Dear Zombie Master: Armour

by The Survivor
(México)

Dear Master of the Undead,

I’ve read all the posts here, but can’t find anything about the use of armor. We humans, the biological base of those pesky creatures called zombies, can't pierce the simplest armor without a weapon. Simple armor made of leather could be enough to stop the bite of a zombie. What about a shield of metal or wood or both, a shield and a weapon (like in the movie 300)?

This kind of armor could be difficult to craft if the mayhem were to start suddenly, for example, tomorrow. But we all have denim, which is strong enough to stop a bite. It may hurt, the but teeth won’t be able to pass through the fabric which could be reinforced with more denim, plastic from bottles or just cardboard from cereal boxes. There are thousands of fabrics that could be used as armor. You could say that the zombies have uber strength, but that is unconfirmed. Supposedly the brain works as a brake of the strength that the muscle can use without harming itself, and that magic number is 25%. Without that brake, the zombies could use the 100% of their strength but the muscle could rip apart in few seconds, making them useless. Or the jaw could dislocate in less than ten seconds.

I think I made my point. For your time, thanks.

The Survivor,
Mexico

The Survivor,

I believe, if I have read your statement correctly, you have basically answered your own question. The main reason why no one talks about armor is that it is not that big of a deal. As you have stated, denim is very resilient toward bites as is leather (which is why most people who do any major hard labor wear jeans and boots as part of their 'uniform'). When the zombies start to take over, those of us that are prepared will have stocked up on clothing, not so much for comfort but also for durability.

Of course, this will only work for a couple of zombies. With the horde, all bets are off because once you have been 'drawn', the 'quartering' will happen no matter how much denim and leather you have on. You could probably put together a full body suit to keep the horde from doing damage, but that would limit your mobility.

The main problem with shields is that they are cumbersome and require the use of a hand that could be filled with a secondary weapon. Shields are good for missile type weapons (slings, rocks, arrows, etc.) but in a melee battle they can only be used to block and push back. Good when you are fighting rioters but not so much against zombies. I know there are those who will disagree with me but I would prefer to have both hands free for weapon use.

Good hunting and aim high,

The Zombie Master