hmmm...Interesting. What is the shelf life on a carton of Cigs.

BTW, I am a non-smoker.

 

An unopened pack or carton will last a few months.

They do go bad. Very bad.

 

define bad (not knowing)

 

Yeah, bad idea!

 

Unopened smokes can be stored near indefinitely as long as they are kept in the freezer.

Every year we stock up on our trip to NC(half price) and we have kept them for as long as 6 months.

I have also 'found' packs that I had in the freezer(lost) almost a year after I bought them.

Bad cigarettes=bad taste. Hard to explain, but the tabacco dries out and they taste like total $hit(not that they taste like cherries to begin with, but.....).

 

Tobacco for barter

Cigars, kept in a humidor that is maintained at 70 % humidity will keep for years. Personal experience. Not exactly the same a pack of Marlboros, but close enough when you can't get the real thing.

 

+1 Ciggahs

Cigars, kept in a humidor that is maintained at 70 % humidity will keep for years. Personal experience. Not exactly the same a pack of Marlboros, but close enough when you can't get the real thing.

I keep cigars for trade, about 400 sticks :

and for insect repellant

and for cigars :thumb:

 

As a smoker I'll tell you this: When I run out, I won't give a crap how old or what they taste like.. Getting that fix overcomes a little stale flavor and extra burning in the throat.

Buy smokes. I'll need them.

 

Why not forget about the cigarettes and learn to cultivate tobbacco?

 

Ha-Ha... Stock up on cigarettes and you will survive by trading/selling them for 6 months to a year (if you have a working freezer). Learn to grow and process tobacco and you can survive indefinately, maybe even build an empire! Brilliant!

 

We got a problem folks.

Taxes have just sky rocketed on tobacco products. More fuel to the fire when people are trying to cope with the global meltdown. People are gonna freak when they/we can no longer afford their 'fix.'

I used to buy my smokes from The Seminole Tribe of Florida hear in Tampa. Was able to save quite a bunch on taxes and got a break on the price as well. 3 carton limit as was my norm. Two weeks ago the price went up by $50.00. Another "sin" tax hike was implemented on April 1. I have no clue what they are now. I do know my tobacco seeds will be arriving in a couple of days. Guerrilla Farming here we come. :

Cigs will always have a value but your bartering values are now sideways. Re-think your thought process with this in mind.

 

I have to agree if the shtf and I run out of smokes, i would probably trade quite a bit for them. On the life of cigs, I had a few collectors packs of Camels from 1995, and last year I figured I would open a pack and see how they tasted. I didnt think they were that bad considering they were 13 years old.

 

I am a smoker, but I don't plan to smoke through a long SHTF, I have quit before in tough situations (basic... church) with relative ease. Even in the high stress situations of basic I didn't really crave a cigarette. I do have two packs of rolly cigarettes to get me through the initial bug out, but after that I am just going to quit.

Although in a long STHF you may be able to trade with people less able to quit, or unwilling to quit... speaking of that I should probably just quit smoking while I'm ahead. I'll keep you guys posted on that.

If you're going to stock cigarettes to barter with I would recommend either rollies (smaller than packs and each one takes longer to smoke) or Lucky Strikes (they're toasted so they are basically already stale).

 

I think I'll be a whole lot better off if i try to quit too. Let's see how that goes.

 

Sounds like a good idea. i'm just wondering though what someone foolish enough to not have stocked up for him/herself would have to trade. I know what your going to say but please resist

 

I'll use my body to barter if I have to... no **** stuff though. J/K.

I don't really want to stock up on anything to barter with because it's either worth way to much (gold, silver...) or too heavy (rice, beans...). So I'll have to find something of relative value after the SHTF.

 

I hate smokers.

Can't wait to see them squirm when SHTF.

No way am I going to waste money stocking products to support some weak minded jerks' addiction when I can use that money to add food, water filters, seeds, ammo to my cache.

 

Smoking helps me deal with reality... reality sucks. I don't think I'm weak minded, I chose to start and I choose (aided) to continue.

If you have such a problem with smokers then just go down to your local bar and have a drink, it takes the edge off.

 

Put cartons in the fridge, an unopened carton can last ages.

 

And lets not forget, although many of you may not want to "support the weak minded" this is about your survival, not theirs. If you decide to carry cigarettes, or alcohol or meth to barter with after the SHTF then by all means I'm not going to tell you to do other wise, and nor should anyone else. I personally am not, I am going to carry more gear and hopefully be able to make a small farm garden to use to barter after stuff starts growing in.

NOTE: I do not support violating the law, I used meth as an example that most people would find objectionable but would probably have some value after the SHTF. I am also going to guess that this site does not condone illegal activity.

 

The buy tobacco thing is pretty much what I tell my students (I'm a military instructor, so we're all adults) before they deploy. I tell them there will be someone who needs it and can hook you up with something you want

 

I agree with douhge, I don't care if smokes are 20 years old, if I got 'em, I'm gonna smoke 'em.
I am not addicted to nicotine as i only smoke when i drink beer, but i drink all weekend! Do not underestimate the value of tobacco to a regular smoker. I have lots of other supplies that you may not have, i would trade quite a bit for smokes. On another note, i ordered a pack of Virginia Leaf seads yesterday. had to send by snail-mail so no telling when they will get here.

 

Okay, just a thought... cigarettes contain nicotine, nicotine is as addictive as heroin, people kill to get their heroin fix... do you really want people who are suffering from nicotine withdrawl trying to trade with you for cigs? What makes you so sure they won't just try to steal them or kill you for them?

 

that can happen in ANY trading situation, and trade will mostlikely be nessisary.... but do you think I will be unarmed or alone in this situation?

and to address someone else's comment... yes, because it is non-survival item for me, the "price" for the smokes has a wide range of possibilities. (but on the "strait and narrow")

 

Cigs

What about chewing tobacco or loose tobacco? What is the shelf life of that? Still gets the nic fix, and I think it is a little cheaper.

Perhaps another option is storing nic gum- much longer , but I think this is way more expensive.

 

If your tobacco gets stale, place it in a baggie with a slice of apple for a day or two and it will be fine. :thumb:

 

I read where a fellow was going thru his Dad's home after his death. In the attic he found some several trunks that belonged to his Dad's father (his grandfather). In going thru those he found a box of cigars, open, with only a few gone.

In the box was a receipt for the cigars dated 192x. They were quite expensive for the time so he assumed they were of good quality. He wrote a Cigar magazine to get their thoughts on what they might be and were they smokeable.

The answer was they were indeed of good quality and yes they were as smokeable today as they were then. That said, they recommended they they be placed in a large humidor such as found at at cigar store and allowed to humidify for at least 3 month if not longer, say 6 mo.

Whether or not this applicable to cigs...dunno.


I do think a store of cigs could well make some good barter but don't expect much in return. Along those same lines coffe in sealed metal cans would be better IMO.

But if you want something to barter and a GREAT $$$ investment in the event the SHTF does NOT happen then I suggest you buy all the ammo you can afford. Recommend you keep it to 9mm, 45 acp, 7.62mm, 5.56mm, 22LR and 44mag. Expect to get a major return on your investment.

Guns 'n Ammo, currency of the 21st Century

 

lortab lasts forever

 

raid a pharmacy

 

I'm a smoker myself. That being said, the last thing I really need to worry about if SHTF (longer than a week or so) is where to get smokes. They do not store well, so i would not waste my freezer space on them. I'll learn to go without fairly quickly.

On the other hand, I'd certainly store liquor as a bartering item - way easier to store and I think the customer base would be bigger.

 

I'd certainly store liquor as a bartering item - way easier to store and I think the customer base would be bigger.

Yes, much better than cigs.

 

Got two words>

Hash Pipe.

Go to your local head shop and buy one. They come in tiny ones and longer ones that mimic the longer thinner opium pipes about a foot long. Get one with a bowl about the size of a pea, and a couple dozen stainless steel small screens to go with it.

Fill the bowl. Light it, take a drag and hold it. cover the bowl to put it out as soon as you take a drag. A pea sized bowl of tobacco does the same job as a cig as long as you don't let it burn up.

Something else for the bob along with the big bag of loose leaf. When you trade for cigs break them up and smoke the bowl.

 

Might be good to stock up on rolling papers and tubes.