What’s something most people don’t know about you?

Daily Writing Prompt – 2095

Most people who read my posts about the garden, testing everyday products, or family trips probably don’t know that I’m low-key fascinated by what the world might look like after a zombie apocalypse.

No, it’s not about the undead invasion itself — that sounds remarkably unpleasant, mostly due to all the mess and social collapse. It’s about that clean, raw simplicity that would follow. Suddenly, all problems would become impossibly basic. Where to find clean water? How to secure shelter? Who to share the last can of food with? Pure, beautiful common sense and the struggle for survival.

And while I’m not a hardcore prepper — just a guy who can accidentally break a hammer, but has pretty good reflexes when running from a wasp — I still believe you need to know how to hold your own in a world like that. That’s why for years, in my free time, I’ve been mulling over survival strategies. It’s my little private escape from everyday reality.

And since I’ve already admitted that to you, I have something actually useful for modern times — especially in case things do go south. Here is a guide to what truly matters first and foremost.

On the internet, you’ll find perfect bug out bag guides made by former special ops guys. They contain 100 items, weigh 110 pounds (50kg), and are completely useless unless you’re a pack mule. My philosophy is different. Weigh less, walk further, live longer.

Here is the absolute must-have list. Everything has to fit into one comfortable backpack:

• 1L or 1.5L water bottle. A total no-brainer. But the bottle must be hard, reusable plastic or metal. You can fill it, and you can hit something with it.
• Small water filter or purification tablets. Taps will stop running within the first 24 hours. Every puddle, every stream becomes a potential biohazard. Don’t drink without filtering unless you’d rather die of dysentery than become a zombie.
• Metal cup. For boiling, drinking, and collecting rainwater. The ultimate survival vessel.
• High-calorie energy bars. For the first 48 hours of shock. Something that gives you the energy to think without needing to cook.
• Freeze-dried meals and jerky. Man cannot live on canned food alone. I recommend beef jerky, instant soups, and freeze-dried meals. Just add hot water.
• Tea bags and instant coffee. Yes. Without coffee, you won’t have the strength to run. That is a scientific fact.
• Multivitamins. When your diet shrinks to canned beans and a dried apple, these pills will save you from scurvy.
• Bandages, band-aids, wound dressing. You didn’t survive a zombie horde just to die from an infected scrape on your knee.
• Painkillers. For your head, your back, and the general state of the world.
• Anti-diarrhea pills. Trust me, in a world without plumbing, this is a weapon of strategic importance.
• Broad-spectrum antibiotic. If you manage to get your hands on some — guard it like treasure.
• Multi-purpose knife. For slicing, cutting, opening, tweaking, and poking zombies in the head. An extension of your arm.
• Headlamp with extra batteries. Keeping both hands free while running for your life is essential.
• Pocket radio, solar power bank, and charging cable. A chance to charge a radio is a chance to get information. Don’t rely on it, but be prepared.
• Signal mirror. Small, lightweight. For signaling, or peeking around corners. Brilliant in its simplicity.
• Dry shampoo. More important than an axe. You want to survive, and hygiene isn’t a luxury — it’s a matter of life and death. Dirt attracts disease, and disease attracts unwanted attention.
• Wet wipes and a small towel. They take up virtually no space and can literally save your skin.

Your backpack shouldn’t weigh more than 20 to 30 pounds (10–15 kg). Pack it. Put it in the hallway. And remember — it’s not a museum for your fantasies, it’s your ticket to survival. At any moment, you must be ready to grab it and run out the door. Because all it takes is one bite.

Yeah, it’s one of those things most people don’t know about me. When I picture the world after everything goes down, I don’t see chaos. I see quiet, simplicity, and pure, beautiful common sense. And a backpack that’s ready for all of it.

It’s always worth being prepared!