The ZOMBIE Survival Guide Complete Protection from the Living Dead

EQUIPMENT

Traveling light is essential to your journey. Before packing anything, ask yourself, “Do I really need this?” Once you’ve compiled your gear, go down the list and ask that question again. Once you’ve done that, do it again. Of course, traveling light does not mean just holstering a.45, grabbing some beef jerky and a water bottle, and heading down the road. Equipment will be vital, more so than in any other scenario where you are holed up in a place-a prison, a school, your own home-where supplies are in abundance. The equipment you take with you may be all you have. You will carry your hospital, storeroom, and armory on your back. The following is a list of standard equipment you will need for a successful journey. Specific gear such as alpine skis, sunblock, or mosquito netting should be added according to your environment.

• Backpack

• Dependable hiking boots (already broken in)

• Two pairs of socks

• Wide-mouthed, quart-sized water bottle

• Water-purification tablets*

• Wind- and waterproof matches

• Bandanna

• Map**

• Compass**

• Small flashlight (AAA battery) with coated lens

• Poncho

• Small signaling mirror

• Bedroll or sleeping bag (both will be too cumbersome)

• Sunglasses (polarized lenses)

• Palm-sized first-aid kit*

• Swiss Army knife or multi-tool

• Hand-held radio with earpiece**

• Knife

• Binoculars**

• Primary firearm (preferably, a semiautomatic carbine)

• Fifty rounds (if in a group, thirty per person)

• Cleaning kit**

• Secondary firearm (preferably a.22 rim fire pistol)*

• Twenty-five rounds*

• Hand weapon (preferably, a machete)

• Signal flares**

*not necessary in groups

**need be carried by only one person if in a group

In addition, all groups should carry:

• Silent ballistic weapon (preferably a silenced firearm or crossbow)

• Extra ammunition for fifteen kills (if weapon differs from standard firearm)

• Telescopic sight

• Medium-sized medical kit

• Two-way radio with headphones

• Crowbar (in lieu of hand weapon)

• Water-purification pump

Once you have chosen your gear, make sure everything works. Try it all, over and over again. Wear your backpack for an entire day. If the weight is too much in the comfort of your fortress, imagine how it will feel after a daylong hike. Some of these problems can be solved by choosing objects that combine various tools (some portable radios come equipped with flashlights, survival knives carry compasses, etc.). Apply this space-saving philosophy when choosing weapons as well. A silencer for an existing weapon requires less space than a whole new weapon, such as a crossbow and extra bolts. Wearing your pack for a day will also give you an idea where the chafe points are, where the harness needs adjusting, and how best to secure the gear.