Depends on your threat model. During speculative bubbles capital flows towards gainers no matter how crazy (NFTs anyone?). During corrections capital flows back towards commodities, and gold is … er…the gold standard. It has a lot of industrial uses blah blah blah. Copper is also good for these purposes and is an interesting contrast.

Nobody says “if you can’t touch it, you don’t own it” for copper or oil or pork bellies. That’s because that advice isn’t about using gold as an inflation hedge or safe harbour in a bear market. That advice is predicated on compete monetary collapse and the use of gold as currency. If you don’t live in a space where you can grow some of your own food, and have access to potable water from your own well I wouldn’t worry to much about it. You will starve to death or die in the food riots so gold won’t help anyways.