They have been in movies and they are big. An Recreational Vehicle might seem just what the apocalypse ordered to survive those pesky zombies. But are they really?

Advantages:

An RV has a number of advantages not the least of which is the fact that it has a good deal of room for people and equipment. In fact if one was so inclined it very well could be a large bug out kit, all one would need to do is jump in and drive. Also the most luxury RV have well appointed kitchen and bathroom, even showers, allowing a small group to live inside the vehicle with the least amount of excursions. Also the vehicle is a mobile home, if the zombies got too numerous to handle you could simply drive away. What’s not to like?

Disadvantages: An RV is big, meaning that it is not the most maneuverable thing out there, and they are not tanks in any sense of the word. They are not made out of armor and bullets will readily pass straight through unless they impact the engine block which leads to a whole other set of problems. Nor are they likely to hold up to a great deal of hard driving and running over zombies. They are also gas guzzlers and though they are pictured off road in the wilderness as a more comfortable means of “camping” they are not designed to go mudding. To put it bluntly, they are big, cumbersome(though not that slow in all truth, I have know high end RV’s to get up to 90 mile an hour plus), ill armored, and very large targets.

While the advantages do not outweigh the disadvantages there are ways to employ an RV as a means of survival. Firstly would be to outfit it with a large supply of food, water, weapons, and ammo, along with as much survival supplies as you could manage especially things that could be used to gather food more than once, trapping supplies and gardening equipment. Next, give the RV a paint job and mount a cow catcher or push bumper so that you would be able to clear road blocks and zombies out of the way. The paint job is so that the RV will be able to blend in with your local wilderness or the area that you would flee to, as pack enough camo netting to hide the RV in the wilderness. Finally choose a remote area that would be far enough away from major population centers that zombies and other people would rarely cross your path and make sure you have enough gas in the RV or in external tanks to get there without having to rely on other sources, or cache it along the way.

Where do I go in the event of an actual zombie emergency?

In the event of an actual zombie emergency, citizens are advised to stay indoors. While this option will suffice in the short term, it is unfeasible for any long term survival plans. At some point, everyone will need to go outdoors for food, water, medical supplies or weapons. This article will document where resources and safe shelter will most likely be found as well as locations to avoid.

A full blown zombie emergency has been in effect for three weeks. You have done what you were supposed to do. You barricaded yourself in your house and haven’t been outside since it started. At night you can see fires blazing in the distance and they appear to be getting closer each night. Gunfire wakes you from your sleep on many nights but you haven’t heard a single shot in two days. Your food is running low and you think you may be getting sick. You need supplies. Where do you go?

Let’s start with where you should not go.

• Grocery Stores. If this were the beginning of an outbreak, then yes, most grocery stores would have been fully stocked and ripe for looting. After three weeks, the possibilities grow slimmer with each passing day. You may find an overlooked bottle of water or some scraps but most likely, it has been picked clean.
• Hospitals. The same goes for any type of medical center. These buildings most likely turned into war zones as infected were brought in to be treated, only to have the patients turn and murder their healers. Once the killing stopped, looters most likely took anything of value. That is if there are no longer zombies still inside which makes these structures a deathtrap.
• Prisons. While at first, a prison or jail might seem secure, they most likely became a living hell of starving, caged animals. If the incarcerated were infected, it could become a maze of death for anyone who got lost inside.
• Malls. We’ve all seen Dawn of the Dead, right?

Now on to places you should go.

• Most military bases and installments would have measures in place to ward off an attack and plentiful medical supplies as well as weapons, food and water. If survivors exist, they would most likely be here. If you can, make your way to the nearest military installment be it any branch of the military. If no survivors exist, you should have your pick of an array of weaponry as well as all the supplies you could want. Large, off-road vehicles for safe travel would also be in abundance here.
• Fortified shelter should also be abundant on the base of a military installation. Many underground bunkers exist for the purpose of nuclear attacks. These destinations would be ideal as they offer protection from the undead as well as stockpiles of supplies and weapons which could last countless months. The concentration of these types of installations are scattered around Washington, D.C. as well as the east coast although others do exist. Below you will find links to lists of military bases throughout the United States and the world. Locate the ones nearest you and keep a detailed map of how to get there. Also you will find links to known and suspected government operated underground bunkers which may become useful in the event of a full blown zombie emergency.
• In a pinch, a police station or courthouse would be a feasible alternate destination. Weapons and supplies would most likely be abundant at these locations and would most likely house survivors if any exist.

List of Military bases
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_United_States_military_bases#Within_the_U.S.

Known Government Operated Underground Bunkers: These are the more well known bases which have been reported on and documented:

• The Greenbrier
• Mount Weather Emergency Operations Center
• Raven Rock Mountain Complex

A more thorough list can be found here with links to actual and suspected underground military facilities.

This article was submitted by JJ Ritonya.

Stay safe.  Stay informed.  Stay alive.

Let’s face it.  Nobody knows where or when the attack will come.  All we know is that one day we will all have to face off against the undead.  The best way to prepare is to consider as many scenarios as possible.  This month’s scenario is simple: your home.

This scenario involves your home and those in it.  For this discussion, you find yourself asleep in bed.  It is the middle of the night.  Odd sounds can be heard from outside the house.  Sounds you immediately recognize as the moans of the undead.  As you get out of bed, your mind is racing as to what to do.  Sirens can be heard in the distance.  You look out of the nearest window and can see several of the undead, but are not sure as to how large the threat is.  Do you go mobile?  Is your home ready for a long-term stand-off?  Are there others you need to worry about inside your home?  Are you in an upstairs apartment or ranch style home surrounded by woods?  This scenario should really help get the wheels turning in regards to how prepared your home is in addition to how quickly you could put your plan into action, especially in the middle of the night.

What do you do next?

“Zombie Scenario” is meant as a learning and discussion exercise used as a tool for getting your mind thinking about the outbreak.  It should prove helpful to think about a specific scenario and have others review your potential plan.  If you have a scenario you would like to see discussed, contact us.

Stay safe.  Stay informed. Stay alive.

The holidays are typically a time for everyone to relax and unwind, spending time with families and preparing for the new year.  Sadly, many become too lax in their celebration of the holidays and forget that the coming tides of the undead apocalypse could happen at any moment. That is why we have prepared this quick guide of five holiday tips for preparing for the zombie outbreak.

1. Eat Healthy: Remember not to gorge yourself into a carb-coma.  Eating the wrong foods will slow you down so that making a proper is more difficult than it should be.
2. Access to Food During Outbreak: It is common place for there to be more food around the family table this time of year.  As family’s gather and spend time with one another, finding food is no difficult task.  Be sure you know where quick storage devices are in the case of an outbreak.  Until you are able to assess how long the outbreak will last, it is best to have some portable food.  Since food is more abundant during the holidays, keep some quick bags or Tupperware handy in case you need to grab some food for a mobile defense.
3. Offensive Weaponry: If you are half-asleep in the living room, chances are you are not going to be able to react too quickly.  However, consider the items around you that could be immediately used for offense.  Table legs could be used as clubs, yard tools (if accessible), and even kitchen knives if need be.
4. Defensive Positioning: Should you feel comfortable in the level of the outbreak to make a stand where you are, quickly locate items to fortify your position.  Tables and other furniture should be used to secure main entry points.  When you arrive at your holiday celebration location, quickly assess the items that are around to see what you could immediately use if needed.  If it is not a house you are familiar with, use the excuse of going to the bathroom to quickly check for structural weaknesses and at least come up with a quick plan on using the house or staging your exit.
5. Escape Routes: This should be in the back of your mind everywhere you go, but escape routes should always be running through your minds should you not be able to stand your ground where you are.  If you are at a family’s house, park your car where you can easily get it out to travel.

Naturally, we are not encouraging you to stand guard at the living room window with your Glock and MZPK  (even though your MZPK should be nearby).  What we want to encourage is enjoying time with your family but also staying well aware that the dead could easily walk the earth during the holidays.

Take heed to these steps, friends.  When the outbreak happens we need to be as prepared as possible.

Stay safe. Stay informed.  Stay alive.

In warfare it has often been said that it is best to make the enemy fight your fight. One old adage is that it takes ten attackers to defeat a single defender, and when the hordes of the undead walk this will be as true as ever.

Though the idea of having the undead treading on your very doorstep may not seem appealing, it is many times better than having them feast on your entrails. However, to truly allow you and those who hold up with you a fighting chance, you must do more than simply lock the door, shut the windows, and stand on the roof waving a burning torch, there will be much to be done to prepare a defense that will allow you to defeat the enemy upon your door step.

Your base: Choosing a good location for your humble defense may be one of the most important decisions that you will make against the undead. This is because if you choice poorly you may find that there is indeed a fate worse than death. However, it may be impossible to place yourself in the perfect defensive structure and you may have to make do with what you have. There are things that one should remember with any base none the less.

• What Goes In Must Come Out: Though most people will be more worried about entering the base, the area around the base is also important. Remember Murphy’s Law here when choosing a base. If you make it difficult for the enemy to enter you may find it more difficult to leave. Make sure there are multiply ways in and out, even if this does involve more undead near your base.
• Reel Them In: In some ways killing zombies in mass is a lot like fishing, Your throw out some form of bait and reel them in, annihilating them once they have entered your kill zone. There are numerous ways to do this, one is through noise, having a number of people yelling at them or playing music over loud speaker for example. In fact playing music over loud speakers has a plus side of also hyping up you own people and possibly making them fight harder.
• Distance Markers: Though technology gives us devices that can tell you the distance to an object quickly and accurately, anything that can save batteries or be used if batteries fail is a life saver. And though this is mainly for those who will be well equipped with firearms, yard markers giving the shooters the ability to easily tell when they should engage their targets, being able to know how far out the undead are from your base is also essential.  This could allow you to plan the correct course of action and allow your fellow survivors a bit of rest and not panic at ever sighting of the undead.
• Exit Strategy: Even in the best base on Earth you must have a strategy for getting out if things become to overwhelmed or if your begin to get so low on supplies that you can no longer continue the fight effectively at that location. A better idea is to have multiple ways out since no plan survives first contact.
• Scouting/ Raiding Parties: Though some may consider them to be more risk than they are worth, sending out scouting and raiding parties give you several advantages that you would not otherwise have. First scouts can allow you to be aware of moving hordes that are heading in your direction, much like weather forecasters. Sending out raiding parties also allows you to bring in supplies and to hold out longer than you would just sitting there waiting for the undead and for your supplies to run out. It can also be an effective way to get rid of that guy who keeps flirting with that girl you’re trying to romance before everyone dies.

Though these suggestions are by no means an all covering or mandatory guide they are things to consider when facing the undead and preparing a base against them.

Stay safe. Stay informed. Stay alive.

In the inevitable zombie holocaust where the undead walk and cannot be quickly destroyed your own home will not longer offer you sanctuary, be it for lack of food or that zombies have worked their way through your defenses. Or maybe at the beginning of an outbreak you run and need to find a safe place to hide with you cadre of fellow zombie survivalists. As you search you will likely come across one of the now common super shopping centers. These centers may offer the appearance of safety along with a number of other attributes, but do not be fooled.

Apparent Advantages:

1. Ready Source of Food: These super shopping centers have sles upon aisles of food, canned, bagged, boxed, and otherwise. They even have dog food for rover so that when you run out of food he is fat and happy and ready to be consumed. 
2. Several Exits: These centers have a number of entrances and exits so that if the undead do break in you can quickly escape without a prolonged battle. Also the centers will likely have build material so that you can barricade the entrances.
3. Weapons: Even if the store does not carry firearms the gardening section will give you plenty of weapons in forms of shoves, axes, and other handheld implements of zombie destruction.
4. Gear: When you have to leave the center that you have occupied you will also have a ready source of transportation in the form of bikes and be able to carry out food, medical supplies, and weapons as you flee the infestation.
5. Safety in Numbers: You will not be the only ones looking to take refuge in the store, be it employees, or others who have the same idea as you there will be other looking for a safe place. There is always the chance that those you let in to help you defend the shopping center will be infected and letting a zombie into your base can ruin anyone’s plans. Also one must consider that there could already be zombies inside and you could very well be walking into a kill box.

As we feel that safety comes with increased knowledge, we also like to offer potential counter-points to the positives. 

Apparent Disadvantages:

1. Ready source of food: Though it is not question that these stores carry a large amount of food, the liability comes in on whether or not the outbreak was seen coming, if people saw the possibility of the walking dead then they would have stocked up on food leaving you with less provisions.
2. Several Exits: Though there are several ways out this also means several ways in. Several ways in means that you and your fellow survivors will need to watch them constantly, even barricaded if enough zombies push against it the barricade will fall, and if that comes to pass you will likely be surrounded and you hopes of escape will be almost non existent.
3. Weapons: In a crisis people buy weapons, from guns to baseball bats. Though gardening implements may still be available many of the other weapons will have been grabbed up by those trying to prepare for a home defense. 
4. Gear: As with weapons useful gear will have been brought up by those who tried to prepare for a home defense.
5. You Are Not the Only One: You will not be the only ones looking to take refuse in the store, be it employees, or others who have the same idea as you there will be other looking for a safe place. There is always the chance that those you let in to help you defend the shopping center will be infected and letting a zombie into your base can ruin anyone’s plans. Also one must consider that there could already be zombies inside and you could very well be walking into a kill box.

In the end if you see one of the modern super shopping centers during an outbreak pass it by. You don’t know what could be lurking inside and whatever good you could come across by going inside are certainly not worth you life. This is not to say that one of these buildings could not be fortified, or scrounged but only that doing so in an unorganized or as a first choice effort is not recommended.

Stay safe.  Stay informed.  Stay alive. 

Kain8719
ZAC Weapons Consultant™

When it comes to those seeking the very best and impenetrable zombie fortress available, perhaps we have been looking in the wrong direction.  Most recently, discussion and debate was launched regarding underground facilities and if such a setup would be the most adequate method of defense.  Would underground be the best option or would underwater?

Many scenarios depend highly on the level of outbreak that one is dealing with.  Some of the information posted thus far has dealt with a temporary solution in order to gain some ground and formulate a plan, if one is not readily available.  Other scenarios are meant for more long term duration, such as this.

The above location, meant as a resort also leaves room for ample and adequate zombie defense. Assuming reasonable access to such a facility, you and your loved ones could escape underwater and try to wait out the undead apocalypse.  As with any situations, pros and cons arise and should be discussed before any decision is made.

ADVANTAGES

1. Clumsy Zombies – Because of the dead rising back to life and having limited motor skills and abilities, zombies are already clumsy, yet dangerous.  Being underwater increases their lack of coordination and ability to strike.  Again, Hollywood will have the average person believe otherwise but the scientific data is not there to support most of what Hollywood portrays.
2. Slower Than Normal – Similar to the above, zombies are not believed to be fast (stay tuned for a future article to cover the topic of fast vs. slow moving zombies).  The already slow moving creatures are further inhibited by the weight of the water, thus decreasing the threat level.
3. Historical Reports – To date, the report of zombie attacks in any amount of water are extremely rare.  This could be due to the limited nature of underwater defense silos but it could also be due to poor record keeping.  However, statistics show that in the past, there are not as many attacks underwater as there are above ground.
4. Additional Obstacles – Being underwater also presents additional roadblocks for zombies.  With access to ladders and manmade passages sealed by heavy doors, zombies will be forced to follow into the water to attack.  This means they have to navigate the sea floor, poor visibility in the water, and even other animals.
5. Ability to go Mobile – Any reasonable facility will have an additional boat ready for deployment, in case the facility is compromised.  The ability to go mobile from any stationary defense is key due to the unpredictable nature of a zombie outbreak.

DISADVANTAGES

1. Use of Firearms – If one of the undead manages its way inside and you are forced to use a firearm to defend yourself, you risk the breech of the protective walls keeping the water out.  Taking on water in such a facility is of high concern.
2. Oxygen Supply – A steady supply of oxygen is a must.  A contingency plan should also ensure that you do not find yourself locked away in an underwater facility running out of oxygen, with no temporary solution.
3. Outside Communications – Being underwater can also offer some hurdles for communicating outside.  One advantage of holding up in a larger facility is the ability to take to the roof to evaluate the environment.  Being underwater, you are unable to see what is happening around you.  Assuming electricity is available and media outlets are functioning, you might not be able to know when it is safe to exit.  Being underwater also prohibits you from easily sending a signal flare or placing signage outside or above your location indicating you are alive and need assistance.
4. Visibility – As mentioned above, you can only see what the opened and glass areas allow you to see.  Some type of scoping device or monitor system could be equipped in the facility, however, they are still not the same as being able to look out and completely evaluate your surroundings.
5. Facility Access – One of the main disadvantages is that you might not be in a position to simply head toward the underwater location.  You might also live in an area too far from any large body of water making such an option impossible.

Friends, consider all of your options.  For some of you, this type of defense will be the route you take. For others, you would not have reasonable access to such a facility and will have to create an alternative defense method.  No matter what choice you make, remember: Stay safe. Stay informed.  Stay alive.

Of most interest, obviously, would be the underground portion of the home.  Traditionally, zombies in large numbers, though clumbsy, prove time and time again to be dangerous.  They have turned over vehicles and penetrated areas of buildings otherwise thought to be secure. 

Yet this underground structure looks to be very solid.  The entrances could easily be sealed with heavy metal doors, not unlike hatches on submarines.  Plenty of living area is offered, and according to the illustration, almost more exists below ground than above.  There are also further escape routes allowing homeowners to retreat if necessary into deeper recesses of the earth.  There appears to be ample storage space in addition to the ability to add creature comforts so that a family could easily defend their homefront and wait out an attack of the undead.

True, the genious minds behind Missile Bases most likely did not have a zombie epidemic in mind when developing and marketing their product.  However, this could easily provide a safe-haven during times of the undead.

Does anyone see any other potential strengths or even design flaws?