This isn't your parent's end of the world outfitting list....

[04 Rocko Taco]

Okay guys. Lets talk doomsday hypotheticals. For the purpose of humor and entertainment, let's assume the world has succumbed to Zombie Invasion (in reality, this could be invasion by a foreign power, social collapse, or a post-apocalyptic scenario) The main focus of this thread will be non-weapon oriented, as I already have a good idea, and a relatively well stocked set-up where that is concerned. If you want to add any thoughts along that line though, thats fine. Just follow the sample post below.

The main focus of this thread will be food and water supply and storage ideas. Requirements for food and hydration needs for a group of people. The secondary focus will be miscellaneous supplies such as medicine, equipment, etc. The optional focus are weapons. Firearms, hand weapons, traps, caliber discussions, etc. TO keep it organized lets give an introduction with any facts or theories that you have concerning the discussion, then list out categories and supply lists.

SAMPLE:

My research indicates that a person can survive on x amount of food a day, and x amount of water, but to remain in good health, they should have x amount of food, and x amount of water.
My lists assume you live in a moderate climate, of reasonably navigable terrain.

Food: (per person, or per group)
list items and any particular reasons here.

Equipment/Misc Supplies:
list any items, reasons here, think camping equipment, navigation aids, vehicles, first aid, medical suuplies, etc.

Weaponry:
list any ideas, suggestions and the reasons behind such here.



Again, the focus of this thread is the storage of how much and what types of food for a short term or long term survival/seige situation. I want a reasonably realistic interaction here. I think most people are familiar with the basics such as MRE's but don't leave these out of your lists. What type of food? how long will it keep on a shelf? these are the things I am looking for.

[corax]

Not really complete or all inclusive of our plans & resources, but here's our basics:

Not to be a jack*** right off the starting line, but in preparation for the inevitable Zombie invasion I'm getting laser beams shot into my corneas (I've heard the wait time for a contact script is unbearable post-apocalypse) and I'm already planning a move to the mountains away from population centers. Many of the basic systems we like are already embedded in the RV (minus the v-shaped snow plow/corpse and body mover but I'm working on that) - stove, fridge & furnace run off propane (need a larger stationary tank when we get west) and 12V alt energy rounds out the creature comforts. Food stores have been whittled down a bit in prep for our move, but we still have several air/water tight mil-spec shipping containers with soft food and some plain plastic bins with the can and spices (again, RV has a 100 gallon potable water tank).

[troyboy162]

a mine out here that was set up for a fall out shelter just carried biscuit mix and water. i guess that would give you the carbs of bread but im not sure how long you would be good without vitamins and protein. i suppose the last two could be sourced from your surrounding alot easier then flour

[04 Rocko Taco]

Any idea what the shelf life of "just add water" biscuit mixes have?

I agree, that is a nice basic, a little harder to store as it usually comes in bags, so it has to be packed in water tight containers, and you, obviously have to have an abundant supply of fresh water beyond drinking water... and again, as you mentioned there are the drawbacks of no meat and proteins.

[04 Rocko Taco]

...and just to be clear although discussing plans is important, and can be done here also, the focus of this thread is to list specific needs, the specific things you have stored/packed for travel, etc.

[randver]

ok here is a quick list of items of the top of my head that i think are a most have

Food: 1 cases of MRE's per person. 1 MRE per day per person will keep you healthy. 2 per day will keep you from feeling hungry. assorted can food. stay away from add water foods. they steal from your water supply and can dehydrate you if enough waters not added.
5 gallon and 2.5 gallon jug of water.


Equipment/Misc Supplies:
vehicle: 4x4 4runner
5 gallon fuel cans x 2
first aid kit (emt medbag)
1 gallon jug of iodine, for cuts and can be used to purify water instead of iodine tablets
HAM radio (still need to get one)
spool 550 cord (nylon rope)
poncho: used for shelter, collecting water, container for making home made water filter.
knife
compass
mirror
fire starter matches and lighters go out to easy in wind and dont last long enough
deck or cards, to fight the worst enemy boredom.
fishing line and hooks if you live near water.

Weaponry:
1 22lr rifle with scope: great for hunting small game and birds ( main food source). ammo is cheap light and small so you can carry lots.
1 AK or AR15 type rifle per person: hunting man sized animals and self defense AK prefered do to lower maintenance but AR style is more popular.
45 caliper pistol: self defense from people or large animals like bears. large animals are to dangerous to hunt in survival situations.

[Okie81]

According to the Zombie Survival Guide, a trench spike is the the best compact anti-zombie weapon on earth

[randver]

i thought the ZSG said a crowbar was?

[corax]

Oh yeah, guns:
** Glock 9mm because I like a gun with the safety on its trigger
** Mossberg Maverick 12ga 18.5" barrel because the sound of a shotgun cycling a round is universally known
** 30.06 (no clue on gun make but it's old, accurate and I think Argentinian?) - one shot, one kill.

If this isn't enough run/take cover/hide

[Seanz0rz]

i thought the ZSG said a crowbar was?


no that was gordon freeman

[Robinhood4x4]

Where's CJM? He loves this stuff.

[slosurfer]

I just plan on getting my supply from the tactifool dudes with money who bought everything but didn't really know how to use it.

[04 Rocko Taco]

ok here is a quick list of items of the top of my head that i think are a most have

Food: 1 cases of MRE's per person. 1 MRE per day per person will keep you healthy. 2 per day will keep you from feeling hungry. assorted can food. stay away from add water foods. they steal from your water supply and can dehydrate you if enough waters not added.
5 gallon and 2.5 gallon jug of water.


Equipment/Misc Supplies:
vehicle: 4x4 4runner
5 gallon fuel cans x 2
first aid kit (emt medbag)
1 gallon jug of iodine, for cuts and can be used to purify water instead of iodine tablets
HAM radio (still need to get one)
spool 550 cord (nylon rope)
poncho: used for shelter, collecting water, container for making home made water filter.
knife
compass
mirror
fire starter matches and lighters go out to easy in wind and dont last long enough
deck or cards, to fight the worst enemy boredom.
fishing line and hooks if you live near water.

Weaponry:
1 22lr rifle with scope: great for hunting small game and birds ( main food source). ammo is cheap light and small so you can carry lots.
1 AK or AR15 type rifle per person: hunting man sized animals and self defense AK prefered do to lower maintenance but AR style is more popular.
45 caliper pistol: self defense from people or large animals like bears. large animals are to dangerous to hunt in survival situations.


Okay, this is more along the lines of what I was looking for. I love the idea of zombie survival, but this is most realistically a short term, or possibly cataclysmic collapse of government and social unrest. I want to be prepared for not having power, water, stores, or any outside help. Hopefully it never comes to that, but thats what I need to be prepared for.

It makes sense that 1 MRE a day would be enough to keep one "healthy" (at least relatively) they have a ton of calories, right?
I need to lookup recommended water intake req's for people. I would like to plan on having "adequate" supplies for a month, and would like to think that they could be cut back and stretched to, maybe, twice that.

[Seanz0rz]

general consensus is 1 gallon per person per day in the warmer climates. i believe this includes "prep water" for cooking, etc.

i think for basic survival, a liter or quart per day would be the absolute minimum to sustain life.

personally, i plan for a Katrina style devastation of southern California by a major earthquake. we are prepared to survive for 1 month with no outside help. after the disaster in 2005, we realized we could never count on the government to provide us with any aid.

our goal for the next few years is to become somewhat self sustainable. grow our own food in the greenhouse (and sell it in good times for an extra bit of income), collect rain water in the spring for watering plants in the summer (or emergency water).

as for shelter, we have enough tents, tarps, scrap lumber, out buildings to provide shelter from the elements indefinitely. all of our camping gear doubles as emergency gear. all stoves and lanterns are coleman dual fuel, so we can use unleaded gasoline in them.

weaponry: shotguns and rifles provide protection from the most dangerous game (man) and could be used to hunt local wild life such as raccoons, coyotes, rabbits, squirrels, and birds. we also have materials to build basic traps to catch such animals.

the idea is to stay on our property. it is a defensible location, with plenty of resources. if we had to leave, the 4runner with the trailer would be packed up with every provision and we would move to the mountains where temperatures are cooler and more natural resources are present.

always remember to save enough bullets for your family and yourself. if the bomb lands close but not right on you, chances are you wont want to walk around with your skin hanging off and an eyeball exploded.

[oly884]

Food: The ability to grow food, if you can't have a garden, at least have seeds. If you do have garden, pick things that require little water and maintenance, potatoes are always good. On top of growing your own food, MRE's, dried pastas, dried beans, rice, etc. If you have a dehydrator, you can dehydrate frozen bags of mixed veggies, put them in a vacuum sealer, and keep them for a long, long time. I'd shoot for an absolute minimum of 1000-1200 calories per day. Keep in mind that while you can survive off less, in a SHTF situation, you NEED energy and strength if you have to fight. Store in air tight containers in the coldest spot you can store it as it will help keep the food longer. Also, keep away from sunlight whenever possible.

Water: 55 gallon plastic drums of water if you don't have access to running water, 2 gallons a day per person wouldn't be unreasonable for cooking, hydrating, sanitary, etc. Water purification tablets, or simpler, just get a bunch of liquid bleach, a few drops in water can sterilize it and allow for drinking. Rain water collection is also a must, simple tarps work wonders, easy to set up and move as well.

Medicines: If you have any conditions, prepare to deal with them without the help of medical professionals, this may mean a lot of reading... Aspirin, and lots of it. Also advil or aleve. Other things like rubbing alcohol, hydrogen peroxide (though it expires), iodine, etc. I won't go into too much detail with this, but if you're really worried about it, then have everything you'd ever need to remove a bullet from someone, stop bleeding, close the wound, and prevent infection.

Weapons: AR-15 or AK-47 with 5k rounds minimum, 10 magazines, spare parts for full rebuild. A shotgun, 12ga, combo of #7 shot, 00 buck, and rifled slugs for ammunition. Pistol, your choice, but suggested that you get common calibers (.45, 9mm, .40 S&W) also have 10 magazines and about 1-2k worth of ammo. Crossbow/compound bow for hunting, in a true survival situation, you don't want to let everyone within a few miles know where you are or that you just shot food. Plus, you can always 'make' ammo for it.

I'll think about this some more when I get home and maybe add to it!

[randver]

it also depends on if your planing to dig in and stay put or if your planing to pick up and bug out. the list i posted was for a bug out scenario.

[slomatt]

I found the following three articles especially useful when planning for the Zombie apocalypse. There are some good points in there.

http://www.cracked.com/article_18683_7-scientific-reasons-zombie-outbreak-would-fail-quickly_p1.html
http://www.cracked.com/article/126_5-popular-zombie-survival-tactics-that-will-get-you-killed/
http://www.cracked.com/article/136_5-reasons-you-secretly-want-zombie-apocalypse/

:)

- Matt

[04 Rocko Taco]

We used to be a bug out kind of couple, but I now believe we are in a situation where we can definitely hold our own as a dig in group. We have a few friends in the area and plan a group thing.