Two weeks ago, senior Spencer Holst and his two brothers launched zombie survival website, Zombie Defense Brigade
Spencer Holst, senior finance major, talks about his zombie website endevor and survival kit. (Monica McAllister | The Beacon)
By PJ Marcello, Staff Writer -- marcello13@up.edu
The zombie apocalypse has finally arrived. The world as you know it has been turned on its head, just an overgrown wasteland, riddled with the living dead. If only there were a zombie survival kit you could purchase so you could live to see the future that so many unfortunate victims will never experience.
Luckily for you, such an opportunity is available. Senior Spencer Holst and his two brothers recently started their own website where zombie slayers can purchase survival kits, become members of the Zombie Defense Brigade and complete tasks to move up a system of ranks and honors to receive discounts on supplies.
Zombie survival packs are available for $125, and are $100 for those who purchase a $14 membership.
"The website is intricate, well-planned and very clever," sophomore Rachel Van Ness said in an email. "It's clear that a lot of time and preparation have been put into the website, and this is apparent through the thoroughness with which the zombie kits were put together, but also by the added features, down to the hilarious descriptions for each of the items in the kit."
The packs are backpacks filled with health and survival gear. Health gear includes water purification tablets, an ammonia inhalant, Stay Alert® Military Caffeine Energy Gum and various other resources to keep you safe during an attack.
The survival gear includes binoculars, a 7-inch survival knife made of Swedish firesteel, a screwdriver multi-tool and several other essential tools to get you through the invasion.
Members can unlock even more specialty goods with a $14 membership. Specialty items include a fireman's axe, a fully loaded health canister and helko-werk German Standard Hatchet. Upon completing missions, and moving up the Zombie Defense Brigade ranks, members can also achieve discounts on specialty items.
The idea started as a joke between the brothers who wanted to create a website that sold gear for various survival situations. Once they discovered that such sites already existed, they talked about moving their business venture elsewhere.
"My older brother called me and said, 'Wouldn't it be cool if there was a website that sold only zombie survival kits?'" Holst said. "And I was like 'Yeah, that would be awesome.'"
They played with the idea for a few weeks, emailing ideas to each other and joking about what would go in a kit. Coincidentally, the Holst family owns an ax business in Southern California, so including axes in the kits is a business venture as well as promotion for the family business.
"My other brother, who is sort of a technology guy, started looking up the popularity of zombie-related search terms on Google," Holst said. "As far as month by month hits for zombie kits and zombie survival, it gets hit a couple million times a month. So we thought it might be something worth throwing together and it might sell."
The site has several pages for users to explore, and more for those with a membership. It is an enticing deal not only for those who want to prepare for a potential zombie apocalypse, but also for those who can use all the specialty tools in the packs.
"There is a high likelihood that I will buy the survival pack. It has so many items that would be useful in situations other than the Zombie Apocalypse," Van Ness said. "It would be a very comprehensive and useful pack to have in my car or around the house."
The next time you are concerned about the impending zombie apocalypse, take a look at Holst's website for all of your survival needs.
Zombie Defense Brigade Logo (Photo courtesy of www.zombiedefensebrigade.com)
