Zombie Apocalypse Guide

Armor, Backpacks, Carriers and Medpacks

This section talks about body armor, organization of ammo, medic stuff and gear in a carrier, and how to wear and pack a rucksack or backpack.

In the apocalypse body armor presents the advantage of added protection against fights and raids from hostile survivors. It has the disadvantages of added weight and reduced mobility, which can make it harder when traveling distances, running from the undead, fighting with a melee weapon, or shooting. When purchasing you must pay attention to the rating as it tells what caliber and how many shots it can stop. You must also remember that being shot while wearing body armor can and will Hurt, you can have bruises, broken bones/ribs, and even internal bleeding. Remember, nothing is "bulletproof", only bullet resistant.

With body armor, there is soft armor and hard armor

Soft armor has the advantage of being much lighter than solid plates and it makes it much easier to fight in when shouldering a rifle or swinging a melee weapon, but it typically has the disadvantage of only being able to stop typically pistol calibers ex: 9mm, 22lr, 45 ACP.

If you are unable to purchase soft armor before the zombie apocalypse, do not despair as more than likely you can scavenge it off a zombified police officer or by checking your local police station (though such places might already have been taken over by another group of potentially hostile survivors or the undead)

Now what about hard plates that are worn in a carrier? These are typically made from three types of materials Steel, ceramics, and polyurethane/kevlar

All hard plates can generally stop much higher caliber rounds than any soft armor, but weigh more and make it harder to shoulder a rifle or aim a pistol. If traveling long distances I would discount wearing plates as the added weight decreases the chances of outrunning the undead (or maneuvering to fire a gun from inside a vehicle). However, if you are staying stationary such as guarding your base/ residency, doing patrols, or doing something where you Know you will be under gunfire, then these are invaluable and can save your life

Ceramic plates are lighter than steel plates but typically suck when taking multiple rounds. Seriously they are designed to shatter (which is how they protect you), but it has a drawback in that it can not take multiple rounds. In my opinion steel plates or even better kevlar/plastic plates are much better, but sometimes if this is all you have access to do it can be much better than nothing

Steel plates typically are more affordable than the other plates, but offer good protection at the disadvantage of weighing the most

Polyurethane (PE) and Kevlar plates weigh much less than steel plates but have the disadvantage of costing more and being thicker/bulkier than steel plates.

Helmets

Now what about bullet-resistant helmets? While bike helmets or tactical helmets that do not offer ballistic protection are great and should be used because flashlights or small med packs can be attached to them, it is inadvisable to wear ballistic helmets in an undead apocalypse as if you or one of your allies is turned, it will be much harder to put them down, which can lead to more losses. Especially due to the increased intelligence and speed of a freshly reanimated zombie. As such it is best to disregard serious head protection.

Antistabbing/melee armor

With the exception of medieval armor such as chainmail or plated armor, modern anti-stabbing vests and limb covers are an excellent protection against both zombies and hostile survivors. Just keep in mind that while the "sharpness" of bites or hits from melee weapons may be blocked, you are still going to feel the force. Ex: bruises, muscle tears, broken bones and other internal injuries are all possible despite wearing anti-stabbing gear.