jmfargo | Loner Gear For the Suburbanite

EDIT: When it comes to dealing with zombies, I know what I'm talking about. When it comes to walking a long distance with not much on my back, I don't. Tomorrow I will be writing up a much better and more likely packing scenario, assuming I can stuff enough knowledge into my brain to do it. Stay tuned. This is what it looks like when I mess up big-time:

Let's say you're alone, and it's the end of the world as you know it. Let's assume you feel fine and then stop singing that song.

For some reason, after the zombie apocalypse hit, your plan went wrong, and you're not in your bastion of safety that you had told all of your friends to get to. You, of course, have a back-up plan, but part of it meant you had to hole up in your house first, and things outside quieted down.

You've been surviving on your canned goods and bottled water for about a week, maybe a little longer. The power probably went out by now, at least in a localized way if not far-spread. Your little hand-crank radio gives you little hope, though a few people are still broadcasting.

You figure it's time to move. Get out and go to either the fortress you had planned to go to originally, or to a secondary location. You know that if you stay in your house too much longer you're going to run out of food and water, and so it's time to pack up.

What you're able to bring with you is mostly dependent on what mode of travel you plan on using, so let's talk about that first.

A car is most likely right out. Stalled cars, bodies, toppled electrical poles - these things are going to be a huge problem. Plus there's the noise, attracting the attention of any nearby zombie, causing them to swarm, or at least follow you to where you're going. You don't want that.

A motorcycle or small ATV is better for getting in and out of where you need to go, but it still has the noise factor. If you're planning on going out somewhere to the country, avoiding major highways where the pile-ups can make passing impossible, then this might be a good choice for you. The noise, as you leave the suburbs, will become less of a factor, but still make sure you keep an eye out for any potential problems that you might have to deal with after you get to your safe haven.

Walking, if you need to, will suffice. Make sure you have good boots, and understand that you won't have a lot of room to bring things with you, but it's quiet, you can most likely out-pace any zombies in a foot race, and you can go around problem areas. Just remember that if you start getting tracked by the living dead, they can follow through scent, and will not stop coming after you*, so be ready for a fight if you start to get followed.

Then there's the bicycle. It's quiet, can move around objects in the way, and allows for faster travel than by foot. If you're preparing for the outbreak and you have a bike, you've either put on a basket or two for more carrying capacity, or at least have a tow-behind hitch basket. A bike that's good for this kind of situation will have the ability to go off-road as well as on, so mountain bikes are more useful than racing bikes, but both are good. Bicycles are probably the best way to go, and lightweight if you need to transport them over some barrier that you can't go around.

Still, let's assume the worst. You don't have any bike, car, or motorcycle. It's only you and your own two feet, and you have a ways to go. What should you bring with you? How do you prepare? What should you expect?

We'll start with gear.

You're going to be walking, so you need nice sneakers. You don't want anything that's going to give you blisters, and you need the sneakers to have good traction on the bottom. They should give you good ankle support - the worst thing that could happen while trying to outrun creeping doom is that you hurt your ankle. They might be able to shamble quicker than you can hobble, and that's a bad situation.

Tight clothing. Any kind of zombie guide book will tell you that you need tight clothing, and either short hair, or something like a hat to cover your hair. If the zombies do get close enough to grab at you, you don't want your clothing to be working against you. Let's try not to let them get that close though.

A good backpack, camping pack style, suitable for carrying a variety of items. This backpack should fit comfortably, and not chafe your shoulders while you walk. If possible, for the same reason you want tight clothing, avoid using the kind of pack that comes with a belt to help support the weight. It helps you feel like you're carrying less, but in the heat of the moment it can be difficult to unclip the belt, and that can lead to a nasty bite.

The necessities. What do you need to put in the backpack, carry in a pocket, have on hand?

Of course, you need a weapon. If you have a gun, know how to use it, and are relatively sure that you can use it with deadly accuracy, go ahead and bring that. That might come in handy, but be sure you're aware of the noise issue - maybe try not to use it from about a mile near where you plan on shoring up, so as to avoid unwanted visitors sooner than expected.

If you don't have a gun or a projectile weapon (avoid thrown weapons - they just aren't powerful enough to actually damage a zombie's brain), then you're looking at hand-held weapons meant for bashing in a skull or cutting off a head.

I believe, personally, that bashing in is easier than cutting off; less aiming involved, and much less skill.

So, you have a couple of good items that you probably have on hand at your home somewhere. You could use a shovel, a baseball bat (wooden is better than metal), a crowbar, a large piece of wood, a hand axe**, just, whatever you have on hand that's not too heavy, easy to swing, and could cause a good amount of mass trauma damage to the side of a zombie's head. Even a table leg will do, if that's all you have. Just make sure you have something.

The weapon goes in whatever hand you're best at swinging it with. If it needs two hands to swing, just make sure it's on hand at all times.

Assuming temperate weather, here is the rest of your list, you'll note that I've packed enough food and water for a week if you eat and drink liberally. This is in case your safe-hold isn't as safe as you thought it was, and you have to find a new place:

21 fl. oz water - make sure to drink 3 per day.
OR
A water purifier, and clear knowledge of where you're going to get your water (streams or lakes nearby, etc)

Canned food - 14-21 cans of vegetables, beans, anything that doesn't need to be heated up.

Can opener
Blankets
Toilet paper - yes, I know it's the apocalypse, but that doesn't excuse horrible hygiene.
Whistle - this is to be used only in an emergency, when you believe help is nearby to draw their attention to you.
Hand-crank radio
Flashlight with red cellophane cover - only to be used in an emergency. The red cellophane is so you don't lose your night vision.
Matches/lighters
First Aid Kit
(Ammunition)

These are the absolute minimum. If you have more space, bring more, but no personal items, nothing you can't use - it's vital that you keep yourself as light as possible, even as heavy as this pack is. Bog yourself down with too much, and within the first hour you'll find yourself inattentive to what's around you, sweat pouring in your eyes, and zombie food.

You're going to be carrying pounds and pounds of stuff in your backpack that you're probably not accustomed to carrying with you when you go for a jog, walk, or run. To get used to this, I suggest you start practicing. Get on a treadmill with a backpack that has all this equipment in it (minus any weapons, as you should try to be as safe as possible when your life isn't on the line), and see how far you can go. Then make sure you can go farther - you never know how long you'll have to go when there might not be any safe havens for miles.

What am I missing? What would you bring with you? Would you try to supplement the canned food by hunting on your own? Would you bring jerky with you instead, seeing as it's lighter, but at the same time more expensive and doesn't last as long?

How far do you have to go to get to your safe house? How long can you keep on the run?

Good luck. I hope to see you there, when the zombies are in our streets.

*Unless they find easier prey, which could be a good thing for you, bad thing for someone else.
**My personal favorite. Use the blunt side for striking, and the other side for whatever you may need it for - getting into buildings by cutting through a lock, removing obstacles, etc.