Simple and Inexpensive Security for Your Cabin [Super Easy!]

When staying off-grid, you want to be able to leave your cabin knowing that your property is safe.

Being in an off-grid location, you may believe that your cabin is safe due to the unlikely hood of someone passing by however you’d be greatly mistaken. Due to the remote location of your cabin, it’s more likely for passer by to attempt to break in as there’s nobody around to witness their crimes. This means that there’s less likelihood of the thief being caught, so they have a self-sense of security.

Would you rather break into a house on a busy street with many passersby, vehicles and cameras or the house in the middle of nowhere that possibly doesn’t even have cell phone reception?

None wants to return to their cabin after having a great time exploring the surrounding nature, only to find that their property has been vandalized and their equipment has been stolen.

I believe that we should do everything in our power to ensure our security. Not only is security important when you’re away from your cabin, but it’s also important for when you’re in your cabin. Therefore, I’ll be explaining how you can improve the security of your cabin, and increase the difficulty of it being broken into.

Making it harder to break into your cabin

Perhaps you have insurance on your possessions to cover or minimize the costs of vandalism or a robbery. This is something you should think about acquiring, however I believe it’s a much better idea to prevent someone being able to break into your cabin, in the first place. To do so there’s a variety of different things you should do, I’ll be listing them now.

Use door barricades to secure doors

The normal lock that comes in your door isn’t useful in keeping intruders out, there’s a multitude of ways for people to bypass them. For example, these can be easily pick locked by anyone who’s watched/read a simple tutorial. It gets even easier than this, anyone with a bit of strength can simply kick the door down, or kick through it if the doors thin enough.

I’m about to explain one of the most traditional zombie defense methods known to man – barricades. This is actually a very effective method for securing exterior doors. I don’t mean with a wooden plank and some nails though, I’m talking about a professionally made door barricade. There’s plenty on the market, I most prefer this Nightlock Security Door Barricade. I purchase my barricades from Amazon from quick and convenient delivery. Essentially, you screw the plate to the floor and there’s a bit that you can slide to block/unblock the door from the inside. These are extremely cheap and well worth the few bucks.

I have multiple doors which lead inside my cabin, so I barricade all of the exterior doors apart from one which I call my “Entry door”. This door is accessible from outside. My “Entry door” is a side-door, so that it’s difficult for an intruder to know which door it is.

Use door hinges

Another small change I’ve made to my doors is, I’ve replaced the screws with door hinges.  I also add longer screw in these door hinges for added security. This makes it harder for an intruder to kick the door down using brute strength.

Securing your entry door

In my previous point I mentioned the idea of an “Entry door” which is a designated door which I use to get in and out of my cabin with. This door isn’t to be barricaded however still should be secured sufficiently. I often ensure this door is thicker, heavier, and generally more solid than the others. This is nice added protection, however it’s not enough as due to the short screws used in the door make it fairly easy to force open.

Because of this, I use longer screw in my hinges. I also replace the plate on the door jamb for the door latch and deadbolt. Often, I don’t like to over-complicate things and use this product.  This is a combination of a latch and a deadbolt plate, so it saves you from purchasing two different items. When I use this plate, I use longer screws (3 Inches). This allows the screws to sink deeper into the frame and provide more support for the door. This therefore makes it a lot more difficult for an intruder to break into your cabin.

Sliding Door Locks

It’s important to lock your sliding doors, if you have one in your cabin. They’re very easy to manipulate to get inside your cabin. They are easy to secure, a simple bolt lock will do the job, I use this one. It’s very cheap and effective, one of the most secure locks I’ve used for my sliding doors.

Also, if your door is made from glass, people will be able to see inside your property. This allows them to identify stuff worth stealing so it’s a good idea to block their view. I use blinds so that I can control the amount of lights that can come through and how much people can see. You could also use curtains for this job. I’d recommend these curtains from Amazon.

Window Locks

Windows will come with a factory lock that can prevent someone from opening them, however they’re not effective enough to prevent someone from forcing them open. I use this sliding window lock from Amazon. They’re extremely cheap, only costing a few bucks.  They’re also very effective in preventing intruders as they cannot be jimmied open using traditional strategies.

Locks & Padlocks on outside storage buildings

Your cabin may now be somewhat secure however your outside storage buildings are still vulnerable to intruders. It’s a good idea to secure them with a strong padlock. You’ll want a thick, sturdy padlock which cannot just be cut off.

Now your cabin should be secure as well as your outside storage buildings. They should be secure enough to deter an intruder from even bothering. You’ve made it hard enough for most robbers not to bother.

Make intruders feel as though they may get caught

The above security measures I’ve mentioned are enough to make most people not bother however some will know that they can still break in, therefore you should add another layer of security. A very effective method of increasing the safety of your cabin without actually securing it any further is to make people think that they might get caught if they were to break in.

Essentially, you want to scare people away. You can make your cabin look more secure than it really is using fake props and warning signs. These items are often very inexpensive as they don’t really work, they’re props but the intruders don’t know that.

This can be done in numerous ways, I’ll be mentioning a few of the most effective below.

Real or dummy visible cameras

Without a doubt, security cameras are the best deterrent for keeping intruders away. Real security cameras can be extremely costly – especially because they require power. If you’re utilizing solar power, this isn’t too much of a problem as the cameras can run on little power usage.

Due to how expensive real security cameras can be, it may be in your best interest to purchase a fake security camera, like this one. It looks extremely realistic, it even has LED’s to make it seem as through it’s recording. It uses such little power than you can power it with AA batteries.

For added realism, it has a wire which goes into the wall of your cabin. I’ve always used this fake camera for my cabins and I guarantee that it’s deterred at least a couple of potential intruders. I know if I was a thief, I wouldn’t bother taking the risk. The camera stands out a lot to it’s very prominent and hard to miss.

The recommended fake security camera can’t be identified as fake unless it was to be properly inspected however most criminals don’t have the time to properly scope out the premises and decide whether the cameras are fake or not.

Home Security Stickers

Similar to security cameras, home security stickers should be placed around your cabin. These stickers are to inform potential intruders that the cabin is being monitored by security cameras and that they should be aware. These stickers should be big and bright enough to be noticed by passersby. These can be used with the combination of fake security cameras to deter potential intruders. I use these home security signs, you can’t go wrong with them.

Even if these safety precautions don’t work, they’re worth a try and are extremely cheap.

Window and Door Alarms

Alarms are a sure-fire way to deter intruders away from your home. There’s nothing more terrifying than a loud alarm when you’re least expecting it. Alarms signify to intruders that they’ve been detected and should leave as soon as possible.

You can purchase a security system which alerts local authorities, or one that just sounds off an alarm, without calling anyone. Regardless, the intruder won’t know however they’ll probably won’t take any chances. If for some reason the intruder is inhumanely fearless, and they stay, the alarm will at least put them under added stress.

Glass Break Alarm

One type of alarm you could purchase is a ‘Glass Break Alarm’. Often intruders will break into homes through windows, they simply smash the glass and climb through or make a large enough hole to grabs what they want. A glass break alarm will go off as soon as glass is broken or shattered. I use this alarm. This is a very high-quality alarm for such a cheap price. I’d highly recommend you invest a few bucks into one.

Entry Alarms

Entry Alarms are a highly effective form of security. An entry alarm is set-off when a door or window is opened. You simply use a code to activate and deactivate the alarm. I use this alarm. It’s extremely cheap for such a high quality and effective alarm. If someone was to make it through all your other walls of security, this alarm should get them out before they can steal any of your possessions.

Don’t give criminals a reason to break in

One of the most effective ways in avoiding having your home broken into, is to not give anyone any reason to break in. If none wants to break into our home, then you won’t need a top-level security system. There are numerous ways you can prevent people from wanting to break into your cabin. You should make it seem as though there’s nothing worse stealing inside your home. None is going to risk going to jail over nothing.

Hide possessions with blinds or curtains

The best way to make a potential intruder think you don’t have anything worth stealing, is to hide anything worth stealing. If the criminal cannot see anything, then they’re likely to assume that your home isn’t worth the trouble. There are plenty of ways to hide your possessions. I often use curtains and blinds on all see-through objects such as glass doors and windows.

Conclusion

Your cabin should now be secured. Not only do you have a method of preventing potential intruders from wanting to rob you, but you also have security in place, in case they do try and rob your cabin. If you guys have any suggestions for me, leave a comment!

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My name is Eugene Thornhill. I'm an outdoor enthusiast who loves nothing more than being one with nature. I've lived in numerous outdoor homes and even constructed my own. Living off-grid is something I'm very familiar with, more so than living in the city. For many years I've dealt with the many problems of living off-grid. It's time to pass on my knowledge through Cabinguides.

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