Surviving the first week or so is crucial. The zombies aren't going to come when it's convenient for us. They'll come suddenly while you're shopping at Wal-Mart or the grocery store, while you're asleep in your bed at 3 AM, etc. You need to have your gear pre-staged and ready to go. A good backpack, with sleeping back, rubberized mat, bivy sack, warming layers, water, dehydrated food, etc. Your basic camping gear, in other words. Also take a hack saw, a hand-cranked CB radio, and some rope. You'll also need weapons. By weapons, I mean guns, mostly.