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

[Charlotte]

As you know, being prepared for the day when the reanimated corpses of the recently deceased rise up to roam the earth, feeding on the brains of the living and spreading chaos and infection is a very important subject to me.

I would like to think that my Zombie contingency plans are coming together nicely - in the event of the undead hoards coming knocking on my door, I'm well equipped to get the hell out of the Metropolis at short notice.

When members of Zombie Squad talk of bugging out, they mean that they will put into effect carefully-made plans to quickly leave their home, grabbing an already assembled bug out bag (BOB) full of kit.  They then head for a bug out location (BOL) which may or may not also be part of the plan.  Kind of like The Winchester in Shaun of the Dead.

The idea is that if you're prepared to face the horror of the carnivorous cadavers of your friends and family coming to tear you limb from limb, you're probably ready for anything.  In the event of natural disaster, disease or civil unrest, I'm planning on ending the film as one of the few left standing on a hilltop contemplating the dawn of a new civilization, y'know?

Anyway, being a city dweller, I reckon that my best chances of getting the hell out of dodge and attracting the least attention whilst doing so will probably involve a bicycle.  In the event of The End Of The World As We Know It (TEOTWAWKI), I'm going to be reaching for my trusty fixie, clipping on some panniers, reaching for a suitable blunt implement and making for rural areas.

Clearly, if you don't want to become a tasty mid-morning snack for a slow-moving grupetto of shamblers, it's probably best to practice bugging out a few times so as to get an idea of what things you should carry and what equipment would work for you.

I thought that this would be an ideal theme for the first yACF S24O ride   

Let's leave London on Friday night (I'm suggesting an appropriate date, I thought...) and ride to somewhere out of the way.  We'll set up camp, monitor the airwaves for emergency broadcasts and mount a guard rota to alert us of any incoming infected.  Cricket bats may need to be deployed.

When we get the all-clear in the morning, we can strike camp, ride home and watch it on the news, marveling in our own resourcefulness.

Who's up for it?

[Phil]

I'm in!

*totes Cornetto*

[bikenerd]

I'd love to but I'll be in Mallorca avoiding zombies of an entirely different kind.

[Wascally Weasel]

Me!

I may bring 'Dobber' the axe, my zombapocalypse weapon of choice.

http://www.armouronline.com/product/424/axe.html

On the grounds of sanity and legality I may not however...

[jellied]

How about Days Lock http://thames.me.uk/

I've never been but it's a camp site in the middle of the Thames accessable via a draw bridge - perfect for fending of zombies I assume, the water is also to deep [unless they've seen City of the Dead in which case we'll need to build a palisade of some sort].

[Regulator]

I'm tempted.... I'll check with my Social Secretary.

[andygates]

You realise that this is the same weekend as the Exmouth Exodus Memorial Noah And All The Animals ride?  That means we're gonna have soggy zombies! 

[geraldc]

Way back when civilisation was last due to end (Millenium) my mates & I  set up  exit routes for London.
Essentially we planned a route out of London, arranged meeting points and prepared water/food/weapons caches (our parent’s garages).
The plan was to stay off the main roads, and involved leaving London via Lee Valley, and then heading North. However following the realisation that the end of civilisation could result in London’s flood defences going tits up, we then had to create numerous routes avoiding potential natural disasters etc.
The main stumbling point was communication. Essentially once it all goes pear shaped there was no way to communicate with each other, so leaving London as a group would be difficult. So it was agreed that we’d leave separately and meet up later.
Every team member should be issued with a coloured chalk, at set points on the exit route, they should leave a coded message, preferably written high on a wall, to let the other members know at what point they passed, which caches they visited and where they were heading etc. We had planned to leave piles of stones as suggested in the Usborne Book for Spies, but it was pointed out that some people would be collecting stones for slingshots/catapults so it was deemed unreliable.
As well as having well thumbed copies of Lofty Wiseman’s SAS survival guide and anything by Ray Mears, Just read John Wyndham’s Day of the Triffids or The Kraken Wakes for top notch post end of civilisation survival tips, and this book for communication etc http://www.amazon.com/Usborne-Spys-Guidebook-Guidebooks/dp/0746036809

[juliet]

Days Lock would be cool, but how long would it take to get there from London?

Aw, man, I used to have the Usborne Spy's Guidebook!

[jellied]

i've had mates go out there - some took the train, one drove. i guess it's ridable but quite a trek. must say i have not measured the distance. going by river would be the coolest way to arrive. (ala 28 Weeks Later)

just realised it's the day before Bike Week kicks off.  heavy Doctor Bike the next day.

[Sergeant Pluck]

Interested. But currently tent-less.

[токамак]

Charlotte, this is an excellent idea. Problem for me is that I'd reserved the Saturday for cycling to Suffolk and camping up near Needham Market for Annie's ride about on the Sunday ('cause trains are up the spout that weekend). If though, you were to make your escape from the city to say, rural Essex? I would be well set for continuing the bug out, in fact I could make it last the whole weekend!

[cycleman]

i am up for this  . days lock is closer for me but i will go with the flow 

[gonzo]

I could probably provide a location in rural Kent if you'd like. It's not a campsite, so essentially, you can do what you want (big fires, lots of shouting throughout the night etc)!

[Charlotte]

How far from London, Gonz?

[dkahn400]

Registers interest depending on other commitments, bore, bore, bore ...

[Valiant]

I might be up for it, but I'll be flying back from Greece on that day or the night before.

[TimO]

I'm not sure I've got a better anti-zombie weapon than a blunt fork, but I'm up for this.  Having said all that, if I pack for a single overnight stay, I'll probably still end up with two massively overstuffed panniers!

[andygates]

You have a bicycle.  That mean you can get away from zombies.   

[PGtips]

dad and i are so in.

i bring all my night vision stuff and army camping stuff.

J

[TimO]

Yikes, I just realised that this is exactly one month away, which may just be enough time for me to find all my camping kit!

Has anyone any further thoughts on location?

I reckon Days Lock is about 60 miles for me (slightly less if I bring all the kit to work and leave from there).  Sunset is around 21:20 on 13th June (or later for Civil and Nautical Sunset).  How much time are we likely to need ? (considering that Friday evening will be the worst time for travelling, Zombies or otherwise).

[rower40]

I am so up for this.  But it relies on East Midlands Trains still running a service towards the metropolis on the eve of breakdown-of-civilisation.

If I come on a recumbent, then I can try to take some zombies' knees out with the chainring.  Otherwise, I'm poorly equipped - I will be carrying far too many lights which tend to attract the undead hordes.

But two of my fleet have now been upgraded with lights that last longer than 40 mins between battery changes (I now get a theoretical 3.5 hours), so I'm looking forward for a night ride slightly shorter than that Dunwich thingy.  Tent, Camelbak, spare batteries and lights, radio, provisions, minor fettling tools.  What else should my Bug-Out-Bike be carrying?

[TimO]

...  Tent, Camelbak, spare batteries and lights, radio, provisions, minor fettling tools.  What else should my Bug-Out-Bike be carrying?

Dunno about you, but a tent only goes so far in providing home comforts, I'll be carrying a Thermarest and Sleeping bag as well.

[rower40]

D'oh!  Thanks for reminding me - inflatable mattress and sleeping bag will be added to the list.  Even though they do take up limited pannier volume.

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

[TimO]

D'oh!  Thanks for reminding me - inflatable mattress and sleeping bag will be added to the list.  Even though they do take up limited pannier volume.

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

With a bike!?  Good luck!

I was wondering about tent, sleeping bag, and mat dimensions, and have come to the conclusion that rather than spending about a week packing everything massively tightly, carefully, and very very compactly, I'll just chuck it all onto my Bob Yak trailer, and not bother with any luggage on the bike!  Possibly slightly more effort to pull it, but sooo much easier to pack!