Zombies, gotta love em'. But if you have to fight them....

[Flying Crane]

Yep good points, but I would also add some kevlar body armour in there somewhere as well. Like you I have nothing better to do with my time than train in martial arts and prepare for the zombie uprising

yup, clothing type is pretty important. Max Brookes discusses the pros and cons of a variety of clothing and body armor. Some things are more hazardous to you than you might imagine. Plate armor, for example, seems like a good idea but it can give Zed places to hang onto you and you then get overwhelmed by a mob of the buggers. Turns you into canned food. So you gotta consider more than just the body protection that it offers and consider things like mobility and profile and noise when moving, and whether Zed can grab ahold or not. I don't have experience with a kevlar get-up, so I don't know how those issues affect that kind of thing. I imagine it would be pretty resistant to the biting and clawing and pullng that Zed could be expected to do. I also don't know if you can get a kevlar suit that gives protection to the entire body, including limbs. That's pretty important, probably the arms and hands are where you are most likely to get bitten.

I'll also point out that it's important to have done some amount of training with your weapons on your weak side as well, not just your dominant side. If you are right handed you had better be reasonably proficient with your left hand as well. You could be surrounded by Zed and giving them the goods with your Navy cutlass, taking off heads as the mob moves in on you. Suddenly one gets ahold of you and bites you on your right forearm and you are infected. You've got about five seconds to take action, and that means shifting your weapon to your left hand and cutting off your right arm at the elbow, before the infection spreads to the rest of your body. Then you've still got to fight your way out of the mob left-handed. If you've never handled your weapon with your left hand, you are done for.

 

[sfs982000]

yup, clothing type is pretty important. Max Brookes discusses the pros and cons of a variety of clothing and body armor. Some things are more hazardous to you than you might imagine. Plate armor, for example, seems like a good idea but it can give Zed places to hang onto you and you then get overwhelmed by a mob of the buggers. Turns you into canned food. So you gotta consider more than just the body protection that it offers and consider things like mobility and profile and noise when moving, and whether Zed can grab ahold or not. I don't have experience with a kevlar get-up, so I don't know how those issues affect that kind of thing. I imagine it would be pretty resistant to the biting and clawing and pullng that Zed could be expected to do. I also don't know if you can get a kevlar suit that gives protection to the entire body, including limbs. That's pretty important, probably the arms and hands are where you are most likely to get bitten.

I'll also point out that it's important to have done some amount of training with your weapons on your weak side as well, not just your dominant side. If you are right handed you had better be reasonably proficient with your left hand as well. You could be surrounded by Zed and giving them the goods with your Navy cutlass, taking off heads as the mob moves in on you. Suddenly one gets ahold of you and bites you on your right forearm and you are infected. You've got about five seconds to take action, and that means shifting your weapon to your left hand and cutting off your right arm at the elbow, before the infection spreads to the rest of your body. Then you've still got to fight your way out of the mob left-handed. If you've never handled your weapon with your left hand, you are done for.

There are certain kinds of kevlar getups that are less cumbersome than others, the military/swat getups would work but are alot heavier (especially with the shock plates inserted). There are other ones that are made for corrections officers that are stab/bite proof, there are also gloves that are made to resist stabs and slices. Now with the gloves, it would potentially protect your hands from getting bitten, but not from other damage associated, i.e. crushed, seperated or broken digits. I would imagine that there are a few ways to protect the forearms without limiting movement, there are various forearm guards out there that are made of plastic, might work in a pinch. That is another good point that you bring up about training your weak side, Brook's Zombie Survival Guide actually brings up alot of good bits of information even if it was intended as a tongue in cheek reference book. Ceratainly made me rethink my zombie strategies LOL.

 

[Flying Crane]

There are certain kinds of kevlar getups that are less cumbersome than others, the military/swat getups would work but are alot heavier (especially with the shock plates inserted). There are other ones that are made for corrections officers that are stab/bite proof, there are also gloves that are made to resist stabs and slices. Now with the gloves, it would potentially protect your hands from getting bitten, but not from other damage associated, i.e. crushed, seperated or broken digits. I would imagine that there are a few ways to protect the forearms without limiting movement, there are various forearm guards out there that are made of plastic, might work in a pinch. That is another good point that you bring up about training your weak side, Brook's Zombie Survival Guide actually brings up alot of good bits of information even if it was intended as a tongue in cheek reference book. Ceratainly made me rethink my zombie strategies LOL.

I think the most important issue when considering clothing is the biting and tearing. Shock plates for protection against bullets won't matter against Zed, tho I suppose if the general public is in a panic you might get hit by a bullet from someone who's not being careful. I also suppose that as society degenerates, there might be those who are actively hunting the survivors to take their supplies and such. But regarding Zed, I think it's not necessary and if it adds bulk and weight and decreases mobility then it's just a liability. In that case, protection against bites and rips and tears the stab-proof stuff would be most important.

Brooks wrote the bible on the issue. I've seen a couple other imitations but I'd say none carry the weight that Brooks does

 

[Em MacIntosh]

My armor would be composed of hockey pads inside a large wet suit with steel toed boots.
For a melee weapon I want to keep my distance and slash instead of stab. I think a heavy zweihander would be preferable to a glaive or sharpened spade.
As a backup I'd like to have a machete or tanto with a weighted tip.
For a sidearm I'd want an HK-VP 70. I consider pistols melee weapons, despite their potential range and accuracy. I was thinking you'd need high calibur but I think a 9mm is adequate with hollowpoints. 17 in the mag and one in the chamber and a box of bullets with two spare pre loaded mags.
For heavy metal I'd want a good sniper rifle over a shotgun or assault rifle. I'd also want a silencer for it and a flash suppressor would also come in handy.
The rest are food, first aid kit and a canteen. I'd use electrical tape to silence the metal parts when they bump into each otber

 

[Buka]

I'm with you guys on the weapons. But let's look at the way Zombies walk. Straight ahead, hips squared to you, and really slooooooooow.

How could you resist squaring off in a side stance and just blasting one with a step up sidekick from hell? (Then blowing his head off with your Zombie weapon of choice, of course )

 

[Flying Crane]

My armor would be composed of hockey pads inside a large wet suit with steel toed boots.

hmmm problems here, my friend. A wet suit fits snug/tight. You'll never get hockey pads inside it. And, you'll overheat if the weather is at all warm. Maybe a 3mm suit, but then I have doubts to the protection you'll get. To get adequate bite protection you probably need at least 5mm, maybe even 6 or 7, and that suit will just boil you inside it. And you will have a hard time moving, they are not comfortable outside the water, and the tightness restricts arm movements and the ability to run. I'd seriously reconsider this idea.

For heavy metal I'd want a good sniper rifle over a shotgun or assault rifle. I'd also want a silencer for it and a flash suppressor would also come in handy.

Doubled rifle like that would probably be pretty heavy, as well as the ammunition you need to lug around with it. If you set up in a bell tower to sniper the hoards away, that may work. But if you plan to carry it around with you I think your gonna have problems.

I agree with the sentiment but I think you've got some practical problems with these ideas

 

[Flying Crane]

I'm with you guys on the weapons. But let's look at the way Zombies walk. Straight ahead, hips squared to you, and really slooooooooow.

How could you resist squaring off in a side stance and just blasting one with a step up sidekick from hell? (Then blowing his head off with your Zombie weapon of choice, of course )

They would offer a unique opportunity to test technique. Might feel a little weird about it tho if that shambling zed is Aunt Martha.

 

[TwentyThree]

I feel slighted. No mention of FMA's at all. *sniff*

I was thinking the same thing.

Perhaps FMA's are just too darned effective and would invalidate his point?

:uhyeah:

 

[sfs982000]

I'm with you guys on the weapons. But let's look at the way Zombies walk. Straight ahead, hips squared to you, and really slooooooooow.

How could you resist squaring off in a side stance and just blasting one with a step up sidekick from hell? (Then blowing his head off with your Zombie weapon of choice, of course )

That would be tempting but knowing my luck I'd roll my ankle and become zombie chow

 

[sfs982000]

My armor would be composed of hockey pads inside a large wet suit with steel toed boots.
For a melee weapon I want to keep my distance and slash instead of stab. I think a heavy zweihander would be preferable to a glaive or sharpened spade.
As a backup I'd like to have a machete or tanto with a weighted tip.
For a sidearm I'd want an HK-VP 70. I consider pistols melee weapons, despite their potential range and accuracy. I was thinking you'd need high calibur but I think a 9mm is adequate with hollowpoints. 17 in the mag and one in the chamber and a box of bullets with two spare pre loaded mags.
For heavy metal I'd want a good sniper rifle over a shotgun or assault rifle. I'd also want a silencer for it and a flash suppressor would also come in handy.
The rest are food, first aid kit and a canteen. I'd use electrical tape to silence the metal parts when they bump into each otber

The hockey pads might possibly work, but I have to agree with Flying Crane on the wet suit as far as limiting mobility. You do bring up a good point about sliencing loose items from making noise not only from the zombies but possibly from other roving bands of looters. Another thing to consider is possibly using an improvised silencer on your firearms to keep from attracting attention to yourself. Sitting up in a perch sniping zombies could be alot of fun until the sound of your shooting attracts more of them to your location and having yourself potentially stuck up in a loft somewhere with no way out surrouned by zombies. Your choice of weapons are good, but most folks won't know what some of those weapons are let alone how to break down and care for some of the more military themed fire arms. Brooks brings up interesting points in his book about using more hunting type rifles cause they easier to use and maintain than the military firearms (unless you've been trained on how to use and care for them).

 

[sfs982000]

I got nothing but love for the FMAs