Survival 101

[Crappingbear]

Of course, all this survivalist stuff assumes you're going to make it out of your bedroom first. If you're unlucky, the first you'll even hear of the existence of zombies is when a group of them wakes you up when they barge through your back door at 3AM and start eating the cat in the hallway. If that's the case, you're going to have your hands full even getting to the point where any of that stuff will be useful. Anyone who lives life with one eye open won't be taken by surprise. The second an "outsider" scrapes against my house, my dogs are on the hunt and then its my job to step in and deal with it. If Im willing to putt a couple of .40 magazines down the hall at the intruders, I damn sure dont have a problem with putting a spike into the skull of a baddie.

[MaximusIncredulous]

I CAN CLEAN!!! I CAN WASH YOUR CLOTHES!!! I have a good remedy for getting blood out of clothes soo please please pick me up!! Blood in my undies would be the least of my worries

[FoodFight]

Of course, all this survivalist stuff assumes you're going to make it out of your bedroom first. If you're unlucky, the first you'll even hear of the existence of zombies is when a group of them wakes you up when they barge through your back door at 3AM and start eating the cat in the hallway. If that's the case, you're going to have your hands full even getting to the point where any of that stuff will be useful. I dunno about that. I've got in excess of 3000 rounds in my bedroom alone, and I doubt that zoms could stealthily gain entry to my home. But if they start eating pets, it will be so 'on'!

[Debbieangel]

I was kidding before but, I really do mean you guys have it all figured out pretty well. I have my own ideas on how I would handle the zombs. I don't have the firepower you guys do but I could put up a good fight. My home alone is a good stronghold and unless there were hundreds of zombies at one time we could hold out for quite a long time. The way my house is would make it hard for any to get into in the first place.I have places in this house I can go to where the zombies couldnt get to, like the basement. The only way in there is throught the outside and there is metal doors on it and then you have to go through another door to get inside basement. The other place is the attic it is up in the ceiling, no way for a zombie to get up there to get at us. So, places to fall back on atleast for awhile. It would be easier to defend than most houses and if need be if I had to vacate there are other places I could go where there is weapons and food that I know of right now. Well we all would have a 'heads up' if zombies were happening I am sure so, we all would have enough time to get ready for it. Well in the zombie world.

[Crappingbear]

I was kidding before but, I really do mean you guys have it all figured out pretty well. I have my own ideas on how I would handle the zombs. I don't have the firepower you guys do but I could put up a good fight. My home alone is a good stronghold and unless there were hundreds of zombies at one time we could hold out for quite a long time. The way my house is would make it hard for any to get into in the first place.I have places in this house I can go to where the zombies couldnt get to, like the basement. The only way in there is throught the outside and there is metal doors on it and then you have to go through another door to get inside basement. The other place is the attic it is up in the ceiling, no way for a zombie to get up there to get at us. So, places to fall back on atleast for awhile. It would be easier to defend than most houses and if need be if I had to vacate there are other places I could go where there is weapons and food that I know of right now. Well we all would have a 'heads up' if zombies were happening I am sure so, we all would have enough time to get ready for it. Well in the zombie world. All ideas are valid. Im the biggest proponent of going it alone in mother nature with no fortifications which everyone disagrees with. But, its because I am experienced and more comfortable in a dry stream bed surrounded by thorn ladened Mesquite bushes than I am in a New York ghetto. Room to move and a few sticks and rocks are all I need. Not being macho, just realistic with my own survival/camping skills.

[Yojimbo]

All ideas are valid. Im the biggest proponent of going it alone in mother nature with no fortifications which everyone disagrees with. But, its because I am experienced and more comfortable in a dry stream bed surrounded by thorn ladened Mesquite bushes than I am in a New York ghetto. Room to move and a few sticks and rocks are all I need. Not being macho, just realistic with my own survival/camping skills. Agreed. Besides, if your gonna die anyway, you might as well die in the great outdoors breathing fresh air and surrounded by nature rather than buying it in some tenement rooftop in the middle of Compton.

[Debbieangel]

The great outdoors? I could see me stumbling around and blam I fall down and there I am a zombie meal. I have said on another thread I would get as much of my family together as possible and make a barricade with vehicles around the house. Some members of the family have trucks, which could be loaded with supplies ready to go in a hurry if we needed to. For me the best thing for me wouldnt to go on foot, I would definitely have to have things well planned out to exit my home. In my area I know of atleast two other houses well stocked that I could go to provided the zombies weren't around. Also, it is family so presumebly no trouble getting into the house and it would be far enough away from my house that we could outrun the zombies. But, not to far away that it would be hard to get too. Another good thing: we could use walkie talkies to talk to each other cause we live close enough from each other to get info. Its the lay of the land that is the plus on my side. I think that would be most important knowing whats ahead of you and whats behind you. Know the area you dedide to be in so you aren't surprised by the dead or the living. Also know who are the enemies. If there are people around that are gonna betray you when your back is turned then you are screwed no matter how good your plans are or how well you have it.

[Crappingbear]

The great outdoors? I could see me stumbling around and blam I fall down and there I am a zombie meal. I have said on another thread I would get as much of my family together as possible and make a barricade with vehicles around the house. Some members of the family have trucks, which could be loaded with supplies ready to go in a hurry if we needed to. For me the best thing for me wouldnt to go on foot, I would definitely have to have things well planned out to exit my home. In my area I know of atleast two other houses well stocked that I could go to provided the zombies weren't around. Also, it is family so presumebly no trouble getting into the house and it would be far enough away from my house that we could outrun the zombies. But, not to far away that it would be hard to get too. Another good thing: we could use walkie talkies to talk to each other cause we live close enough from each other to get info. Its the lay of the land that is the plus on my side. I think that would be most important knowing whats ahead of you and whats behind you. Know the area you dedide to be in so you aren't surprised by the dead or the living. Also know who are the enemies. If there are people around that are gonna betray you when your back is turned then you are screwed no matter how good your plans are or how well you have it. Be comfortable with your own situation, thats survival. Sounds like you have a good plan so good luck. I'm an old goat who is more comfortable in the shadow of creosote bushes and snacking on rattlesnakes. No right or wrong, just use what you know.

[Zomby Woof]

Real life has a way of taking bad situations and making them unbelievably worse. If a dead-idemic ever occurs, it's gonna get ugly fast. A working knowledge of basic survival skills may be necessary, but the key to surviving will lay in one’s ability to remain inconspicuous. Simply put, you have to maintain a low profile. While the most obvious and consistent threat will be from zeds, I’m certain that the greatest threat will be from fellow survivors. I’d be hard pressed – in fact, I don’t think I’d be able to – trust anyone who wasn’t related to me or whom I didn’t know really, really well. The safest, indeed surest survival strategy will be to avoid contact with both the zeds and survivors, at all costs.

[lamf]

BBQ sauce makes all the difference, how do you like your zombie flavored? 1)Vinegar based (personal fave) 2)Mustard based 3)Sweet/Sugar based (for the ripe ones) 4)Ketchup/tomato based Whats up CB looooooooooooooooong time no see

[sammylou]

I'd consider myself lucky if I even got a fighting chance. On the topic of food, what about cannobolism? How far would you have to be pushed to sink to that level? Or would you go there at all?

[Debbieangel]

I'd consider myself lucky if I even got a fighting chance. On the topic of food, what about cannobolism? How far would you have to be pushed to sink to that level? Or would you go there at all? No way! I figure if we would be very careful we would be able to stretch the food a long long time. Depending on what time of the year maybe get fresh vegetables in the fields. There lots of farms around here.

[krakenslayer]

I'd consider myself lucky if I even got a fighting chance. On the topic of food, what about cannobolism? How far would you have to be pushed to sink to that level? Or would you go there at all? If you're talking about people that have already died (and not revived), I think you'd have to consider it if the worst came to worst. But aside from the emotional and moral issues there are several biological reasons why it's not good to sustain yourself on human flesh, particularly over long periods of time: mainly that diseases are easier passed from human-to-human, as opposed to animal-to-human, because of the identical physiology. So a long-term career cannibal will eventually experience a snowball effect whereby he picks up whatever bacterial, viral or prion diseases his repasts have suffered from. While the risks are reduced somewhat by thorough cooking, certain viral and prion-protein based disorders have been observed to spread via cannibalism, enough to become a major health consideration. As far as eating zombies is concerned, there are three main issues you have to consider: 1) What is causing the zombie epidemic? If the cause is some kind of biological or chemical agent that is present throughout the corpse and passed primarily through saliva-blood contact (bites), then you run the risk of infecting yourself by eating them. If the cause is something external, such as "demonic" possession, external neuronal control, a contagion present only in the brain or (as in Romero's films) some strange affliction that affects everyone but only after death, then you could consider if you are in extremis. However... 2) How fresh is the corpse? If the body is more than a day or so old, depending on the nature of the disorder, decay may have set in and the tissue may be poisonous and riddled with bacteria. Even if the corpse itself does not decompose normally, whatever it has eaten will be sitting in its gut, festering in a toxic bacterial soup that may spread to other parts of the body (and may, in fact, be the cause of the zombie's deadly bite, much like that of the Komodo dragon). 3) The issues discussed above with regard to regular cannibalism also apply.

[Crappingbear]

BBQ sauce makes all the difference, how do you like your zombie flavored? 1)Vinegar based (personal fave) 2)Mustard based 3)Sweet/Sugar based (for the ripe ones) 4)Ketchup/tomato based Whats up CB looooooooooooooooong time no see Yah, no kidding its been years. I too like the tart, tangy sauce and don't like the sugary red ketchup sauces.

[FoodFight]

Mmmmm. Long pig ceviche.