1,000 survivors!

Well survivors I hadn't planned much for this humble blog. My hopes are to simply help people sort through the mess of zombie misinformation out there. Now after only a few short months we have reached over 1,000 readers per month.

I've been harsh in my mission, specific in my use of outbreaks and definitions, real in my search of truths and causes, but have been proud to not stray from where I began.

I am very glad to be reaching so many and the e-mails I receive are very encouraging. I also encourage people to post comments as well. And to continue to spread the word, the site will only grow from here. The night is long and cold; but the true survivor does not simply wait it out untl the break of day. The survivor I know you can all be, is the survivor who learns to live and thrive in that night.

Let the dead come. We will be ready.  For what we learn can be passed on to others, just as I to here, at the ZLC.

Stay vigilant, may the infection never reach you, and those close to you have the resolve to do what is needed should you be so unfortunate, Mike D.

Survival Packs

I recently discovered a site which offers pre-made survival packs. I think this is a great idea. For anyone who is too lazy to put a pack together themself, which means they are too lazy to survive very long anyway. Below I've included a list of the contents of each of these packs. Each includes a base price and then has additional upgrades.

Ankle-biter
$184

• Pack ($40)
• Handbook
• Knife ($4)
• Emergency Blanket ($5) 
• Lighter ($1)
• 9m Black Duct Tape ($3) 
• First Aid Kit ($15)
• Water Purification Tabs ($15) 
• 1 Roll Electric Tape ($4)
• Tissues ($2)
• Hand Sanitizers ($5) 
• Whistle ($1)
• Keychain Light ($1) 
• 1 Pair Latex Gloves ($2)
• Travel Toothbrush & Toothpaste ($5) 
• 25 ft. Paracord ($40)
• 3 Meal Replacement Bars ($9) 
• Baseball bat ($20)
• Flask ($15)

The total for this came out to $152, just shy of the price charged. Including the upgrades is about the same price. I am not aware of what is in one of these "Handbooks" they include. I would say all of this is useful equipment to have but it it not "zombie" exclusive equipment. I recommend having all of these items in your survival kit for your party.

Vice
$532

• Pack ($60)
• Handbook
• 2L Bladder w/ Drinking Line & Mouth Piece ($40)
• Headlamp ($35)
• Multi-Tool ($8)
• Emergency Blanket/Bivy ($5)
• Heavy Duty Garbage Bags ($5)
• 3 Pairs Latex Gloves ($2)
• Water Proof Note Pad ($12)
• Ball Point Pen ($1)
• 56g Can of WD40 ($10) 
• 50 ft. Paracord ($50)
• Knife ($4)
• 3M Odor/Dust Mask ($3)
• 50 ml Vodka ($12)
• Water Filter Bottle ($22)
• First Aid kit ($15)
• 3 Lighters ($3)
• Travel Tooth Brush & Toothpaste ($5)
• Can Opener/Bottle Opener ($4)
• Duct Tape ($4)
• Black Vinyl Electrical Tape ($4)
• Spork ($3)
• Hand Sanitizing Wipes ($5)
• 4 Protein Bars ($12)
• 3 Packs of Sport Beans ($12)
• Baseball bat ($20)
• Airhorn ($20)

This kit, if got on your own, comes out to only $376, much less then the price to buy it all packaged together for you in this kit. For zombie survival I think a few of the items in this kit are not required and therefore not worth the extra weight. The airhorn is the first, this will only attract the undead and alert other survivors to your location. Both of which can be a bad thing. The WD40 is also only useful in select cercumstances and it's uses do not change life or death situations.

Headmaster
$684

• Pack ($80)
• Water filter bottle ($22)
• 50 Water Purification tablets ($20)
• 3 lighters ($3)
• First Aid Kit ($15)
• Can Opener/Bottle Opener ($4)
• 3M Particulate Mask ($12)
• Large roll Duct Tape Blk ($8)
• Black Vinyl Electrical Tape ($4)
• Adventure Medical Emergency Blanket/Bivy ($11)
• 56g Can of WD40 ($10)
• 10X25 Compact Binoculars ($10)
• Knife ($4)
• 35 Ball bearings ($60)
• Bar of Soap ($4)
• Collapsable Grappling Hook ($125)
• 100 ft. Green Paracord ($75)
• Large Orange Plastic Garbage Bags ($6)
• Multiscrewdriver ($4)
• Bundle of large 25 Ty-Raps ($3)
• Orange Sharpie Micro ($1)
• Black Sharpie Fine point ($1)
• Note Pad ($1)
• 3 Packs Of Energy Beans ($12)
• Latex Gloves ($2)
• Travel toothbrush & toothpaste ($5)
• Crystal Deoderant ($5)
• 3 blade razor ($2)
• Q-Tips ($3)
• Body/Hand/Face wipes ($6)
• 2L collapsible container ($3)
• Headlamp w/batteries ($35)
• Keychain Flashlight ($1)
• Travel Pouch/Toiletry Kit ($1) 
• Soap Holder ($1)
• 2L Bladder and drinking line ($40)
• Unbreakable Baseball Bat ($45)
• Chainsaw ($160-$700)
• Two Way/Weather Radio ($15)
• Forcible Entry Tool ($15)
• Zombie Tools Machete ($25)
• Gas Mask Kit ($60)
• Zombie Mask ($1)
• 1L Fuel Bottle ($5)
• Bolt Cutters ($220)
• Flask ($15)
• Collapsable Grappling Hook ($125)
• Airhorn ($20)

With all upgrades this pack would be $1305 to put together yourself; without them, $599, almost a hundred dollars less then the suggested price. Now note I took the more expensive price of most of these items, meaning my numbers are maxes, you could put these packs together for much less and over time. Also of note this pack does not seem to include the handbook of which I have no information. This final pack includes a lot of items not useful to fight zombies. First of all is the chainsaw. Chainsaws are the biggest zombie myth ever, followed shortly by shotguns. Big, bulky, gas guzzling, noising, heavy, hard to weild (read dangerous to user), any of these reasons are enough to knock something off the list and the chainsaw has all of them! Zombie mask... need I say more? Gas mask, not needed unless you are in an area where you expect to find broken gas lines or leaking factories/power plants. Most of these other items are household items that would be nice to have at your base of operations but not needed in a zombie survival kit.

Over all I find these kits quite lacking. The Ankle-biter pack is decent and for not a bad price but the Vice pack is very over priced and the Headmaster pack while not over-priced, has many items you will find in any house you loot and will just burden you to carry with you every where.
I commend these fine folks for the effort but knowledge and training are going to keep you much safer then spending hundreds of dollars on these packs.
If you wish to look at the packs or contact the company or even purchase one of the packs here is their website:
http://zombiesurvivalpacks.com/

Be smart, may the infection never reach you, and those close to you have the resolve to do what is needed should you be so unfortunate,
Mike D.