I have a question to ask everyone here. I was doing some thinking about defense on the doors to your fortess. Basic doors open in now I was wondering would a door hold better if it would out instead of in. Because if you push on a door thats made to be open inward the door is pushing with you. Would a door that is made to open outward push against you in of with you. Does this make sense to anyone what I am talking about?
When Your Pushed, Killing's As Easy As Breathin! --John Rambo (Rambo 4) |
Ok I had to read it twice, but now I think I understand where you're getting at. I was actually debating about this with my friends a few weeks ago. I think that both have pros and cons, the door that swings out would be a bit simpler since if its locked it will be harder for someone outside to get in, seeing how they can't just charge the door and break it in as easily, but you can't really barricade it too eficiently, and another thing to concider is that the hinges will probably be on the outside and you could break them off and just yank/kick off/down the door. yet the doors that swing inward would be easier to baricade, and you don't have to worry about the hinges like with the outward swinging, but someone could just break it down.
Concidering those factors, I'd have to say outward swinging would be a better choice, because if the door knob broke or something like that the zeds wouldn't be able to just push it open unless they get caught on it or something so you wouldn't have to worry so much about them getting in, and if you are getting attacked by raiders it would be easier to defend from them since you'll have at least a second or two to react while they open the door.
oh it'll get you somewhere, it'll get you bait
I see what your gettin' at.
For the main doors into your fortress being able to open out would make it harder for zombies to just push their way in. For doors inside though this could cause problems. If you needed to get into a locked room it would be near impossible to kick it down. Also in order to get out of a room you'd need to back-up to open the door which could mean moving back into a zombie that you're running from.
Personally if I had the chance to develop a fortress it would have sliding doors.
"The Way of the Samurai is found in death. When it comes to
either/or, there is only the quick choice of death. It is not
particularly difficult. Be determined and advance."
I hoping to one day recreate David Bowie's Labyrinth. Lets see them get through my front door. In my goblin castle!!
The problem with doors that open out instead of in: THE HINGES!
As stated by Tak in the second comment, this can be a BIG problem. Zombies are not the only enemy here. Just think about it.
"They drew first blood not me..." (Stallone in Rambo: First Blood)
doors that open inwards definately. not only are the hinges not on the outside, but you can put stuff in front of the door making it EVEN HARDER for the enemy to push/kick/break/ in. so we're good.
krupt
What about two doors? The outer one swings outward, and the inner one swings inward. Kinda like a screen-door, except it could be made out of oak or steel instead of screen... Then you've got the difficulty of opening for zombies coupled with the difficulty of openiong for raiders... ...What do you think of that?
The Zombie Hunter's Prayer
~As written by lordofthezombies
Let our swords slice through
Let our bullets fly true
Let our foes have no choice
Let our friends rejoice
Let us leave no more
and most importantly let the bodes hit the floor
The defense of an entrance way is not just the door. The door is not going to be a good barrier if it is on a damaged or weak door frame. The locks on the door are important to consider as well. In an episode of mythbusters, they tested the Hollywood Myth of busting down doors. The truth is that every door has a week point or points that can be detrimental to the door's function. The type of hinge used for example can make or break a solid door. The hinges must support the weight to the door when it swings open and close and must therefore be proportionate to handle the weight distribution. This is the same reason why you will not see a door with just one hinge. The next consideration is the frame for the door, if the frame is weak, your door's function will be weak or impaired. The threshold of a door is important as well. It keeps out debris from the outside from getting in by being blown in by the wind, gives the door a secure bottom, usually ramps up into the home on a half arched slant thus creating a sure foothold and less chance of tripping walking into the home, and prevents people from peering underneath the door to see if you or your loved ones are walking around inside the house. A door with a chain lock can be very secure because of the principal a chain lock works on. (A chain lock gives a little slack thus making it more difficult to kick a door in, especially if the lock is put in with a reinforced screw, reinforced chain, and reinforced chain closure.) Keep this in mind. The more holes that are put into a door's frame, the weaker the frame becomes. A door lock is only as good as the door, frame, hinges, and screws used to put it all together. These are all prime considerations when thinking about defending an entrance way.
I am surprised that the topic name is entrance defense and no one has said anything about protecting windows. I mean, those are for all intents and purposes entrances as well as exits. Then again, that's off topic a little (but not really).
I think that if you are planning to defend an entrance, you better have a plan A, B, C, and D.
For example: When they break through, what do I do? When they get here, what do I do? When they are filtering into my house, what do I do? What is my plan for when the door gets broken down?
If you do not have answers for REAL possibilities (not happy what if's or denial of what could really happen) then you are not really prepared.
The doorway is just the beginning. Can you get to whatever room has your weapons or back-up supply (or panic room, or whatever) blindfolded? Do you know the path by heart to escape your home in case of a fire and know NOT to touch any doorknobs barehanded? (I know what you are thinking, what does my house on fire have to do with anything? EVERYTHING. If you do not know the surrounding of what should be the place that you have intimate knowledge of, then you are already in trouble. If you have not planned for real disaster related circumstances (for example, a fire drill with your family) aside from that of zombies, then you are NOT PREPARED!)
WARNING: THE FOLLOWING SCENE IS GRAPHIC IN NATURE AND MAY BE UPSETTING. For those of you with children and those who can relate: Picture this, your house is on fire and your children do not know what to do. Little Suzy just wants to save her precious Teddy bear, Little Johnny is too scared to move, and you are worried about getting your family out of the inferno. You are all outside, or so you think, when you realize Suzy went back in for her beloved stuffed animal. It may be her last mistake and probably yours when your paternal instinct kicks in and you rush back into a fire to save your child. You find little Suzy and scoop her up into your arms as a large piece of singed debris falls pinning you both to the floor. The kid may not be breathing and there is no telling if you can walk or not. The Fire Rescue Squad is still two minutes out and you are stuck in a blaze of death. Hope no one has to face a situation similar to this one and preparation through REAL PRACTICE is the key to prevention in this situation.
In summation, Entrance Defense needs a well thought out and practical plan to work. A plan with fall-back options (Plan B, C, and D) when (don't plan for if, plan for when, you will be surprised how much of your plan will change for the better that way) Plan A starts to (or just plain does) fail.
"They drew first blood not me..." (Stallone in Rambo: First Blood)
Chilbert. You hit the nail right on the head with that post. Most of the other posts are correct as well. I'll put together a post concerning doors and windows later then post it.
Which episode of Mythbusters was that chil? I thought I had seem most of them, must of missed that one, gonna have to try to find it on youtube when I go to my gram's next.
And I would have said something about windows but his question was about doors, I am pretty single minded at times and just answer the original question, not start a new one.
oh it'll get you somewhere, it'll get you bait
Well said Chilbert. I'd like to point out that doors made in say the laster 10 years or so are rather weak compared to those from about 40. Sure they are older and if improperly maintained they could be rotten or rusty, but if you have taken care of one then one of those big solid oak doors can stop someone in their tracks.
These plyboard doors they make these days are half hollow with wood cross beams. It doesn't take much to a hole in one. I've done it with a unexpected jerk of the arm.
Another thing i want to bring up is that a door is only as strong as its frame. A intruder doesn't have bust the whole door, just the frame around the handle. A few good kicks in the right place and that door is open and its security is lost forever.
If you want to re-enforce a door i would suggest strenghtening the frame first. A few long 2x4s placed along the inside of the door with those long scerws that'll dig deeply into the wood and not only does this enforce the frame but can also be used to add a removable bar brace to barricade the door if it open inward.
Winning isn't a reason to get a reward but one less poke in the eye, while losing gets you two.
