Poll of the Day > Why does nobody ever wear armor in zombie movies?

(+) Yeah! (+)

Like seriously give me a suit of armor and a sword and Ill take out like a thousand zombies, then get tired and hand that stuff to the next dude and he can take out another thousand. Rinse and repeat, no more zombies.

You got a suit of armor just laying around?
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What's his name, Dawn of the Dead 1 or 2, or Zombi 3 I don't remember... the "I hope you choke on it" guy - I think he was wearing armour.
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Harder to move around in it, most likely, for one thing. Also, plot inconvenience.
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darcandkharg31 posted...

You got a suit of armor just laying around?

Do you not?
Entity13 posted...

Harder to move around in it, most likely, for one thing. Also, plot inconvenience.

I wont need to move after I destroy all zombies because of my suit of armory

MICHALECOLE posted...

I destroy all zombies because of my suit of armor

Well, it's not like that armor gives you infinite stamina to do so...
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EclairReturns posted...

MICHALECOLE posted...

I destroy all zombies because of my suit of armor

Well, it's not like that armor gives you infinite stamina to do so...

then get tired and hand that stuff to the next dude and he can take out another thousand. Rinse and repeat, no more zombies.

I'm sorry for my lack of reading comprehension. :(
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Do you have any idea how heavy a full metal suit of armor would actually be? You'd have to be super fit to move around in that.

The type of protection you need depends on what kind of zombies you're facing.

If we're talking the traditional slow moving but in large numbers zombies you should head for a diving store and get chain armor (for sharks), as they're designed to allow movement while protecting you from shark bites.

Also, unless the zombies are powered by magic (which they are in some stories), in theory the zombies should die out by themselves through starvation or dehydration.

But if you're asking why they don't do it in movies, it's because well, it's a movie and you need to be able to see the actors act.
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DarkKirby2500 posted...

Do you have any idea how heavy a full metal suit of armor would actually be? You'd have to be super fit to move around in that.

The type of protection you need depends on what kind of zombies you're facing.

If we're talking the traditional slow moving but in large numbers zombies you should head for a diving store and get chain armor (for sharks), as they're designed to allow movement while protecting you from shark bites.

Also, unless the zombies are powered by magic (which they are in some stories), in theory the zombies should die out by themselves through starvation or dehydration.

But if you're asking why they don't do it in movies, it's because well, it's a movie and you need to be able to see the actors act.

A suit of light plate armor only weighs like 60 pounds. That's about as much as you might be carrying on a backpacking trip. A sharksuit still weighs like 30 pounds.

In any case, they wouldn't have to bite you to kill you. All they'd have to do is try to claw at you and would just end up holding you down until you dehydrate and die.
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Several reasons.

1. Lack of availability. Dose anyone here have access to a set of armor that fits them at the drop of a hat.

2. Cumbersome. Extra weight is something to avoid. Especially when your constantly on the move. Remember your basic survival gear (ammo, water, food, etc.) Is going weight a lot so an extra 30 to 50 poinds on top of that is going to hamper you down.

3. Other people. Most other people you meet are going to be hostile and plate armor (cool as it is) doesn't stop bullets.

4. Hoards of zombies. Sure you can wade in and kill a lot but your going to get tired and bogged down. And the last thing you want is a few hundred zombies dragging you to the ground. And eventually tearing your armor off which wouldn't be impossible for them to do. And good luck getting out of your armor and handing it of to your friend in the middle of that.

5. Upkeep. Armor requires a lot of up keep. If the plates and leather aren't oiled regularly it can lead to the metal rusting up and making movement even harder and the leather can start cracking.

6.helmets. helmets seriously restrict eyesight. Which is going to make shooting harder as well as making if harder to see your surroundings. Also wearing a helmet will make it harder to hear which also makes you vulnerable.
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Armor would be inconvenient since it makes noise (which you want to avoid), can potentially slow you down, increases your fatigue (making it harder to run), and if you're swarmed you're basically just trapped. That's not counting the increased difficulty when it come to operating a vehicle. Imagine biking in full plate.

Plus the defense it offers isn't exactly of a lot of value. You really just need really thick clothing to block zombie bites. A sweater would probably be thick enough to stop most bites. Other than that, you'd just need protection for the gaps in your clothing.

DarkKirby2500 posted...

Do you have any idea how heavy a full metal suit of armor would actually be? You'd have to be super fit to move around in that.

You actually don't. However, the issue is fatigue over time and the fact that full plate gets pretty hot.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qzTwBQniLSc

A well-designed suit of armor has good weight distribution, so the amount is strain is actually far less than if half that weight was worn in a backpack.
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Honestly you could make some decent bite proof armor out of cardboard and duct tape

Also wouldn't zombie teeth fall out pretty easily
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From Max Brooks' "The Zombie Survival Guide":
"This could be defined as the classic "suit of armor." The term itself conjures up images of seemingly invincible knights dressed from head to toe in shining steel. With so much protection, wouldn't one be able to wander among the undead ranks, taunting them at will with no danger of repercussion? In truth, standard medieval armor is far from invulnerable. The leather or metal joints that hold its many pieces together can be tom apart by an individual's persistent hands, to say nothing of a mob. Even intact, steel suits are heavy, cumbersome, suffocating, dehydrating, and extremely noisy. If possible, study and wear a real suit of armor and practice fighting in it against even one (mock) attacker. You will find the experience uncomfortable at best, excruciating at worst. Now imagine five, ten, fifty attackers, all converging on your position, grabbing at the plates, pulling them in all directions. Without the speed to outrun them or the agility to avoid them, even the necessary vision to find and strike them, you will almost certainly end up as little more than canned food."
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Why do rotting corpses run without falling apart and have increased bite strength when they'd probably just dislocate their jaw instead?
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an actual suit of armor and a sword would tire you out before 100 zombies.
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Krazy_Kirby posted...

an actual suit of armor and a sword would tire you out before 100 zombies.

Not if you had some gatorade
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Brad Pitt made armor out of magazines

dedbus posted...

Brad Pitt made armor out of magazines

Man I was wondering where I saw that, I was like "I'm sure there was a zombie movie where someone made armor out of cardboard or something".
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https://neptunic.com/products/sharksuits

cool

I'd get that and a nice cutting blade

dioxxys posted...

https://neptunic.com/products/sharksuits

cool

I'd get that and a nice cutting blade

How about that but with blades attached all over it so any attempted bite is met with blades of death

GanonsSpirit posted...

From Max Brooks' "The Zombie Survival Guide":
"This could be defined as the classic "suit of armor." The term itself conjures up images of seemingly invincible knights dressed from head to toe in shining steel. With so much protection, wouldn't one be able to wander among the undead ranks, taunting them at will with no danger of repercussion? In truth, standard medieval armor is far from invulnerable. The leather or metal joints that hold its many pieces together can be tom apart by an individual's persistent hands, to say nothing of a mob. Even intact, steel suits are heavy, cumbersome, suffocating, dehydrating, and extremely noisy. If possible, study and wear a real suit of armor and practice fighting in it against even one (mock) attacker. You will find the experience uncomfortable at best, excruciating at worst. Now imagine five, ten, fifty attackers, all converging on your position, grabbing at the plates, pulling them in all directions. Without the speed to outrun them or the agility to avoid them, even the necessary vision to find and strike them, you will almost certainly end up as little more than canned food."

Mel Brooks was largely ignorant about armor. His impressions seem based solely on what he saw in film.

Krazy_Kirby posted...

an actual suit of armor and a sword would tire you out before 100 zombies.

Unlikely, but a sword is an impractical weapon against zombies. Swords are designed for stabbing and slashing, tactics which yield minimal results against zombies and can get your weapon stuck. You'd be better off with a cudgel or mace or some kind
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Wouldn't be surprised to see the next big zombie movie/show feature some yahoo in a suit of armor try to take on a horde and end up being overwhelmed and dying dramatically.
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Classic sword guy.

Wait. What.
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If Zombies were real there's no way an apocalypse would go on for 8 years.

The people have an insane k/d ratio. Rick's had to have killed at least 2000 zombies by now. They don't multiply fast enough, come on.

You think a knight will have any chance against Hunters, Spitters, Jockeys, Witches, Chargers and Tanks?

do_ob_tpkillr posted...

You think a knight will have any chance against Hunters, Spitters, Jockeys, Witches, Chargers and Tanks?

Oh if it was left 4 dead zombies we would all be fucked in about a month.

If we talk about the classic slow biter zombies, then a motorcycle gear should be enough to protect you.
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Arguably, you don't need much, just a decently thick jacket and pants-leather and canvas should do it, you're worried about bites and scratches. The other issues are mostly other humans and not much stops a big enough gun or knife so you're better off gearing up in favour of agility/speed.
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Yellow posted...

If Zombies were real there's no way an apocalypse would go on for 8 years.

The people have an insane k/d ratio. Rick's had to have killed at least 2000 zombies by now. They don't multiply fast enough, come on.

Up to a point, I agree with that but without zombies, TWD (or as we call it in my house, AMC's People Making Bad Decisions) is just a character drama with a group of people with skewed values on what constitutes peaceful activity try to be left alone by other groups of people with skewed values on what constitutes peaceful activity.
Seriously, 5 more mins of Rick bending over for Negan and I'm going to lose my shit.
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Syntheticon posted...

Yellow posted...

If Zombies were real there's no way an apocalypse would go on for 8 years.

The people have an insane k/d ratio. Rick's had to have killed at least 2000 zombies by now. They don't multiply fast enough, come on.

Up to a point, I agree with that but without zombies, TWD (or as we call it in my house, AMC's People Making Bad Decisions) is just a character drama with a group of people with skewed values on what constitutes peaceful activity try to be left alone by other groups of people with skewed values on what constitutes peaceful activity.
Seriously, 5 more mins of Rick bending over for Negan and I'm going to lose my shit.

watch the latest episode
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