see great ideas and skills.

This is just my 2 cents worth so feel free to skip this next part.

Cooking / Breadmaking. The only problem I can foresee with this is steady and reliable supply of the "basic ingredients". Sugar, Flour, Salt, and yeast. These 4 items I can see as a big kink in the chain if we cannot run to Wally World and buy it. Will you be growing your own sugar cane, barley or wheat for the flour, hopps to make the yeast, do you have a dried out lake bed for the salt supply? Many of us may be able to grow our own supply of some of these but not all. Also, do these grow year round in your region? If not, will you be able to cultivate enough to stockpile and ride it through until the next time you can harvest them?

Ammunition / Reloading. Again supply is the concern here. You will eventually run out of primers and brass. You can make your own lead bullets and there are many items we can smelt the lead out of (all wheel balancers on cars are 100% lead) but where will you get tin to make the coveted 90% lead and 10% tin for a solid reliable bullet that will not begin melting before it leaves the barrel, plus with lead bullets you will need a supply of gas checks? To bypass this, we would take a history lesson and go back to muzzeloading. Use up the modern ammo and weapons but have a good muzzel loader for the long haul backup. (You just need black powder, cloth, lead and a bullet caster.) And then gunpowder. To make gunpowder there are 3 ingredients. Sulpher, Coal, and Salt Peter. Do you have a mine in your land for coal and sulpher? If so then likely you are not near a desert for an abundant supply of salt peter.

Growing of any crops: Year round supply is the issue. What will you grow in the winter? What would you do if it does not rain and you are in a drought? Obviously you would pick the crops that grow best in your region. Do you have the ability and tools needed to accomplish these tasks without a tractor (gasoline supply would run out, to make bio diesel you will need a cooking oil and eventually you will run out of that oil): Tilling the soil, turning the soil, aerating the soil during growth (depends on what your planting), irrigation. Mules, oxen, burrows would be handy for the strength needed to accomplish many of these tasks. Do you have the "hand" tools which can easily be rigged for this? You will be needing a blacksmith and a leather-working(I raise my hand for this one) to maintain the harnesses / saddles needed.

These 3 skills have some obstacles which must be taken into consideration. I am NOT trying to sway your opinions as these 3 skills are extremely important. But we must also have a backup plan, and a backup plan in case the backup plan fails. This is not complete but intended to get our minds jump started so we can all be better prepared.

reply to post by Amaxium


Booze and Tobacco springs to mind . Alcohol has a couple of legit purposes other then just drinking . Both items are bound to be in demand in a survival situation . If you spend a bit on the outlay you can brew your own beer and or spirits(SP?) . As I understand it under New Zealand its not illegal to grow you own Tobacco but you cant sell it .

Cheers xpert11 .