Walkers, undead, biters, living dead, roamers, zombies, infected, the walking dead – whatever you call them, they want to feast on your flesh (with your brains considered a delicacy). You never know when they will appear around the corner, so the safest bet is to always be prepared for the worst. Food, water, shelter, heat, and light are going to be some of the most important things to help ensure your survival. Oh, and plenty of weapons and ammunition. Of course, you’re going to need a place to store all of this stuff that will allow you to remain ultra mobile. Luckily, the forward-thinkers at TentPak have the perfect solution: their new Zombie Apocalypse Paks.
The idea behind TentPak is pretty simple. By integrating lightweight, high quality tents into equally impressive backpacks, packing for camping trips (and being prepared for emergencies – like zombie attacks) is simpler than ever. Using High Peak backpacks and tents ensures that you have some of the best gear out there (if you don’t believe me, just search High Peak at the upper left of this article and read our previous reviews). From what we have seen of previous TentPak lines, the tent fits seamlessly into the backpack, taking up a minimum of room and weight, while making setup and takedown a breeze. Anything to make life simpler during the rise of the dead is welcome, that’s for sure.
TentPak currently has two different Zombie Apocalypse systems available: the Everest 75 pack and the Lightning 50. The Everest 75 features the High Peak Everest 75+10 pack, which is designed for longer trips where large amounts of gear are needed, for mountain guides, to carry all the gear you’ll need to survive an emergency evacuation (whether forced to leave by zombies or more natural reasons), or for dad on more normal backpacking trips. High Peak’s Lightning 50 is the lighter, quicker pack of the two, designed for shorter trips or light packers. Both are adjustable for different upper body heights, so they can be transferred from one person to another. Other than the different packs, the systems are the same. They include the Jasperlite tent, which is suitable for 3-seasons, lightweight, and designed to fit 2 people (or one person and a full complement of gear). With 2 entrances and vestibules, there really is no reason that this tent shouldn’t be comfortable for 2 adults. Of course, a zombie kit would not be complete with just a tent and a backpack (even if they do have an awesome looking logo on them), which is why either Zombie Apocalypse Pak also comes with the starter gear package. Included are a Gerber Gator Machete Jr., Gerber Bear Grylls Scout Essentials kit, Gerber Bear Grylls Compact Multi-Tool, United Edge Compact Survival Tool, and a UST Sparkie Fire Starter. Add a change of clothes, your favorite sleeping bag, water purification, food, guns, and ammo and you’re good to go.
While the zombie apocalypse may seem like a fun marketing angle, these are serious tools, designed for serious tasks. We just helped convince Mike, the real genius behind TentPak, that this was a good idea. We originally discussed it with him at Outdoor Retailer, and later helped in fleshing out the idea (pun intended). That means it has to be awesome! You also save a good deal of money with TentPak rather than buying each of the components separately. The Everest 75 runs $398 and the Lightning 50 is $377, and they are only available on the TentPak website. Of course, they also have a large assortment of different Pak systems, for more average adventures and emergencies. But, we think that the extra gear you get is well worth getting the Zombie Apocalypse Pak, and that doesn’t even include the bonus of having the logo on your backpack (think of the jealous looks from friends). We’ll keep you posted if we get a chance to get some hands-on time with one of the Zombie Apocalypse Paks in the future.
Oh, Happy Halloween!
– David