5 items kit for zombie apocalypse!

let me state right from the beginning: “the x items kit” thing is not a practical exercise, because if you can have x items, why not have y items?!? there is no limitation, and you can take as many items as you like and you can (and are willing to) carry…

that being said, “the 5 items kit” is an interesting theoretical exercise, because it will make you think… you will consider a lot of items and how can you use them, in conjunction with your skills and prior experiences, in order to narrow it down to 5.

so, in order to begin the exercise, i had to set the frame first: what is “zombie apocalypse”?!? in my understanding, it is a situation that made the inhabited areas impossible (or very dangerous) to live in. therefore, a “zombie apocalypse kit” is composed of gear that allows me to spend a looong time in uninhabited areas, with no probable possibility to “return to civilization” (because there’s nothing left to return to). these pieces of gear should serve my basic needs until i can find a better alternative.

now, i'm not going to cheat (you know… “the next item is my fire kit”, “I count my metal cup, my canteen and my water purification tabs as one because they fit together” and so on) and i will choose only 5 items.

the most important is shelter… i need a shelter that can be used regardless of weather conditions, time of the year or location, that keeps me warm and dry even on the move,  that is easy and quick to set up or break down – so i choose the poncho and the wool blanket (also, the poncho can be used to gather and carry water and the blanket can be used to carry the rest of the kit and everything i might add to it). i can get lucky and find a natural shelter, or i can make one if i have the right materials at hand, but this 2 items will provide a decent shelter in almost any conditions.

the next item is a cutting tool (for obvious reasons that i’m not even going to discuss):  the knife that i choose is a general purpose one, not a big one… i know, this will rise some eyebrows! but please hear me:  on longer term, the small tasks tend to get more important than the big ones… so, if i’d rather have an axe (or a tomahawk) for a short-term emergency, for a longer timeframe a small bushcraft knife is more suited for me; however, different skills&experience might require some other cutting tool.

my fourth item is a teapot for disinfecting water and cooking and for other uses that i go on about in the vid J… it has one flow, though: i can’t carry water in it. still, i prefer it over a metal bottle because it boils water faster, it is easyer to cook in and (very important!) to clean it afterwards. also, it has a very important “like&enjoy factor” as it makes (for me) the difference between camping/bushcraft and survival… so let’s call it a “moral-supporting item”.

the last item is the ferrocerium rod (the modern firesteel) because it lights a fire waaay easyer than any fire-by-friction method… also, it can be used to make a fire with less conventional materials (just try to make fire by friction when all you have is dry cow droppings J ) and/or in less-than-perfect conditions.

so, my 5 items are (the order is not important): poncho, blanket, knife, teapot, firesteel.

also, there are 2 important items that i need to find/make asap: a walking stick (to help... walking, but also to use as a pole for the shelter if there are no trees available or as a weapon against zombies!) and a water container (it is very probable to find a plastic one even in the most remote area, as the human ability to litter is really astonishing, but if not - i can make a water container  from a variety of materials... until then, i can use my poncho to carry water).

having all from the above, i can set up traps and i can start making other things: tent pegs for the poncho, a bow and some arrows, a bow-drill setup, a cup, a bowl, a spoon, cordage, a tinder bag etc...

enjoy the vid!

a night outdoors: at 4 C under the tarp

it was cold. i was ill. it was beautiful!

that seems crazy... what can possess a person who is fighting a bad case of flu to spend the night outdoors, at just above freezing temperature, sheltered only by a tarp and a wool blanket?!?

well... it's a matter of perspective. we lost our link to nature. we are no longer able to live outside our artificial environment. we are seriously threatened by cold, heat, wind, rain, sun, wildlife... but some of us still crave for that natural kind of life. some of us still feel the call of the wilderness. some of us still get pleasure from being outdoors.

for me, a night like this is a way to enjoy the sheer beauty of nature. it is a way to find my peace. it is a way to get rid of all the stress that is generated by our modern way of living. it is both a pleasure and a necessity.

so, going out in that conditions is not crazy... going out without knowing what you are doing is! for instance, a very common misbelief is that you can freeze in your sleep... no, you can't! that's because you will wake up when you get cold, no matter how tired you are (exactly the same way that you get up at home if you need one more blanket). but (and that is really important), once you are up from being cold, do not go back to sleep until you are warm again! if you do so, this will have serious consequences, including the possibility to die (if it's cold enough). so, get up, walk around the camp, take a leak (that is to elliminate a stress hormone that is generated when exposed to cold), put more wood on your fire, drink/eat something hot, do some pushups (carefull there, you don't want to sweat), do whatever you can to feel warm and confortable again, than go back to sleep - you will wake up if you get cold again.

i posted a vid on youtube that captures some of that night, including bird-songs, camp setup, my thoughts and so on... you can see it here:

if you want to simply enjoy the birds singing and the fire, you can do so by clicking the vid above, or (much better!) by going out yourself.