Cabin broken into by thief!!!

[kx250kev]

I had a nice little stash of supplies at our cabin...until it was broken into and all stolen. Lucily, I had my gun safe chained to a main beam, so no guns or ammo were stolen. It really shattered my plans, but maybe this is a good lesson. Money wise is was not that bad, but it has me rethinking the fully equiped cabin strategy. If the SHTF, my cabin will probably be ransaked! I'm now thinking "bug-in" at home would be a better strategy.

P.s. I removed all the guns and ammo now because I belive the theives will be back with the proper tools to get that safe. The'll be dissappoined when they open it.

I'm now thinking about "security" plans (but the cabin has no electricity).

Any ideas for security? One of my thoughts is trail cams to capture them on camera.

[trax]

that's crappy news partner, but yeah they're out there. You have to look at how they got in I suppose and make it harder (of course if they want in bad enough.....) Thieves will generally go for the easiest target, so if you make it harder for a thief to get in, they might go somewhere else.Trail cams are good for after the fact, but once you've been ripped off, having their picture might not do you a lot of good. I'm imagining your pictures sitting on the bottom of a manila folder in some cop's desk....

[tonester]

man that really sucks im sorry. that was a smart idea chaining your safe to a beam. yah a trail cam would be a good idea since theres no electricity, are they expensive? or you can always booby trap the safe so when they move it or open it would explode! then you wouldnt have to worry about those thieves anymore haha

[trax]

You'd probably have to worry about their survivors bringing a wrongful death lawsuit against you, which is sad because it's so likely true.

[Sourdough]

It could have been worse......They could have shot you when you approached "THEIR" cabin. The old saying possession is 9/10 of the law.

My heart goes out to you as I deal with this regularly. My advise is forget about catching them. Even if caught, they would not do time, and it may not even go to trial.

There is 100 stories they can tell, they thought it was there buddies cabin. etc. You invited them, they were abused as children.

The cheapest thing is a large truck battery, with a small solar charger, attached to a small radio. Do not have a padlock on the outside of door, clearly no one home.

At this point I would leave the safe wide open. Check with your homeowners insurance co. you may have or want to get off premise's coverage.

Remember if they get hurt, breaking into your safe, you are liable.

I have battery powered security cameras.

[crashdive123]

It's sad that somebody would do that, but yeah it happens. If you decide not to abandon your plans of a stocked cabin you may want to consider storing your gear underground in the area, but not in the cabin. Leaving the safe open probably a good idea (unless they want the safe too). Although it may give you a great deal of pleasure to have some azzhat get injured in a booby trap, it would probably be short lived.....letigious society that we live in.

[tonester]

Remember if they get hurt, breaking into your safe, you are liable.

man that sucks...

[kx250kev]

My luck they'll cut the main support beam and wreck the structure. I think I'll undo the chain/beam thing. I guess if you really want something to survive the looters/theives, I guess important things need to be hidden or burried.

[Sourdough]

kx250, not, I repeat "NOT" rubbing salt into the wound, but I am haunted by the exchange you and wareagle had, just this week.

[kx250kev]

kx250, not, I repeat "NOT" rubbing salt into the wound, but I am haunted by the exchange you and wareagle had, just this week.

My last post was on 08-16-2008? I'm confused to what post you are referring to?

[Ole WV Coot]

Might as well suck it up. You can't do squat without getting into trouble yourself. On some of the back trails I roam on there are a few cabins and they all have a sign on the door that it's unlocked and feel free to use it, just leave it the way you found it and they ain't had any trouble with vandals, even leave a lawn mower and folks actually do cut the grass and leave it clean. I know this sounds like a fairy tale but I hope to crap in my mess kit if it ain't true.

[crashdive123]

I believe it. Have heard similar stories.

[rebel]

I believe it. Have heard similar stories.

About Coot crapping in his mess kit?

[crashdive123]

Hey if Coot says it, I believe it.

[rebel]

Just kidding Coot. See Rick, another classic.

[Rick]

I'm sorry for your loss. I'm with Hopeak, leave the safe open. There is no point in them tearing up a $500(?) dollar safe with nothing inside. AND, see if there is some way to lock it open so a kid doesn't lock themselves inside. I had a buddy that regularly locked his cash register. One night someone broke in and tore it up but finally got it open. I asked him how much he lost and he said $34.00 or something like that. I said, you let them tear up a $600 cash register for $34? Why didn't you leave the drawer open?

As for your comments about bugging in: You just experienced what I and some others have been harping on all along. Bugging in is the best bet IF YOU CAN. If circumstances allow. Just like Hopeak said (he really is pretty smart), you wind up bugging out to someone else's cabin because they beat your to it or get shot in route.

I'm glad they didn't get too deep in your pocket and hope the lesson was worth the cost. I would have been pretty upset, too.

[Sourdough]

My last post was on 08-16-2008? I'm confused to what post you are referring to?

Sorry, Old age bad memory.

[trax]

On some of the back trails I roam on there are a few cabins and they all have a sign on the door that it's unlocked and feel free to use it, just leave it the way you found it and they ain't had any trouble with vandals, even leave a lawn mower and folks actually do cut the grass and leave it clean. I know this sounds like a fairy tale but I hope to crap in my mess kit if it ain't true.

When I was younger and living in the true north, no one ever locked a cabin back in the woods. The one line of thinking being, what if someone's in dire straits and needs to get in and you're not home to welcome them. The unspoken rule was leave it the way you found it, or a bit better. I've used strangers cabins and made a point of splitting and hauling in some extra firewood or leaving some food for the next guy as long as it was something that would keep, maybe some tea bags or a can of coffee. I don't think folks are that friendly anymore, probably because of a-holes like the one that hit your cabin, it's a shame. But I wanted to verify what Pop said, a) because it's true and b) because I don't want him to be having to crap in his mess kit.

(Cuz I can just hear "son, clean this up for me will ya? uh uh I ain't lickin' that off my paw's)

[RBB]

I had a nice little stash of supplies at our cabin...until it was broken into and all stolen. Lucily, I had my gun safe chained to a main beam, so no guns or ammo were stolen. It really shattered my plans, but maybe this is a good lesson. Money wise is was not that bad, but it has me rethinking the fully equiped cabin strategy. If the SHTF, my cabin will probably be ransaked! I'm now thinking "bug-in" at home would be a better strategy.

P.s. I removed all the guns and ammo now because I belive the theives will be back with the proper tools to get that safe. The'll be dissappoined when they open it.

I'm now thinking about "security" plans (but the cabin has no electricity).

Any ideas for security? One of my thoughts is trail cams to capture them on camera.

In the early 70s I built a cabin on the land where my mother was born. With an eye to security (all the other cabins in our family are broken into regularly), I built the cabin in a stand of balsams, and never used the same trail twice to get there. In 25 years - it was never broken into.

A cousin of mine asked if he could use the cabin once in a while. To show his gratitude (the idiot) he built a trail to the cabin so you could drive up in a 4X4. Since that time, the cabin is broken into regular, and I can hardly keep a stove in the place - to say nothing of items like firearms, axes, or saws.

[muddyredneck]

not to make it worse but this type will probably burn the cabin when they find the guns gone get insurance and id file a police report about the stolen stuff for insurence purposes to late to tell know one and camp near cabin till they came back and cache them somewhere