Why not pads or body armor?

[blind2d]

I'm psycho.

[Yojimbo]

It occurs to me that if the zombies have roughly the same biting abilities that a human has -- and it would stand to reason that this would be the case -- then something as simple as wood, or even cardboard coated with varnish and shaped to form a tight fit to the body would resist the bites. Really, you don't need steel or even kevlar to resist a bite -- you just need something that is going to protect you in those "Roger" moments where you get surprised by a ghoul, something that will resist a surprise bite and buy you enough time to put some distance between you and the ghoul so that you can properly dispatch it. It's been pointed out that if you get swamped by the undead that even a suit of armor isn't going to save your ass, so why bother with the extra weight and uncomfortable feel of a heavy suit. Something along the lines of motocross protective gear would do the trick. Even the Samurai battle armor minus the helmet and the hakama (the skirt looking thing) would work fine.

[sandrock74]

My ideal zomie combating suit of armor! While all of you plod around in your clunky and unwieldy armor and chainmail suits, I will fly by at MACH 1 and wave hello!

[MissJacksonCA]

You see some characters don body armor in TWD graphic novels but it comes with the obvious downside of being way too hot for them to wear and of course that can be stifling and can have adverse reactions when you're trying to fend off zombies whether shamblers or runners. But... in zombie flicks I think we rarely ever actually see body armor because basically its unrealistic for characters in a movie where people must die wear protective gear. Of course there's ways to get around it. You may wear a chain mail suit and suddenly someone bites off your face but still... In Resident Evil we see body armor not help the characters as well but I dont think half of those scenarios were realistic for a zombie movie since half of those feasts occurred when zombies just appeared out of nowhere. I think we debated what kind of suit of armor would best protect you in a forum before but I can't recall I just remember debating whether duct tape was something you can bite through

[jim102016]

My ideal zomie combating suit of armor! While all of you plod around in your clunky and unwieldy armor and chainmail suits, I will fly by at MACH 1 and wave hello! On your broom? You see some characters don body armor in TWD graphic novels but it comes with the obvious downside of being way too hot for them to wear and of course that can be stifling and can have adverse reactions when you're trying to fend off zombies whether shamblers or runners. But... in zombie flicks I think we rarely ever actually see body armor because basically its unrealistic for characters in a movie where people must die wear protective gear. Of course there's ways to get around it. You may wear a chain mail suit and suddenly someone bites off your face but still... In Resident Evil we see body armor not help the characters as well but I dont think half of those scenarios were realistic for a zombie movie since half of those feasts occurred when zombies just appeared out of nowhere. I think we debated what kind of suit of armor would best protect you in a forum before but I can't recall I just remember debating whether duct tape was something you can bite through Cover the body with rolls of duct tape, I'm sure they can't get through a whole roll of it.

[Anthony C]

Why not introduce body armor you say? Well... that would be too easy of a concept to introduce. Once you bring in armor that is nearly impenetrable where is the vulnerability of the living? The living are a single bite mark away from turning into zombies... to the viewer, thats supposed to be frightening as hell. The living, in Romero films, always seemed to be limited (in guns, ammo, man power, etc) or left with nothing and must go against all odds.

[lifelikecarcass]

I think that it would be better to do away with any "exoskeleton" ideas. Not only would it be difficult to move quickly, but it would also give you a false sense of security. There's also the possibility that an armor suit could take light damage from the dead, causing it to cut the skin inside or at an edge and make you vulnerable to slobber or blood dripping from a zombie. A more novel approach seems to be what's needed. Like a tough outer "skin" such as kevlar fabric(as opposed to kevlar composite material as is used in ballistic armor), with a fluid barrier membrane rated for water and blood-borne pathogens. You could reinforce certain areas that are likely to be weaker, like wrists neck and ankles with a couple layers of duct tape layered on in a criss cross pattern just to be safe. You could also embed something like plastic mesh, or butchers armor in between the layers of duct tape. Because it's possible that even with a tough "skin", the force of the bite could simply break the surface of the skin a little and allow zombie slobber to infect the wound. This approach would also be useful in a scenario where you have to move through standing water that would likely contain pathogens. You could also incorporate a layer of riot gear like they use at protest rallies. The kind that have thick nylon shells with foam ribs placed throughout it.

[mista_mo]

too bad Space marine armour won't work unless your a genetically engineered super human legion :P The man who invented the bear suit, is a genius. He invented a substance called "Firepaste" which is pretty much invunerable to heat (it survived temperatures in excess of shuttle re-entry for 10 mins) and a ballistic padding which can survive repeated shots in the same spot by a high powered sniper rifle, and rpg equivilent explosives. The guy is a nut, but there is no denying his ingenuity.

[Exatreides]

IBA with plates adds about 10 to 15ish degree's. At Ft Sill last summer they would sometimes have us downgrade because of the heat, so instead of wearing the armor we just had it tied to our rucksacks. But IBA with out plates, ACH helmet, knee pads, elbow pads, shin inserts, forearm inserts (Which are pretty much Styrofoam but you can buy Kevlar versions of them.) you pretty much have the front sides of you covered pretty well. We normally wore IBA with plates, ACH, knee, elbow pads, ruck sack, m-16a2, 2 mags, and 2 quarts of water on every ruck march we did. The temp varied from 80-100. You get use to the heat pretty easily, you just have to make sure you drink 10-12 quarts of water a day if your in that kind of weather, doing all that high speed stuff. What about mop level 2 or 3?

[dracenstein]

Body armour may or may not protect you from zombie bites, but what about unexpected encounters with raiders (like the bikers in Dawn) or psychotic, or even downright insane individuals (how long can you remain sane in an insane world)? They would probably have weapons of their own (knife, gun, sword, shotgun, chainsaw). I think denim or leather clothing is all that is needed against the walking dead, but against the living, I think I would prefer a lightweight kevler vest.

[Exatreides]

you cant bite through an IBA, and the ones with plates are not that heavy. Why where it? because well you cant bite or claw through it,

[DJEvelEd]

Seems I posted in the wrong thread before... ...with a mask & some Kevlar additions would be a perfect fighting suit. Add the Hanzo sword and you're golden. You could go 30 years with no maintainence with this scenario. I would also keep a zombie around the house (after removing the teeth & fingers of course) for fun & games. It would be fun having a party with all your friends and a zombie is gumming everyone all night. Makes me hope for armageddon!!!

[jim102016]

too bad Space marine armour won't work unless your a genetically engineered super human legion :P The man who invented the bear suit, is a genius. He invented a substance called "Firepaste" which is pretty much invunerable to heat (it survived temperatures in excess of shuttle re-entry for 10 mins) and a ballistic padding which can survive repeated shots in the same spot by a high powered sniper rifle, and rpg equivilent explosives. The guy is a nut, but there is no denying his ingenuity. "Bear Suit"? I was issued something called a bear suit while stationed in Germany years ago. If we're talking about the same thing, I don't think he was such a genius.

[lullubelle]

I am a big fan of this genre and yes I have often thought about your idea, but I would be difficult to get around if you have several layers of clothing or if you wear a padded suit, will limit your abilities to shoot, turn around quickly, etc....., helmets? alot things can go wrong with that, they can get lose, might even create more harm than good, in a situation like an dead up rising I think you best bet is to be able to move as quick as possible.