Do you remember the old story of the ant and the grasshopper? If you don’t, here’s a quick refresher. The ant spends all summer storing food for the winter, so that when the weather gets cold, he’s got enough to survive. The grasshopper spends all summer playing and then starves to death when winter comes, trying to take what the ant spent all summer collecting.
When it comes to survival situations, it’s a valuable lesson from both sides. You need to be the ant, storing everything you’re going to need to survive, but you also need to realize that almost everyone around you is likely a grasshopper — and they’re going to want what you have.
Storing food and survival supplies is important, but so is protecting yourself and those supplies. What can you do to fortify your survival shelter against break-ins? Here’s a few thoughts.
1. Forewarned Is Forearmed
Sometimes, the easiest way to protect yourself and your survival shelter is to know that a threat is coming. There are a lot of different ways to do this. It depends on how your shelter is laid out, whether you still have power, and the funds you’re willing to invest.
You can go with the simple options, such as mirrors, tripwires attached to cans, and other low-tech options will let you know if someone is on the prowl. While these can be functional, they only work if you’re around to notice the alerts.
If the power and internet grids are still functional — or you have off-grid power sources like solar — higher-tech options might be better. These can include infrared sensors and trail cameras and CCTV, many of which are quite inexpensive and run on batteries (like Blink cameras reviewed here). You may be able to connect these devices to a phone or mobile remote so you can travel further while still monitoring your homestead. Remember that knowing a threat is coming is probably the best defense anyone can have.
2. Strengthen Your Perimeter
Don’t let those grasshoppers just waltz up to your survival shelter! Take steps to secure your perimeter and make it more difficult to access your home.
Fences are useful, but instead of opting for tall, solid fences, choose something like cast iron or chain link fencing that also allows you to see what’s going on around you. Design the fence so the slats are close enough together to prevent the average-sized adult from slipping through but not so close that you can’t monitor the area around your perimeter with a glance.
At the very least, fencing forces people to either funnel the way you want them to or take extra steps to avoid doing so which, if you have things setup correctly, will allow you to spot them coming with your surveillance setup.
3. Choose Your Shelter Wisely
Most modern houses aren’t designed to last as a long-term survival shelter. They’re designed for comfort, with insulated walls, high ceilings, and large windows to let in natural light. The latter is a big problem that we’ll discuss a little later.
The key is to choose your shelter wisely. If you’re going to shelter in your home, how many windows does it have? Do you have a solution to stop someone with a rock from smashing their way in, such as with window security film? Maybe you only intend to secure a portion of your home, which is possible, but you still can’t ignore the more obvious ways to get inside. For instance, is your garage door secure enough to prevent a break-in? Personal doors and windows will be covered later.
Remember that, if possible, choose a shelter first and foremost for your ability to reinforce and fortify it and keep unwanted guests out.
4. Train Big Dogs
Right now, before the world ends, one of the best ways to keep thieves out of your home is to have a barking dog. More than half of former burglars stated that dogs — especially large breeds — were a deal-breaker when it came to choosing a home to target. The same logic applies to protecting your survival shelter. Choose some large-breed dogs and train them to protect your property.
In these cases, you’re going to want to opt for mutts rather than purebred dogs because their mixed heritages reduce the chance that a mutt will suffer from breed-specific ailments as they age. An example would be a mixed-breed German Shepherd which is less likely to experience hip dysplasia than a purebred version of the same species.
Make sure you’re choosing large breeds or mixed breeds. While chihuahuas might be meaner than pit bulls, they’re not nearly as intimidating. Even if your large-breed dogs are the sweetest in the world — or what’s left of the world — their sheer size is sometimes enough to scare off anyone who might try to break into your shelter.
5. Don’t Be Obvious (OPSEC)
The only reason the grasshopper knew where the ant was storing their food is that they could watch the little ant work all summer. Don’t be obvious with your preparations! Don’t buy pallets of emergency rations and supplies and have them delivered to your home where every neighbor can see them. Don’t brag about the size of your stash or bring acquaintances over to tour your survival shelter. And don’t make it obvious that your survival shelter is exactly that…OPSEC rules the day.
6. Reinforce Everything You Can
Drywall and cinder block aren’t going to cut it if someone is determined to force their way in. Make sure you’re reinforcing everything you can. You can add reinforcements to existing structures, but if you’re worried about someone driving a car through your shelter or zombies smashing their way through the walls, you might want to consider building your perfect survival shelter from the ground up, with steel reinforcements built right into the walls, and deep foundations that will make it more difficult to knock over. But then it’s probably easiest to construct external deterrents like ditches and raised cinderblock planter beds than anything else.
Reinforcements aren’t limited to your walls and framework, either. If you’re setting fence posts, reinforce them with steel or concrete to prevent cars more easily knocking their way through. Take a close look at your existing structures, and then look at them again through the eyes of an aggressor. Shifting your perspective might make it easier to spot flaws in your security that you could otherwise have missed.
7. Plant Unfriendly Florals
There’s nothing like trying to sneak into a home only to find yourself bleeding and in pain because you’ve walked into yet another security feature — the plant life. Spiky plants like blackberries, cacti, and others can cause a lot of pain while, in some cases, providing you with an extra source of fresh food.
[Editor’s note: some choices, like blackberry vines, are almost impossible to make your way through when allowed to grow thick enough. Give nature time to do her work and she’ll help you out.]
Make sure you’re aware of where all these dangerous plants are so you don’t accidentally stumble into them, and wear long sleeves and other protective gear while you’re tending to them or working around them. Experiment with different plants before the world ends to see what will work best in your growing zone. Blackberries might be a great choice in the southeast, but they freeze over in the north. Cacti might thrive in the desert but will mildew in humid climates and won’t grow. Make sure you’re working with what thrives in your growing zone.
8. Armed and Ready
In addition to all of these different fortifications and unfriendly plant life, you need to be prepared to step up and defend yourself and your homestead if the need arises. Make sure you have enough weapons to protect yourself — and that means firearms.
In addition to buying enough guns and ammo to guard your survival shelter, you need to take the time to practice with each of them. You need to know how to aim, fire, reload, and hit your target with each gun in your arsenal. Don’t waste ammo shooting from the hip — that stuff’s expensive. And if the world ends, they’re not going to be making any more.
9. Pay Attention to Doors and Windows
Doors and windows are the easiest way to get in and out of your home — which also makes them the most vulnerable spots for break-ins. Windows, especially, tend to be problematic because their glass is fragile and easy to break. Take the time to reinforce both doors and windows. Aside form window film, secure windows with shutters or bars for maximum effect. That way, if you need to open the windows for ventilation purposes, you can still use them while remaining safe.
Reinforcing your door comes in two forms. First, you’ll want to replace lightweight modern doors with models made from heavy wood or steel. At the same time, you’ll also want to upgrade or reinforce the doorframes to prevent a battering ram or strong kick from knocking the heavier reinforced door off its hinges or out of its frame. This is something you’ll want to do long before you need it, though reinforcing the door frame can be an extensive process.
10. Set Some Booby Traps?
It sounds corny, but when you’re dealing with a survival situation, you can’t monitor everything all the time. Setting some booby traps around your property can help take up the slack and protect you when you might have your back turned. They don’t have to be pretty or extensive or even explosive. Something as simple as a sharp stick attached to a springy sapling or a cargo net trap hidden under some leaves and brush can be surprisingly effective.
A major caveat with booby traps is that you absolutely have to know where they are at all times so you don’t accidentally wander into your own trap. The last thing you want to worry about in a survival situation is how you’re going to get out of your own damn cargo net.
[Editor’s note: There’s more to be concerned with than YOU accidentally encountering your own traps, as neighbors, children, pets, and wildlife may unwittingly encounter them as well. Personally, I suggest you DO NOT set anything that’s clearly going to be harmful like a stick pit. And, honestly, it’s probably best to not use booby traps at all.]
11. Have a Safe Place to Retreat
You can spend all the money and time fortifying your survival shelter, but if someone wants it more than you do, they will find a way to take it from you. In these situations, the best thing you can do is retreat and protect yourself and your family, at least until you can formulate a plan to retake your shelter. This place doesn’t have to be anything fancy; even a small off grid cabin in the woods will suffice.
Your Survival Shelter is Your Castle
If the world ends, those who survive might be tasked with rebuilding — if we can stop killing each other first. Your survival shelter shouldn’t just be a hole in the wall that you can hunker down in to ride out the apocalypse — it should be your castle. Castles might look ornate, but at their core, they are fortresses designed to withstand long sieges.
Fortifying your shelter is something that is often overlooked, but when you observe human nature — even during disasters when we should be coming together — it is a necessity. Stocking up on food, water, and medicine is essential, but ensuring you have a safe place to navigate the end of the world is just as important.
Work on turning your home into your castle — literally. No one should be able to enter your fortress without your explicit permission, and anyone who tries should pay dearly for the attempt.
[Note: This was a guest post.]
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