Ever since the late George Romeo brought the zombie apocalypse to people’s consciousness courtesy of the 1968 cult classic Night of the Living Dead, many have been enamored and horrified of the thought of the dead walking the earth. Walking corpses out to munch on our flesh and brains is indeed a scary scenario but what’s even more disturbing is if you fail to prepare for a zombie apocalypse.
We’ve had 50 years since the walking dead became popular and there have been reports of zombie sightings all over the world. Surely, you’ve at least given some thought to preparing for the possibility of the dead coming back to life, well, sort of. If not, you should. To help you out, start off with these essential gears you need to survive the zombie apocalypse.
Zombie Apocalypse Survival Gear
In the event of a zombie apocalypse, it‘s unlikely for life to continue as normal. There’ll be no power, water supply, no grocery stores, and the government will likely be in disarray. In other words, society will fall. With that in mind, you have to depend on yourself and your loved ones to survive.
Food
Food is a no-brainer. Technically, food is not some equipment but it is more important than any device. As with any EOTW scenario, you should have lots of food with long shelf life stored in your prepper pantry. It’s better if you’re into homesteading so you’ll have your own food source and won’t have to depend that much on going on risky supply runs.
If you’re on the move, MREs are more ideal than canned goods as the latter will be a burden to carry. Even better options are survival rations bars, which don’t require valuable water. Of course, if you find some canned goods along the way, consider yourself lucky. You also need a manual on foraging that’ll tell you what wild plant or mushroom you can eat or not.
Water
It’s been said over and over – without water, you won’t survive for long. Make sure you have lots of water in your pantry. When SHTF and you have to bug out, you need ample supply to last for days until you find another water source. In case you stumble upon not-so-clean water, you should be able to purify it. You should have water purification tablets, iodine tablets, chlorine, and a pot and portable stove for boiling. A collapsible water container will also be useful for when you have to gather water from a river or collect rainwater.
Bug Out Bag
You need the right bag to carry all your survival gear and supplies. Choose one that’s sturdy, weatherproof, lightweight, and comfortable. It should also have lots of space, pockets, and clips for your stuff. Forget colorful bags. They’ll give you away to potential threats.
A hydration bladder is a great investment. You can hydrate without having to stop, which is important if you’re trying to get away from a zombie-infested area.
Tactical Flashlight
Zombies attack even in the dark. They only need to hear or smell you to know where you are. A tactical flashlight will help you see if there are flesh-eaters lurking in the dark.
The problem here is that the light may attract other survivors who are up to no good. If you wish to avoid being spotted, night vision goggles will help you spot the dead and the living in the dark.
Fire Starter
You need fire for a number of reasons. You can cook food and boil water. Fire also provides light in the dark and keeps you warm when it gets too cold. You can sanitize a needle when you have to suture a wound. Fire also comes in handy when you have to cauterize your stump after sawing your hand off.
First Aid Kit
When you’re constantly on the run from zombies, especially if they’re like the ones in I Am Legend and World War Z, the chances of getting hurt is high. If you suffer from a wound or break a bone, you got your first aid kit to treat your injuries so you live another day.
Multitool
When you’re surrounded by a horde of zombies, you need to think fast. A multitool will be of great help when you have to cut through wire fences or open locks. You can also use a professional bump key set to access houses and buildings as you search for shelter and supplies.
Other Zombie Survival Gear
It doesn’t really matter if you’re facing zombies, aliens, an asteroid, or a global economic collapse. When it comes to survival, you need every gear or equipment you can get your hands on. Of course, a true prepper will know what survival gear really matters. Besides, it’s impossible to carry everything you think you’ll need and still have enough strength to outrun zombies.
Some other essential survival gears for the zombie apocalypse include a paracord (great for setting tripwires), signal mirror (to find rescue), binocular (to find zombified Rosie O’Donnell and Burt Reynolds in a horde), sleeping bag (for, uhmm, sleeping), Mylar blanket (this is basic survival gear), a crank radio and a CB radio among other things.
Weapons
When we talk zombie apocalypse, we think of different ways to blow or bash their heads in. I bet all you zombie genre lovers out there are thinking like Tallahassee in Zombieland and figuring out different ways to get the Zombie Kill of the Week. Banjos and grass shears are nice but they’re not as badass as a grand piano.
You’re better off having real weapons, which we’ll be discussing in detail in another post. To give you an idea, some of the favorite zombie killers are bladed weapons such as katanas and hatchets, and melee weapons like hammers and baseball bats with spikes. Firearms and crossbows are definitely investments that will pay huge dividends in a zombie apocalypse.
There are a lot to say when it comes to surviving during a zombie apocalypse. The survival gear mentioned here are not in any way the only ones we’ll need. We haven’t even touched the proper attire to wear during this apocalyptic event. And of course, the weapons. Watch out as we discuss more about zombie survival in later posts.
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