campsite/basecamp security

[colorado matt]

I have read and know a lot about securing food from animals ..... but I am talking about self preservation ..... what do you do in the middle of nowhere to feel safe ??? ..... I think there is no wrong answer and I know all situations are different ..... and feel free to elaborate why or what you do in different situations ..... it is a subject I have not come across and quite frankly I am curious ..... Matt

 

[dstn2bdoa]

I'll be the first to jump in here.

First off your going to get three basic responses to your question.

1) "I've been camping for years and nothing bad has ever happened to me. Don't worry about it, head out and have fun". This used to be me. Until I read this captivating thread http://www.expeditionportal.com/forum/threads/10705-Scariest-Freaky-moments-When-Camping-or-Offroad In addition to some mildly freaky situations I've happened upon.

2) "Their coming to get you... set up a perimeter and be ready" This includes motion activated lights, trip wires, dogs etc.

3) A more prudent and thoughtful approach to camping. Avoiding the extremes of both 1 and 2. This will be up to you and your comfort level.

This entertaining thread had some value to consider. You'll see both extremes and some balance. http://www.expeditionportal.com/for...er-Security-while-camping?highlight=Perimeter

Hopefully you get some good insight in your thread too.

 

[JHa6av8r]

For me protection is like having recovery tools. I have them but try not to get myself in a situation to have to use them. My recovery gear includes, an axe, saw, & machete. We camp with our two dogs. When one goes off something is around. When the other one joins in something is wrong. We also carry bear spray, Ka-bar knife, shotgun, & 9mm. My desire is to not use them for other than target practice. We camp remote whenever we can and have never been in any sketchy situations. But if I make a mistake and set up in the wrong place, I want every opportunity to protect my wife and son.

 

[continentaldrifter]

I have never slept in the forest without a sidearm, .45 Kimber to be honest. Rules regarding the ability to legally carry or not, i could care less about. I have been motorcycling the lower 43 of 48 states since 2007, and we pull down some sketchy roads by a river, set camp, eat, party wake up clean area and wash up repeat....usually for 4-6 weeks in a row per year....never once, not a single time have i ever had to even think about discharging my weapon....never. BUT, knowing that it is on my hip is all the confidence i/we need.....now, locally, in Colorado as a hammock camper, i have an disadvantage to get myself physically prepared to be defensive: unstable footing opposed to kneeling defensively in a tent, no place to keep a light or a sidearm. i sleep with my unchambered Kimber on my chest. There have been plenty a night where i just didnt get a good nights rest due to hearing elk, deer or racoon foraging around, i dont know what the hell is breakin sticks but i know it wasnt me. Yep, i'll be the first to tell you, i get freaked out, but thats the thrill of sleeping amongst the forest.

I will tell you an entertaining story: 4 years ago, myself and two buddies were on our yearly trip, we did the 101, up through Olympic Nat Forest in Wa....we crashed out in a locals hideaway near a river and were completely alone, its a little after midnite, i hear people in the distance yelling and banging stuff around. this goes on for about an hour. Now, i am tossing and turnin with the noise. Finally i get up, walk through the woods and i see what appears to be about 10 or 12 people laughing and hollering around a killer camp fire. Tired as heck, i go trampsing back to our tent and yell to my other buddy, who was also awake, and proceed to tell him " Hey, grab all our beers and come with me" He's like "What the hell are you thinkin??" so we meander through the dark dense woods of foggy and mysterious Washington State Forest for about 300 yds.....they dont even see or hear us.....as we get closer, im lookin at the crowd .....and its 12 chics in a motorhome, partyin like theres no tomorrow, i look at my buddy and say, "Follow my lead"....we pop into their view and completely FREAK out!!! We slam our beers and a bottle o' rum down and i yell "NOW, YOU TWO CHOICES, YOU CAN EITHER HELP US DRINK OUR ALCOHOL OR WE ARE GONNA PISS ON YER FIRE" ...... needless to say, we woke up around 10:30am, on the side of some killer river and made quite a few friends........now our other buddy was sound asleep, didnt know WHERE the hell we went as you couldnt see either camp through the dense woods, we stumbled back to our camp, and he tortured us to ride all the way into Idaho till nightfall.......stopping for fuel only.

long of it............carry a firearm and bring your dog, a bear wont stumble into your camp if he catches scent of a dog, as for the deer and the antelope, let them dance and play under the full moon, i know i do.....safe travels

 

[doug720]

Nice story above, but the dogs and bears part is not correct, at least in my experience.

We stay in the Northern Sierra for many weeks each year, and done so for nearly 30 years. We stay in our motor home, but we are in a pretty remote area and this is bear country, where they come through camp every night and most days.

We travel with 3 dogs and we are in the same spot for up to 3 weeks at a time, so plenty of dog pee marking the area. The bears don't care, and the bears don't care when they see or hear the dogs either.

Just our experience, and oh ya...We have gun in camp also.

 

[colorado matt]

dstn2bdoa ... loved the first thread ... good read .... I am on the number one side of the fence .... "everything is fine" ... but also have dogs and they are much more aware than I am ... always seem to know when to bark and when to just stare .... we keep bear spray close and have a long and short range gun option available but not what I would call at the ready .... and past couple years we have become quite good at knowing the chatter between the animals and picking up when they are sending warning calls to each other .... .................................................... drifter ....great story..... I am quite curious to try out a hammock set up ... and I have considered the fact that is does seem more "exposed" for sleeping .... mine might be for napping ................................... JHa6av8r ... I agree about having things you hope you never have to use .... and family protection is a motivator that only a man with a family can truly understand it limits (read none) ................................................................................................................................................................................................................ I also read in one of those threads about something called a game camera .... set it up and it will shoot pictures as motion triggers it ..... that sounds quite interesting and while not so much security I think it might be a fun toy ... have to check into that ............... Matt

 

[simpleman]

Growing up in the south the Bears are rare. The scariest thing down here is wild hogs (which don't bother me too much). Animals don't bother me. I have respect for them but I don't fear them. I have always carried however. Simply for the fact that people are foolish. Most of my outdoors camping has been either running trot lines or just a weekend trip with the fellas for fun. I like the hammock but it does leave you exposed. Especially mine with the mosquito net built in. I find I'd rather sleep on the ground most of the time under a lean to tarp or debris hut. My last outing it was raining and cold so I cuddled up in the back of my jeep all weekend. I remember being warm but man they don't make them things very comfy for sleeping. Lol


You better watch where you're going and remember where you been.

 

[mep1811]

I started a similar thread and was able to draw out all the losers on this forum. Some of the keys are, researching where you are going to be , being aware of your surroundings and being capable to protect yourself and others if needed.

 

[k9lestat]

Mep1811 you are correct.

Sent from my QMV7A using Tapatalk

 

[91AzXJ]

Good thread, I have always traveled with at least one weapon but have also never had to use it. I am of the training and thought process that if you are going to have a weapon, it needs to be ready to use or it is nothing more than something to throw at the offender be it human or animal!

 

[UB70]

I started a similar thread and was able to draw out all the losers on this forum. Some of the keys are, researching where you are going to be , being aware of your surroundings and being capable to protect yourself and others if needed.

^This^

Not traveling alone also helps but can't always be done.

 

[continentaldrifter]

I am of the training and thought process that if you are going to have a weapon, it needs to be ready to use or it is nothing more than something to throw at the offender be it human or animal!

I would hope that you reinstate your thought process. As the world continues to become more hostile, cc is becoming not a trend as much as a requirement. I hope you, myself and others would never have to draw anything more than on a map.....Think smart, be discerning and carry a sidearm.

 

[Christophe Noel]

I never carry a weapon, and never will. Just not something I feel is necessary. For me it boils down to a simple matter of where I like to go. We all select our destinations based on a variety of criteria including cool views, nice camping opportunities, and well...safety. As an example, while some of my friends feel safe camping along the Mexican border, I don't know much about it, so don't feel I can feel safe going there. I wouldn't make it any "safer" by adding a hand canon to the mix, so I don't go there. Maybe I'd be "safer" by virtue of being able to blow a hole in another human, but who the hell would want that? (okay...some would, not me.)

I just research the places I want to visit, ideally finding the places with fewer clowns likely to disrupt my backcountry enjoyment. This could be morons with fireworks, loud music, or nefarious intentions. As one who has spent literally hundreds of nights in the backcountry spanning 35+ years I will say this: I run into countless super nice people and cool animal encounters. Can't say I've ever had a bad run-in with anyone in the woods.

Largely because of where I chose to go.

 

[dwh]

Two guns.

Stainless Ruger .22 Government Target model with 8" bull barrel and target sights. Only ever used for teaching, plinking, rabbits, squirrels and the occasional upland bird (if I can sneak up on them close enough to have a chance at a decent shot). When carried (often not), carried open in a custom made leather flap holster. In snake country, loaded with snake shot (never had to shoot a snake yet though...in snake country I tend to stomp around and make a lot of noise to let 'em know I'm coming - and keep my eyes peeled). It was a gift and I love that little "game getter" gun.


Smith & Wesson Model 40 .38 Special. 5 round magazine, double action only, backstrap safety. I can put all 5 in the 10 ring at 15-20 feet, with either hand. If I've been practicing. That's point and shoot, the sights are crap and good luck with a 2" barrel anyway. In the outback, always carried, but never openly. If things look sketchy, I can pull it out and palm it and no one knows it's there. Done that a few times. If/when things calm down, I can slip it away and none the wiser. If carrying the .22, that's on the left, so the .38 is on the right. Theory is, while they see the flap holster still snapped down and closed, they won't be focused on what I've got palmed in the right hand. Eh...it's a theory anyway. Never been put to the test. If things look like going bad, can pop the first round into the dirt. The thing is so loud, and shoots such a frigging flame out the barrel, it's a bit like setting off a flash-bang. Especially at night. Real attention getter, and there are still 4 rounds left if the warning shot didn't work. Only time I've ever had to actually use it in the field, was once to scare off a small pack of dogs that had gone feral. The flash-bang effect did the trick. Been thinking about getting a newer one that is rated for +P ammo, but really, the .38 is a damned punchy little cartridge. Don't really need the +P.






Used to bring along a Mossberg 500 shotgun too, but never used it except for shooting clay pigeons, and a long gun is a pain in the butt if you aren't hunting, so I haven't brought it along for at least a decade.



Never really needed a self-defense gun in the field, but I consider them just another form of insurance. Better to have it and not need it, than to need it and not have it. The .22 is a great little game getter, but really it's mostly been used to teach kids and women how to shoot. It's great for that, because the sights actually work and it's heavy enough that it doesn't kick, and jerking the trigger doesn't have all that much effect. Perfect for teaching sight use and trigger control. (And basic handling safety.)

Over the years I've had a few dogs and took them with me. I love dogs and they are a lot of fun and a good alarm system. But I never felt they were any more a requirement than a gun. Nice to have, not really needed.

 

[Christophe Noel]

In snake country, loaded with snake shot (never had to shoot a snake yet though...in snake country I tend to stomp around and make a lot of noise to let 'em know I'm coming - and keep my eyes peeled).

I'll be the first to admit, I'm an ophidiophobiac. I hate snakes. But considering we don't live in a place with Black Mambas and other aggressive snakes, almost every snake I've seen in the Southwest is either eager to get away or wishes it could. It's not like they'll run you down to sink their fangs in you.

Why people shoot snakes is a bummer. They're important to our delicate ecological systems.

Anyone who shoots a snake is only doing it because they WANT to. There's no NEED to shoot any snake.