Why does hardly anyone wear body armour in The Walking Dead?





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Since zombies are not shown to be any stronger than normal humans and their only weapons are teeth and bare hands, any form of body armour would surely be a very effective defence against them. Yet in the TV show the characters hardly ever wear anything more sturdy than casual clothes, often dooming them to be bitten or torn apart by a horde of walkers. Although professional body armour as worn by military, police or private security is probably not generally lying around the characters don't seem to have problems aquiring weapons including military grade firearms, which would presumably come from the same sources. Even if this kind of body armour were not available it would be trivially easy to make up something (duct tape, plastic tubing etc.) that would at least be better than nothing.



So, my question: is there an in-universe explanation for so few characters opting to make use of what would appear to be an obvious survival advantage, or is this just a something the writers avoided so that the characters would be in more peril?










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  • 1





    In Season 3 (I've only made it so far), characters wear body armor in several scenes, from helmets to full body gear, but it's still rare seeing them wearing it overall. My guess it's something the writers avoided on purpose, since finding good body armor, along with driving in a military vehicle instead of a city car Hyundai would be a prudent thing to do, against pure unarmed horde. Siphon all the fuel they can find and off they go.

    – Rook
    May 28 '16 at 23:50




















11















Since zombies are not shown to be any stronger than normal humans and their only weapons are teeth and bare hands, any form of body armour would surely be a very effective defence against them. Yet in the TV show the characters hardly ever wear anything more sturdy than casual clothes, often dooming them to be bitten or torn apart by a horde of walkers. Although professional body armour as worn by military, police or private security is probably not generally lying around the characters don't seem to have problems aquiring weapons including military grade firearms, which would presumably come from the same sources. Even if this kind of body armour were not available it would be trivially easy to make up something (duct tape, plastic tubing etc.) that would at least be better than nothing.



So, my question: is there an in-universe explanation for so few characters opting to make use of what would appear to be an obvious survival advantage, or is this just a something the writers avoided so that the characters would be in more peril?










share|improve this question


















  • 1





    In Season 3 (I've only made it so far), characters wear body armor in several scenes, from helmets to full body gear, but it's still rare seeing them wearing it overall. My guess it's something the writers avoided on purpose, since finding good body armor, along with driving in a military vehicle instead of a city car Hyundai would be a prudent thing to do, against pure unarmed horde. Siphon all the fuel they can find and off they go.

    – Rook
    May 28 '16 at 23:50
















11












11








11








Since zombies are not shown to be any stronger than normal humans and their only weapons are teeth and bare hands, any form of body armour would surely be a very effective defence against them. Yet in the TV show the characters hardly ever wear anything more sturdy than casual clothes, often dooming them to be bitten or torn apart by a horde of walkers. Although professional body armour as worn by military, police or private security is probably not generally lying around the characters don't seem to have problems aquiring weapons including military grade firearms, which would presumably come from the same sources. Even if this kind of body armour were not available it would be trivially easy to make up something (duct tape, plastic tubing etc.) that would at least be better than nothing.



So, my question: is there an in-universe explanation for so few characters opting to make use of what would appear to be an obvious survival advantage, or is this just a something the writers avoided so that the characters would be in more peril?










share|improve this question














Since zombies are not shown to be any stronger than normal humans and their only weapons are teeth and bare hands, any form of body armour would surely be a very effective defence against them. Yet in the TV show the characters hardly ever wear anything more sturdy than casual clothes, often dooming them to be bitten or torn apart by a horde of walkers. Although professional body armour as worn by military, police or private security is probably not generally lying around the characters don't seem to have problems aquiring weapons including military grade firearms, which would presumably come from the same sources. Even if this kind of body armour were not available it would be trivially easy to make up something (duct tape, plastic tubing etc.) that would at least be better than nothing.



So, my question: is there an in-universe explanation for so few characters opting to make use of what would appear to be an obvious survival advantage, or is this just a something the writers avoided so that the characters would be in more peril?







the-walking-dead






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asked May 28 '16 at 23:38









Nathan GriffithsNathan Griffiths

3,8281529




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  • 1





    In Season 3 (I've only made it so far), characters wear body armor in several scenes, from helmets to full body gear, but it's still rare seeing them wearing it overall. My guess it's something the writers avoided on purpose, since finding good body armor, along with driving in a military vehicle instead of a city car Hyundai would be a prudent thing to do, against pure unarmed horde. Siphon all the fuel they can find and off they go.

    – Rook
    May 28 '16 at 23:50
















  • 1





    In Season 3 (I've only made it so far), characters wear body armor in several scenes, from helmets to full body gear, but it's still rare seeing them wearing it overall. My guess it's something the writers avoided on purpose, since finding good body armor, along with driving in a military vehicle instead of a city car Hyundai would be a prudent thing to do, against pure unarmed horde. Siphon all the fuel they can find and off they go.

    – Rook
    May 28 '16 at 23:50










1




1





In Season 3 (I've only made it so far), characters wear body armor in several scenes, from helmets to full body gear, but it's still rare seeing them wearing it overall. My guess it's something the writers avoided on purpose, since finding good body armor, along with driving in a military vehicle instead of a city car Hyundai would be a prudent thing to do, against pure unarmed horde. Siphon all the fuel they can find and off they go.

– Rook
May 28 '16 at 23:50







In Season 3 (I've only made it so far), characters wear body armor in several scenes, from helmets to full body gear, but it's still rare seeing them wearing it overall. My guess it's something the writers avoided on purpose, since finding good body armor, along with driving in a military vehicle instead of a city car Hyundai would be a prudent thing to do, against pure unarmed horde. Siphon all the fuel they can find and off they go.

– Rook
May 28 '16 at 23:50












3 Answers
3






active

oldest

votes


















14














TL;DR: It isn't explained outright on the show or in the comics, but we do know that the characters often wear body armor when:




  1. It is available


  2. There is a good reason for wearing it.





First off, there's a problem with your question:




Although professional body armour as worn by military, police or private security is probably not generally lying around the characters don't seem to have problems acquiring weapons including military grade firearms, which would presumably come from the same sources.




This might be true in New Zealand, but it isn't in the US, where the show takes place. Off the top off my head, the only weapons I remember seeing on the show that would be mostly limited to military and police personnel in the US are the governor's tank, the governor's grenade launcher, Daryl's rocket launcher, and maybe the governor's heavy machine gun. All the other weapons (and even some of these exceptions) would be fairly easy to acquire in the US right now, and even easier to get after the world ends.



Here's a link to a list I made on Google Docs of all the weapons used on The Walking Dead, as recorded on IMFDb. I highlighted in yellow the small number of weapons that would be slightly harder for American civilians to obtain in most of the country; I used orange highlights to denote the very few that would be very difficult for a civilian to obtain. The orange highlights are limited to the following:



Heavy Machine Guns:




  • Browning M1919A4

  • Browning M2HB

  • DShK

  • M60


Grenade Launchers:




  • DefTech 37mm Grenade Launcher

  • M203 Grenade Launcher


Rocket Launchers and Recoilless Rifles:




  • Airtronic RPG-7 (rocket propelled grenade launcher)

  • SBD M136 AT-4 Recoilless Rifle (rocket launcher)


Grenades:




  • M26 Hand Grenade

  • M67 Hand Grenade (M69 Training version)

  • Mk II Hand Grenade


Tanks:




  • M60 Patton Tank




When we see people in body armor, and why they wear it:



The show:



Morales and T-Dog at the department store:



enter image description hereenter image description hereenter image description here



This is the first time anyone other than Glenn has gone into the city on a supply run. Glenn is the archetype of the "slip in, slip out" survivor, so he's wearing street clothes. The others were presumably nervous about entering Atlanta for the first time, so the two who were on security detail - T-Dog and Morales - opted to wear armor.



T-Dog, Herschel, Glenn, and Maggie at the prison:



enter image description hereenter image description here



T-Dog, Glenn, and Herschel each wear parts of the riot gear suits while clearing zombies from the prison block, possibly because there are tons of zombies and they're fighting at extremely close quarters.



enter image description hereenter image description here



Glenn and Maggie both wear armor while fighting off the Governor's first attack on the prison, because they know there will be gunfire - in other words, they don't wear armor to ward off zombies, they wear it to protect themselves from bullets.



enter image description here



Later, Glenn wears the riot gear again while fleeing the prison after the Governor's second and last attack, because he has to run through a herd of zombies alone while weakened from his illness.



Sasha and Glenn at the Big Box:



enter image description here



The prison community needed supplies and located a "Big Box" store, but found out it was full of zombies. When a party was sent to clear the building, a couple of them wore riot gear because once again, lots of zombies in close quarters.



Eugene on the road:



enter image description here



Abraham refuses to go on towards Terminus because he's worried about Eugene, who Abe believes is a scientist trying to cure the epidemic. Abe only agrees to continue the journey after Glenn offers to let Eugene wear the armor.



Terminus resident:



enter image description here



Whoever this is, he's wearing the armor he stole from Eugene, and we don't know why he is wearing it, in-universe. Out-of-universe, he's wearing it because the writers wanted Rick to see it and grow suspicious.



Soldiers from the Kingdom:



enter image description hereenter image description hereenter image description here



In this case, it appears that people are wearing armor simply as a matter of course while out on patrol - this simply seems to be the way they do business in the Kingdom.





In the comics:



Various people at the prison:



enter image description hereenter image description hereenter image description here



They wear the armor a bit more often in the comics, but usually because they are dealing with either herds of zombies or enemy gunfire.



The Governor:



enter image description here



The Governor wears armor here because he's getting into a gunfight.



Kingdom Soldiers:



enter image description hereenter image description here



Again, the Kingdom apparently armors all its patrols, but we never learn why.





Conclusion:



As I said above, in most cases people wear armor when it is available and the situation is particularly dangerous. Their behavioral patterns indicate that they only deem armor worthwhile when they expect one or more of the following:




  • Incoming gunfire

  • Large numbers of zombies

  • Tight quarters


The only possible exception to this is patrols from the Kingdom, who tend to wear it at all times.







Why not wear body armor more often?



I can think of a few reasons:




  1. It isn't available.


  2. In most cases, it is safer to rely on speed and agility (our clear advantages over zombies) rather than tough armor that reduces speed and agility. As Max Brooks says in The Zombie Survival Guide:




Speed and agility should be your first defense against the walking
dead. Armor will not only decrease both these advantages that you
have over zombies, but it will also sap your energy during prolonged
conflict. Add the risk of dehydration, and the prospect seems even less
attractive.
One final, less obvious disadvantage to annor is not physical
but psychological: People wearing protective garb tend to feel more
confident and therefore take greater risks than those in simple clothing.
This artificial bravery has resulted in too many senseless deaths.
Simply put, the best protection from a zombie bite is distance. If for
some reason you insist on some type of protective gear, the following
summary will provide all the information necessary for prudent
decision-making...



Cold, hard figures have shown that when battling the living dead, nothing
has saved more victims than basic, tight clothing and closely
cropped hair. The simple fact is that ghouls attack by reaching out to
grab their victims, pulling them in, then biting. Logic dictates that the
less material a person offers up for grabs, the better his or her chances
will be.
Baggy clothing, complete with pockets, straps, or anything
that might hang freely, will be a convenient handle for grasping zombie
claws. Anyone who has worked in factories or with some kind of
heavy machinery will tell yon the importance of never letting anything
hang loose. Tight clothing, obviously within comfort limits, will help
to eliminate this danger.
Hair can be a similar hazard. Many times, victims
have been seized and even dragged by their hair to a gruesome
end. Tying one's hair back before a conflict may work temporarily.

- The Zombie Survival Guide, by Max Brooks




The comic books confirm this:



enter image description here

- The Walking Dead, Issue #25




  1. The series is set in the American south, where the weather is often unbearably hot and humid. Covering yourself in thick armor would be extremely uncomfortable, and in the summer, rather dangerous.



  2. In the rare case in which you find armor, there will likely be a rotten corpse - probably one who is thrashing around trying to eat you - inside of it. This creates a few problems:




    • If the body inside the armor is a zombie, it will be dangerous to deal with, as we saw in season 3, episode 1, Seed.


    • Regardless of whether the body wearing the armor is a zombie or just inanimate corpse, the armor will be so repulsive that few people would be willing to wear it. It will be drenched in rancid blood, caked in rotten viscera, and the stench of decomposing flesh and bodily fluids will be absolutely unbearable (and impossible to remove) - to say nothing of the fact that we saw a zombie's face slide off and stick to the inside of the gas mask it was wearing when Rick pulled the mask off.





enter image description hereenter image description here



Daryl and T-Dog actually discuss this:




(Daryl picks up a helmet, and walker-slime pours from it)



Daryl: I ain’t wearing this shit.



(T-Dog picks up gloves, and more foul slime oozes out)



T-Dog: We could boil them.



Daryl: Ain’t enough firewood in a whole forest, no! Besides, we’ve made it this far without them right?

- The Walking Dead, season 3, episode 1: Seed




enter image description here






share|improve this answer


























  • Thanks for the detailed answer! Regarding why people don't wear armour more often, I take your points about agility and the heat, but when it comes to availability I was wondering more about why people didn't just fashion some from available materials - particularly when they are knowingly going into situations where there are likely to be zombies e.g. scavenging missions to the local town

    – Nathan Griffiths
    May 29 '16 at 0:26











  • @Nathan - Believe it or not, point #4 has come up on the show.

    – Wad Cheber
    May 29 '16 at 1:07











  • @Nathan youtube.com/watch?v=5JU4AfrAFiM

    – Wad Cheber
    May 29 '16 at 1:46






  • 1





    Looking at the list of deaths in WD (walkingdead.wikia.com/wiki/List_of_Deaths_%28TV_Series%29) it actually looks like more than half are "killed by other human" in one form or another so I see your point there.

    – Nathan Griffiths
    May 29 '16 at 8:36






  • 2





    In the "Rot and Ruin" series by Jonathan Maberry, people venturing out past the fences wear coats made of carpet. I don't think they are in a very hot climate though.

    – NiceOrc
    May 31 '16 at 3:36



















1














The show takes place primarily in the southern United States. It's primarily the summer season for the first few seasons I have watched. If you have ever been to the South in the summer you would understand that wearing body armor which is heavy and at LEAST as warm as wearing sweats and a hoodie could dehydrate you and exhaust you rapidly.



There was a scene in the first episode with a few characters in full riot gear who rescue the sheriff and then immediately doff the armor in spite of it making them somewhat less vulnerable. Apparently being able to run like hell and just not get bitten is considered a better option than being protected. This does of course vary over time with some characters donning full or partial riot gear.



So basically...it's too hot and too humid to be able to wear armor for long.
Or at least that is my explanation for this one of many reasons the characters seem too stupid to live.






share|improve this answer

































    0














    For most of these responses, the argument of weight has been used for not using armors. The solution to this would be using light armor, such as leather or, perhaps, pool noodles taped together to for helmets or arm/leg guards. They would be light, and resist zombie bites.






    share|improve this answer








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    3 Answers
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    3 Answers
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    14














    TL;DR: It isn't explained outright on the show or in the comics, but we do know that the characters often wear body armor when:




    1. It is available


    2. There is a good reason for wearing it.





    First off, there's a problem with your question:




    Although professional body armour as worn by military, police or private security is probably not generally lying around the characters don't seem to have problems acquiring weapons including military grade firearms, which would presumably come from the same sources.




    This might be true in New Zealand, but it isn't in the US, where the show takes place. Off the top off my head, the only weapons I remember seeing on the show that would be mostly limited to military and police personnel in the US are the governor's tank, the governor's grenade launcher, Daryl's rocket launcher, and maybe the governor's heavy machine gun. All the other weapons (and even some of these exceptions) would be fairly easy to acquire in the US right now, and even easier to get after the world ends.



    Here's a link to a list I made on Google Docs of all the weapons used on The Walking Dead, as recorded on IMFDb. I highlighted in yellow the small number of weapons that would be slightly harder for American civilians to obtain in most of the country; I used orange highlights to denote the very few that would be very difficult for a civilian to obtain. The orange highlights are limited to the following:



    Heavy Machine Guns:




    • Browning M1919A4

    • Browning M2HB

    • DShK

    • M60


    Grenade Launchers:




    • DefTech 37mm Grenade Launcher

    • M203 Grenade Launcher


    Rocket Launchers and Recoilless Rifles:




    • Airtronic RPG-7 (rocket propelled grenade launcher)

    • SBD M136 AT-4 Recoilless Rifle (rocket launcher)


    Grenades:




    • M26 Hand Grenade

    • M67 Hand Grenade (M69 Training version)

    • Mk II Hand Grenade


    Tanks:




    • M60 Patton Tank




    When we see people in body armor, and why they wear it:



    The show:



    Morales and T-Dog at the department store:



    enter image description hereenter image description hereenter image description here



    This is the first time anyone other than Glenn has gone into the city on a supply run. Glenn is the archetype of the "slip in, slip out" survivor, so he's wearing street clothes. The others were presumably nervous about entering Atlanta for the first time, so the two who were on security detail - T-Dog and Morales - opted to wear armor.



    T-Dog, Herschel, Glenn, and Maggie at the prison:



    enter image description hereenter image description here



    T-Dog, Glenn, and Herschel each wear parts of the riot gear suits while clearing zombies from the prison block, possibly because there are tons of zombies and they're fighting at extremely close quarters.



    enter image description hereenter image description here



    Glenn and Maggie both wear armor while fighting off the Governor's first attack on the prison, because they know there will be gunfire - in other words, they don't wear armor to ward off zombies, they wear it to protect themselves from bullets.



    enter image description here



    Later, Glenn wears the riot gear again while fleeing the prison after the Governor's second and last attack, because he has to run through a herd of zombies alone while weakened from his illness.



    Sasha and Glenn at the Big Box:



    enter image description here



    The prison community needed supplies and located a "Big Box" store, but found out it was full of zombies. When a party was sent to clear the building, a couple of them wore riot gear because once again, lots of zombies in close quarters.



    Eugene on the road:



    enter image description here



    Abraham refuses to go on towards Terminus because he's worried about Eugene, who Abe believes is a scientist trying to cure the epidemic. Abe only agrees to continue the journey after Glenn offers to let Eugene wear the armor.



    Terminus resident:



    enter image description here



    Whoever this is, he's wearing the armor he stole from Eugene, and we don't know why he is wearing it, in-universe. Out-of-universe, he's wearing it because the writers wanted Rick to see it and grow suspicious.



    Soldiers from the Kingdom:



    enter image description hereenter image description hereenter image description here



    In this case, it appears that people are wearing armor simply as a matter of course while out on patrol - this simply seems to be the way they do business in the Kingdom.





    In the comics:



    Various people at the prison:



    enter image description hereenter image description hereenter image description here



    They wear the armor a bit more often in the comics, but usually because they are dealing with either herds of zombies or enemy gunfire.



    The Governor:



    enter image description here



    The Governor wears armor here because he's getting into a gunfight.



    Kingdom Soldiers:



    enter image description hereenter image description here



    Again, the Kingdom apparently armors all its patrols, but we never learn why.





    Conclusion:



    As I said above, in most cases people wear armor when it is available and the situation is particularly dangerous. Their behavioral patterns indicate that they only deem armor worthwhile when they expect one or more of the following:




    • Incoming gunfire

    • Large numbers of zombies

    • Tight quarters


    The only possible exception to this is patrols from the Kingdom, who tend to wear it at all times.







    Why not wear body armor more often?



    I can think of a few reasons:




    1. It isn't available.


    2. In most cases, it is safer to rely on speed and agility (our clear advantages over zombies) rather than tough armor that reduces speed and agility. As Max Brooks says in The Zombie Survival Guide:




    Speed and agility should be your first defense against the walking
    dead. Armor will not only decrease both these advantages that you
    have over zombies, but it will also sap your energy during prolonged
    conflict. Add the risk of dehydration, and the prospect seems even less
    attractive.
    One final, less obvious disadvantage to annor is not physical
    but psychological: People wearing protective garb tend to feel more
    confident and therefore take greater risks than those in simple clothing.
    This artificial bravery has resulted in too many senseless deaths.
    Simply put, the best protection from a zombie bite is distance. If for
    some reason you insist on some type of protective gear, the following
    summary will provide all the information necessary for prudent
    decision-making...



    Cold, hard figures have shown that when battling the living dead, nothing
    has saved more victims than basic, tight clothing and closely
    cropped hair. The simple fact is that ghouls attack by reaching out to
    grab their victims, pulling them in, then biting. Logic dictates that the
    less material a person offers up for grabs, the better his or her chances
    will be.
    Baggy clothing, complete with pockets, straps, or anything
    that might hang freely, will be a convenient handle for grasping zombie
    claws. Anyone who has worked in factories or with some kind of
    heavy machinery will tell yon the importance of never letting anything
    hang loose. Tight clothing, obviously within comfort limits, will help
    to eliminate this danger.
    Hair can be a similar hazard. Many times, victims
    have been seized and even dragged by their hair to a gruesome
    end. Tying one's hair back before a conflict may work temporarily.

    - The Zombie Survival Guide, by Max Brooks




    The comic books confirm this:



    enter image description here

    - The Walking Dead, Issue #25




    1. The series is set in the American south, where the weather is often unbearably hot and humid. Covering yourself in thick armor would be extremely uncomfortable, and in the summer, rather dangerous.



    2. In the rare case in which you find armor, there will likely be a rotten corpse - probably one who is thrashing around trying to eat you - inside of it. This creates a few problems:




      • If the body inside the armor is a zombie, it will be dangerous to deal with, as we saw in season 3, episode 1, Seed.


      • Regardless of whether the body wearing the armor is a zombie or just inanimate corpse, the armor will be so repulsive that few people would be willing to wear it. It will be drenched in rancid blood, caked in rotten viscera, and the stench of decomposing flesh and bodily fluids will be absolutely unbearable (and impossible to remove) - to say nothing of the fact that we saw a zombie's face slide off and stick to the inside of the gas mask it was wearing when Rick pulled the mask off.





    enter image description hereenter image description here



    Daryl and T-Dog actually discuss this:




    (Daryl picks up a helmet, and walker-slime pours from it)



    Daryl: I ain’t wearing this shit.



    (T-Dog picks up gloves, and more foul slime oozes out)



    T-Dog: We could boil them.



    Daryl: Ain’t enough firewood in a whole forest, no! Besides, we’ve made it this far without them right?

    - The Walking Dead, season 3, episode 1: Seed




    enter image description here






    share|improve this answer


























    • Thanks for the detailed answer! Regarding why people don't wear armour more often, I take your points about agility and the heat, but when it comes to availability I was wondering more about why people didn't just fashion some from available materials - particularly when they are knowingly going into situations where there are likely to be zombies e.g. scavenging missions to the local town

      – Nathan Griffiths
      May 29 '16 at 0:26











    • @Nathan - Believe it or not, point #4 has come up on the show.

      – Wad Cheber
      May 29 '16 at 1:07











    • @Nathan youtube.com/watch?v=5JU4AfrAFiM

      – Wad Cheber
      May 29 '16 at 1:46






    • 1





      Looking at the list of deaths in WD (walkingdead.wikia.com/wiki/List_of_Deaths_%28TV_Series%29) it actually looks like more than half are "killed by other human" in one form or another so I see your point there.

      – Nathan Griffiths
      May 29 '16 at 8:36






    • 2





      In the "Rot and Ruin" series by Jonathan Maberry, people venturing out past the fences wear coats made of carpet. I don't think they are in a very hot climate though.

      – NiceOrc
      May 31 '16 at 3:36
















    14














    TL;DR: It isn't explained outright on the show or in the comics, but we do know that the characters often wear body armor when:




    1. It is available


    2. There is a good reason for wearing it.





    First off, there's a problem with your question:




    Although professional body armour as worn by military, police or private security is probably not generally lying around the characters don't seem to have problems acquiring weapons including military grade firearms, which would presumably come from the same sources.




    This might be true in New Zealand, but it isn't in the US, where the show takes place. Off the top off my head, the only weapons I remember seeing on the show that would be mostly limited to military and police personnel in the US are the governor's tank, the governor's grenade launcher, Daryl's rocket launcher, and maybe the governor's heavy machine gun. All the other weapons (and even some of these exceptions) would be fairly easy to acquire in the US right now, and even easier to get after the world ends.



    Here's a link to a list I made on Google Docs of all the weapons used on The Walking Dead, as recorded on IMFDb. I highlighted in yellow the small number of weapons that would be slightly harder for American civilians to obtain in most of the country; I used orange highlights to denote the very few that would be very difficult for a civilian to obtain. The orange highlights are limited to the following:



    Heavy Machine Guns:




    • Browning M1919A4

    • Browning M2HB

    • DShK

    • M60


    Grenade Launchers:




    • DefTech 37mm Grenade Launcher

    • M203 Grenade Launcher


    Rocket Launchers and Recoilless Rifles:




    • Airtronic RPG-7 (rocket propelled grenade launcher)

    • SBD M136 AT-4 Recoilless Rifle (rocket launcher)


    Grenades:




    • M26 Hand Grenade

    • M67 Hand Grenade (M69 Training version)

    • Mk II Hand Grenade


    Tanks:




    • M60 Patton Tank




    When we see people in body armor, and why they wear it:



    The show:



    Morales and T-Dog at the department store:



    enter image description hereenter image description hereenter image description here



    This is the first time anyone other than Glenn has gone into the city on a supply run. Glenn is the archetype of the "slip in, slip out" survivor, so he's wearing street clothes. The others were presumably nervous about entering Atlanta for the first time, so the two who were on security detail - T-Dog and Morales - opted to wear armor.



    T-Dog, Herschel, Glenn, and Maggie at the prison:



    enter image description hereenter image description here



    T-Dog, Glenn, and Herschel each wear parts of the riot gear suits while clearing zombies from the prison block, possibly because there are tons of zombies and they're fighting at extremely close quarters.



    enter image description hereenter image description here



    Glenn and Maggie both wear armor while fighting off the Governor's first attack on the prison, because they know there will be gunfire - in other words, they don't wear armor to ward off zombies, they wear it to protect themselves from bullets.



    enter image description here



    Later, Glenn wears the riot gear again while fleeing the prison after the Governor's second and last attack, because he has to run through a herd of zombies alone while weakened from his illness.



    Sasha and Glenn at the Big Box:



    enter image description here



    The prison community needed supplies and located a "Big Box" store, but found out it was full of zombies. When a party was sent to clear the building, a couple of them wore riot gear because once again, lots of zombies in close quarters.



    Eugene on the road:



    enter image description here



    Abraham refuses to go on towards Terminus because he's worried about Eugene, who Abe believes is a scientist trying to cure the epidemic. Abe only agrees to continue the journey after Glenn offers to let Eugene wear the armor.



    Terminus resident:



    enter image description here



    Whoever this is, he's wearing the armor he stole from Eugene, and we don't know why he is wearing it, in-universe. Out-of-universe, he's wearing it because the writers wanted Rick to see it and grow suspicious.



    Soldiers from the Kingdom:



    enter image description hereenter image description hereenter image description here



    In this case, it appears that people are wearing armor simply as a matter of course while out on patrol - this simply seems to be the way they do business in the Kingdom.





    In the comics:



    Various people at the prison:



    enter image description hereenter image description hereenter image description here



    They wear the armor a bit more often in the comics, but usually because they are dealing with either herds of zombies or enemy gunfire.



    The Governor:



    enter image description here



    The Governor wears armor here because he's getting into a gunfight.



    Kingdom Soldiers:



    enter image description hereenter image description here



    Again, the Kingdom apparently armors all its patrols, but we never learn why.





    Conclusion:



    As I said above, in most cases people wear armor when it is available and the situation is particularly dangerous. Their behavioral patterns indicate that they only deem armor worthwhile when they expect one or more of the following:




    • Incoming gunfire

    • Large numbers of zombies

    • Tight quarters


    The only possible exception to this is patrols from the Kingdom, who tend to wear it at all times.







    Why not wear body armor more often?



    I can think of a few reasons:




    1. It isn't available.


    2. In most cases, it is safer to rely on speed and agility (our clear advantages over zombies) rather than tough armor that reduces speed and agility. As Max Brooks says in The Zombie Survival Guide:




    Speed and agility should be your first defense against the walking
    dead. Armor will not only decrease both these advantages that you
    have over zombies, but it will also sap your energy during prolonged
    conflict. Add the risk of dehydration, and the prospect seems even less
    attractive.
    One final, less obvious disadvantage to annor is not physical
    but psychological: People wearing protective garb tend to feel more
    confident and therefore take greater risks than those in simple clothing.
    This artificial bravery has resulted in too many senseless deaths.
    Simply put, the best protection from a zombie bite is distance. If for
    some reason you insist on some type of protective gear, the following
    summary will provide all the information necessary for prudent
    decision-making...



    Cold, hard figures have shown that when battling the living dead, nothing
    has saved more victims than basic, tight clothing and closely
    cropped hair. The simple fact is that ghouls attack by reaching out to
    grab their victims, pulling them in, then biting. Logic dictates that the
    less material a person offers up for grabs, the better his or her chances
    will be.
    Baggy clothing, complete with pockets, straps, or anything
    that might hang freely, will be a convenient handle for grasping zombie
    claws. Anyone who has worked in factories or with some kind of
    heavy machinery will tell yon the importance of never letting anything
    hang loose. Tight clothing, obviously within comfort limits, will help
    to eliminate this danger.
    Hair can be a similar hazard. Many times, victims
    have been seized and even dragged by their hair to a gruesome
    end. Tying one's hair back before a conflict may work temporarily.

    - The Zombie Survival Guide, by Max Brooks




    The comic books confirm this:



    enter image description here

    - The Walking Dead, Issue #25




    1. The series is set in the American south, where the weather is often unbearably hot and humid. Covering yourself in thick armor would be extremely uncomfortable, and in the summer, rather dangerous.



    2. In the rare case in which you find armor, there will likely be a rotten corpse - probably one who is thrashing around trying to eat you - inside of it. This creates a few problems:




      • If the body inside the armor is a zombie, it will be dangerous to deal with, as we saw in season 3, episode 1, Seed.


      • Regardless of whether the body wearing the armor is a zombie or just inanimate corpse, the armor will be so repulsive that few people would be willing to wear it. It will be drenched in rancid blood, caked in rotten viscera, and the stench of decomposing flesh and bodily fluids will be absolutely unbearable (and impossible to remove) - to say nothing of the fact that we saw a zombie's face slide off and stick to the inside of the gas mask it was wearing when Rick pulled the mask off.





    enter image description hereenter image description here



    Daryl and T-Dog actually discuss this:




    (Daryl picks up a helmet, and walker-slime pours from it)



    Daryl: I ain’t wearing this shit.



    (T-Dog picks up gloves, and more foul slime oozes out)



    T-Dog: We could boil them.



    Daryl: Ain’t enough firewood in a whole forest, no! Besides, we’ve made it this far without them right?

    - The Walking Dead, season 3, episode 1: Seed




    enter image description here






    share|improve this answer


























    • Thanks for the detailed answer! Regarding why people don't wear armour more often, I take your points about agility and the heat, but when it comes to availability I was wondering more about why people didn't just fashion some from available materials - particularly when they are knowingly going into situations where there are likely to be zombies e.g. scavenging missions to the local town

      – Nathan Griffiths
      May 29 '16 at 0:26











    • @Nathan - Believe it or not, point #4 has come up on the show.

      – Wad Cheber
      May 29 '16 at 1:07











    • @Nathan youtube.com/watch?v=5JU4AfrAFiM

      – Wad Cheber
      May 29 '16 at 1:46






    • 1





      Looking at the list of deaths in WD (walkingdead.wikia.com/wiki/List_of_Deaths_%28TV_Series%29) it actually looks like more than half are "killed by other human" in one form or another so I see your point there.

      – Nathan Griffiths
      May 29 '16 at 8:36






    • 2





      In the "Rot and Ruin" series by Jonathan Maberry, people venturing out past the fences wear coats made of carpet. I don't think they are in a very hot climate though.

      – NiceOrc
      May 31 '16 at 3:36














    14












    14








    14







    TL;DR: It isn't explained outright on the show or in the comics, but we do know that the characters often wear body armor when:




    1. It is available


    2. There is a good reason for wearing it.





    First off, there's a problem with your question:




    Although professional body armour as worn by military, police or private security is probably not generally lying around the characters don't seem to have problems acquiring weapons including military grade firearms, which would presumably come from the same sources.




    This might be true in New Zealand, but it isn't in the US, where the show takes place. Off the top off my head, the only weapons I remember seeing on the show that would be mostly limited to military and police personnel in the US are the governor's tank, the governor's grenade launcher, Daryl's rocket launcher, and maybe the governor's heavy machine gun. All the other weapons (and even some of these exceptions) would be fairly easy to acquire in the US right now, and even easier to get after the world ends.



    Here's a link to a list I made on Google Docs of all the weapons used on The Walking Dead, as recorded on IMFDb. I highlighted in yellow the small number of weapons that would be slightly harder for American civilians to obtain in most of the country; I used orange highlights to denote the very few that would be very difficult for a civilian to obtain. The orange highlights are limited to the following:



    Heavy Machine Guns:




    • Browning M1919A4

    • Browning M2HB

    • DShK

    • M60


    Grenade Launchers:




    • DefTech 37mm Grenade Launcher

    • M203 Grenade Launcher


    Rocket Launchers and Recoilless Rifles:




    • Airtronic RPG-7 (rocket propelled grenade launcher)

    • SBD M136 AT-4 Recoilless Rifle (rocket launcher)


    Grenades:




    • M26 Hand Grenade

    • M67 Hand Grenade (M69 Training version)

    • Mk II Hand Grenade


    Tanks:




    • M60 Patton Tank




    When we see people in body armor, and why they wear it:



    The show:



    Morales and T-Dog at the department store:



    enter image description hereenter image description hereenter image description here



    This is the first time anyone other than Glenn has gone into the city on a supply run. Glenn is the archetype of the "slip in, slip out" survivor, so he's wearing street clothes. The others were presumably nervous about entering Atlanta for the first time, so the two who were on security detail - T-Dog and Morales - opted to wear armor.



    T-Dog, Herschel, Glenn, and Maggie at the prison:



    enter image description hereenter image description here



    T-Dog, Glenn, and Herschel each wear parts of the riot gear suits while clearing zombies from the prison block, possibly because there are tons of zombies and they're fighting at extremely close quarters.



    enter image description hereenter image description here



    Glenn and Maggie both wear armor while fighting off the Governor's first attack on the prison, because they know there will be gunfire - in other words, they don't wear armor to ward off zombies, they wear it to protect themselves from bullets.



    enter image description here



    Later, Glenn wears the riot gear again while fleeing the prison after the Governor's second and last attack, because he has to run through a herd of zombies alone while weakened from his illness.



    Sasha and Glenn at the Big Box:



    enter image description here



    The prison community needed supplies and located a "Big Box" store, but found out it was full of zombies. When a party was sent to clear the building, a couple of them wore riot gear because once again, lots of zombies in close quarters.



    Eugene on the road:



    enter image description here



    Abraham refuses to go on towards Terminus because he's worried about Eugene, who Abe believes is a scientist trying to cure the epidemic. Abe only agrees to continue the journey after Glenn offers to let Eugene wear the armor.



    Terminus resident:



    enter image description here



    Whoever this is, he's wearing the armor he stole from Eugene, and we don't know why he is wearing it, in-universe. Out-of-universe, he's wearing it because the writers wanted Rick to see it and grow suspicious.



    Soldiers from the Kingdom:



    enter image description hereenter image description hereenter image description here



    In this case, it appears that people are wearing armor simply as a matter of course while out on patrol - this simply seems to be the way they do business in the Kingdom.





    In the comics:



    Various people at the prison:



    enter image description hereenter image description hereenter image description here



    They wear the armor a bit more often in the comics, but usually because they are dealing with either herds of zombies or enemy gunfire.



    The Governor:



    enter image description here



    The Governor wears armor here because he's getting into a gunfight.



    Kingdom Soldiers:



    enter image description hereenter image description here



    Again, the Kingdom apparently armors all its patrols, but we never learn why.





    Conclusion:



    As I said above, in most cases people wear armor when it is available and the situation is particularly dangerous. Their behavioral patterns indicate that they only deem armor worthwhile when they expect one or more of the following:




    • Incoming gunfire

    • Large numbers of zombies

    • Tight quarters


    The only possible exception to this is patrols from the Kingdom, who tend to wear it at all times.







    Why not wear body armor more often?



    I can think of a few reasons:




    1. It isn't available.


    2. In most cases, it is safer to rely on speed and agility (our clear advantages over zombies) rather than tough armor that reduces speed and agility. As Max Brooks says in The Zombie Survival Guide:




    Speed and agility should be your first defense against the walking
    dead. Armor will not only decrease both these advantages that you
    have over zombies, but it will also sap your energy during prolonged
    conflict. Add the risk of dehydration, and the prospect seems even less
    attractive.
    One final, less obvious disadvantage to annor is not physical
    but psychological: People wearing protective garb tend to feel more
    confident and therefore take greater risks than those in simple clothing.
    This artificial bravery has resulted in too many senseless deaths.
    Simply put, the best protection from a zombie bite is distance. If for
    some reason you insist on some type of protective gear, the following
    summary will provide all the information necessary for prudent
    decision-making...



    Cold, hard figures have shown that when battling the living dead, nothing
    has saved more victims than basic, tight clothing and closely
    cropped hair. The simple fact is that ghouls attack by reaching out to
    grab their victims, pulling them in, then biting. Logic dictates that the
    less material a person offers up for grabs, the better his or her chances
    will be.
    Baggy clothing, complete with pockets, straps, or anything
    that might hang freely, will be a convenient handle for grasping zombie
    claws. Anyone who has worked in factories or with some kind of
    heavy machinery will tell yon the importance of never letting anything
    hang loose. Tight clothing, obviously within comfort limits, will help
    to eliminate this danger.
    Hair can be a similar hazard. Many times, victims
    have been seized and even dragged by their hair to a gruesome
    end. Tying one's hair back before a conflict may work temporarily.

    - The Zombie Survival Guide, by Max Brooks




    The comic books confirm this:



    enter image description here

    - The Walking Dead, Issue #25




    1. The series is set in the American south, where the weather is often unbearably hot and humid. Covering yourself in thick armor would be extremely uncomfortable, and in the summer, rather dangerous.



    2. In the rare case in which you find armor, there will likely be a rotten corpse - probably one who is thrashing around trying to eat you - inside of it. This creates a few problems:




      • If the body inside the armor is a zombie, it will be dangerous to deal with, as we saw in season 3, episode 1, Seed.


      • Regardless of whether the body wearing the armor is a zombie or just inanimate corpse, the armor will be so repulsive that few people would be willing to wear it. It will be drenched in rancid blood, caked in rotten viscera, and the stench of decomposing flesh and bodily fluids will be absolutely unbearable (and impossible to remove) - to say nothing of the fact that we saw a zombie's face slide off and stick to the inside of the gas mask it was wearing when Rick pulled the mask off.





    enter image description hereenter image description here



    Daryl and T-Dog actually discuss this:




    (Daryl picks up a helmet, and walker-slime pours from it)



    Daryl: I ain’t wearing this shit.



    (T-Dog picks up gloves, and more foul slime oozes out)



    T-Dog: We could boil them.



    Daryl: Ain’t enough firewood in a whole forest, no! Besides, we’ve made it this far without them right?

    - The Walking Dead, season 3, episode 1: Seed




    enter image description here






    share|improve this answer















    TL;DR: It isn't explained outright on the show or in the comics, but we do know that the characters often wear body armor when:




    1. It is available


    2. There is a good reason for wearing it.





    First off, there's a problem with your question:




    Although professional body armour as worn by military, police or private security is probably not generally lying around the characters don't seem to have problems acquiring weapons including military grade firearms, which would presumably come from the same sources.




    This might be true in New Zealand, but it isn't in the US, where the show takes place. Off the top off my head, the only weapons I remember seeing on the show that would be mostly limited to military and police personnel in the US are the governor's tank, the governor's grenade launcher, Daryl's rocket launcher, and maybe the governor's heavy machine gun. All the other weapons (and even some of these exceptions) would be fairly easy to acquire in the US right now, and even easier to get after the world ends.



    Here's a link to a list I made on Google Docs of all the weapons used on The Walking Dead, as recorded on IMFDb. I highlighted in yellow the small number of weapons that would be slightly harder for American civilians to obtain in most of the country; I used orange highlights to denote the very few that would be very difficult for a civilian to obtain. The orange highlights are limited to the following:



    Heavy Machine Guns:




    • Browning M1919A4

    • Browning M2HB

    • DShK

    • M60


    Grenade Launchers:




    • DefTech 37mm Grenade Launcher

    • M203 Grenade Launcher


    Rocket Launchers and Recoilless Rifles:




    • Airtronic RPG-7 (rocket propelled grenade launcher)

    • SBD M136 AT-4 Recoilless Rifle (rocket launcher)


    Grenades:




    • M26 Hand Grenade

    • M67 Hand Grenade (M69 Training version)

    • Mk II Hand Grenade


    Tanks:




    • M60 Patton Tank




    When we see people in body armor, and why they wear it:



    The show:



    Morales and T-Dog at the department store:



    enter image description hereenter image description hereenter image description here



    This is the first time anyone other than Glenn has gone into the city on a supply run. Glenn is the archetype of the "slip in, slip out" survivor, so he's wearing street clothes. The others were presumably nervous about entering Atlanta for the first time, so the two who were on security detail - T-Dog and Morales - opted to wear armor.



    T-Dog, Herschel, Glenn, and Maggie at the prison:



    enter image description hereenter image description here



    T-Dog, Glenn, and Herschel each wear parts of the riot gear suits while clearing zombies from the prison block, possibly because there are tons of zombies and they're fighting at extremely close quarters.



    enter image description hereenter image description here



    Glenn and Maggie both wear armor while fighting off the Governor's first attack on the prison, because they know there will be gunfire - in other words, they don't wear armor to ward off zombies, they wear it to protect themselves from bullets.



    enter image description here



    Later, Glenn wears the riot gear again while fleeing the prison after the Governor's second and last attack, because he has to run through a herd of zombies alone while weakened from his illness.



    Sasha and Glenn at the Big Box:



    enter image description here



    The prison community needed supplies and located a "Big Box" store, but found out it was full of zombies. When a party was sent to clear the building, a couple of them wore riot gear because once again, lots of zombies in close quarters.



    Eugene on the road:



    enter image description here



    Abraham refuses to go on towards Terminus because he's worried about Eugene, who Abe believes is a scientist trying to cure the epidemic. Abe only agrees to continue the journey after Glenn offers to let Eugene wear the armor.



    Terminus resident:



    enter image description here



    Whoever this is, he's wearing the armor he stole from Eugene, and we don't know why he is wearing it, in-universe. Out-of-universe, he's wearing it because the writers wanted Rick to see it and grow suspicious.



    Soldiers from the Kingdom:



    enter image description hereenter image description hereenter image description here



    In this case, it appears that people are wearing armor simply as a matter of course while out on patrol - this simply seems to be the way they do business in the Kingdom.





    In the comics:



    Various people at the prison:



    enter image description hereenter image description hereenter image description here



    They wear the armor a bit more often in the comics, but usually because they are dealing with either herds of zombies or enemy gunfire.



    The Governor:



    enter image description here



    The Governor wears armor here because he's getting into a gunfight.



    Kingdom Soldiers:



    enter image description hereenter image description here



    Again, the Kingdom apparently armors all its patrols, but we never learn why.





    Conclusion:



    As I said above, in most cases people wear armor when it is available and the situation is particularly dangerous. Their behavioral patterns indicate that they only deem armor worthwhile when they expect one or more of the following:




    • Incoming gunfire

    • Large numbers of zombies

    • Tight quarters


    The only possible exception to this is patrols from the Kingdom, who tend to wear it at all times.







    Why not wear body armor more often?



    I can think of a few reasons:




    1. It isn't available.


    2. In most cases, it is safer to rely on speed and agility (our clear advantages over zombies) rather than tough armor that reduces speed and agility. As Max Brooks says in The Zombie Survival Guide:




    Speed and agility should be your first defense against the walking
    dead. Armor will not only decrease both these advantages that you
    have over zombies, but it will also sap your energy during prolonged
    conflict. Add the risk of dehydration, and the prospect seems even less
    attractive.
    One final, less obvious disadvantage to annor is not physical
    but psychological: People wearing protective garb tend to feel more
    confident and therefore take greater risks than those in simple clothing.
    This artificial bravery has resulted in too many senseless deaths.
    Simply put, the best protection from a zombie bite is distance. If for
    some reason you insist on some type of protective gear, the following
    summary will provide all the information necessary for prudent
    decision-making...



    Cold, hard figures have shown that when battling the living dead, nothing
    has saved more victims than basic, tight clothing and closely
    cropped hair. The simple fact is that ghouls attack by reaching out to
    grab their victims, pulling them in, then biting. Logic dictates that the
    less material a person offers up for grabs, the better his or her chances
    will be.
    Baggy clothing, complete with pockets, straps, or anything
    that might hang freely, will be a convenient handle for grasping zombie
    claws. Anyone who has worked in factories or with some kind of
    heavy machinery will tell yon the importance of never letting anything
    hang loose. Tight clothing, obviously within comfort limits, will help
    to eliminate this danger.
    Hair can be a similar hazard. Many times, victims
    have been seized and even dragged by their hair to a gruesome
    end. Tying one's hair back before a conflict may work temporarily.

    - The Zombie Survival Guide, by Max Brooks




    The comic books confirm this:



    enter image description here

    - The Walking Dead, Issue #25




    1. The series is set in the American south, where the weather is often unbearably hot and humid. Covering yourself in thick armor would be extremely uncomfortable, and in the summer, rather dangerous.



    2. In the rare case in which you find armor, there will likely be a rotten corpse - probably one who is thrashing around trying to eat you - inside of it. This creates a few problems:




      • If the body inside the armor is a zombie, it will be dangerous to deal with, as we saw in season 3, episode 1, Seed.


      • Regardless of whether the body wearing the armor is a zombie or just inanimate corpse, the armor will be so repulsive that few people would be willing to wear it. It will be drenched in rancid blood, caked in rotten viscera, and the stench of decomposing flesh and bodily fluids will be absolutely unbearable (and impossible to remove) - to say nothing of the fact that we saw a zombie's face slide off and stick to the inside of the gas mask it was wearing when Rick pulled the mask off.





    enter image description hereenter image description here



    Daryl and T-Dog actually discuss this:




    (Daryl picks up a helmet, and walker-slime pours from it)



    Daryl: I ain’t wearing this shit.



    (T-Dog picks up gloves, and more foul slime oozes out)



    T-Dog: We could boil them.



    Daryl: Ain’t enough firewood in a whole forest, no! Besides, we’ve made it this far without them right?

    - The Walking Dead, season 3, episode 1: Seed




    enter image description here







    share|improve this answer














    share|improve this answer



    share|improve this answer








    edited May 29 '16 at 7:12

























    answered May 29 '16 at 0:04









    Wad CheberWad Cheber

    44k38410585




    44k38410585













    • Thanks for the detailed answer! Regarding why people don't wear armour more often, I take your points about agility and the heat, but when it comes to availability I was wondering more about why people didn't just fashion some from available materials - particularly when they are knowingly going into situations where there are likely to be zombies e.g. scavenging missions to the local town

      – Nathan Griffiths
      May 29 '16 at 0:26











    • @Nathan - Believe it or not, point #4 has come up on the show.

      – Wad Cheber
      May 29 '16 at 1:07











    • @Nathan youtube.com/watch?v=5JU4AfrAFiM

      – Wad Cheber
      May 29 '16 at 1:46






    • 1





      Looking at the list of deaths in WD (walkingdead.wikia.com/wiki/List_of_Deaths_%28TV_Series%29) it actually looks like more than half are "killed by other human" in one form or another so I see your point there.

      – Nathan Griffiths
      May 29 '16 at 8:36






    • 2





      In the "Rot and Ruin" series by Jonathan Maberry, people venturing out past the fences wear coats made of carpet. I don't think they are in a very hot climate though.

      – NiceOrc
      May 31 '16 at 3:36



















    • Thanks for the detailed answer! Regarding why people don't wear armour more often, I take your points about agility and the heat, but when it comes to availability I was wondering more about why people didn't just fashion some from available materials - particularly when they are knowingly going into situations where there are likely to be zombies e.g. scavenging missions to the local town

      – Nathan Griffiths
      May 29 '16 at 0:26











    • @Nathan - Believe it or not, point #4 has come up on the show.

      – Wad Cheber
      May 29 '16 at 1:07











    • @Nathan youtube.com/watch?v=5JU4AfrAFiM

      – Wad Cheber
      May 29 '16 at 1:46






    • 1





      Looking at the list of deaths in WD (walkingdead.wikia.com/wiki/List_of_Deaths_%28TV_Series%29) it actually looks like more than half are "killed by other human" in one form or another so I see your point there.

      – Nathan Griffiths
      May 29 '16 at 8:36






    • 2





      In the "Rot and Ruin" series by Jonathan Maberry, people venturing out past the fences wear coats made of carpet. I don't think they are in a very hot climate though.

      – NiceOrc
      May 31 '16 at 3:36

















    Thanks for the detailed answer! Regarding why people don't wear armour more often, I take your points about agility and the heat, but when it comes to availability I was wondering more about why people didn't just fashion some from available materials - particularly when they are knowingly going into situations where there are likely to be zombies e.g. scavenging missions to the local town

    – Nathan Griffiths
    May 29 '16 at 0:26





    Thanks for the detailed answer! Regarding why people don't wear armour more often, I take your points about agility and the heat, but when it comes to availability I was wondering more about why people didn't just fashion some from available materials - particularly when they are knowingly going into situations where there are likely to be zombies e.g. scavenging missions to the local town

    – Nathan Griffiths
    May 29 '16 at 0:26













    @Nathan - Believe it or not, point #4 has come up on the show.

    – Wad Cheber
    May 29 '16 at 1:07





    @Nathan - Believe it or not, point #4 has come up on the show.

    – Wad Cheber
    May 29 '16 at 1:07













    @Nathan youtube.com/watch?v=5JU4AfrAFiM

    – Wad Cheber
    May 29 '16 at 1:46





    @Nathan youtube.com/watch?v=5JU4AfrAFiM

    – Wad Cheber
    May 29 '16 at 1:46




    1




    1





    Looking at the list of deaths in WD (walkingdead.wikia.com/wiki/List_of_Deaths_%28TV_Series%29) it actually looks like more than half are "killed by other human" in one form or another so I see your point there.

    – Nathan Griffiths
    May 29 '16 at 8:36





    Looking at the list of deaths in WD (walkingdead.wikia.com/wiki/List_of_Deaths_%28TV_Series%29) it actually looks like more than half are "killed by other human" in one form or another so I see your point there.

    – Nathan Griffiths
    May 29 '16 at 8:36




    2




    2





    In the "Rot and Ruin" series by Jonathan Maberry, people venturing out past the fences wear coats made of carpet. I don't think they are in a very hot climate though.

    – NiceOrc
    May 31 '16 at 3:36





    In the "Rot and Ruin" series by Jonathan Maberry, people venturing out past the fences wear coats made of carpet. I don't think they are in a very hot climate though.

    – NiceOrc
    May 31 '16 at 3:36













    1














    The show takes place primarily in the southern United States. It's primarily the summer season for the first few seasons I have watched. If you have ever been to the South in the summer you would understand that wearing body armor which is heavy and at LEAST as warm as wearing sweats and a hoodie could dehydrate you and exhaust you rapidly.



    There was a scene in the first episode with a few characters in full riot gear who rescue the sheriff and then immediately doff the armor in spite of it making them somewhat less vulnerable. Apparently being able to run like hell and just not get bitten is considered a better option than being protected. This does of course vary over time with some characters donning full or partial riot gear.



    So basically...it's too hot and too humid to be able to wear armor for long.
    Or at least that is my explanation for this one of many reasons the characters seem too stupid to live.






    share|improve this answer






























      1














      The show takes place primarily in the southern United States. It's primarily the summer season for the first few seasons I have watched. If you have ever been to the South in the summer you would understand that wearing body armor which is heavy and at LEAST as warm as wearing sweats and a hoodie could dehydrate you and exhaust you rapidly.



      There was a scene in the first episode with a few characters in full riot gear who rescue the sheriff and then immediately doff the armor in spite of it making them somewhat less vulnerable. Apparently being able to run like hell and just not get bitten is considered a better option than being protected. This does of course vary over time with some characters donning full or partial riot gear.



      So basically...it's too hot and too humid to be able to wear armor for long.
      Or at least that is my explanation for this one of many reasons the characters seem too stupid to live.






      share|improve this answer




























        1












        1








        1







        The show takes place primarily in the southern United States. It's primarily the summer season for the first few seasons I have watched. If you have ever been to the South in the summer you would understand that wearing body armor which is heavy and at LEAST as warm as wearing sweats and a hoodie could dehydrate you and exhaust you rapidly.



        There was a scene in the first episode with a few characters in full riot gear who rescue the sheriff and then immediately doff the armor in spite of it making them somewhat less vulnerable. Apparently being able to run like hell and just not get bitten is considered a better option than being protected. This does of course vary over time with some characters donning full or partial riot gear.



        So basically...it's too hot and too humid to be able to wear armor for long.
        Or at least that is my explanation for this one of many reasons the characters seem too stupid to live.






        share|improve this answer















        The show takes place primarily in the southern United States. It's primarily the summer season for the first few seasons I have watched. If you have ever been to the South in the summer you would understand that wearing body armor which is heavy and at LEAST as warm as wearing sweats and a hoodie could dehydrate you and exhaust you rapidly.



        There was a scene in the first episode with a few characters in full riot gear who rescue the sheriff and then immediately doff the armor in spite of it making them somewhat less vulnerable. Apparently being able to run like hell and just not get bitten is considered a better option than being protected. This does of course vary over time with some characters donning full or partial riot gear.



        So basically...it's too hot and too humid to be able to wear armor for long.
        Or at least that is my explanation for this one of many reasons the characters seem too stupid to live.







        share|improve this answer














        share|improve this answer



        share|improve this answer








        edited Aug 18 '17 at 15:06









        Bellatrix

        79.4k16337394




        79.4k16337394










        answered Aug 18 '17 at 14:43









        JedJed

        111




        111























            0














            For most of these responses, the argument of weight has been used for not using armors. The solution to this would be using light armor, such as leather or, perhaps, pool noodles taped together to for helmets or arm/leg guards. They would be light, and resist zombie bites.






            share|improve this answer








            New contributor




            user114375 is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
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            • Hi, welcome to SF&F. This appears to be a comment about the other answers, rather than a proper answer. Please read How to Answer.

              – DavidW
              6 mins ago
















            0














            For most of these responses, the argument of weight has been used for not using armors. The solution to this would be using light armor, such as leather or, perhaps, pool noodles taped together to for helmets or arm/leg guards. They would be light, and resist zombie bites.






            share|improve this answer








            New contributor




            user114375 is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
            Check out our Code of Conduct.





















            • Hi, welcome to SF&F. This appears to be a comment about the other answers, rather than a proper answer. Please read How to Answer.

              – DavidW
              6 mins ago














            0












            0








            0







            For most of these responses, the argument of weight has been used for not using armors. The solution to this would be using light armor, such as leather or, perhaps, pool noodles taped together to for helmets or arm/leg guards. They would be light, and resist zombie bites.






            share|improve this answer








            New contributor




            user114375 is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
            Check out our Code of Conduct.










            For most of these responses, the argument of weight has been used for not using armors. The solution to this would be using light armor, such as leather or, perhaps, pool noodles taped together to for helmets or arm/leg guards. They would be light, and resist zombie bites.







            share|improve this answer








            New contributor




            user114375 is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
            Check out our Code of Conduct.









            share|improve this answer



            share|improve this answer






            New contributor




            user114375 is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
            Check out our Code of Conduct.









            answered 12 mins ago









            user114375user114375

            1




            1




            New contributor




            user114375 is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
            Check out our Code of Conduct.





            New contributor





            user114375 is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
            Check out our Code of Conduct.






            user114375 is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
            Check out our Code of Conduct.













            • Hi, welcome to SF&F. This appears to be a comment about the other answers, rather than a proper answer. Please read How to Answer.

              – DavidW
              6 mins ago



















            • Hi, welcome to SF&F. This appears to be a comment about the other answers, rather than a proper answer. Please read How to Answer.

              – DavidW
              6 mins ago

















            Hi, welcome to SF&F. This appears to be a comment about the other answers, rather than a proper answer. Please read How to Answer.

            – DavidW
            6 mins ago





            Hi, welcome to SF&F. This appears to be a comment about the other answers, rather than a proper answer. Please read How to Answer.

            – DavidW
            6 mins ago


















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