Posted: 2/13/2010 7:46:30 PM EDT
|
We have dogs who are with us on some campouts but not all.
I was wondering what others use for perimeter security on campouts. It doesn't happen often but there have been times where strangers have entered camp in the middle of the night. I have heard of some battery operated LED motion sensor lights, anyone used these ? |
|
There are a few places we hunt that get overrun with drunken campers for some reason.
I've only had one time where somebody has actually walked into our camp, he was taking a leak, followed the road the wrong way and ended up at our spot. My buddy drew down on him, yelled to wake me up, I lit him up with the flashlight, and when we sorted everything out I ended up giving him a ride back to his camp 
The guy said he saw the moon's reflection of my truck windshield and walked toward it. So my take away from that event is pick a place away from your vehicle that is concealed. Beyond that, I'd say a skiddish dog chained up outside your tent/rv/camper would most likely be your best bet. |
|
Any kind of snare or deadfall trigger attached to a thin tripwire can be used to make some cans rattle, or you can hang a bunch of sleigh bells from the trees and bushes surrounding your campsite and use some thread or fishing line to connect the bushes to make a complete perimeter that will "jingle" when someone tries to cross it. (Assuming, of course, that you did a good enough job of hiding the bells and the line.) |
|
I have used that heavy-duty braided fishing line (get the green...seems to be the most difficult to see in most all environments). Then, in the camping section of most big-box stores, you can get those small "tent bells" (or aluminum cans partially filled with gravel/BB's/etc). Run your perimeter wire, clip on those bells every few feet, and presto - automatic perimeter alarm. Works OK...not perfect, though!
Dogs are great... Also, they make personal alarms that you can get for about $10 on different websites. There's a thread on here by _Ragnar_ that talks about his cross-country GHB. He mentions those alarms. I bought a couple but haven't used them yet. They look OK, but I don't know how durable they are. I'll see if I can find the link of where I ordered mine. ETA: here's the link... |
| I have set trip wires (para cord) a few times. But that was to control drunks. Caught a drunk in a snare, or at least I think it was a drunk, found his shoe in the snare the next morning. Have not seen the need to put anything up since I stopped camping in camp grounds. |
|
Quoted:
If you are that concerned about things, perhaps it would be best not to leave suburbia. I have lived my whole life in bear, lion, wolf country and never felt the need to lay out booby traps.  I don't think that it's 4 legged predators that the above posters and the OP are worried about. |
|
Quoted:
If you are that concerned about things, perhaps it would be best not to leave suburbia. I have lived my whole life in bear, lion, wolf country and never felt the need to lay out booby traps. Not worried about the 4 legged kind. We camp a lot in southern Arizona and New Mexico and as you you might have heard, there is a slight problem with illegals and drug runners in these parts. We run into them all the time on off road trails and we also run into all types of other "fine upstanding citizens" as well. We have friends who camped in Colorado and Utah and had two people murdered one campsite over two years ago. Other friends have many stories of bad encounters as well. 90% of the time things are just fine but there are a lot of crazy people out there and IMO, it better to be safe than sorry. |
|
Quoted:
Quoted:
If you are that concerned about things, perhaps it would be best not to leave suburbia. I have lived my whole life in bear, lion, wolf country and never felt the need to lay out booby traps. Not worried about the 4 legged kind. We camp a lot in southern Arizona and New Mexico and as you you might have heard, there is a slight problem with illegals and drug runners in these parts. We run into them all the time on off road trails and we also run into all types of other "fine upstanding citizens" as well. We have friends who camped in Colorado and Utah and had two people murdered one campsite over two years ago. Other friends have many stories of bad encounters as well. 90% of the time things are just fine but there are a lot of crazy people out there and IMO, it better to be safe than sorry. If I was that worried I think I would stay home. I don't think you have any legal right to set booby traps, trip wires, or what not on public land in fact I think it might just be illegal to set booby traps. Its common courtesy not to walk through the middle of someones camp site but if someone dose you really have no legal right to stop them let alone draw down on them. Its funny how I have camped in Washington. Oregon, Idaho, Wyoming, Utah, Colorado, Arizona, New Mexico, South Dakota, and Nevada from private camp grounds to deep and dark remote flat spots and other then having a herd or elk try and run over my tent have never had a problem. I am not saying be prepared but you are going camping to have fun not to be paranoid the hole time. Like I said if its that risky stay home. |
|
I've spent three or four years of my life sleeping outside all things considered. Sometimes right next to my vehicle, sometimes many miles away. I have yet to
feel the need for perimeter security. On a few rare occasions I've lit someone or something up with a powerful light while my hand was on my weapon, but that's been rare. If I needed to not be found while camped, folks would be hard pressed to find me. |
|
What you do is..... get a 12 ga. shell and a Victor Rat trap....
no, wait , that's probably a bit too severe for late night stumble-bum-drunks. Fishing monofilament is cheap, compact and can be used for various other things around camp. Juts rig it to something that is going to make noise. I prefer something that will make a loud enough noise as to startle the would-be intruder, as well as be certain to wake up the camper who set it. Tie off to a good trigger(s) and the biggest noise making thing(s) you can muster. |
|
Quoted:
9 pack window alarms. walmart...$14.95..battery op...if the sensor is seperated from main alarm shrill 120 dl alarms sounds......attach trip wires to them..fishing line....size not much bigger than a 9volt. best idea yet. small and very packable. take apart and hit with some brown paint or whatever color the bark of your local trees are and put back together. i say take apart and paint because some of the chemicals in pant can damage some electronics. |
|
Quoted:
Yep ..paint them, I shot them with OD krylon, the damn things are so loud they almost make my heart stop when they go off....if you set them 50-75 m away you will easily hear them, unless you are a deep sleeper........
Quoted:
9 pack window alarms. walmart...$14.95..battery op...if the sensor is seperated from main alarm shrill 120 dl alarms sounds......attach trip wires to them..fishing line....size not much bigger than a 9volt. best idea yet. small and very packable. take apart and hit with some brown paint or whatever color the bark of your local trees are and put back together. i say take apart and paint because some of the chemicals in pant can damage some electronics. |
 4$ plus 1x 2 inch coarse thread d/w screw and 6-10ft of trip wire. wire pulls the pin out like a nade and 130db later.... it is the GE personal jogger alarm or such. eta: tape holds pin in and screw to alarm body. one hole is drilled in the body to mount the screw( covered by tape as well.) and i removed the laynard. |
|
Quoted:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v54/protus/permA001.jpg 4$ plus 1x 2 inch coarse thread d/w screw and 6-10ft of trip wire. wire pulls the pin out like a nade and 130db later.... it is the GE personal jogger alarm or such. eta: tape holds pin in and screw to alarm body. one hole is drilled in the body to mount the screw( covered by tape as well.) and i removed the laynard. Exactly what I was thinking. |
Some of the posts here are just plain  . Others are .
Something along the lines of what Protus suggests would be the way to go..... Quoted:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v54/protus/permA001.jpg 4$ plus 1x 2 inch coarse thread d/w screw and 6-10ft of trip wire. wire pulls the pin out like a nade and 130db later.... it is the GE personal jogger alarm or such. eta: tape holds pin in and screw to alarm body. one hole is drilled in the body to mount the screw( covered by tape as well.) and i removed the laynard. |
|
I hate Concertina wire... that stuff just sucks. |
|
NTC flashbacks. |
|
Last time this subject came up I suggested beer cans strung on fishline. I am always up for emptying beer cans. Its got the added benifit in that if you drink enough beer you dont care who is wandering around anyway!
I have used this trick for deer in the garden and for coons in the trash. Run a piece of fishline from something the coons will mess with into the house thru a window and hang a beer can off it. When the can starts swaying and rubbing against the wall you know you got something on the other end. In the garden a couple cans banging against each other will keep deer away for a night or two, then you need to change things around a bit or they get used to it. |