"Map Of Your Ideal Suburban Post Apocalyptic Camp?" Topic

Perhaps one that is also zombie-proof (or zombie-resistant)?

WHAT YOU START WITH: Let's say you start with a corner of your subdivision. Perhaps 5-6 houses, surrounding a cul-de-sac. Two families per home for added safety. Part of the perimeter is a 7-foot concrete wall behind your homes on the West side. There are also 6-foot wooden fences between the homes. You have a wide creek along the south edge of your area.

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QUESTIONS:

Would you abandon such a setup in the first place?

Would you take down the fences between the houses in your camp, and use the boards to complete your perimeter?

Would you burn or demolish the other homes adjacent to your camp?

Would you spend your energy on a ring of pointed abatis/palisades with barb wire?

Does anyone have terrain pics of a suburban area converted into such a compound?

Thanks,

Dan
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Id live in a Missile silo in the middle of Nowhere

Depends on the Sub-Division. Some have a conrete sound wall that surrounds the whole division, if so, barricade all the enterances and then claen out the interior (given enough "breathers")

otherwise it depends on the level and quality of other fencing in the area. I also would want more than one way out.

All such questions would depend on terrain and available resources.

think WWZ wall

I think I would prefer to find a low rise block of flats or commercial building. With access to a secure area for crops to be grown and room for a helicopter on the roof. (Funny but I've rarely seen a Helicopter in Zombie movies) I'd then create a surrounding fenced off area if possible with several escape routes.

Of course getting anyone else interested in doing this would be another matter and likely to fail.

I'm for a derelict oil rig off the cost….

What kind of zombies? Speedy climbers like World War Z or slow shamblers?

I live in a high rise. Block off the three stairwells, disable the elevators. We have back up generators in the building – so we have power if we can get fuel.

Convert several floors to indoor hydroponic farming. Use all the terraces etc. for additional food growing.

Consider fencing in the nearby park for additional crops.

I want Heston's house in Omega Man.

Id live in a Missile silo in the middle of Nowhere

Make it an arid Nowhere; the local ones that I've heard of have all flooded, being well below the water table.

Doug

Rule of thumb, at least 200 miles from a major city to start with. Zombies, gangers, looters, UN troops…ect all the same.

Most centers of population only have 3 days of food and the high density makes for a breeding ground for disease and looters. Water supplies will also be safer the further you get from cities and industry.

Works for Zombie, Post Apoc, riots, government breakdown or whatever.

Twoball Cane: "I'm for a derelict oil rig off the coast…."

Apparently, you're not the only one To think that way:

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Dan

A lot of universities would basically be like medieval fortified cities with slight modification. Long sight lines, thick stone walls, big courtyards, often a fair amount of self sufficiency built in… That applies even to many universities that are inside major cities. Probably one of the better places to try to start (or join-- I'd imagine there'd be survivors there from the start) a new community, especially if you're in a city which could give few other options.

Of course if the enemy has more than small arms your big towers stop being good scout posts and start being nice big targets. But even then the extensive basements and tunnels of many universities would make fair bunkers. I can't think of many post apocalyptic communities that are very good for surviving artillery barrages and aren't likely to be totally occupied in the first place (military installations).

That sub-division settlement is retarded. The amount of food that can be grown in the lawn areas wouldn't even feed one family, let alone 5 or 6. You need open land, and a lot of it.

Another thing you'd want is to be hidden. You find a small farm or community and you do everything you can to block every entrance, in a natural way. Downed trees, wrecked car, washed out bridges, etc. You want people just to pass on by cause getting into your area is difficult.

A prison would be cool as the residents will be leaving at the first opportunity leaving plenty of room. Open exercise area for veg and livestock . Enough rooms for many people and stores ,luvverly.
If this is camp ideas only then an island with only one point of entry would be cool.

I seem to recall it takes 4 acres per person to survive in what would be an 1800's society.

Hmm, a defensible, self-sufficient area ideally for several dozens? Hang on, I seem to recall others had this problem:-
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The place is entirely renovated (and walled, as well as te castle/moat), with generators, comms etc; plus the grounds have glasshouses the size of a football field and hundreds of sheep. It's pointless going for a single family shack – you're doomed when the aged/infirm outnumber the young/fit.

Alternatively, I like the idea of an island – John Wyndams lot took over the Isle of Wight in 'Day of the Triffids' (with a rip-tide more than twice walking speed). Or if you're not interested in rebuilding the world, can I recommend one of the many islands in the Thames (plenty of places to loot accessible from the river), or off Scotland?

Like Xintao says, land is key. You need lots of acreage for crops (seven times what you would need in modern times, since without fertilizers you have to rotate crops: once every 7 years for fallow land).

You need chain link fences around the crop area, to protect from deer and varmints.

You need to be reasonably close to a big suburban shopping center, with a Target/Walmart equivalent, with Home Depot, and a pharmacy for supplies.

I myself would seek out the Delmarva Peninsula, on the East Coast of the U.S. The Chesapeake and Delaware Canal, to the north, bisects the peninsula entirely, so you could put barriers at each of the bridges and you would have blocked off the entire Peninsula, creating an island (but you can remove the barriers any time you want mainland access).

Zombie population of about 1.4 million would require a lot of clearing, but it would be doable. The population is fairly evenly distributed, so you could clear them without having the zombie herds that would otherwise be present in major cities. The peninsula is primarily rural, so you're set for crops already. You have fishing opportunities, too.

I would set up a solar-powered network of deer cameras to observe the bridges and key nodes, connected by an wifi network. Issue everyone cell phones, to use the solar-powered wifi network to communicate.

Lowes, Home Depot, Menards or any other large big box home improvement store! Just to start, they generally have most of the things one could need or use. With moving I am close to two of those that I mentioned plus a small farm supply place!

If the North Sea is more your thing.

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The Old Idaho State Penitentiary.

Geothermal heat, solid stone walls, large fields inside the walls for food.

A bit grim to live in at first, but secure against anything short of a modern military assault.

Of course any changes would have to be approved by theProprty Owners' Association, and must conform to the tasteful style and color patterns….

@Capncarp: that's the best thing about a zombiepocalypse. You can feed the [expletives deleted] HOA folks to the zombies, though what the zombies did to deserve that I'm not sure…

edit: Since I forgot to include a map in my first post, here's the Google Earth link: link

So a floating fortified platform wouldn't work then?

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Dan

Those homes look like they are on quarter acre lots on the lower end, with the pie-shaped lots probably being around 1/3 acre. You get some number crunchers who come in at one acre per person. And the one acre is not a starvation diet.

However, as some noted, that is acreage planted and doesn't count crop rotation. Some areas, such as the Southeast historically had a crop rotation requiring a 7:1 ration (thus leading to very dispersed holdings), and of course arid areas may need well over 100 acres to give a broad enough balance of plant and animals to survive under stressful weather conditions.

I have done some solitaire skirmish gaming in almost exactly the type of cul-de-sac you mention. Holding the type of perimeter you mention requires too many people, and the attackers can disperse while concentrating on particular defensive points. I have found the broken up back yards, with their numerous concealment points and potential for crossfire, to be the more easily defended area. Something like the inkblot 360 defenses that Germans used in WW2, and late WW1.

You could make two rows of jersey walls formed around your area and roman fill in the middle then add a new row on top closer to the outer row the inner side could be used as a catwalk. it wouldn't be very high but no one is going to be able to just drive through it.

You could do the same with shipping containers too, fill the first to bottom rows with dirt to the top, they could take a few tank rounds and those on the other side wouldn't even feel it, heck a mac truck ramming it would be able to move them!

How about this simple one then?

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Dan

I can see the stairs going up to the roof from which there would be catwalks to outer walls from which to hold watch from at different watch towers and catwalks around the outer walls, I would move the armory to a more central location rather then having to run across the compound to get weapons or more ammo, and move the goats away from the garden area!

I'd be assuming weapons lockers in the living area, and the armory is for restocking and outfitting sally forths.

Too much ammo too close engenders the famous line from Ivanova. 'Boom. Boom, boom, boom. BOOM.'

Doug