Zombie defense/survival

[Prof. Brockworth]

I think there should be a "post your zombie apocalypse survivor photos" thread.  For reals.

"You've got red on you."

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

[Von Gast]

That is by FAR the best camper truck interior I have ever seen. Bookmarked!

Yes indeed. But not cheap. List price: 841.348 Euro (from an archived version of their page... no current price listed)
Built by TerraCross/Unicat
http://www.unicat.net/en/index.html

Ahh, yes... Unicat.. I remember seeing one of their Unimog based demo vehicles on an offroad show some years ago. I had forgotten all about them. Extremely nice stuff, but unfortunately way, way overpriced. Hey, if you're a little handy, you can come up with some pretty amazing stuff yourself! I know all about it; my parents used a converted 1950s fire engine to tour Europe in the 80s..

I think I'll start with one of those 8x8 Tatras and build something similar. Although my approach will provide very comfy accommodation assuming I can find the right ship.

[Prof. Friedrich VonHart, PhD]

I love this thread. I haven't worked out a specific plan, mostly stay armed with melee weapons and a few liberated firearms. Pole weapons are a definite must. 3 ranges minimum, guns for long range, pole arms for medium poking and distance keeping, and a few shirt mace/flail/bat/metal pole/sword type for close quarters. Definitely some armor, and mask to keep blood spatters from entering my system.

[Atterton]

I think a machete has good potential for close combat.

[Prof. Friedrich VonHart, PhD]

Agreed, though I don't currently own one. I do, however have a large selection of pole weapons, metal poles, and swords. I also have all the materials to easily improvise a flail or mace.

[Prof. Brockworth]

That reminds me, I need to mount the chainsaw in an "in case of zombies" box by the door...

Am I a bad man for thinking of all the lovely scavenging that'll be available after the zombocalpyse?

[heavyporker]

 Oh, good lord. I thought it was just me. I've been forced by circumstances to at least have rudimentary strategies for surviving zombies. I hate zombies. I mean, I really hate zombies. That's why I do my level best to avoid watching zombie movies, books, and cartoons. However, I have a nearly uncontrollable compulsion to keep watching if my channel-surfing trips over a movie already in progess. Although, I must bow before " Shaun of the Dead".


 Anyways... I must also confess something.

 I have had many, many zombie survival dreams. I don't know why... but I damn well hate it, hate it, hate it! Always running and trying to stay alive. I wake up exhausted and scared. This is the circumstances of how I came by my zombie survival plans.

 However, at least these dreams have offered some scenarios where survival might be plausible.


 - One - if I can flee to the nearest medieval history museum. Whoever said that thing about going for flanged maces was absolutely right - this is the place where you can get one readily enough. Plus... fucking plate armor! No way any normal zombies will be able to gnaw their way to anyone who's lucky enough to fit into one of these suits of armor. I know, not conductive to long term survival due to lack of supplies, but damn if your odds of short-term survival doesn't go up massively... all that armor and melee weaponry on the ready (albeit with some struggle with anti-theft apparati. Plus... spears, lances and poleaxes, shields, real chain-mail and scale-mail armors (not the pussy hippie wire-chain armor that some people on this forum are talking about, no offense but you better get real) etc etc.

 - Sports supply store. Hey, obvious things aside (baseball bats, hunting items), I just want to point out.... hockey goalie suit. If you can't get to/ get into medieval plate armor, this is as close as you can get to useful armor without having to risk life and limb at the local police station for their riot gear. You KNOW that police stations will be freaking insane in the first throes of zombie infestation - DO NOT GO TO YOUR LOCAL POLICE STATION IF YOU KNOW A ZOMBIE INFESTATION IS BEGINNING! AVOID AVOID AVOID!


 - That said, after my dreams, I know of one way to win the endgame of zombie infestation in the Northeast where I live (sorry, no desert to protect me) - JUST HOLD OUT UNTIL WINTER! I don't care what kind of zombies they are - once winter proper rolls around, everything flesh and bone will freeze immediately. Even these indoors - without human intervention, buildings will become freezers when winter proper  rolls around. Plus... snow and ice will seriously impede any zombie that somehow survives the freeze (zombie dogs? zombie yeti? These are the only things I can think of that can even plausibly be not frozen in the middle of winter). Just be sure to pack snowshoes/skis/snowmobiles.

 - If you're inside any respectably sized city during initial zombie infestation... don't be stupid. STAY INSIDE AND DIG IN! I know it'll be bad for long term survival - but screw that! ENSURE SHORT-TERM FIRST! Take account of what you have and see if the goverment has any chance of controlling things (police, national guard, army, basically - if they have things under control, don't go nuts and go on the street... if they can't - don't go nuts and go on the streets). Going out on the streets during the first hours of panic, turmoil and such is straight up suicide - because everything on wheels are essentially screwed through jams and such and you are forced to be on foot, you're pretty much hours, if not several days, away from wilderness proper where you can feasibly expect to be away from people. I want to clarify - by days, I mean multiple day/night cycles, because only a complete imbecile would attempt to do either: make one protracted sprint for wilderness, where then you'd be completely exhausted and disoriented before you got to the wilderness - bad bad bad bad!; or, try to play it by ear through moving then hiding, because then you're continually in unknown territory where then you are always under incredible risk and you know nobody (as in, can't trust anyone), as in, bad bad bad bad! What these other posters are talking about are as it applies to themselves, and usually in small towns! Cities are quite different in this regard.

 - Chainsaws... don't make me laugh. These things will spew infection-vector everywhere. Don't use if you and your crew don't have masks in place. Plus, they need fuel and are loud as heck. Absolute last-ditch tool only! But... electric chainsaw... maybe. Plus, I had thoughts about getting one of these chainsaws-on-poles that tree doctors use for cutting branches while on the ground. That could be pretty cool, actually.

 - They're right about axes being a bit risky, almost guaranteed to get stuck. If you must swing quickly, use blunt side. If you can aim and swing, feel free to use sharp side.

 - Avoid using flame - it will take too long for flame to destroy ambulatory zombies, plus the risk of starting Massive City Destroying Fires is a bit too high. Just kill the zombies or make them stop moving, THEN pile them up in one place away from flammable buildings and infrastructure, THEN burn. Remember - make sure the fire burns hot, you don't want to risk infection vector surviving the fire. Pre-make the fire if you have to in order to ensure a very hot fire.

 

 That's enough for now, because I've got to do other things... plus if I dwell too much on this topic, I'll probably be cursed with another zombie dream. WHY does those things happen to me!?!

[beschattet]

I have nothing terribly useful to contribute to this conversation, but I just had to comment and say how glad I am that I'm not the only one who has put serious thought into how to survive an outbreak. After seeing 28 Days Later, I developed an elaborate plan (which may or may not have included sticking little pins in maps) for combating the zombie legions that I was sure would descend upon the little desert town I lived in. Unfortunately, now that I've moved to a more populated area, said plan is sorely in need of revision.

[elShoggotho]

I have several interesting shops in my direct vincinity.

The LARP shop around the corner has several lightweight suits of plate armor. Not thick enough to stop a sword, but still thick enough to stop zombie teeth. They also carry some reenactment stuff - and have a lot of tools. First stop there, grab that armor. Quilted tunic under that, they also carry that stuff. I'd go for the blackened full plate with the eight-pointed star.

Second stop: the mil-surp shop across the street. Collapsible batons may not be much, but they're enough for the next stop.

Third stop: the martial arts shop next street. Carries everything for a decent close-combat armament, including genuine Katana and Naginata. They're partly a gallery for old stuff.

That's for the armament. Another stop (between the first and second armament stops) would be at my local little grocer, to get conserved food. Might need a wheelbarrow.

[Gentlemens Handbook]

My internet was down for a day and a half. I have a lot of catching up to do.

[Churchwarden]

Zombie survival is all well and good, and the manner of which they might be repelled would matter greatly on what type of zombies you are finding in your garden. A flanged mace will have a tendency to get stuck in a body, and over time can get mushed up and loose a lot of potency, not to mention the weight of the weapon being tiring and the shaft being fairly short. The main thing to remember, is that it does not take sword master or trained specialist with any weapon to be proficient is this given situation...swing for the head, rinse, repeat.

The real threats are going to be other survivors and environmental concerns. The apocalypse tends to bring out the worst in people, and it will have a tendency to get very dog eat dog. Finding yourself pitted against another human foe is going to be the challenge, or better yet, avoiding it.

A lot of options here are good, but I keep seeing a repeating and potentially fatal flaw. Most of the places people talk of going to for supplies and/or shelter are going to be populated at the time of the outbreak and viable targets for other survivors. That alone offers up a tremendous challenge of clearing out an infestation in a building, sealing it off, making sure what remains is livable and in working order, and setting up a defense from looters and roving bands of scavengers. For one person, this is a seemingly impossible task.

The waiting till winter option, although quite on the ball, is going to once again depend on the type of living dead that is hungry for you. Some zombies will go dormant without activity/sustenance and could be waiting for the right moment to strike as you pass over them, whereas other might freeze as was previously stated. Water is also not always an option, as lakes and oceans are teeming with life, and zombies sink and do not need to breath, there is not much keeping them out of it. Salt water would increase the rate of decay however, and since oceans do tend to run deep, this may be the safer choice of the two.

Guns are always a good choice in the short term, but not a thing to rely on as they will eventually run out of ammunition and require a lot of care and maintenance. Bladed weapons will dull, wooden weapons will break. Stabbing weapons will just get you into trouble...this I cannot stress enough. You are also going to want to choose armament that will not strain your stamina, as you will be under great duress, possibly lacking food and sleep, you will want something that is light weight and requires little or no maintenace. The best thing I can recommend is an aluminum (or aluminium) baseball bat. These items are very light weight, and very durable, the only down side is winding it up enough to crack out a lethal blow every time.

As far as shelter is concerned and this is a big one...I am glad that I am an urban explorer, as I have a great knowledge of lost and forgotten places that no one is, and no one goes to. In the event of a crisis such as this, solitude is salvation in many cases. I am already looking into the possibility of owning a lighthouse, which if you ask me, there could be no more perfect a location to wait out the tides of destruction.

On a last note, trap building skills are paramount if you wish to survive. When and where you hole up is going to be a lot more survivable if you are not having to personally defend it everytime some maggot brained zombie wanders across your front door. Not only is it more safe, it is less wear and tear on gear and a good way to preserve resources...not to mention the possibility you might catch some food in your traps from time to time.

Sorry for the length, I've been eagerly following this and absolutely dying to throw my two cents in. (Not literally, don't get excited) I know a lot of this is open ended, that is on purpose. I hope by presenting the problems in survival option, solutions might be well thought out in preparation of the zombie apocalypse that I am sure will hit us all eventually. 

[Darksmith]

For some reason I have totally spaced on my urban exploration skills when it comes to zombie survival. I have done quite a bit of exploring of storm drains(not sewer pipes, they are two different systems), and know a fair bit of the network around my area, and also know of great big chambers that would make suitable campsites. The major obvious flaw with this would be what happens if it rains. But they would make for good pathways when the weather permits.

Another urban skill that I would like to acquire to assist me in avoiding zombies would be the art of parkour. For those of you not familiar with this activity, pretty much you are going from point A to point B in an urban environment, and you don't want to let anything get in your way. Here is a quick little clip that shows how useful these skills would be in a zombie crisis.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TPIw3cv8Zls&feature=related

I have actually thought in the past about how cool it would be to see a movie based around a group of survivors that have made it this far by relying on their parkour skills. It makes a good basis for a zombie survival scenario in my mind.

[Prof. Brockworth]

As fits a hippy socialist, I think the apocalypse will bring out the best in people.  Disasters here do.  In our floods, people team up to fill sandbags and make hot tea, and with tea an Englishman can outlast the Devil himself.

Parkour, alas, relies on a lot of practice...

[akumabito]

As fits a hippy socialist, I think the apocalypse will bring out the best in people.  Disasters here do.  In our floods, people team up to fill sandbags and make hot tea, and with tea an Englishman can outlast the Devil himself.

Must be a British thing, then... Hurricane Katrina, the Tsunami, the droughts in Africa... all fine examples countering your notion of disasters somehow being good for team spirit.

[Shinyhead]

I dunno, there is both, I remember a HUGE convoy of trucks of emergency supplies streaming into Florida after our 3 hurricane year. Most volunteer and donations.   Yeah, you get asshats, but there is also something better that shows as well.   Both cream and turds rise to the top I guess.

Well, now I lost my appetite. 

[akumabito]

Sure. Now let the disaster scenario last for months on end. years perhaps. Then what happens?

[Shinyhead]

Those trucks rolled for weeks and weeks.

[Churchwarden]

I think we are missing the big picture here, in these natural disasters, there are places left where people are not effected, in our proposed zombie apocalypse...no one is safe. People are a lot less apt to send help and offer tea when they have their own necks to worry about. A good example would be to isolate a disaster and look at how people behave within the affected area, i.e. New Orleans during and immediately after Katrina, the L.A. riots, etc. When viewed from that perspective, I believe you will find the the survival instinct kicks in for most people, and suddenly they are more concerned with saving themselves then offering help to their neighbor.
I will say on the up side, it is only out of great adversity that true heroes are born, but these are few and far between.

Try and imagine a moment a disaster where help is not coming, and people know it.

[akumabito]

Prezactly!

[Prof. Brockworth]

Oh I do, but you see, you cannot survive the zombocalypse alone.  You need to sleep.  You need to look over your shoulder.  You need a set of skills I bet you don't have.  Banding together is the only way that humanity won't die as a bunch of singleton mall ninjas.  Just like it has always been.

This reminds me, I need some broadheads...

[akumabito]

With people turning to brain-sucking zombies after an unknown period of time after being exposed to the virus? Forget about that. I don't trust anyone, unless I've been with them for quite some time before the apocalypse starts and they've never left my sight.

[elShoggotho]

Infection only occurs via the blood stream, so there's no fear of people without scratches. All other need to go into the zombie-proof quarantine chamber until it's proven that they're not infected.

[Shinyhead]

Humans are social animals, as disdainful as it is, we need each other and in times of tragedy, although the base animal in us all is ever present, the human spirit will nearly always be found, no matter how rare it may be.

[Prof. Brockworth]

We certainly are, Shinyhead.  And while akumbiato presumably roosts in trees at night, we'll establish trust over a cuppa and take turns on watch.   To repopulate humanity and save the species we need people.

Disaster rule number one - presumptions are going to get you killed.  Assume they're shamblers and they'll be runners.  Assume it's blood and it'll be chemical.  Or voodoo.  Adapt and survive, gentlemen, Mr Darwin's pretty words are no mere ornament.

Agreed on quarantine though.  Separate secure cells would be ideal so you don't have your quarantined doctor infected by your quarantined hobo... 

[akumabito]

Paranoia > human spirit




With zombies around, anyone sneaking up on me will be dead!