Thieves, Goons, and Pirates

[Eemerald]

islands should never be a location for anyone...well except those creating vaults..

[AnnaC]

The problem was you're initial logic was flawed. Islands do not give you any security, and in fact increase your exposure, as waterways are humanity's first form of mass transit. In the hearthlands, the water networks are the most high-traffic regions until large cities get built. So it's best to avoid them early on until you have the economy and skills to have proper protection.

The first form of security a hearthling has is obscurity. The farther you are from waterways helps add to this.

Another thing you can do, is instead of consolidating all of your possessions in a single spot, is spread them out into small caches in the wilderness. Build a few leantos here and there and stash small portions of your goods around. These will be found or stumbled upon, and could be stolen or vandalised, but it isn't anything you can't recover from. Especially do this with drying racks when you start collecting dead rabbits, if you can't have them protected atleast by a claim.