Admit it. Secretly, you want it to happen. There’s a part of you that wants it to go down just to see if you’re up for the challenge. Go ahead and say it. You want a zombie outbreak.
You’re not alone. At one time or another, every prepper and survivalist has had the same daydream. The dead are walking. The are coming for you. What do you do? Do you retreat to your prepared bunker or do you make a break for your predetermined bug out location (BOL)? Ask any enthusiast and he or she will have an opinion on the “right” way to handle a zed scenario. To settle this debate once and for all, let’s examine the two.
Before we get into the gory details, we need to first decide what kind of zombie scenario we’re in and define the parameters. Let’s assume we are dealing with the standard spread by bite or scratch or blood exposure scenario and that our assailing zombies are the traditional, Romero-esque, slow-moving dead-heads that travel in hoards, not those hyper-aggressive, fast-moving zombies that run. Those zombies are cheaters. We’ll assume that the outbreak is still in its infancy and has just been recognized as a state of emergency.
Transportation
With our parameters in place, let’s now assume that you have constructed the bunker in advance on your own property and that this structure is underground. The bunker has a significant advantage here over the BOL because it does not require transportation to get to it. Why is that a big deal? Because if the zombies have begun wandering the streets, you could easily be overwhelmed by a hoard. Even if you have a vehicle, tires blow, engines fail, gas runs out. And if you are not mobile, you are vulnerable. Therefore, bunker takes the win in the transportation category.
Space
As for storage, your pre-stocked bunker is going to be full of supplies, but limited on space. How many people will it hold? Two? Three? What happens to those you don’t have room for? The number of dependents you have at the moment of an outbreak is extremely determinant in what route you choose. Do you want their deaths and possibly their reanimations on your conscience? The BOL is supreme in this instance as it is likely larger, can provide for more people and is more adaptable depending on your needs, as opposed to the big hole in the ground that only seats a few.
Security
Since both the bunker and the BOL are assumed to have been set up before the outbreak, both options could have been equipped with a robust security camera system for surveillance. Assuming that your BOL has met the standards of Max Brook’s “Zombie Survival Guide,” it should be as easy to defend, if not easier, than the bunker. And assuming that both the bunker and the BOL have a secondary line of defense and reinforced entry and exit ways, then this category ends in a tie.
With the bunker scoring a point for lacking the need for transportation and the BOL winning in the storage category, that leaves us at a dead tie between bunker and BOL in the event of a zombie outbreak. Once again, it comes down to personal preference. So like all great debates and good zombies, this one will live on.
