A) Something to trade (rely on others)

B) Something for ME to survive on (rely on nobody)

C) Something to rebuild (everyone relies on me)

I generally lean towards rebuilding, but it really depends on what apocalypse we’re talking about here. Zombie? Nuclear war? Asteroid? Nazis? Waterworld?

So, assuming I can survive enough, I’d pick rebuild critical tech like rubber or a way to forge steel or a critical chemical. Think, “Doctor Stone”.

But if I need to survive like a water world or a desert world or a zombie outbreak, what I pick is going to be pretty fucking different. Cigarettes don’t mean shit if there’s no water. Water don’t mean shit if that’s all you have. And none of that matters if you’re stuck in a world with aerosolized zombie infection that results in smart running zombies that fast heal.