Recently I came upon an article titled “How to Train for the Zombie Apocalypse”. The article is about training and being prepared, it explains how efficiency is more important than strength. If you have a garage full of weapons you could most probably kill off a few zombies, although I still don’t get how you can kill something that is already dead, but could you survive with guns alone?
Since not all of us are built like Brad Pitt or Will Smith, and even fewer have absorbed a Navy Seal training, I thought I’d put a kit together to increase our chances of surviving a zombie apocalypse.
Getting prepared
A good preparation for a possible apocalypse is the 1971 movie Omega Man with Charlton Heston, it helps you get into the proper mood for the end of the world as we know it. Nevertheless it doesn’t hurt to be a little physically prepared, the first rule for survival: run faster than the guy next to you, so the first item on my zombie apocalypse survival kit list is a book on how to get physically fit.
It costs $29.95 and you can buy it on the same site, breakingmuscle.com, where I found the zombie article.The site is like the wikipedia of training, makes you feel very out of shape. You could also sign up in a gym or get a personal trainer but I set the budget at $120, a book must do for the time being. As you most probably won’t go past the first 10 pages, it isn’t bad to have something for later reference when you really need it.
A Smartphone
Our main survival tool will be our phone. I am taking it for granted that you have a smartphone so it shouldn’t affect the budget. Many might think that after an apocalypse a smartphone would be kind of useless with no internet or network connection, but our digital companions are a little bag of wonders. Here are a few useful things your phones can do with a little peaking.
- Navigation: Google Maps lets you download maps for offline use and you can easily use your built in GPS to navigate through these maps without any data connection. There are also free apps that can plan a route offline too, but you won’t be able to get any information on zombie traffic to avoid traffic jams.
- Radio: There is a built in FM receiver in all phones but due to carrier policies it is disabled on most newer phones. Having access to a radio in an emergency is essential to getting information about dangers, meeting points and the developing situation.
- Walkie Talkie: There are apps that, independant from an internet connection, use your WiFi or Bluetooth to turn smartphones into walkie talkies. This is very practical for close range communication. You can on your friend who is guarding the backside of the house to make sure he hasn’t already turned into a zombie.
- Knowledge Base: With no internet connection you can’t ask Google for help. You can download guides on how to build a shelter, how to tie a knot or how to treat a zombie bite and look them up later
- Memories: It is a good idea to have some good music and pictures of friends and family saved on your phone, it can help you keep your sanity in desperate(and boring) situations.
Now that you know how precious your phone can be you should do everything to protect it. A rugged case would help keep your phone in one piece. You can get them for a few dollars on Amazon or get a waterproof one for $11 at Gearbest, if nothing else is at hand, a ziplock plastic bag can protect your phone against water in an emergency.
You can pay more for a case, but we’ll stick to the $11 two-in one case from Gearbest for our kit.
Speakers
It might sound funny to have speakers in a survival kit but anyone who has been stuck somewhere alone for a few days knows the benefits of background music, Tom Hanks would have swapped Wilson for a little music any day. Earphones or the speaker on your phone might do the job but there are situations where speakers are more efficient or even necessary, like listening to a broadcast in a group or distracting zombies with The Monster Mash so you can get away.
The best thing is to have a rugged bluetooth speaker that is small enough to easily carry around but big enough to be heard from across the room. A reasonable battery life is important too.
I’ll choose the BlitzWolf BW-F2 from banggood.com for the survival kit (mainly because I already have one). It is IP65 certified, has a reasonable size (98*90*50 mm / 4* 3.5* 2 inch), a little on the heavy side but has a solid feeling to it and the specs aren’t bad for its $19 price tag.You can see more and buy it in banggood if interested.
Output
5W
Driver Unit
50mm
Horn
Single magnet 16-core horn
S/N Ration
≥75dB
Impedance
40dB
Frequency Response
160Hz-20KHz
Power Supply
What’s the use of a smartphone when the battery is dead. The best option here is a solar battery charger. People living in England must invest an extra $4 billion for a nuclear power plant, solar energy will just not work there. I found an appropriate solar charger on Amazon, the dodocool solar charger with a built in 10000mAh battery. Regarding its size and the specs it should keep a few devices charged all day, and thanks to its built in battery all night too. The $57 price tag is reasonable too and fits into our budget.
Fire
There are a few dollars left over from our budget, I would invest them in a fire flint. Here is one on Amazon for $2, you can pay up to $30 for a fire flint but I am not sure if it will make a difference.
Congratulations
That’s about all you need to survive a zombie apocalypse, and if one never comes you are at least well equipped for your next camping trip.
