Prepare / Zombie apocalypse
How do you prepare for a zombie apocalypse?
Let's be honest: the dead are staying dead.
But the zombie scenario is a genuinely useful training frame for any collapse where you must stay mobile, quiet, and self-reliant.
Everything below is real preparedness. It just happens to work on fiction too.
The first hour
- Grab the go-bag. It lives by the door, packed, and you have rehearsed leaving in under 5 minutes.
- Move in pairs and travel light. Never let yourself get cornered without a second exit.
- Pick your route: you planned two ways out of your area and a fallback meeting point.
- After dark, keep noise and light discipline. Being unseen is safer than being armed.
What to stock: the 72-hour go-bag
| Item | How much | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Water and a filter | Bottles plus a filter | The filter turns questionable water into drinkable water on the move. |
| Calorie-dense food | 72 hours' worth | Energy and protein bars: about 1 bar per person per day plus compact staples. |
| First-aid kit | 1 compact kit | Treat wounds and infections when clinics are not an option. |
| Fire, light, knife | 1 each | Lighter plus ferro rod, headlamp with spare batteries, multitool or fixed blade. |
| Layers | Per person | Warmth without bulk. Test the loaded bag on a long walk: if you cannot move with it, it is too heavy. |
| Broken-in boots and dry socks | On your feet, plus spares | Your feet are your engine. Dry socks are survival gear. |
Skills to learn now
- The under-5-minute exit: bag by the door, rehearsed until it is boring.
- Route planning: two ways out of every place you shelter, plus a fallback meeting point.
- Noise and light discipline after dark.
- Fortifying a temporary base: limited entry points you can watch and block, quiet hand tools, reinforced doors and ground-floor windows, sleeping above ground level with an escape route.
- Caching: backup supplies hidden in a second location in case you lose your base.
- Rationing calories to your activity, staying hydrated, and keeping your feet healthy.
If you have kids, elderly, or pets
- Children and elderly family members: add comfort items, extra warmth, and familiar routines, and increase your water and medication buffers.
- Pets: store a week or more of food per animal, any pet medication, and pack a leash or carrier with your emergency kit.
- Infants: over-stock formula, bottles, diapers, and wipes. These vanish from shelves first.
- Limited mobility: choose low-impact preparations, store spare parts for any aids, and plan an accessible exit.
Common mistakes
- A go-bag so heavy you cannot jog with it. Test the loaded weight on a long walk.
- One exit, one route, one plan. Always have a second way out.
- Being loud and lit after dark.
- Keeping every supply in one place. Cache a backup somewhere else.
- New boots on evacuation day. Broken-in boots and dry socks are the real gear.
FAQ
Is this page serious?
The zombies are not. The preparation is. A carryable go-bag, rehearsed exits, route planning, and a low profile are exactly what real evacuations demand.
What goes in a 72-hour go-bag?
Water plus a filter, calorie-dense food, first aid, fire, light, a knife, and warm layers, at a weight you can carry at a jog. Keep it by the door and rehearse grabbing it and leaving in under 5 minutes.
What if we have to stay put instead?
Choose a spot with limited entry points you can watch and block, work with quiet hand tools, reinforce doors and ground-floor windows, and stay above ground level with an escape route from your sleeping area.
Related guides: War · Power outage · AI collapse