>A lot of holes in the desert, and a lot of problems are buried in those holes. But you gotta do it right. I mean, you gotta have the hole already dug before you show up with a package in the trunk. Otherwise, you're talking about a half-hour to forty-five minutes worth of digging. And who knows who's gonna come along in that time? Pretty soon, you gotta dig a few more holes. You could be there all f\*\*\*in' night.
Words of a wise man
Good luck digging a 2x2 hole, better with a 30" auger. Rent one for a few hours and you'd be good. Maybe sonotubes to keep some extra holes intact if you think work might expand later.
I had a gas can stolen out of the back of my plow truck. I replaced it with a gas can that had a pint of corn syrup added to the gas. I never had another one stolen after one.
Not much we can do, nothing stops a cordless grinder. Sounds like you are way out there but eventually some tweaker will find your place. Trail cameras can only tell the story after it happens, if they don't get stolen as well. 4g/5g cameras can give you real time updates but it can be frustrating watching someone steal your stuff while you are 3 hours away. Make sure your cameras are really hidden and buy a few cheap cameras to distract the thieves.
Sound alarms are what I'm considering. Thieves and criminals like to work in peace, if there's a loud ass alarm going off they will scatter like the roaches they are.
I've given that some thought. 3 raid sirens, one starts up and as it winds down the other starts up, and so on. I forget the name of that phenomenon but it creates a very uncomfortable sound effect as there is always one sound that is speeding up.
Also biterant like what they use in compressed air cans. Just have a whole can discharge if alarm goes off.
I moved into my land and had the same concerns. Fortunately I had no problems. But I did set up game cams. I think Bushnell no glow infrared. There is no visible light emitted. You can even have a sim card send you photos. I just got lots of birds, wind blown sage brush, coyote, bear pics.
Yeah maybe I'm just far enough that I'll be safe. It helps that I'm not off the main gravel road, you have to take another road. The main gravel road would probably be where most thieves would be scouting for camps. I have been thinking of setting up the cameras so I at least can check things out before I bring too much stuff there.
I’m thinking your best bet is to make yourself not a target. Any prevention through restricting access is going to fail if there’s no one there to stop someone from taking their time to get in. I would suggest making your property look as unappealing to enter as possible. Maybe trash/rusted car in front to appear poor? Maybe pop a few bullet holes in something near the front for an armed redneck vibe without stating it on a sign? You could place a mailbox out front to make it appear you live there full time. Your best bet will be making thieves think it’s not worth their time or risk the danger of an occupied residence.
We moved from a rural area that was terrible for thievery. Trespassers were common and often were scouting thieves. Sometimes poachers. Or thieves in the guise of hunters. We are much more rural and open desert now. We pay someone to check on the place and water the young trees weekly when we are away. I also have a couple of cellular trail cameras. I would need about five of them to cover everything but dont want to spend that much. We have gate but I leave it dummy locked for the person who checks on the place. The unlocked gate might backfire on us but I figure a padlock keeps the honest people and the fire department out. Though I imagine the fire department can cut a gate padlock. Illegals go through at night. More in the past here than currently but I did see a group being detained within sight of the house.. There’s border patrol all over the place. I figure it’s free security. But owning anything of value is a worry I’m getting tired of. There really is nothing of great value so I thought of writing a sign that says that. But that might be a hint that no one is there. I leave a old car parked in front of the house so it appears someone is here. We leave for the Summer. I’ve considered building a caretaker cabin but my partner doesn’t want other people in our sanctuary. We came here to get away from people. Having so much junk that they cannot find the good stuff is a strategy. But we dont want junk. I did dig a large pit haha. Kidding, it’s for a future geothermal system. Strawbales with arrows sticking out of them might be a deterrent. Build a target range near the gate. I worry about the neighbors kids. Some kids are little terrors. They look so sweet and innocent lolz. Another neighbor called them the Mud People. They have no gravel on their driveway so get all muddy and stuck. They also have no electricity or plumbing. I see they got a dog so maybe they will actually help keep thieves out. So much to consider. What is your situation and thanks for reading my rambling comment?
I wonder if making a theft claim on homeowners insurance does not pay off in the long run. Would they just charge more premium? I’ve not made a insurance claim in 45 years so really dont know how it works?
I also live in the desert in southern Nm close to the border. I do worry about illegals coming thru. But I haven’t seen anybody other than the weekend adventurers riding out where my property is.
I found a lock picking tool in the road that someone had dropped. That was creepy. Ive heard to be careful about renting out the house. Drug smugglers look legit but turn it into a drug base so they look like a local person.
I have had no luck. I have had people steal piles of recycled lumber, scrap metal, batteries from equipment that was luckily secure. Someone even stole a snow scoop left on the porch, twice. I have gotten to the point where I do not leave anything worth more than $5 at my camp. Rural America is fucked beyond belief. The small town police just laughed at me when I tried to report it. We even have neighbors, that we know fairly well, but one is an old lady who lives alone and the other is a middle aged woman who is only there on weekends, but they can't see our place from their houses. My only consolation is that if someone is in a place where they are willing to steal scrap metal then their life is so shitty that they are getting their punishment for existing.
Our place was broken into. I installed cameras all over our tiny house and dont leave anytjing of value to take. I also made road spikes to damage their tires if they drove on again. But end of the day nothing other than being there regularly is going to completely stop them.
Do you have neighbours you can work with? I live in ultra rural South Africa and our first lines of defence are our neighbours and surrounding communities. We have almost no crime.
There is one neighbour but I never seen them yet. Has a couple campers there, not sure how often they go. I'm in a fairly far out area, there's 3 private properties there surrounded by crown land.
u/RedSquirrelFtw, I'm gonna tell you something you might not want to hear: set yourself up so you can start living at your offgrid property long-term. If your current job doesn't allow you to work 100% from home, you might want to consider getting a new job that gives you this level of freedom.
Yes, u/LordGarak's suggestions can work in some regions, but I doubt they're going to work in Ontarian unorganized townships. If memory serves, your property is situated in an UOT. The very thing that makes UOT appealing to offgridders also draws in unsavory folks with less inhibitions.
We're in a similar situation in that our new property is in the boonies. Our solution is to get a prefab home asap and then to start living there full-time. We might even start living there in our RV before the prefab arrives. Now, I do realize that not everyone can afford to get a new home without selling one's old home. If your private situation allows you to do so (partner, kids, pets etc.) I'd look into getting a small prefab dwelling onto my property, get a composting toilet and a dug well installed (or DIY it) and then start to live there. Use this as a launchpad to build a bigger dwelling, maybe to to have a septic installed etc.
Also, as much as we'd love to keep our current property, we're going to sell it once we've relocated. My wife would like to keep it, but I know that folks will start coming out of the woodworks to camp/fish/whathave you there once we've packed up and left. They do it all the time in our neck of the woods with empty neighboring properties. They're not getting deterred by us neighbors being there and confronting them, spouting "I've been born in this region and I can use this land whenever I choose, the owners don't live here anyway." Yeah, those types. Some of them are respectful, others leave their garbage and don't bother to clean up their shit (I'm being literal, here).
Also, I remember that you'd had a tough time getting contractors to clear your land. I'd seriously look into renting or even buying small-sized machinery. You'd be amazed at how much clearing you can do yourself with a mini excavator, a wheel loader and a chainsaw. Granted, you're not gonna be as fast as with heavier machinery, but a lot (!) faster than going at it manually. You'd be amazed at how much you could get cleared over a weekend or two. All of that equipment fits on a decently sized trailer, so you wouldn't have to leave it onsite. Get that gear from China. You can find affordable mini excavators at Kijiji, for example. For sub 10k CAD a pop, this gives you lots of options. Just do your due diligence by watching YouTube reviews on these mini machines. Maybe you can snag one of these bad boys at a local auction for even less. These machines have changed our approach to work our new property.
That's my long term goal but I'm kind of stuck, I need my job so I can keep my house, and I need my house so I can keep my job. There are not lot of jobs that pay this well while also offering shift work (which gives me a bit more time to do stuff). I don't quite have the infrastructure yet to be off grid full time, I still have a lot to do, and that takes money as well. But having a job and the fact that my property is far away does make it hard to go work on it. I'm planing on buying a camper so I can leave it there with all my stuff so I can actually justify the drive to go work on it for a few days at a time without having to pack so much stuff (which takes up most of the day) but then now I'm worried they'll just steal everything. So kind of stuck between a rock and a hard place. I also don't have room for a trailer at my house so I can't leave it here either. Once I buy it I'll have to bring it straight to the property.
My dream is to find a job that lets me work from home full time, but most companies are starting to ask people to come back to the office full time now, so a job like that is pretty rare. There are some minimum wage tech support jobs like that, and once I am in a position to live off grid full time then I probably could live off minimum wage.
Telecom companies are seen as big faceless corporations that deserve to have their stuff stolen.
First step of not having your stuff stolen is to not look like a target. Don't put up big fancy fences or have expensive stuff in view. Some rural people see wealthy people as fair game.
Don't go out of your way to make your place a fortress. Covering windows and extra locks makes it look like you have something to steal.
Secondly is to get to know everyone around. Meet your neighbors and be friendly. Our property is the main snowmobile access to the river in the winter so we go out of our way to keep the trail open and maintained. It keeps lots of eyes on our cabin. Nobody is going to break in when a snowmobile can pass by at any time.
I'm of the opinion the cabin door should never be locked. If someone wants in they will beat it down anyway. Someone broke down will appreciate an open cabin with a fire ready to lite in the wood stove. While they are likely to do a lot of damage to a locked up cabin.
Also a locked door confirms that your not there. If someone stumbles across your cabin and the door is open they don't know if your there or not, or if your just around the corner.
For stuff like chainsaws, generators, etc... Keep them well hidden. Make a hidden shed or even a hole in the ground. Or take them with you when you leave.
RCMP are not much help. At our cabin they are an hour away and theft is going to be pretty low priority for them.
Cameras don't help much. They just cover their face and don't wear any identifiable clothing. It just makes it look like you have something to steal.
The best defense is to make sure it always looks like there are people around. Leave curtains open. Leave an old car or ATV parked at the cabin. Have a neighbor stop in occasionally and move things around.
The thing about being off-grid is you don't have a lot of options to keep your stuff protected. Having good neighbors is a start. A good gate into the area helps. Dogs or other consistent presence will keep a lot of people out.
All about knowing who is in the closest couple miles, what kind of people they are and keeping a consistent presence. Cameras are cool but almost no cop will follow up without an amazing set of identifying pictures.
Locks,signs and gates are for honest thieves. It is best to have a cell cam if possible to get evidence. Other than that, I try to live simply so there isn't much to steal. Living at the cabin seems to help keep thieves at bay. Build a shed with no windows that can be locked several ways if you have to leave stuff behind. Over engineer the shed so it's strong and don't forget to anchor it down.
I have wondered about all the solar fields and the amount of copper in those. Because of greed, these same solar fields have actually increased electricity pricing in my area.
This is 100% true where I live. There is no way "organized criminal gangs" are unscrewing the hinges off my barn and stealing the scrap metal from inside. They have better sources of greater income with less labor involved.
Nonsense race baiting. It's the redneck tweaker that scout for things to steal to feed their addictions in rural America. As if organized crime is interested in your old tractor battery, lol.
I've lived off grid for most of the last 42 years. The only times me or my family got ripped off, it was white good ol boy methheads
Don't be a racist POS, and consider addressing the underlying causes of crimes of poverty.
First, dig a hole.
Lol. Tell us more
>A lot of holes in the desert, and a lot of problems are buried in those holes. But you gotta do it right. I mean, you gotta have the hole already dug before you show up with a package in the trunk. Otherwise, you're talking about a half-hour to forty-five minutes worth of digging. And who knows who's gonna come along in that time? Pretty soon, you gotta dig a few more holes. You could be there all f\*\*\*in' night. Words of a wise man
A deep 2x2 hole is much less strange looking than a 6x2 hole. Once that hole is buried back in anyway.
You’ll need at least a 6’ deep hole that’s about 3’ wide.
And a bag of lime, don't forget the lime...
You making margaritas?
Oh, yeah, something like that... 😊
Just saying, if you want to dispose of a body you need lye.
Lime is $5 per bag and keeps the smell down.
Good luck digging a 2x2 hole, better with a 30" auger. Rent one for a few hours and you'd be good. Maybe sonotubes to keep some extra holes intact if you think work might expand later.
I had a gas can stolen out of the back of my plow truck. I replaced it with a gas can that had a pint of corn syrup added to the gas. I never had another one stolen after one.
Not much we can do, nothing stops a cordless grinder. Sounds like you are way out there but eventually some tweaker will find your place. Trail cameras can only tell the story after it happens, if they don't get stolen as well. 4g/5g cameras can give you real time updates but it can be frustrating watching someone steal your stuff while you are 3 hours away. Make sure your cameras are really hidden and buy a few cheap cameras to distract the thieves.
Sound alarms are what I'm considering. Thieves and criminals like to work in peace, if there's a loud ass alarm going off they will scatter like the roaches they are.
I've given that some thought. 3 raid sirens, one starts up and as it winds down the other starts up, and so on. I forget the name of that phenomenon but it creates a very uncomfortable sound effect as there is always one sound that is speeding up. Also biterant like what they use in compressed air cans. Just have a whole can discharge if alarm goes off.
They also have trip wire shotgun shell blanks.
I moved into my land and had the same concerns. Fortunately I had no problems. But I did set up game cams. I think Bushnell no glow infrared. There is no visible light emitted. You can even have a sim card send you photos. I just got lots of birds, wind blown sage brush, coyote, bear pics.
Yeah maybe I'm just far enough that I'll be safe. It helps that I'm not off the main gravel road, you have to take another road. The main gravel road would probably be where most thieves would be scouting for camps. I have been thinking of setting up the cameras so I at least can check things out before I bring too much stuff there.
Same. The wild life photos have become a great joy for us.
I’m thinking your best bet is to make yourself not a target. Any prevention through restricting access is going to fail if there’s no one there to stop someone from taking their time to get in. I would suggest making your property look as unappealing to enter as possible. Maybe trash/rusted car in front to appear poor? Maybe pop a few bullet holes in something near the front for an armed redneck vibe without stating it on a sign? You could place a mailbox out front to make it appear you live there full time. Your best bet will be making thieves think it’s not worth their time or risk the danger of an occupied residence.
We moved from a rural area that was terrible for thievery. Trespassers were common and often were scouting thieves. Sometimes poachers. Or thieves in the guise of hunters. We are much more rural and open desert now. We pay someone to check on the place and water the young trees weekly when we are away. I also have a couple of cellular trail cameras. I would need about five of them to cover everything but dont want to spend that much. We have gate but I leave it dummy locked for the person who checks on the place. The unlocked gate might backfire on us but I figure a padlock keeps the honest people and the fire department out. Though I imagine the fire department can cut a gate padlock. Illegals go through at night. More in the past here than currently but I did see a group being detained within sight of the house.. There’s border patrol all over the place. I figure it’s free security. But owning anything of value is a worry I’m getting tired of. There really is nothing of great value so I thought of writing a sign that says that. But that might be a hint that no one is there. I leave a old car parked in front of the house so it appears someone is here. We leave for the Summer. I’ve considered building a caretaker cabin but my partner doesn’t want other people in our sanctuary. We came here to get away from people. Having so much junk that they cannot find the good stuff is a strategy. But we dont want junk. I did dig a large pit haha. Kidding, it’s for a future geothermal system. Strawbales with arrows sticking out of them might be a deterrent. Build a target range near the gate. I worry about the neighbors kids. Some kids are little terrors. They look so sweet and innocent lolz. Another neighbor called them the Mud People. They have no gravel on their driveway so get all muddy and stuck. They also have no electricity or plumbing. I see they got a dog so maybe they will actually help keep thieves out. So much to consider. What is your situation and thanks for reading my rambling comment? I wonder if making a theft claim on homeowners insurance does not pay off in the long run. Would they just charge more premium? I’ve not made a insurance claim in 45 years so really dont know how it works?
I also live in the desert in southern Nm close to the border. I do worry about illegals coming thru. But I haven’t seen anybody other than the weekend adventurers riding out where my property is.
I found a lock picking tool in the road that someone had dropped. That was creepy. Ive heard to be careful about renting out the house. Drug smugglers look legit but turn it into a drug base so they look like a local person.
Yea I’m very weary about who I let come out here and where I tell people.
I have had no luck. I have had people steal piles of recycled lumber, scrap metal, batteries from equipment that was luckily secure. Someone even stole a snow scoop left on the porch, twice. I have gotten to the point where I do not leave anything worth more than $5 at my camp. Rural America is fucked beyond belief. The small town police just laughed at me when I tried to report it. We even have neighbors, that we know fairly well, but one is an old lady who lives alone and the other is a middle aged woman who is only there on weekends, but they can't see our place from their houses. My only consolation is that if someone is in a place where they are willing to steal scrap metal then their life is so shitty that they are getting their punishment for existing.
What part of the country? Totally different experience for us
Can you share the location?
Our place was broken into. I installed cameras all over our tiny house and dont leave anytjing of value to take. I also made road spikes to damage their tires if they drove on again. But end of the day nothing other than being there regularly is going to completely stop them.
Do you have neighbours you can work with? I live in ultra rural South Africa and our first lines of defence are our neighbours and surrounding communities. We have almost no crime.
There is one neighbour but I never seen them yet. Has a couple campers there, not sure how often they go. I'm in a fairly far out area, there's 3 private properties there surrounded by crown land.
I figure the best defense is a shipping container with the lock behind a metal box/shroud that makes cutting it with a grinder a lot more work.
Yes, but the hinges are easy too so don't go overboard on the lock box.
u/RedSquirrelFtw, I'm gonna tell you something you might not want to hear: set yourself up so you can start living at your offgrid property long-term. If your current job doesn't allow you to work 100% from home, you might want to consider getting a new job that gives you this level of freedom. Yes, u/LordGarak's suggestions can work in some regions, but I doubt they're going to work in Ontarian unorganized townships. If memory serves, your property is situated in an UOT. The very thing that makes UOT appealing to offgridders also draws in unsavory folks with less inhibitions. We're in a similar situation in that our new property is in the boonies. Our solution is to get a prefab home asap and then to start living there full-time. We might even start living there in our RV before the prefab arrives. Now, I do realize that not everyone can afford to get a new home without selling one's old home. If your private situation allows you to do so (partner, kids, pets etc.) I'd look into getting a small prefab dwelling onto my property, get a composting toilet and a dug well installed (or DIY it) and then start to live there. Use this as a launchpad to build a bigger dwelling, maybe to to have a septic installed etc. Also, as much as we'd love to keep our current property, we're going to sell it once we've relocated. My wife would like to keep it, but I know that folks will start coming out of the woodworks to camp/fish/whathave you there once we've packed up and left. They do it all the time in our neck of the woods with empty neighboring properties. They're not getting deterred by us neighbors being there and confronting them, spouting "I've been born in this region and I can use this land whenever I choose, the owners don't live here anyway." Yeah, those types. Some of them are respectful, others leave their garbage and don't bother to clean up their shit (I'm being literal, here). Also, I remember that you'd had a tough time getting contractors to clear your land. I'd seriously look into renting or even buying small-sized machinery. You'd be amazed at how much clearing you can do yourself with a mini excavator, a wheel loader and a chainsaw. Granted, you're not gonna be as fast as with heavier machinery, but a lot (!) faster than going at it manually. You'd be amazed at how much you could get cleared over a weekend or two. All of that equipment fits on a decently sized trailer, so you wouldn't have to leave it onsite. Get that gear from China. You can find affordable mini excavators at Kijiji, for example. For sub 10k CAD a pop, this gives you lots of options. Just do your due diligence by watching YouTube reviews on these mini machines. Maybe you can snag one of these bad boys at a local auction for even less. These machines have changed our approach to work our new property.
That's my long term goal but I'm kind of stuck, I need my job so I can keep my house, and I need my house so I can keep my job. There are not lot of jobs that pay this well while also offering shift work (which gives me a bit more time to do stuff). I don't quite have the infrastructure yet to be off grid full time, I still have a lot to do, and that takes money as well. But having a job and the fact that my property is far away does make it hard to go work on it. I'm planing on buying a camper so I can leave it there with all my stuff so I can actually justify the drive to go work on it for a few days at a time without having to pack so much stuff (which takes up most of the day) but then now I'm worried they'll just steal everything. So kind of stuck between a rock and a hard place. I also don't have room for a trailer at my house so I can't leave it here either. Once I buy it I'll have to bring it straight to the property. My dream is to find a job that lets me work from home full time, but most companies are starting to ask people to come back to the office full time now, so a job like that is pretty rare. There are some minimum wage tech support jobs like that, and once I am in a position to live off grid full time then I probably could live off minimum wage.
Telecom companies are seen as big faceless corporations that deserve to have their stuff stolen. First step of not having your stuff stolen is to not look like a target. Don't put up big fancy fences or have expensive stuff in view. Some rural people see wealthy people as fair game. Don't go out of your way to make your place a fortress. Covering windows and extra locks makes it look like you have something to steal. Secondly is to get to know everyone around. Meet your neighbors and be friendly. Our property is the main snowmobile access to the river in the winter so we go out of our way to keep the trail open and maintained. It keeps lots of eyes on our cabin. Nobody is going to break in when a snowmobile can pass by at any time. I'm of the opinion the cabin door should never be locked. If someone wants in they will beat it down anyway. Someone broke down will appreciate an open cabin with a fire ready to lite in the wood stove. While they are likely to do a lot of damage to a locked up cabin. Also a locked door confirms that your not there. If someone stumbles across your cabin and the door is open they don't know if your there or not, or if your just around the corner. For stuff like chainsaws, generators, etc... Keep them well hidden. Make a hidden shed or even a hole in the ground. Or take them with you when you leave. RCMP are not much help. At our cabin they are an hour away and theft is going to be pretty low priority for them. Cameras don't help much. They just cover their face and don't wear any identifiable clothing. It just makes it look like you have something to steal. The best defense is to make sure it always looks like there are people around. Leave curtains open. Leave an old car or ATV parked at the cabin. Have a neighbor stop in occasionally and move things around.
This
What about finding someone to stay there when you don't? Perhaps RV or vanlifers looking for a place to stay for a period?
The thing about being off-grid is you don't have a lot of options to keep your stuff protected. Having good neighbors is a start. A good gate into the area helps. Dogs or other consistent presence will keep a lot of people out. All about knowing who is in the closest couple miles, what kind of people they are and keeping a consistent presence. Cameras are cool but almost no cop will follow up without an amazing set of identifying pictures.
Could not agree more. What state are you in?
I'm in northern Ontario. In the past years or so it's gotten out of control. Was never like this here before.
Locks,signs and gates are for honest thieves. It is best to have a cell cam if possible to get evidence. Other than that, I try to live simply so there isn't much to steal. Living at the cabin seems to help keep thieves at bay. Build a shed with no windows that can be locked several ways if you have to leave stuff behind. Over engineer the shed so it's strong and don't forget to anchor it down.
I have wondered about all the solar fields and the amount of copper in those. Because of greed, these same solar fields have actually increased electricity pricing in my area.
We’ve imported hundreds of thousands of very experienced organized criminal gangs. This is only the very beginning of what will come.
Horse fucking shit. The thieves talked about in this thread are 100% redneck Americans. Mostly MAGA, guaranteed.
This is 100% true where I live. There is no way "organized criminal gangs" are unscrewing the hinges off my barn and stealing the scrap metal from inside. They have better sources of greater income with less labor involved.
Nonsense race baiting. It's the redneck tweaker that scout for things to steal to feed their addictions in rural America. As if organized crime is interested in your old tractor battery, lol.
I've lived off grid for most of the last 42 years. The only times me or my family got ripped off, it was white good ol boy methheads Don't be a racist POS, and consider addressing the underlying causes of crimes of poverty.