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Preppers: how realistic is "The Walking Dead"?

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Preppers: how realistic is "The Walking Dead"?

Unread postby C8 » Sat 03 Oct 2015, 17:15:35

I don't watch any commercial TV except for one show: The Walking Dead, which my son and I like. It is a fantasy based show of course and the zombie apocalypse is total bonkers so I don't expect total realism. But too much fantasy ruins a show too. If, for example, the zombies were to float in the air and turn rainbow colors most viewers would conclude its too much and quit watching. So the best sci-fi is a balance of fantasy and reality. The question is, how much fantasy is too much?

The shows characters are now in year 6, I believe, and things are going too far for me. My biggest complaint is: where the hell do the zombies get the endless energy to stumble for six years without withering into nothing? (this is my PO thinking about energy ruining things :x )

For the collapse to occur as fast as it did, over 90% of the human population must have died- which leaves less than 10% left as meat to power the remaining zombies. There is not much livestock that would live penned up for 2 years and slow zombies could not catch wild animals. Wandering around 24/7 takes an enormous amount of energy. Now I could pretend events were happening over the course of one year if it were not for the son "Carl" growing from a little boy to a giant teen (big mistake by the producers in my opinion). To see zombies staggering around for 6 years without food is getting to be too much for me.

So, some of you here at PO.com are into survivalism and must know a lot about how time affects food, cars, houses, etc. I have some questions I am hoping you can help me out on. After 5-6 years:

1. would cars still start? (they do on the show)
2. would gasoline still work great? (or not evaporate in tanks?)
3. would bullets and guns still work great?
4. would roads still look smooth like they do on the show?
5. would clothes deteriorate on their own? (they have an endless supply of clothes)
6. would canned food still be good?
7. would houses still be solid protection against hordes?
8. would batteries and light bulbs of all kinds still work?
9. would wiring still work for electricity?
10. would medicine and antibiotics still work? (they regularly raid drug stores)

thanks
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Re: Preppers: how realistic is "The Walking Dead"?

Unread postby SeaGypsy » Sat 03 Oct 2015, 18:03:37

Not sure, but if your doomstead is set up with adequate zombie traps & you have a mulcher, you pretty much have fuel & fertilizer covered, at some point you will have to start worrying about peak zombie.
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Re: Preppers: how realistic is "The Walking Dead"?

Unread postby Loki » Sat 03 Oct 2015, 18:15:48

Zombies are supernatural beings, I wouldn't get too wrapped up in how they manage to keep ambling on after a few years. They're zombies, they aren't going to starve to death. The show has become more focused on the human threat anyway.

I'll take a shot at your questions, though.

C8 wrote:After 5-6 years:

1. would cars still start? (they do on the show)
2. would gasoline still work great? (or not evaporate in tanks?)

Cars will start if the batteries are kept charged, i.e., if they're run regularly or a solar trickle charger is used. Car batteries can easily last 6 years.

Gasoline, on the other hand, would likely not be good after 6 years. Evaporation might be a problem in a car tank over 6 years, but even worse is the fact that gas degrades over time. My understanding is untreated gas won't last more than a year or so, treated gas maybe 2 years. It's pretty easy to tell when gas has gone bad, smells like varnish.

Diesel has a similar lifespan.

3. would bullets and guns still work great?

Of course. I have ammo from the 1970s, and a rifle built in 1954, both work fine.

4. would roads still look smooth like they do on the show?

Frost-heave in northern areas would probably wreak havoc. Not sure about Georgia. But yeah, zipping down the road at 70 mph would probably be ill advised.

5. would clothes deteriorate on their own? (they have an endless supply of clothes)

You don't have any clothes that are older than 6 years?

6. would canned food still be good?

If it's stored properly, in a cupboard, canned food easily lasts 6 years. If it's bouncing around in a pack getting dented, not so much.

7. would houses still be solid protection against hordes?

Of course.

8. would batteries and light bulbs of all kinds still work?

Small alkaline batteries can be stored for 6+ years if they're not kept in excessive heat. Rechargeables can be used for years, too, using a small solar charger. I've never seen any solar being used in the Walking Dead, though.

Car and deep cycle batteries that are left sitting unused for 6+ years would be toast, though.

9. would wiring still work for electricity?

Of course, unless a mouse has chewed through them or something.

10. would medicine and antibiotics still work? (they regularly raid drug stores)

Doubt most (any?) antibiotics would work unrefrigerated after 6 years. Even if they did they'd be a lot less potent.
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Re: Preppers: how realistic is "The Walking Dead"?

Unread postby SeaGypsy » Sat 03 Oct 2015, 18:37:23

Given you can make diesel, & caustic soda can be stored indefinitely, a diesel would be a better bet for being able to keep going. An ethanol specific ice would be as good & not require possibly hard to get caustic. Long term storage of lead acid batteries is easy enough, just drain & store the acid, flush the plates clean & seal. Antibiotics, farm rockmelon & let some go mouldy, I'm still working out how the denaturing bit works with this.
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Re: Preppers: how realistic is "The Walking Dead"?

Unread postby GHung » Sat 03 Oct 2015, 19:07:49

I've never seen 'Walking Dead'. As for the questions:

1. would cars still start? (they do on the show)

Many would if the batteries were charged and they had fresh fuel.

2. would gasoline still work great? (or not evaporate in tanks?)

Gasoline degrades pretty quickly unless stabilized. Pretty sure few folks dumped Sta-bil into their tanks, pre-zombie.

3. would bullets and guns still work great?

Yes, most would if they've been stored in a non-corrosive manner.

4. would roads still look smooth like they do on the show?

Depends on climate and weather, but generally, no. Here's a picture I took of a highway in our area 20 something years after it was rerouted and abandoned:

Image

This was a major two-lane US highway at one time. Pavement in temperate areas will last pretty long with no traffic, but, as you can see, nature encroaches.

5. would clothes deteriorate on their own? (they have an endless supply of clothes)

Properly stored clothes, especially synthetics, will last decades. Rodents (mice and rats), and some insects love to nest in clothing and will do so quickly if they aren't deterred.

6. would canned food still be good?

Some can last at least a decade if the can doesn't corrode. Acidic foods last longer like tomatoes and some fruits. I've opened cans of tomato sauce after 10 years and the contents were separated but seemed quite safe to consume. After 5 years, many canned foods could be OK.

7. would houses still be solid protection against hordes?

Too broad a question.

8. would batteries and light bulbs of all kinds still work?

I have a fresh pack of Duracell AAs that says they're good until 2023. Good Alkaline batteries should last for years if (again) stored under favorable conditions. Light bulbs as well.

9. would wiring still work for electricity?

Plenty of structures have wiring that still works fine after 30 years or more. Depends on the condition of the structure.

10. would medicine and antibiotics still work? (they regularly raid drug stores)

Many would if the packaging is intact and it hasn't been kept in heat and humidity. Depends on the drug, but most lose their potency at a fairly slow rate. I sprained my back and took some oxycodone from an old prescription. Worked great. Didn't notice until later that the prescription was over 9 years past its expiration. Liquid medications probably degrade faster. We keep spare meds in an airtight bin in our root cellar where it's cool and dark. Some preppers vacuum-pack meds in mylar bags.

We've used powdered livestock anti-biotics (on cows) that was several years old. Seemed quite effective. Not a bad thing to stockpile if you do the doomer/prepper kind of thing. Keep cool or refrigerated if possible. Dose as for swine in the case of plague or other non-viral outbreak. Not something I would do routinely, but if people around you are dropping like flies and you have symptoms.....

Anyone know if electric fences work on Zombies?
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Re: Preppers: how realistic is "The Walking Dead"?

Unread postby frankthetank » Sat 03 Oct 2015, 19:32:48

I think the zombies will be the starving mass hordes that will roam the suburbs ransacking homes for canned goods.

Roads up here go to he$$ very quickly...but i do wonder how much of that damage is caused by the snow plows/heavy trucks. In collapse you aren't going to see roads being plowed or probably too many semis. I know a bike trail that was paved back when i was 8th or 9th grade and it still looks pretty good (but no cars ever go on it)....and that would have been 20 or so years ago.
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Re: Preppers: how realistic is "The Walking Dead"?

Unread postby Apneaman » Sat 03 Oct 2015, 20:07:15

18 months ago when I was dejunking boxes that I had stored at my parents place for a long time and I found a half bottle of percodans that a doc prescribed me for a work injury in 1994. I popped a couple and was feeling just fine in about 40 minutes. Who knows about other meds. Wish I had some now.
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Re: Preppers: how realistic is "The Walking Dead"?

Unread postby Cog » Sat 03 Oct 2015, 22:28:18

Zombies that can move about after six years do not annoy me. People taking head shots with a pistol at 100 feet on a moving target annoy me. People using rifles without sights annoy me. And most of all, I get annoyed when women who could be getting banged nightly, are not. Even Michone and Carol would be looking good to me at this point.
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Re: Preppers: how realistic is "The Walking Dead"?

Unread postby C8 » Sat 03 Oct 2015, 22:50:13

GHung wrote:
7. would houses still be solid protection against hordes?

Too broad a question.


Let me narrow it a bit- how much of a house staying together is due to the active maintenance of humans? For example:

How fast do termites, carpenter ants, etc. move in?

How frequently does water enter a house through chimneys, pipes bursting water (due to freezing) which rots foundations, hail or tree limbs breaking glass?

Can flammable materials in a house (such as kerosene for a space heater or gas cans in a garage) ever ignite on their own under intense heat? I am guessing "no" but I'm not sure.
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Re: Preppers: how realistic is "The Walking Dead"?

Unread postby Cog » Sat 03 Oct 2015, 22:55:17

Gasoline and kerosene do not ignite on their own in a spontaneous combustion sort of way. I have found gas cans cleaning out an estate that were over 20 years old and never touched.

Pipes bursting due to freeze is a real issue when homes aren't heated. In Georgia, not that big of an issue. But without a power source there wouldn't be any pressure to keep the water flowing. Houses can sit a lot longer than six years without them being totally ruined.
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Re: Preppers: how realistic is "The Walking Dead"?

Unread postby Hawkcreek » Sat 03 Oct 2015, 23:27:58

I read a lot of junk escapist fiction and always wonder why the survivors of any collapse don't look around for a propane powered vehicle. There are plenty of fleet trucks around that run on propane. Or build a conversion kit for a standard vehicle. Propane doesn't go bad for many years - if at all, and it seems like every big box store has a lot of full bottles outside the front door. Not to mention the thousands of rural homes that have a 250 - 500 gallon tank sitting in their back yard. And industrial sites with 50,000 gallon tanks ---
Just saying ......

And they could go twice as far between oil changes when they are being chased by zombies.
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Re: Preppers: how realistic is "The Walking Dead"?

Unread postby GHung » Sat 03 Oct 2015, 23:42:29

In Georgia, especially the northern half, you have a pretty lush environment with plenty of rain, Homes and other structures get overgrown very quickly if not maintained. Trees and weeds will sprout from gutters, sidewalks, and anywhere else they can take hold. Within a few years, tree saplings and vines will be pushing up through the eaves, growing in the gutters, and small animals will have found their way inside.

I've lived in unincorporated areas of North Georgia, and seen a number of homes/structures that had been abandoned, especially when I was mapping power grids. After 5 years, homes like that essentially have to be stripped to the framing and rebuilt if the mold and mildew haven't gotten into everything. If heat and humidity don't destroy an unoccupied house, termites and kudzu eventually will.
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Re: Preppers: how realistic is "The Walking Dead"?

Unread postby Loki » Sun 04 Oct 2015, 01:33:52

Cog wrote:People taking head shots with a pistol at 100 feet on a moving target annoy me.


Only exceptional marksmen survive the zombieapocalypse. Better get practicing.

People using rifles without sights annoy me.

Sights just get in the way.

And most of all, I get annoyed when women who could be getting banged nightly, are not. Even Michone and Carol would be looking good to me at this point.

Those aren't bad looking women. But yes, Maggie needs more sex scenes.

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Re: Preppers: how realistic is "The Walking Dead"?

Unread postby davep » Sun 04 Oct 2015, 02:28:12

Only exceptional marksmen survive the zombieapocalypse. Better get practicing.


The whole zombieapocalypse would have been over in a matter of days if they had supplied everyone with a suppressed bolt action .22LR and a box of 500 rounds. Fom 50 to 100 yards you're virtually guaranteed headshots on such slow-moving targets with a minimum of practice. And you could pick them off at will as they wouldn't hear you.

END OF THREAD.
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Re: Preppers: how realistic is "The Walking Dead"?

Unread postby davep » Sun 04 Oct 2015, 16:31:06

I didn't really mean "end of thread". I was expecting some debate about the merits of lack of them of my idea :-D
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Re: Preppers: how realistic is "The Walking Dead"?

Unread postby Lore » Sun 04 Oct 2015, 19:16:49

pstarr wrote:I don't get the grooming thing either? Where do they get the time dress so right, and look so hot? Day-old stubble. Shag cut. Nice.

Even the knife sheath matches. I wonder if his undies do also? Yes it does! Black boxer briefs are peaking out adorably through that little hole in his pants leg lol


When you got your pick of the rubble, you can look, oh so, fashionable.
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Re: Preppers: how realistic is "The Walking Dead"?

Unread postby Loki » Sun 04 Oct 2015, 22:45:27

davep wrote:
Only exceptional marksmen survive the zombieapocalypse. Better get practicing.


The whole zombieapocalypse would have been over in a matter of days if they had supplied everyone with a suppressed bolt action .22LR and a box of 500 rounds. Fom 50 to 100 yards you're virtually guaranteed headshots on such slow-moving targets with a minimum of practice. And you could pick them off at will as they wouldn't hear you.

END OF THREAD.

.22lr is rarer than hen's teeth these days, at least in the US. Sure I could use up some of my stash to kill zombies, but what then? All the neckbeards clean out Walmart as soon as they get a new shipment in, how am I supposed to restock?

Plus you can trade .22lr for soccer moms after the apocalypse. Which would you rather have sex with, a soccer mom harem or a pile of dead zombies?

And forget the fact that a suppressed .22lr doesn't make the cool "pew pew" noises like firing an AR in full auto. Fired with no rear sight yet still making a head shot at a 100 yards with every round, of course.

At least they're not firing from the hip like in the A Team days.

Image

And some of them occasionally shoulder the weapon correctly and use the sights. Except Glen, he's such a badass he don't need to use no damn sights, he just points in the general direction of a zombie and boom, dead zombie.

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Re: Preppers: how realistic is "The Walking Dead"?

Unread postby Cog » Sun 04 Oct 2015, 23:27:42

I know its just fantasy series but in real life every single one of them would be stone deaf by now from all the firing without ear plugs or earmuffs. I don't know if you have ever fired a gun inside a enclosed space without hearing protection, but I don't recommend it if you ever want to hear a zombie shambling about.
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