Personal Safety for Truck Campers ~ Part I & 2

We should probably start locking our camper door at night :0

My FastGuns and GlowSteps are locked so some tweaker does not steal them to sell to a recycler for his next hit. I'm not worried about someone making off the TC.

We do worry about coming up on remote meth labs when boondocking, but travel in groups when in unmanaged areas. There is safety in numbers.

Anyone who doesn't understand the precautions Bryan is recommending should probably not be engaging in remote boondocking.

Both parts have a lot of good information...I also respect that he is willing to put this information out there knowing there is going to be people who will nitpick it.
I always try to speed up my learning curve by observing others who have a lot of experience.

I used to be happy-go-lucky when I was camping. Now I think I need to hack the NSA site and check out all the people I encounter while camping. May need a setup like Jack Byrnes had in Meet the Fockers .

Well anyhow, it pays to be aware of your surroundings and practice good safety. I will not over extend myself trying to fool the foolish.

When camping along the Alcan, we always followed the rules of keeping our food in a safe place so that bears would not become curious of our camp and we kept the area clean and all fires out during the night.

When people see my setup, I don't know if they realize they are looking at over $80,000 or not. But I don't lock my fastguns or try to make the truck or camper look any different than what it is.

I boondock on my 40 acres which is bear, coyote, and wildcat country. The camp has been visited by all three while I have camped there.

I do not worry and camp the simple life. Don't test me though.

I did read Part 1 and 2. Informative, but overkill for most of us.

Thanks for two great articles. Not much of what you mentioned has escaped my thoughts and a lot I do all the time.

The one thing that has escaped my thoughts was the note in my pocket with the driver's license. I'll have to start implementing that one.

I've always figured the fire extinguisher is a great non-lethal tool. Thinking was it would provide enough of a distraction to someone to at least let me scramble into the woods.

I traveled solo for years and always tried to make it look like someone was with me. I often stop and make short quick hikes. Once in a while, I've stuck my head in the back door of the camper and talked to my traveling companion saying I'm sorry she can't make the hike so I'll be back in just a few minutes.

Another trick is I would always cleanout the passenger seat, turn the map so it faced the passenger seat, and would even turn the extra soda can. All things so anyone taking a quick look thinks someone is with me.

I try to send a text message with GPS coordinates of my campsite when I can't. East coast travel, so unusual when I can't. A text can be sent with a much weaker signal than what it takes a phone call.

Luckily now, I have a camping partner as my DW has fallen in love with the TC traveling style. Which not only makes it much more enjoyable but also much safer.

mkirsch wrote:
The articles are very well written, but I'm not sure if I could enjoy camping if I operated as described. It seems more like you're on the run from the zombie horde than on vacation.

Personally I think I will settle for being "reasonably" well prepared, "reasonably" alert, and "reasonably" secure. The day I start drawing lines in the sand to detect if anyone has been near, or setting up cameras and booby traps, is the day I sell the camper.

Perhaps you don't camp in locations as remote.Also ,since BKA is fulltiming he has exposure 365 days a year , not intermitant vacations.
Thanks for the great articals. I practice my own safty measures and the articals have given me some ideas I can add to the mix. Its always better to avoid a problem than deal with it after it happens. Even if some of these measures are not needed , if all I get is more of a feeling of confidence and sense of ease, its well worth the effort.

Super_Dave wrote:
All my camping/fishing buddies pack heat. My wife and I don't as we've managed this far into our camping lives and survived. How many of you pack?

Always! In cab whenever traveling. In camper at all other times (quick access). Usually on person (concealed) as well. Not an LEO, but do have a fair amount of training and practice. We also take many of the precautions mentioned. Took a NRA "Home Protection" course a number of years ago and a large portion of the course was oriented around precautions that work. We practice "sane" precautions and believe in being prepared! We don't leave stuff unattended, use multiple outside chairs, and lock all doors when inside relaxing or resting. It's not only the people, but animals as well. I know people who swear by bear spray (not by experience mind you), but bear spray isn't going to be much use on a animal with rabies or a fully charging bear. Yes it'll deter a would be robber, just better hope their not armed. Best check the wind direction before you spray or pee into the wind. The only person who isn't going to******their pants looking down the barrel of a .45 or a 12ga is probably the person you're likely to end up having to shoot to save your life. Each to there own. Hope none of us ever end up in an ugly situation.

BTW: After finding a body (suicide) out miles from anywhere a couple of years ago, and not able to immediately tell what had happened, I was a little less anxious to be carrying. The Sheriff Sergeant who later showed up, upon my presenting my CCW permit and informing the attending officers that I was armed said, "out here that's being smart"!

All my camping/fishing buddies pack heat. My wife and I don't as we've managed this far into our camping lives and survived. How many of you pack?

Deltabravo, thanks for bringing up the new article that is now on Truckcampingmagazine.com 's web site.

mkirsch wrote:
The articles are very well written, but I'm not sure if I could enjoy camping if I operated as described. It seems more like you're on the run from the zombie horde than on vacation.

Personally I think I will settle for being "reasonably" well prepared, "reasonably" alert, and "reasonably" secure. The day I start drawing lines in the sand to detect if anyone has been near, or setting up cameras and booby traps, is the day I sell the camper.

Hi Matthew. Yeah, I certainly have never seen any Zombies, Walking Dead or Bigfoot, but I have seen Porcupines, Grizzly, Horn Owls and a truck load of gun carrying drunk cowboys pop into camp down by the Mexican Border, in my camp. Do understand, I am not on a vacation, but am on a Great Adventure, now into my 6th year. While many of the things I describe is what I have learned others are doing, or ones I do myself.

As for the “line in the sand” example, this is one that many ranchers, farmers, park rangers and others do to determine whether further attention is needed for an area or situation. Notice the Bear tracks I showed in the first part. What many might not have noticed in the picture, is that I had hiked to Grizzly Lake in Yellowstone National Park, with my boot print showing me inbound to the lake. If you look closely there is two separate bear tracks, a Mature Grizzly (Sow) and a first year grizzly cub. What is significant is that the prints are on top of my inbound shoe print. One would deduce the bears were following behind me (which is a common occurrence with bears) as I was inbound. The tracks follow my tracks for over a mile. When outbound I saw the Bear and 2 cubs and waited for her to move up the hill, off trail. It was only later that I discovered she had been on the trail with me. So yes, there are times when it is helpful to know what and whom is around you.

In my travels I have often been asked what one should do when they are in remote areas of Southern Utah or the Chihuahuan Desert. Down that double track road and away from camp for 12 hours. Some of us have with us items others might not when they are only camping for a weekend. While it might not matter to you, you might be surprised in how many people ask themselves; “I wonder if anyone has been here since I left this morning.” I suspect there are many that would admit that, yes, they have wondered too. For me, Matthew, I don’t explore with my truck and camper when I leave basecamp. I might be gone hiking, a 200 mile motorcycle trip through the desert, and leaving my TC stationary for days in a single location. So my tips are sometimes for people that use their TC different than others. Many TC enthusiasts will recognize some of my recommendations relate to their TC use, others will not and wonder why one would do what they do. Just like some wonder why in the world I don’t use Campgrounds and take the risk of boondocking. Just as the premise of my article, we all have different levels of comfort and how far we venture with our Truck Camping. There is no right or wrong, just a difference.

There is nothing in the article that describes the use of, or portrays I endorse the use of Booby Traps. I am disappointed that you would portray that is something I have included. If possible, could you share why you have come to that conclusion? If I have left you with that conclusion I obviously missed in my presentation of the message I was delivering and need to modify my message. Thank you.

b

Thanks for the great articles! We too have an extra set of keys but learned that one the hard way.