We Got Robbed

We got robbed! So bummed right now. I came up to the property because I was stoked to put in our old wood stove to get ready to hike up into the cabin during the first snow… I discovered we got robbed! They broke open the shed, cabin and out house. They were on foot but they stole all the expensive stuff. They took our 4000w generator, my folding 3hp outboard we use on our canoe, Aaron’s 4×4 Honda Foreman quad and tons of power and hand tools. basically everything useful. F-ing Meth heads. Eventually I assume they’ll be back to take everything they missed. They didn’t take our solar panels, charge controllers or battery.

It’s depressing to think that the place we have to get away from it all is leaving a sour taste in my mouth and making me worry so much now. 3 years of trust shattered. Things have definitely changed at “Camp Taint”. If we ever do get a generator again we can’t leave it there.  I suppose we’ll be switching to hand tools. No more fun fast canoe trips or making trails for the quad. Hauling all that stuff out there each time is going to suck, what’s the point of having a cabin in the woods if you can’t store stuff there.

Ehhhhh, What to do….

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19 Responses

  1. C. E. Yapes says:

    Isn’t it funny, now that one of your neighbors went back to jail for shooting at a cop, the break in’s have mostly stopped. BTW, I found someone’s golf balls in my drive. lol

  2. Brandilyn says:

    It’s great to read something that’s both enojlyabe and provides pragmatisdc solutions.

  3. I like the buried bin idea too. I have this 3’x3′ metal box from the military that could work for that. We definitely will be taking generators and big tools with us from now on too.

    I don’t know if the light would matter, since they can tell no one is home since the gate is up and no cars are around. The radio idea sounds interesting. Might be worth it.

  4. Alex says:

    Sorry to hear you got robbed dude. I like Deek’s camo storage bin idea and RT’s hideaway BBQ idea. Next time if you decide to get generators again maybe you can two smaller ones so they’re easier to hide or take back with you.

    My girl’s dad has had issues with getting robbed… And he’s out there in the woods but does have neighbors, etc. He always leaves a radio blasting so it sounds like he’s up/someone’s there. Along with a light on wherever. Is that possible for you?

    How about one of those “NOTHING IN HERE IS WORTH YOUR LIFE” with a picture of a gun stickers? That plus making it look like you might be there might work??? I don’t know.

  5. Ya man it sucks. I think we are changing how we use the place now. Do you have any problems at your cabin? How remote is it?

  6. relaxshax says:

    Set up some pungee stick pits! kidding….no, bummed to hear it….you need some secretive/camouflaged/buried storage bins

    -Deek

  7. no name says:

    I had a place like that. It was supposed to be a place to relax but got robbed all the time. It’s a bummer.

  8. Good idea, I am going to order a basic Trail Camera off Amazon.

    Is the Scout guard the one that emails the photos to your home? ALso got any tips to hide them? Also will the trail camera pick up a vehicle if it drives by? I ask because I read the sensor needs heat and movement to go off.

  9. Thanks for the kind words and the offer.

  10. Ya I think we got cased a month ago when a certain shady someone came up to sell us some stolen siding. Then he or his colleges parked a truck at the bottom of our lower enterance and probably filled up the quad with everything they could then rolled it down the hill or maybe even drove it if they hot wired it.

  11. warren says:

    I guess one can never be perfectly secure but I wonder what you think about using one of those big storage containers to store your stuff? I guess it might be dang near impossible to get one to your location (unless there is a small barge or something you could engage), but you are creative I am sure. You still need to lock it but I think there is only one way in. If you can find a big-ass lock of some sort, maybe you could be safer? I know locks can be busted/picked etc but I wonder if a really awesome one could be had for a proper outlay of cash. No idea…I am buying remote land and have been considering this as we do our final bits of paperwork but I don’t have a good answer apart from the storage container…

  12. DPM says:

    ..and the trust I had destroyed was only a cast iron chiminea..Had it out for the winter before we started to work on the place..I did have it marked so that I would know it so if I ever see it there will be trouble..then chiminea fires at my place again. Not nearly the same thing and am not trying to compare to you. There is no such thing as a secure remote location unless nobody knows its there. if you do want to keep things out there and have the land you need to disguise a place nearby with no distinguising trail. sorry..you just got me to thinking. Also, a ‘beware of dog’ sign and 2 different dog houses set up on the property help too..I have 2 dog houses that my dog has never gone into..just some thoughts..really sicks again.

  13. DPM says:

    I was worried about this happening at my place too. I am remote and such but I bought a scoutguard trail camera..it has nightvision and only has some red lights at night and no flash..so put it in a secure place that gets high traffic and you are all set. I have 2 of them and what I do is when I see someone on the camera I don’t know I print off the photo and post it up on my door..my idea is that people seldom break in on first pass..they usually scout it out first. If they see themselves they konw they will not have gotten in without being filmed..and hence will be caught. Plus if someone is going to break in an see pictures of other people who were filmed they are likly to think they were filmed..the scoutguard is on eby for $200..I figure for $500 it is the cost of a TV or something..it takes 8AA batteries and lasts for over a month in areas where it does not take more than 1000 photos for the month…plus once people know its there its as good as permanatly on..the 2 have worked well for me so far..and a couple of times I had contrators out and called them back to ask about thier estimate before they even knew I was out there! really sucks being violated like that..Oh, I also have 2 cameras but I have lables which say 2 of 4 and 4 of 4 on the back of each…just so if they find them they will think there are more and still be wary…works well to catch raccoons in the act too.

  14. Mo says:

    Major bummer. Sadly even if they are caught there ain’t no fixing the violation of trust you’ve experienced. We had the infamous “barefoot bandit” running around here for years and his crimes did more harm than just property damage and theft. Of course since he didn’t get enough hugs when he was growing up it’s OK with those that weren’t his victims and his tens of thousands of fans on facebook…

    Very sorry to read this and I hope it never happens to you again. In these times we haul anything of value back and forth – inconvenient but mitigates the potential nightmare you woke up to.

    Best of luck to you.

  15. Alison says:

    Joseph, We are so sorry to hear this news. What a total bummer. Please let us know if we can schedule a trip to help you thief-proof what’s left. Again, sorry about everything that you lost. What jerks to take your stuff.

  16. On Foot!? Bizarre. Definitely local meth-heads huh? Be sure to watch craigslist in nearby cities and setup some RSS feeds to watch. Who knows you might find the F###ers.

  17. RT says:

    That’s gotta be a letdown in many ways. People often complain if a few easily replaceable things get stolen but these weren’t those kinds of cheap items. On a project of this scale, the tools and transport are a good chunk of the budget.
    I’ve been keeping few worthwhile things at my cabin while building, but some things like ladders just aren’t worth carrying back and forth so I keep stuff under the cabin, and so far no one’s messed with anything. It may be extra work but putting things in unexpected places can do wonders in terms of security. If you build what looks like a small brick BBQ but keep a generator inside, nobody’s going to even bother looking at what it is and it will also keep things covered from the elements. Thats just one idea, but you get the point.
    Also, I’m not sure people of that sort even know what solar panels are and even if they do, they’re probably not worth stealing to them, especially if securely mounted.

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