Essentials for travel?

[FRY THE BRAIN]

How do you itemize for long distances in a vehicle, or on foot? What do you not leave the house without? What would you suggest be essential items for nomadic travel?

[ShodaN]

I learned some things the hard way because I'm a crap driver in this game. I prepare any kind of wound treatment, especially for deep ones that need to be stitched, because that can happen from ramming into something at realitively high speed...

Other than that a full gas can. Not for the vehicle I'm in, but if I manage to total it, at least I can hotwire the next best one and get it moving with some gas.

The rest is pretty much up to whatever that roadtrip is for. Lots of extra weapons and crafted spears when it's about clearing an area. Some extra food and water if I'm not sure there's still something to loot where I go. But I usually also keep some basic tools to level electronics and mechanics like a screwdriver, wrench, lugwrench and jack. Just the screwdriver would be fine though.

[derp12332112]

Fill your seats with as much food and supplies as humanely possible; This makes them reachable when you're sitting up front.

Always keep a loaded pistol in the Front Compartment, alongside a shotgun on the front seat so you can blast your way out the door in case of emergencies.

The back should be your primary cargo hold, and you should toss all your loot/junk in there. You should also always have all the necessary tools to fix up your vehicle in case of an emergency; Even if you cant totally fix it, getting it working is a step off the ground.

If you plan on doing hit-and-run looting raids, you can keep the car running, specifically on unreliable ones. It's worthwhile to keep a car going despite the gas if it means not stuttering with a horde on your back.

Foot is much harder.

You should always try to plan out your route before you get there; Roads are obviously the open route, but they're consistently filled with zeds. NEVER enter the woods.

Nature Pathways are nice and usually relatively safe early game, but its wise to avoid them late game as the hordes have moved, which can sometimes lead to you being surrounded in the woods with no way out and no way to foretell how many there are, other then the massive shuffling caused by the undead moving the trees.

Only take what you need; You'll obviously need to be as efficient as possible carrying stuff, so you'll usually want at least a hiking bag alongside 2 bags for each hand; These can be dropped in case of combat and picked up later if possible.

Take the necessary survival tools you'll need to survive out in the cold in case of emergencies; Lighters, light fuel (paper, twigs, etc), a knife or two, and of course, a gun.

You'll only be able to take so much food and supplies with you, so you'll have to plan out your trip before you start walking; Being caught out in the wild with no experience or food is a death sentence.

If possible, try and keep Carpentry and Camping supplies on your person too; A Tent and a Fire are very good ways to replenish lost stamina and rest, though they can draw unwanted attention and provide little defensive countermeasures.

The Spear is an effective weapon, granted you have a short blade or can find sharp stones to consistently make them. Its arguably one of the more efficient weapons to make and use, with reliable crafting materials everwhere (Sticks, planks, etc)

Sleeping is tough.

The car provides some safety during the night hours, but without it you're out in the open. A tent is one of the better ways to get some sleep during the darker hours of the day, but you should try to find an abandoned car or cabin to rest. It's always, ALWAYS better to sleep somewhere covered, even if it can be encircled, because its better then laying yourself out as a full course meal in the dark.

I've survived at least 3 months as both of these styles, and there's a lot more to put down, but this is a start.

[Manu]

They are diffeent scenarios, on foot you rely on constant scavenge, by car you can load it with more than the essencials and if you are planning to be a nomad it's another thing too.

The musts in every travel for me are this:
1. hammer
1. saw
1. screwdriver
1. desinfectant (wipes or cotton with desinfectant)
6-10 sterilized rags/bandages
1-2 painkillers
spoilable food for the first days
non spoilable food for more days (try to scavenge and save for bad times)
1-2 bottles of water (always refilling)
A spare melee weapon (or two)
I don't use firearms, if I needed them I shouldn't be there in the first place.

With a car you can make a very long distance, non-stop, in one day if you are going from one city to the other.

[БагахульныйБаец]

first I want to emphasize that it is totally cool to play as you want.
but experience taught me that nomadic style is a weak strategy. you spending your time enjoying the sights and trying to get some crumbs, while world around you is becoming more threatening.
after the first month no water, no electicity, and you found yourself without much gear, unable to beat off hordes. there isn't much stuff in the countryside, and there are no "less populated areas" in the city - dumbers are everywhere, they covered everything like flies and they have nothing better to do but protecting every damn spot from you, fearing that you would steal their sh*t.
timing is everything in this game. let's say, if you want to able to survive past winter - you have to have safehouse afar from the city, and you have to fight to get all the necessary stuff.

now to the items:

- 2 bottles of water;

- you really will need a lot of food, to summarize it's something around -60 in the hunger points. you could stuck somewhere without being able to get some food, so you shouldn't leave with just a couple of snacks;

- 2-3 melee weapons. pick your melee interest from the start. short blunt are good: there are plenty of different hammers, they don't break easily while leveling your Maintenance skill. a couple of hammers/frying pans, on the belt, with a metal bar/pipe on your back will be enough for few days of intensive raid, and you'll be able to find replacement;

- a couple of bandages along with with a couple of rags will be enough. you wouldn't be able to survive many wounds anyway, so why bother carrying a whole medicine cart? you should fight smart, without getting wounded. of course 1 piece of wipes or 1 desinfectant, 1 painkiller;

- 1 sleeping pills or a book. also sleepless night, just like irl, means that your day is spoiled. vitamins don't work much, coffee with sugar is much better;

- essential tools like screwdriver should be carrying along for the special task, not everytime; tasking is everything, just like timing - you shouldn't live like a vagabond;

- very important: some clothes for danger areas you should carry in your bag. jacket, helmet, leather glothes, hoody, scarf - all that stuff you wear only if you're about to sneak in some house - who knows what is waiting for you around doors and corners?

- also important: radio! with AEBS wave to tune in, along with earbuds;

- flashlight is really helpfull (the game is dark and full of terrors), umbrella would be nice to have - depends on the weather (listen to the AEBS) and time;

- lighter or matches are somewhat sparse. if you don't have a place to store things - always have them with you, and grab them whenever you can;

- at 6 PM you have to have a place around to stay a night. consider your operation day from 6 am to 6 pm. battling zeds take hours, so plan your actions ahead.

[FRY THE BRAIN]

Really good advice. Thank you all for your recommended stratagems.

[Cult of Nobody]

The ability to adapt to the situation.

[Nordil(Hun)]

All of these once i get my alice pack and my level 3 str:

A crowbar, a nightstick on the left belt slot, a hunting knife on the right slot.
In the backpack 2 hunting knives, 1 nightstick, 1 metal bar, 1 crowbar. 2 bottles of water.
About 150 hunger worth of food. So like 3 dog foods and 1 cereal, or 4 cereal...you get the idea. A saw, a hammer and a scredriver. Some sterilized rags. (usually 2 or 3 so i can switch.) 1 alcohol douzed something to disinfect wounds. Tweezers.
USually i have 15 pounds or 18 in my backpack while travelling. And a handaxe...should i need a fire for the night. And a trowel, and a few pack of seeds. Your base can be overrun while you are away. Or you are unable to climb back up. (And therefore i live on the ground in very easily reachable places some extra food and water, if i would come back and meet some surprise guests)

If you have the skill and the str, you have a good chance of removing windows, and therefore gaining access into houses. VERY important.

[Brother Frederick]

On belt slots:
-Axe,
-Screwdriver,
-Hammer.
-9mm or that .38 special revolver

In the pack:
-Couple of non-perishable foods (what kind depends on what I have)
-saw,
-box of nails,
-crowbar,
-fully loaded shotgun,
-1box of shells,
-trowel,
-1pack of seeds: potatos, cabbage, tomatos and broccoli,
-4 garbage bags,
-a knife (kitchen or hunting)
-a saucepan/pot
-a pan
-a bowl
-1 lighter
-2 spare bottles of water
-1 set of meds (niddle, 1 of each pill types, 1 bottle of desinfectant, cotton)
-flashlight
-box of ammo for handgun
-fishing eq.


Sometimes axe lands in the pack and I run around with a pipe on belt slot.