When you go out in the wilderness the last thing you think of is being bothered by the criminal element while camping.
Unfortunately more and more big city crime has come out to the county. The question is what level of security does one bring to the campsite?
You cannot always bring a gun or a long blade to a campsite but... (whenever possible I carry both) I don't advertise to anyone that I have a weapon on me.
Over the years there have been incidents that have happened with hikers backpackers and campers. A crime like rape sexual assault, robbery, and even murder can occour in the wood just as easy as in the city.
Don't forget there are not only the two-legged threat but the four-legged type. You could always run across a bear, cougar or wolf are you prepared for that?
Always remember any weapon you bring with you can also be used against you or someone else. An old outdoorsman told me don't ever leave anything in camp that you are not prepared to lose.
1. SELECTION OF THE CAMPSITE
I put this at number one because camp real estate much like home real estate is important. The three most important things in real estate is LOCATION... LOCATION... LOCATION.
How you how you set up camp in the first place is important the placement of the tent are you against a mountain or steep knoll. Anticipate where the foot traffic is going to come from.
2. Keep personal protection on yourself such as a handgun if your state or county allows you to do so.
3. Always lock your camper or vehicle (not in sight) if whenever you leave it and secure your property DONT EVER LEAVE VALUABLES IN YOUR TENT... EVER!
4. When at your campsite keep things concealed and as low profile is always the next best thing you can do take a minute and put some natural vegetation over it this will not work in a heavily populated campsite.
5. BLACKOUT THE WINDOWS hang a sheet If you have a vehicle Put screens up in the vehicle when someone approaching they won't know if someone is inside sleeping or be able to see any valuables
6. Be mindful of your neighbors if someone gives you an uneasy feeling talk to the host about moving you to another site or move to a different area.
7. Keep an eye on your children don't let then hike or bike by themselves. Pedophiles and criminals are everywhere.
8. If camping in backcountry put sticks and debris around the car or tent on either side so the person(s) have to walk around or make noise moving debris to get to the front of the tent or access to the vehicle.
9. Have only one entrance to camp so you know where to expect people to come from.
10. Rake the ground around the vehicle at least 10 feet for a perimeter so you can see peoples footprints in the dirt (hide the rake nearby or lock it up so thieves cannot rake over the tracks they created)
11. Keep tools such as your camp ax or spade inside the vehicle and locked so as not to be used against you.
12. Keep a combination lock and wire cable ( Bike Cable ) with you never know when you need to lock something up.
TRIP WIRES...
Make a backing out of a coffee can to attach it to. Attach some wire to it so you can loop it around a tree (to secure it).
Then you can tie your tripwire to the round magnet (the type with a hole in the middle) You can then attach your fishing line around your camp.
Do you have any tips for keeping your site secure? Let me know below. This is an awesome little DIY project I found.
P.S. Please remember when camping to leave no trace and to leave the site in the better way then you found it.
