Jeep: unparalleled utility. It’ll die eventually, fuel is finite, but it’ll let me establish.
Shotgun: need a weapon, and while not the strategically beat weapon, I have an image to maintain.
Water purifier: water.
Machete: backup weapon, infinitely useful tool, more rugged than the katana.
I think this combination gives me a good shot at establishing a base of operations, securing the area, and settling for long-term. Between the jeep and the machete, most obstacles can be overcome, and scavenging is easier and quicker. Strategically, the crossbow is probably the best weapon just due to the reusability of the ammunition, but it’s not infinite and what you gain in that, you lose in ease of use, which is paramount in a stressful situation. Opting purely for usefulness, the pistol (assuming subsonic rounds and as quiet as possible) probably offers the best balance between reliability and forgivingness, but I like shotguns.
Water purifier is a pretty easy one. Gotta have water, and while most of that will come from rain or scavenging, there will inevitably be periods of literal draught. Finally, the machete. A knife, a backup weapon, a crowbar. Good for clearing small-medium vegetation. Honestly, the uses are limitless, perhaps second only to the jeep.
Honorable mentions:
Dog. If it’s pre-trained, top tier. If you have to train it, mid at best plus another mouth to feed.
Any other firearm: mostly preference, each has pros and cons
Body armor: depending on the zombies, top tier (walking dead style, feral gonna bite you zombies) or reeeally not useful (anything spread by spores, fumes, fluids, etc.)
Gas mask: invert the body armor.
Motorcycle: quicker, less utility than Jeep. I wouldn’t say it’s the worst pick
Everything else is either marginal utility at best (cb radio, NV goggles) or easy enough to scavenge (flashlight, first aid supplies, tent, honestly everything else on the list.)
Time to get a gigantic sticker with 2 point font stating stickers are prohibited in the corner, and the rest whatever the fuck I want. Probably buttholes.
Anything blocking paths. Can’t move broken vehicles, downed trees, etc with a bike. Sure a bike can go around, but with a jeep, I can go through, and have space to haul a bike back.
Nothing lasts forever. The utility you get short term from having transportation able to haul more than just yourself is IMMENSE for getting established.
For as much shit as they get, jeeps are designed to be more rugged than most cars. Probably trade it on once you find an actually rugged vehicle, but it’ll be a better choice than most cars you’d find, i imagine.
Trapping is probably better terminology. A machete can be used to easily enough make some simple traps, then execute whatever was caught. Hopefully food.
The reality is that every item is finite if you can’t maintain it. Some are naturally longer lived than others (machete, fireaxe) but require sharpening and will eventually break. The better metric is what kind of utility it provides during its life, with a second metric for how easy it is to maintain. Something like the Jeep may only get you a week of functional time, but it’s going to allow you to set up so much easier.
Assuming best case scenario (a new jeep is shat into my driveway with a full tank of gas) I think the jeep is a MASSIVE boon. It increases movement ability and hauling capacity, and can be used to clear many obstacles you’d otherwise have to go around. Is its life finite? Yes, but it’ll give you that leg up at the start of the situation that may very well set you up for success long term.