At this point, Zombie Survival Camp has personally trained hundreds of campers and we have trained with dozens of the top preppers and survivalists Canada has to offer. You may have the gear, you may have gone to seminars and classes but here are the top 5 mistakes I have found that even the most prepared people can make.
1.) CARDIO - Zombieland hit the nail on the head with this rule. Having poor cardio is by far the BIGGEST impediment to your survival and is overlooked again and again. When we put our campers to the test it is their bodies that fail them first. We have had bodybuilders change their entire workout routines after we put them through our simulation. My old instructor once told me “It doesn’t matter how good your technique is; if you get steamed, all of your training is worthless”.
2.) LOOK AFTER YOUR TEETH (OR PHYSICAL HEALTH) - I spent this entire month of January in agony because of a gum infection caused by my refusal to get my wisdom teeth removed (a very easy fix). The desperation of Tom Hank’s character in Castaway smashing his tooth out with a skate makes only perfect sense to me now. I stopped eating, my head constantly ached, and I couldn’t concentrate on the most menial tasks. How long do you think I would have made it if zombies came smashing through my door? Look after your teeth (or body) now so they aren’t an agonizing liability later.
3.) IT ONLY WORKS IF YOU’VE TESTED IT - It’s easy (and fun) to sit around the table and talk about your plans for when zombies attack, but you want to make sure that when push comes to shove your plans are going to save your life. Walk your route, put on your bug out bag, and test your equipment. Far too many times at training exercises we have been slowed down or had our time cut short because someone thought they should pack their en- tire armoury and closet into their packs.
4.) LONE WOLVES LIVE HARD LIVES - I see men and women trying to be Lone Warriors bat- tling Mother Nature and it’s simply the wrong way to approach survival. It’s dangerous to go alone. I promise you survival is exponentially easier and much more fun in groups. Get your family, partners, and friends into training with you. If they aren’t interested, there are dozens of people out there willing to train and work with you, often for free.
5.) DON’T LET FEAR STOP YOU FROM ENJOYING TODAY - Can horrible things happen...? Yes, of course. Should you prepare yourself for disasters...? Absolutely. I have met people that won’t go into the city of Toronto because they are literally worried about a terrorist attack. At any given time there is an infinite amount of things that can happen, but all too often I meet people sacrificing a perfectly wonderful today for a bleak tomorrow that is probably not going to happen. Prepare for the worst but enjoy the best.
-Peter Lane (theJedi)
