Zombie Fighting Tactics - Selecting Terrain

Zombies only have one tactic. They mob their targets.  If they can see you, hear you, or smell you, they will advance on you.  All Zombies that sense you will shuffle directly towards your group in order to satisfy a primal hunger.

ZombieWalk photo by tangi bertin from Rennes, France (La HORDE progresse  Uploaded by paris 17) [CC BY 2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

If you are going to fight Zombies, it's best to fight on ground of your own choosing.  If you want to prevail, make the Zombies cross difficult terrain.  If you put a steep ravine between you and them, many may fall and break legs, ankles, or hips.  If you put a swift flowing river between you and zombies, many may be swept downstream when they attempt to cross.  Zombies will fall into pits, impale themselves, and damage themselves in an attempt to get to you and eat you.  You also want to channel zombies into approaching from directions where you can hit them, but they can't easily hit you.  As in all warfare, the high ground provides defenders with an advantage.  For example, clumsy Zombies might have trouble navigating the steep rocky slope of Little Round Top at the Gettysburg National Battlefield Park.

The Steep Rocky Terrain of Little Round Top at Gettysburg, Pennsylvania Little Round Top photo by Jan Kronsell, July 2002 {{GFDL-self}}

Since Zombies will damage themselves trying to get at a food source, it just makes great tactical sense to put damaging obstacles between you and the Zombies.

Anti-Zombie Weapon Review: SOG FastHawk Tomahawk

You may need to get yourself a tomahawk for serious zombie fights.  Here's why:  if Zombies ever do come your way, they may get up close and personal.  They'll want to sink their gnarly rotten teeth into you and rip your bowels out with their bony fingers.  You can shoot them, but the noise will only attract more.  In a big city, most civilians will run out of ammunition before they run out of zombies in a shoot out.  That's why you need a close combat weapon like a tomahawk.


My personal choice for a tomahawk was the SOG FastHawk.  It's made by SOG Specialty Knives & Tools.  It's a small, fast, little tomahawk with a 2-inch blade with a spike.  It's a lethal little tool.  The spike looks like it could easily penetrate a zombie skull and the blade could do some serious damage.  For weapons geeks, the blade and spike are made out of 420 RC 51/53 blade steel.

This is a good time to pause and note something very important:

A TOMAHAWK IS NOT A TOY!  DO NOT "PLAY" WITH IT!

A mistake or accident with a tomahawk can kill or seriously maim someone. You can injure yourself with the blade on the front swing and with the spike on the back swing. If you are looking for a tomahawk for mock combat or training purposes, this is NOT it. You'll need to look for specialized  training weapons made from rubber or foam.

A dry season nose bleed makes for a scary photo opportunity with the SOG FastHawk

At 19 ounces and 12 1/2 inches long, the SOG FastHawk (F06TN-CP) is about the size of a hammer.  It has a glass reinforced nylon handle and a nylon carry sheath for your belt.  It weighs about 19 ounces.  By comparison, a typical Stanley nailing hammer weighs 16 ounces and is 13.3 inches long.  At this small size and weight, the SOG FastHawk will let you land multiple blows against an adversary in quick succession.

If this tomahawk breaks while you are knee deep in zombies, it will be small comfort to know that your FastHawk is covered by a lifetime warranty.  Since it seems pretty sturdy, I don't that you'll need the warranty anyway.

If you scour the internet, you'll find people using the SOG FastHawk for all kinds of macho camping adventures.  However, I used it to beat the crap out of some cardboard boxes.  It made short work of them.  Both the blade and the spike penetrate thick cardboard with no problem.  I'm pretty sure the SOG FastHawk will work on zombies, too.  Overall, it is a great deal for less than $30.

Creating a First Aid Kit for Your Car

It's common knowledge that every family should have a first aid kit.  But, few people realize that every family should actually have more than one.  When thinking about the threats that we actually face on any given day, I realized that the most immediate threats we face are encountered outside the home.  Outside the home, we face the threat of being injured in a motor vehicle accident or due to criminal assault.  We can be more prepared for these threats by having a first aid kit with us in our vehicle.  That's why I put together a first aid kit for our car.

Foundation for a First Aid Kit

My local Rite Aid drugstore had a special where you could get a free first aid bag simply by buying three Band Aid brand first aid products.  The empty bag served as my foundation.  However, it quickly grew.

Minor Wound Care

First, I added to it a large number of Band Aid brand bandages and some Neosporin that we bought.  The bandaids were part of the purchases I needed to make in order to get the bag for "free."  The cleansing wipes were from an earlier small first aid kit.  These items seem like a good start for handling minor cuts and lacerations.

 

I added some un-opened anti-itch cream that I had on hand, a rolled gauze bandage, and I picked up a pair of new tweezers from Dollar Tree.

Stop the Bleeding- Tourniquettes

Perhaps the most important thing that I added to my first aid kit was a pair of tourniquettes.  These TF Essentials tourniquettes were available on Amazon.  

Whether it's a Zombie apocalypse, a high speed crash, or a workplace shooting, some disasters can cause a lot of bleeding.  A tourniquette can help stop that bleed until first responders can take over.  The drawback to tourniquettes is that if left on for an extended period of time (say a couple of hours), the patient might end up losing their limb.

Stop the Bleeding-Bandages & Pads

To stop less severe bleeding, there is always direct pressure.  So I threw in some non-adherent pads to help with other cuts and lacerations.

Medications for Pain & Minor Medical Issues

Finally, not every first aid kit situation is life threatening.  I added some medications that will help with headaches, sprains, allergic reactions, upset stomachs, and diarrhea.  I chose brand name medications from the Dollar Tree for these situations.  I trust Tylenol, Advil, Benadryl, Imodium, and Pepto-bismal.

Hopefully, the most explosive situation that I'll need to deal with will be overindulgence in Mexican food.  But, I'll be ready.

Next Steps in the Evolution of My First Aid Kit

I'm not completely done with my first aid kit.  I'll plan to add some additional items.  So far, I plan to add the following:

• Disposable Nitrile Exam Gloves
• Small Scissors
• Small First Aid Handbook