Purpose-designed for zombies!

Yeah, I read The Zombie Survival Guide by Max Brooks. Decent, but it makes some serious assumptions, and a few details kinda irked me.

Besides, there's still people like these guys that think these fruity, fantasy, crap-o-matic blades are somehow the greatest thing since sliced bread for dealing with hungry corpses.

THANK YOU! I feel exactly the same way as you on that book. It's a good read and there are some good tips in there for the most part. But wow, every few pages I was like "Are you serious?"

My biggest problem with the book was it's statement that the M1 Garand was the best anti-zombie rifle available.

I just gotta chime in here too, as this is one of my favorite genres...

One point of clarification, didn't Max Brooks actually recommend the M1 .30 Carbine as the best anti-zombie rifle? If so, I'd agree with him wholeheartedly... if it was 1945 to about 1970.

I have always been a fan of carbines that have plentiful and common ammo supply, like .223 semi-autos and .357 Magnum lever actions. They are plenty effective on head shots and the ammo is comparatively light, so you can carry a LOT!

There is actually an old thread around here from the beginning of the forum about what constitutes the best "Zombie Kit". It's here in the Cafe and is 9 pages long.

There's also this one that's 4 pages long.

I am thinking crowbar, and longsword as my weapons. Dressed in full motorcycle leathers with vambraces, gorget, gauntlets and a motorcycle helmet incase the blood is contagious.

I wanna see it made, probably better off set in the cafe though.

I haven't read WWz yet but is this what you're talking about?

I actually meant I want to see the thread made though lol.

I personally think a crowbar is overkill. I mean, as a weapon, one of the primary requirements is a weight which can generate just enough energy to perform an effective attack, and yet still be light enough to change directions and attack over and over.

Crowbar is great at skull smashing, but after a few you're doing to wish you had something lighter.

So, we have a few things to do.

>Trim the weight. (easier to swing for long periods)
>Decrese striking surface. (thus increase impact potential)
>Put the balance forward.

Also, considering the fact that you're fending off zombies, chances are you're going to be on the move. Best case scenario, you're in a large group which allows specialization and spread of required gear. But, for the sake of argument, let's assume you're alone.

You want to remain light and agile. The faster and longer you can travel without stopping, the bigger the advantage you have. This means you want to keep gear as light and minimal as possible. A good crowbar is nice to have, but the light ones are too short for reach, and long ones are too heavy to lug around. You want a piece of gear that is both manageable, and as useful in as varying a situation as possible.

I suggest to you: an axe. Granted, this highly depends on what exe you have. A serious wood-axe is going to be a bit heavier then a tactial/battle axe, but the latter is more weapon and less tool. You want something smack dap in the center.
Light and quick, yet still a viable tool for felling trees, splitting wood, general encampment tasks, and even accessing locked/baricaded structures.

It will also be light enough for you to carry a little more ammo!
Speaking of which, nothing larger then a .22 is needed. Headshots are practically mandatory, so go with the minimum. You want the ammo that's light, fast, and has a good range. You can probably carry twice as much .22LR than you can .45's, which means twice as many shot-in-the-head zombies before you absolutely have to rely on your chosen melee weapon.


As much as I love swords, I wouldn't suggest them. Zombies, being deceased, have no bloodflow to their skeletal system, which means their bones have become dry and brittle. This is why it's not recommended to test cut on any bone that other than those in a fresh carcass. Every skull you slice through is a chipping risk, and every other cut has the distinct possibility of stressing your blade to the breaking point.
Thrusting swords are the possible exeption. Since the all force is forward and not lateral, a good tuck, rapier, smallsword, etc. might actually be up to the task. The problem is you just have to keep thrusting to the head, withdrawing, and be ready for the next thrust to the next zombie.
One way to improve that might be the use of a boar-sword. The lugs toward the tip means the blade will never penetrate too far as to cause a long, slow removal. The haft-section of the blade makes halfswording much safer, so point control is much easier.

If I didn't have to go to work, I'd go into composite bludgeons. Something like the CS Bokken might be one of the best possibilities in regards to something that is going to be carried as a weapon only, with no real non-martial functions...

Would someone start a new thread in the cafe for this, maybe "2008 Zombie Kit Ideas" or something? I'm at work and don't have any buttons or functionality. Sux huh?