How to Looter-Proof Your Survival Shelter

Source: https://www.askaprepper.com/

Securing survival shelters will be paramount in the aftermath of a SHTF event. Undoubtedly, the primary survival strategy of those who had not prepared for SHTF will be to find those who did prepare and simply take their stuff.

Suppose your family’s survival depended on stealing food from someone who has enough food stored away for years. Would you honestly let your daughter die of starvation because “Stealing is wrong?” If good people can be driven to do bad things, can you imagine what bad people will get up to in a post-SHTF world?

I often tell my kids that one of the biggest problems we face due to growing up and living in a time of abundance, is that we have no real practical experience of how people react in times of scarcity.

A drowning man will grasp at anything to try and stay alive. In a SHTF world, everyone will be drowning, and your supplies store will be the only lifeboat around. It would take a fearless man not to be scared by the prospect of starving looters coming for your supplies.

Concealment Is Key

While you may not have control over your home’s location, you can make it far less noticeable to potential looters by using clever concealment techniques.

Consider blending your home into its surroundings so that it doesn’t draw unwanted attention during a crisis. Avoid anything that makes your property stand out, like bright exterior colors, visible solar panels, or flashy security systems.

You could also enhance concealment by using natural barriers like trees, bushes, or camouflage netting, which can obscure key features of your home from both ground-level observation and drone surveillance.

You can also employ visual tricks, such as using debris, rocks, or fencing to make your home blend into the landscape. The key is to make it look like there’s nothing worth looting.

Reinforce Entrances and Windows

Even if looters find your shelter, making it difficult to break into will buy you time and potentially force them to move on to an easier target. Reinforced doors and windows are critical for this.

Steel doors or heavy wooden doors fortified with metal bars can be nearly impossible for looters to breach. Add deadbolts, crossbars, or even improvised barricades like 2x4s that can be placed across the door when inside.

For added security, install a peephole or small camera that allows you to see who’s outside without opening the door.

Windows, if you have them, should be minimal and located in places that don’t give away your shelter’s position.

Metal grilles or shutters can be installed to keep looters from breaking them. If possible, place windows higher up or in areas where it’s harder to reach.

Continue reading our article on Ask a Prepper.