Staying hydrated is crucial in a world where clean water is a precious resource, By knowing the pros and cons of each drink type, you can make informed choices to stay hydrated and healthy in the challenging conditions of a zombie world.
Water[]
By far, water will be one of your most important supplies. You can last a few weeks without food but only about a week without water. Without water, you will become dehydrated and dehydration leads to exhaustion and eventually death even if no zombies, dangerous animals or crazed survivors are present.
1. Bottle water[]
- Pros: Essential for survival, widely available.
- Cons: Can be contaminated, if bottle is broken
- Where to find it: Shops
2. Rainwater[]
- Pros: Free, renewable, relatively clean.
- Cons: Requires a collection system, may contain pollutants if collected near industrial areas.
- Tips: Use clean containers and filter or boil rainwater before drinking.
3. River and Stream Water[]
- Pros: Often abundant and easy to find.
- Cons: Can be contaminated by animal waste, pollutants, or zombies.
- Tips: Always filter and boil water from rivers and streams before drinking. Collect water from flowing sources rather than stagnant pools.
4. Lake and Pond Water[]
- Pros: Accessible and can provide a large supply.
- Cons: High risk of contamination, especially in stagnant water.
- Tips: Purify by boiling, filtering, and using purification tablets. Avoid water with visible algae blooms.
5. Well Water[]
- Pros: Often safer than surface water, can be a reliable long-term source.
- Cons: Requires a functioning well, may need a manual pump.
- Tips: Regularly test well water for contaminants and maintain the well system.
7. Desalinated Water (from Seawater)[]
- Pros: Abundant if near the coast.
- Cons: Requires a desalination process, which can be resource-intensive.
- Tips: Use solar stills or other desalination methods to make seawater drinkable.
8. Snow and Ice[]
- Pros: Readily available in cold climates, can be melted for drinking water.
- Cons: Requires melting, which uses fuel or solar energy.
- Tips: Collect clean snow and melt it in a pot over a fire or in the sun. Avoid using discolored snow.
9. Spring Water[]
- Pros: Often naturally filtered, can be a clean source.
- Cons: Not always easily accessible, may require hiking or searching.
- Tips: Collect from the source where water emerges from the ground, and still consider boiling or filtering.
Other Liquids[]
1. Milk (Cow's milk or similar)[]
- Pros: Good for calcium. Available under many different forms (UHT, condensed, evaporated and powdered variants are the most common).
- Cons: Accessibility for fresh milk limited unless one has livestock.
- Tips: Fresh milk will go off first when the apocalypse hits (due to a certain lack of electricity) and will become rarer as the early days go through. This will result in the preserved variants becoming valuable commodity and will likely be plundered first, due to their long-lasting best before dates, provided storage conditions are optimal.
2. Alcohols (Beer, Spirits and Wine)[]
- Pros: Morale booster.
- Cons: Ill-advised to consume if you're a minor. Also ill-advised to drive or use arms after consumption.
- Tips: Spirits like whisky or vodka and wind will generally last a very long time (indefinite even) as long as the storage conditions are good. Beer does go off, but it will taste odd before it does you any real harm. If you're not a fan of consuming alcohol one way or another, it is a valuable trading commodity and can be used for other purposes.
3. Canned & Energy Drinks[]
- Pros: Great morale booster. Temporary energy boost for running away from Zombies.
- Cons: Detrimental for the health if consumed often, due to the high sugar content (brand-dependent) and prone to make the user thirsty later.