camp-security-msg - 10/5/02
Camp security at SCA events. Securing items in your camp. Avoiding thefts.
NOTE: See also the files: punishments-msg, p-police-msg, camp-showers-msg, firepits-msg, Fire-Book-art, P-Food-Safety-art, ticks-art, insect-prtctn-msg.
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Mark S. Harris AKA: THLord Stefan li Rous
Stefan at florilegium.org
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To: MedievalEncampments at yahoogroups.com
From: Anne-Marie Rousseau <acrouss at gte.net>
Date: Wed, 20 Mar 2002 07:33:49 -0800
Subject: Re: [MedEnc] Making camp secure
on making a camp more secure:
in my experience, the things that "grow legs" are the things that are out
in the open and easy to just pick up (ie smallish, light). Putting things
away in chests is one way to reduce pilfrage. Most petty theives wont
bother with going into your tent, opening chests, rifling through for
something they may want and then going out. Now, if that shiney sword is
sitting on your table in front, or on the bed inside the open tent....
if you have something really valuable, you might consider a strong box. One
guy Iknow does that and its impressive (the box itself is so heavy that you
cant lift it, and has a lock.)
--Anne-Marie
To: MedievalEncampments at yahoogroups.com
From: "kisamul" <kisamul at yahoo.com>
Date: Wed, 20 Mar 2002 20:41:42 -0000
Subject: Re: [MedEnc] Making camp secure
I have a couple of large chests with locks on them. Never lock them,
and I've never had anything go missing, but then I also find that
keeping mundane things completely out of view, thus a period camp
site, also helps. I donŐt have a lot of little trinkets lying around,
mostly large furniture items.
If your tent (pavilion) is the type like panther with ties on the
inside and out, it is going to be more noticeable to others when a
stranger is fumbling with them to get inside, because it takes a while
to get them undone. My tent has hidden zippers as well as ties, I
suppose I could sew a loop at the bottom of the doors and put a little
lock through the zipper pull. Or you could have a yurt with a wooden
door and a deadbolt. :)
Again I stress a period site: even if you're in singles camping, an
attractive period site will have passers-by looking at your camp all
the time. People will notice someone poking around, who obviously
doesn't know where things are and doesnt' look very "at home". And a
would-be thief is more likely to avoid public eye. I keep particular
valuables locked in the trunk of the car anyway, out of view and away
from easy access of car stereo theives.
Hope this helps. I'm not a period nazi. Really. No, really!
---Ceara
To: MedievalEncampments at yahoogroups.com
From: Jennifer and Dan Wansing <danandjay at earthlink.net>
Date: Sun, 24 Mar 2002 09:59:02 -0800
Subject: [MedEnc] re: keeping tents secure
Just remember... if you can pick your strongbox up and carry it into
your campsite... someone else can pick the whole thing up and carry it
away. Never let yourself be lulled into the idea of safety by a
padlock.
Mabel de Wymburn
To: <MedievalEncampments at yahoogroups.com>
From: "Karl Eklund" <eklund at evilgenius.nu>
Date: Fri, 29 Mar 2002 21:33:08 +0100
Subject: RE: [MedEnc] re: keeping tents secure
> Just remember... if you can pick your strongbox up and carry it into
> your campsite... someone else can pick the whole thing up and carry it
> away. Never let yourself be lulled into the idea of safety by a
> padlock.
>
> Mabel de Wymburn
I've given this some thought. If you drive two stakes into the ground
crossing at an angle.
o o
| \/ |
| /\ |
|________/ \_______| Chest bottom
___________/____\_______ Groundlevel
/ \
Then you cut a hole, as wide as the thickness of twice a stake, in the
bottom of a chest. Place the chest over the crossed stakes so they protrude
through the bottom into the chest, crossing each other on the inside. Insert
a rod in the triangle formed by the stakes and the bottom. :-)
Not so dumb, eh! The crossing of the stakes prohibits a straight lift of the
chest.
Heinricus vom Eichenhain
m.k.a. Karl Eklund
To: <MedievalEncampments at yahoogroups.com>
Organization: Wolfgaard Systems
From: "Jay Yeates" <jyeates at realtime.net>
Date: Fri, 29 Mar 2002 16:12:53 -0600
Subject: RE: [MedEnc] re: keeping tents secure
* ... Just remember... if you can pick your strongbox up and carry
it into your campsite... someone else can pick the whole thing up and
carry it away. Never let yourself be lulled into the idea of safety
by a padlock....
but if everything large, heavy, bulky, ... in that tent has a secure
eyebolt attached and there is a length of chain run around the
perimeter, behind everything, that passes through those eyebolts and
is secured to the first and last item on the chain with padlocks ...
you need a very strong juggler, or a small mob to move everything
(and if one things moves, they all have to move ...) ... for good
measure attach the tent poles and canvas (via grommets) - making it
even bigger, bulkier, more of a hassle to steal. and its unlikely a
scadian/pagan event tent-riffler would be carrying bolt cutters.
as a alternative/added safeguard, they make portable, battery powered
"shriekers" (think "portable banshee")... sensitive to motion /
vibration that will draw attention to the fact that something out of
the ordinary is going one inside a tent ... and thieves really
dislike the attention such things draw and usually will move on in
short order. ...
i keep a small personal model (cheap, about $10) clipped to my belt /
pack straps when in bear contry - they HATE the ultrasonic component.
and it can be rigged "booby trap mode" so a string pulls the pin and
sets off the alarm (say attach string to lid so if it's opened past a
certain height it goes off, below that you reach in and unclip
module from the inside side
alternately, get a "car/truck safe" - heavy metal box that bolts into
the body, usually under a seat of a carpeted area - and lock your
valuables inside. being a CCP holder, i often use mine to
temporarily hold my weapon if i'm carrying and in a situation where
carry, even with permit, is illegal ....
'wolf
To: <MedievalEncampments at yahoogroups.com>
From: "Rowanwald Central" <Rowanwald at sybercom.net>
Date: Tue, 2 Apr 2002 17:38:37 -0500
Subject: Re: [MedEnc] re: keeping tents secure
with respect to Pennsic...
> all joking aside, the best solution is basic common sense ... carry
> your important stuff with you or lock it in your vehicles trunk.
Do NOT lock it in your vehicle's trunk. Cars are at greater risk of break-in
theft at this event than at weekend events - they sit too long unattended
and there's too many for the security patrol to visually check round the
clock. We have a flurry of "end of the War" reports of break-ins and
vandalism. Not a huge number, mind you, but sufficient for extra caution to
be taken.
For the most part, it appears that someone with professional lock-breaking
training targets the vehicles that might have expensive equipment inside.
Rosine
(I've been on staff for about 10 years - the problem is growing with the
size of the event. Steps are being taken to address it.)
<the end>