Bugging out for the Zombocalypse - S24O on Friday the thirteenth of June

[rower40]

Or will civilisation have deteriorated enough for me to ram-raid a camping supplies shop on the way?

With a bike!?  Good luck!

Recumbents are (as always) the answer.  Sharp chainrings will make a mess of toughened glass.    But assuming some semblance of law-n-order, I'd better bring my own accommodation and furniture.

[Rimmer from Red Dwarf]
Break out Rachael and the puncture-repair kit!
[/Rimmer]

[andygates]

The Bob Yak tool rack holds axes and sledgehammers.  Save your chainrings...

[cycleman]

do we know where we are going on is it a last minute dection to fool zombies

[Charlotte]

I'm contemplating a number of options right now.  Wherever we strike camp, my requirements are:

1. No more than four hours ride from Central London (say we average 10mph, that's 40 miles ruling out Days Lock unless we start from very West London)

2. Proper fires allowed.  Andy and I will be demonstrating the proper bushcraft technique for starting a fire 

3. Good, defensible position

4. Nobody's going to freak if we start shooting bowsanarrahs or lobbing tomahawks...

[ScumOfTheRoad]

3. Good defensible position


I once stayed the weekend at the Secret Bunker in Kelvedon Hatch.
http://www.secretnuclearbunker.com/index2.htm
A bunch of people booked it for a LAN gaming party (yes, I know. Sad.)
Its the ideal place to see out the Zombie Apocalypse, but definitely fails the other criteria as the farmer who owns it would not be pleased at building fires etc.
And truth be told, sleeping on a government surplus mattress on an iron bedstead down in a bunker isn't all that pleasant.

[juliet]

Will you be doing turfing prior to your firestarting?  I learnt that at Guides and used to be quite good at it. 

SOTR: I know someone else who went to a LAN party in the secret nuclear bunker

[mike]

4. Nobody's going to freak if we start shooting bowsanarrahs or lobbing tomahawks...

this isnt going to end well, is it....

[Wowbagger]

And truth be told, sleeping on a government surplus mattress on an iron bedstead down in a bunker isn't all that pleasant.

I spent the first 18 years of my life with just such sleeping arrangements. I wasn't down a bunker though.

[Charlotte]

Come, come Mike - just a few leetle arrows?



Re the accommodation - I had a look at their site and decided that the nuclear bunker was too likely to cost more than we could afford.

Besides - I want to light a fire and sleep under the stars.

Turfing = good.  Although we'll need an entrenching tool, no?

[Wowbagger]

I can see the headlines now:-

"Waco-style apocolypse was inspired by self-styled Boudicca." 

[andygates]

Turfing = good.  Although we'll need an entrenching tool, no?

Do I have enough time to weld up a Lobo? 

Not so sure about this proper bushcraft technique, mind you.  Ray Mears might be able to use a parabolic mirror to focus the sunlight shining out of his arse into a tinder-igniting beam, but I prefer good honest petrol.   

[Charlotte]

I've just bought some Maya Dust anna firesteel, innit?

[andygates]

I have a parabolic mirror. 

Anna firesteel an' some magic dust.  I'm just as good at making fires as Namor the Sub-Mariner!

[juliet]

Once upon a time I could light a fire with a single match, but that was dependent on being able to find decent tinder.

[andygates]

On bad days I've had to start an Aga with petrol.

The day, it must be said, got worse with crispy eyebrows and a bruised arse from leaping backwards to dodge the fireball...

[TimO]

Personally, I just use the piezo on the side of my stove.

...but as a backup, I do have a firesteel, ...and as a backup to the backup, waterproof matches, ...and as a backup to the backup to the backup, bog standard matches.

I believe in redundancy, as anyone whose seen my bike will know (lights, lots of lights...)

[Zipperhead]

2. Proper fires allowed.  Andy and I will be demonstrating the proper bushcraft technique for starting a fire 

I do believe that I may have come across some films of young ladies doing just this. I assume that they're using friction to try and heat things up enough to start a fire? None of them seem to achieve it, but from the way the moan and squeal they must get things hot enough to burn their fingers.

[Charlotte]

[agagisgroovy]

Easy method is to coat a barbie doll in meths and drop a match on it.  I have a firesteel (won at a Guide thingy at the outdoors show a few years ago), just the cheaper Scout version, if you've got some dry tissue it works nicely. Otherwise I cheat and use matches. 

[PGtips]

I've just bought some Maya Dust anna firesteel, innit?

if you want i can teach you how to make or collect tinder in minutes.

[TimO]

I'm going to go home and watch my Ray Mears DVDs back to back until I can build and light a fire in seconds... theoretically... 

[ScumOfTheRoad]

Talking about lighting fires, my old mate Paul (CTC stalwart) had a good tip - bits of old inner tube make excellent material for starting fires.

[Charlotte]

Good grief, really?  I must try that, I've got loads of the buggers lying about 

[PGtips]

Talking about lighting fires, my old mate Paul (CTC stalwart) had a good tip - bits of old inner tube make excellent material for starting fires.

i tried that once and it really good. it lights in almost all weathers and Ray Mears recommends it in one of his programs.

[Bollards]

This sounds like an excellent adventure!

I've been planning an overnighter once I've collected all my gear together and now I can tell the wife it has a technical sounding name so it's official.

I