Sunday, March 20, 2016

Tactical Gloves for the Zombie Apocalypse

If you are going to be running, hiding, crawling, punching, stabbng, shooting, and grappling with zombies, you are going to need some gloves.  These activities are quite rough on the hands.  While you can press garden gloves or isotoners into service, if you are prepping for an emergency like the Zombie Apocalypse, you should get yourself a pair of tactical gloves.


Mechanix Gloves

I have a pair of Mechanix gloves that I was given many years ago.  Mechanix gloves were the father of all tactical gloves as they were informally adopted by many members of the U.S. military years ago.  While my gloves are black and white gloves aimed at civilian auto mechanics, there are many subdued and camouflaged versions on the market.



The key is to have gloves that will protect your hands and still let you manipulate a firearm or other weapon.

Sunday, March 13, 2016

Lessons from The Walking Dead: Trade Goods for Preppers

On a recent episode of The Walking Dead, (Knots Untie, Season 6, Episode 11) Rick Grimes and the survivors in Alexandria learned that there were other bastions of survivors and that trade with other communities was possible.  However, for Rick's group, the only thing that they could trade was their fighting ability.  This episode raises an interesting question for preppers.  Do you have anything to trade?


Two Good Trade Items for Preppers


Since preppers already have a stockpile of some much needed supplies, it would make sense that they would make good trade partners.  If you are prepping now, it might be worthwhile to have some extra supplies cached for trade purposes.  Meals, matches, batteries, weapons, and medical supplies will be in short supply during a zombie apocalypse.  Here are two items that preppers may want to use for trade purposes:

1.  Emergency Food Supplies. 


Many companies make emergency food supplies.  There foods can be stored for a long time and then broken out in case of an emergency to provide reasonably tasty meals.  For example, this Chef's Banquet  food supply provides enough food for a month (330 servings).


2. Water Filtration Straw.

With the breakdown of city water systems during an apocalyptic scenario, people will have to filter their own water for drinking.  The situation is made more complex if people are on the run.  This makes a water filtration straw like this LifeStraw very attractive.



When it comes to survival, you can't go wrong with food and water.  When it comes to trading supplies, these two items are always in demand.

Sunday, March 6, 2016

Shoes and Footwear for the Zombie Apocalypse

If the Zombie Apocalypse happened today would your footwear be up to the challenge?  You might have to run, fight, and then even walk across vast parts of the country to find safety.  Cheap tennis shoes from Payless might not cut it during a Zombie Apocalypse.  That's why I researched the kinds of shoes and hiking boots that are worn by long-distance Appalachian trail hikers.  The Appalachian Trail stretches over 2100 miles from Georgia to Maine and covers some of the most rugged terrain in the eastern United States.

Photo by By Staff Sgt. Robert Barnett (https://www.dvidshub.net/image/1045356) [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

According to Appalachian Trials, long distance hikers chose to wear traditional hiking boots or a type of rugged shoes called "trail runners."  The most popular Trail Runners are made by a company called Salomon. If you want to find shoes that are up to handling the Zombie Apocalypse search for Salomon trail runners on Amazon.
Photo By Andrew Bowden from London, United Kingdon (Boots alongside Whare Burn  Uploaded by heronglen) [CC BY-SA 2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons


If you are looking for a more traditional hiking boot, you might search for Merrell hiking boots on Amazon. With traditional hiking boots, you could get more ankle support and better protection from snake bite. A leather hiking boot would also help keep your feet dry in water and snow.

If you plan to outpace zombies who don't feel pain and who don't slow down, you need good shoes!