Zombie defense/survival

[clockdug]

As if we needed more proof of madness my wife and I were discussing zombie dinosaurs just yesterday. 

We have not included the likelihood of zombie dinosaurs into our survival plans, however, because the likelihood seems exceedingly remote.

[akumabito]

On a related note however...

With the worry of avian influenza possibly spreading to humans, we also ought to be concerned with the reverse happening; the human zombie virus infecting birds.. zombie pigeons, crows, seagulls, NOT something I would enjoy dealing with..

[Churchwarden]

Its funny, I must have found a kindred spirit here, I too was writing the "Survivors Guide to Living Through the Zombie Menace" when that book hit the shelves, I had been working on it for about a year...VERY frustrating!
I found a great many resources aside from movies, and I thought in the spirit of this thread I would share this with you:

http://www.loris.net/zombie/index.html

[clockdug]

On a related note however...

With the worry of avian influenza possibly spreading to humans, we also ought to be concerned with the reverse happening; the human zombie virus infecting birds.. zombie pigeons, crows, seagulls, NOT something I would enjoy dealing with..

Ask my wife:  I have been a proponent of ridding the world of all birds for a number of years.  The dinosaurs had their chance; their last remnants should make way for the mammals.  Besides, they are all  demons.

I would like to start this avian pogrom with my wife's cockatiel.

[Sinjun]

I can't believe I'm replying on this thread, since I don't even like zombie movies. But hey, when I think about things, I have to write them out.

Something to stop and think about: Why do 95% of zombie movies have the heroes buckling down somewhere in hopes of fighting off the zombie horde?

It isn't because it's a good idea. It's because it makes the movie easier to do.

If a zombie apocalypse happens, and it's anything like the movies, the zombies will a) come from humans, and b) seek out humans to feed on. So the real tactic is, go where there are the fewest humans, but where it is still within your survival skill range (e.g., don't head for the mountains if you don't have hiking/climbing/winter survival experience).

My strategy would be to flee the city/town as quickly as possible, stocking up on rations, survival gear, and arms as much as possible, on they way. Ideally, you will have your friends in on this plan beforehand, and they can do this as well and join up with you as soon as possible. Rally as many smart survivors as you can on the way.

Once you're out in a rural/remote area, keep your band of survivors on the move, roaming a specified range and clearing it of zombies as you move around. Stay on the offensive, and make raids into nearby cities/towns to:

1. Get supplies, ammo, fuel, and equipment,
2. Rescue survivors, and
3. Cull the zombie population as much as possible.

In my band of survivors, three rules would apply, and if you can't agree to them then you're out:

1. No one goes anywhere - <i>anywhere</i> - alone or unarmed. You and your spouse want to have some "quality time"? You get a couple of trusted friends to stand guard. No exceptions.
2. If someone gets bitten/infected/whatever, they get put down right away. No exceptions.
3. Anyone who refuses to execute rule #2, or tries to prevent rule #2 from being executed, gets put down right away. If you're too soft to behead your wife after she's been infected, you're too soft to be in my group of survivors, and I'm going to eliminate the weak link before it's a problem.

[Miss Gadget]

I've always considered mobility to be the key to survival, blockade yourself in and you find yourself surrounded by hungry zombies when the raido call for survivors to meet up comes through.

Defense: Riot gear (bite proof), Riot helmet with visor (cos' someone's weapon will catch you one round the head in a fight), Riot sheild (to push back and pin zombies, several of you can form a shield wall).

Offense: Pick axe handles (heavy, solid, low maintenance, no danger of cutting yourself, a zombie with borken bones is an immobile one), Crossbows (quiet, reusable/improvisable ammo), Grenades (nuff said), Spears (for use in less confined spaces, keeps zombies out of bite range).

Equipment: Rope, duct tape, batteries, radio control cars (to distract zombies), two way radios, fishing gear, sleeping bag, battery/clockwork alarms (for delayed zombie distractions you can plant), machette, rope ladder, First aid supplies, pharmaceuticals, bottled water (you can't trust the water supply), maps, vegetable seeds, matches, flint and steel, water purification tablets, chocolate, can opener, mirror (for seeing round corners), emergency flares, screwdrivers, hammer and nails, binoculars.

Objectives:
1) Get as far away from any Nuclear power plants as you possibly can, you can't trust zombies around them.
2) Take the high ground, once there, keep moving.
3) Ascertain whether zombie curse affects animals, they may be a vital food source.
4) Loot as many medical supplies as you can, initially they will be the most valuable thing in the new world order.
5) Gather people to your banner to form a nomadic culture of Zombie Slayers under your leadership.
6) Track down Chris DeBurgh and put a stop to this zombie infestation, once and for all.

[Von Gast]

For those of us living in smaller villages and towns it might be feasible to fight a counter-zombie action rather than just trying to survive. A few thousand zombies could easily be dealt with in a few days, especially if you were able to do things like luring them into buildings, locking the doors, and detonating a few fuel/air bombs to burn them. Once your area is zombie-free you fence off the town, run patrols, grow food anywhere available and send out scavenging parties to neighbouring areas for things like diesel and machine parts. Diesel is less volatile than petrol and will therefore keep longer. Vegetable oil is a perfectly acceptible substitute in older vehicles and tends to keep rather well.

Failing that, my plan is as follows. There is one major potential weak link which will become clear. Drive to one of the English Channel ports. Find a ferry. Fuel her, load the car decks with as many fully loaded refrigerated trucks as I can lay hands on (raid a supermarket distribution depot) and road tankers with extra diesel supplies. These ships can power refrigeration units via sockets on the car decks, so you'd basically have a giant freezer in the hold. Head out to sea and cruise around for a while until the problem ceases. If you get the right ship you could go and explore - the Western channel ships would handle an Atlantic crossing.

[Smaggers]

We're pretty zombie secure at work.

Our current office used to be a bank so we have secure doors and bars on the windows, and if all else fails, a walk-in vault. 

We were office hunting a couple of years ago and would discuss how zombie proof the building might be as the agent was showing us around.  We almost went for one with an electric gate that could seal off a courtyard and allowed excellent sniping opportunities from an enclosed balcony.   

[KhaiJBach]

ok if we are dealing with a World War Z scenario, we are talking years before the Zombies will decay and fall apart.. plus they are quite happy walking across the seabed (no need to breathe) and electrical barriers won't stop them (no pain receptors).

the only way to stop them is to destroy whats left of the brain, best method being trauma of some kind. whether it be a bullet, ax, mace or my personal nomination, a stanley Fubar (tho I'd rather not get that close if I can help it.)

[anomalie]

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

For reals.

[theMadTinker]

Well, for me it depends on where I am.  If I'm at home, I'd head for Eastern State Penitentiary, it's good and defensible.  If I'm at school, it would probably take a little while for the outbreak to reach us, as we're in rural NC, so I would grab one of the recycling pickup trucks, fill it with gas, reinforce the cage on the back, put grates on the windows, raid the blacksmithing shop for useful tools, raid the free store for useful stuff, raid the auto shop for useful stuff, and then roam the countryside in my semi-zombie-proof death-machine looking for a good place to hole up until the whole thing blows over.

[Dax]

I've always considered mobility to be the key to survival, blockade yourself in and you find yourself surrounded by hungry zombies when the raido call for survivors to meet up comes through.

Right.  And its another reason the WalMart/Costco/Big Box store idea is a non-starter as well.  They're too big a perimeter to defend, and once the defences are breached, you're trapped inside.

I'm thinking that an island is the way to go.  Small population, which means small infestation, and I've never heard of zombies swimming or handling boats.

[Sir Nikolas of Vendigroth]

How oh how did i miss this the first time around?
As for weapons, i'd go for a shotgun, a handgun and for transportation, a zeppelin. I mean: come on; you're in the air indefinitely at any altitude you like.

[Shinyhead]

Was reviewing this and I thought of something WAY too twisted...

Soylent Z, the new energy drink on the block.




Side effects may include....

well you get the idea

[akumabito]

Whenever I get more time, I need to get back into making chainmaille. This thread makes me want to make a zombie-proof outfit out of black anodized titanium splitrings.

[Darksmith]

Depending on the availability of gas and stuff what like that, I think that this would be my ultimate choice for a vehicle to use during a zombie infestation. That is if I decide to use a vehicle, which personally I don't think I would like to rely on.

http://www.itsjustabitoffun.com/date/2007/8/20/


But none the less, this truck would be bad ass to have. I just came across is again, but when I had originally seen it, there were more pictures that showed that all the windows had steel shutters that rolled down, even the the windshield and door windows. The nice touch is that the shutters are on the inside of the glass, so if zombies do slam against it and break the glass, there would be none shattering into the vehicle. So it can be completely sealed off. Plus it has very good clearance to be able to climb over piles of bodies. When I first came across it, the article said that it was on off road rv type vehicle, so I'm sure that it would very well under many types of driving conditions. The bike on the back would make an excellent scouting/raiding vehicle. All I would want to do is maybe cut a roof top access hatch, and have a turret up there to defend from. The roof access hatch would also make it easier to escape the vehicle if it was flipped over and laying on its side.

[akumabito]

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

[rogue_designer]

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

[Guyver]

I have always thought the people who lived in my house before me were living in fear of Z attack.
The front and back doors are made of steel and have locking rod iron screen doors. On the inside both doors have brackets for holding a cross timber. All the windows have rod iron bars over them as well. The basement door is flush to the floor and can only be opened by pulling up on a tiny ring that subsets in the door.
No Zombie is getting in here.
Here are pics of the front door and some of the window bars.





In truth the people who lived here before had a drug lab in the basement and all the protection was to keep anyone from steeling the drugs and to keep the cops from getting in.

[Rage-X]

I have to make time to read this entire thread....

I would go to the closest Cabela's because they have more guns and ammo in one store then the entire national gaurd.

www.cabelas.com

[Dusza Beben]

And now for amusical interlude courtesy of Johnathan Coulton...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BjMiDZIY1bM

DB

[Darksmith]

I found some great clips of a spoof survival show about surviving the zombie attack. It is hosted by Nick Frost, and stars Simon Pegg as the zombie expert that the show turns to for advice. It is about 30 minutes in total length, but in three parts. It is quite very funny, and I highly suggest that you watch it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZnNIs4YKtZM     Part 1

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZKABcFtDLDU&feature=related   Part 2

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CbnxcMtkf0M&feature=related     Part 3


I hope that you enjoy it.

[akumabito]

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..

[Dr. Munro]

I must bring to everybodies attention the zombie survival guide.  My friend bought a copy and it has some very useful hints and tips in it.

I haven't thought particularly of zombies but I have thought about general virus/end of the world situations.  Definately building me an underground complex.

[the Hat]

Are you all actually considering writing a more up-to-date version of a zombie survival manual? If so, please let me know how it goes. I have a comic book store in the area that is seemingly prone to zombie attacks. (Thankfully, they have zombie proof glass windows.) One thing I WILL say is that an Uzi is VERY handy when facing a zombie horde!

The Hat