Storing camper on truck and storage lot security

Motorhome not truck camper, but I'm in a storage yard a few months a year (and was with my previous trailer too). I don't worry at all. The yard has security cameras, fencing, and key card entry. Of course anything can happen, that's why I've also got insurance.

With the trailer, I did pull the batteries and propane tanks (that's really what the tweakers are looking to steal), but with the MH I just lock it and leave it.

HadEnough wrote:
I'm surprised at this thread. Has anyone had an RV stolen? Broken into?

I felt completely safe leaving mine in a gated and key pad controlled storage place in the same town my boat was robbed blind.

You never know.
For few years I had my boat park on my rental driveway as the city I lived in made ordinance forbidding.
One time at the begging of the season I took the boat to gas station for fueling and the boat spilled gas on the pad.
Made quite situation, but attendant handled it.
I start checking in safe place to find the fuel hose at 55 gal tank was disconnected as somebody tried to siphon gas there as 5 ft from the fuel cap might be too long.
What made me wonder if the thief tried to suck the gas from the cap first as that boat had gas and sewer caps identical and both of them were unscrew.
Can you picture the situation in your mind?

HadEnough wrote:
I'm surprised at this thread. Has anyone had an RV stolen? Broken into?

I felt completely safe leaving mine in a gated and key pad controlled storage place in the same town my boat was robbed blind.

As am I. I have no option but to use storage and have done so for the last 9 years - and I don't worry about it. Our lot is gated and fenced. I don't have the slightest worry about the trailer itself (perhaps a MH might be a but more feasible to steal in its entirety), and the simple truth is that there is little of stealable value in the rig. A couple of TV's that could be replaced for a total of $300 is the most valuable thing in there. What else are they going to take? Board games? Pots and pans?

As someone mentioned earlier, the hassle of being broken into would be our biggest thing - not the actual theft. I check on it at least once a month in the off-season, just in case something happened (or a leak starts, or a tire deflates...), but I don't worry about it!

I have not had RV theft but have had vehicle prowls where the damage to enter the vehicle cost more than what was taken (since I don't keep anything inside). I know a number of storage lots where batteries and propane tanks have been stolen and storage compartments have been opened. A couple that full timed in their truck camper had it stolen from an airport parking lot while away and lost everything...

I'm surprised at this thread. Has anyone had an RV stolen? Broken into?

I felt completely safe leaving mine in a gated and key pad controlled storage place in the same town my boat was robbed blind.

Bedlam wrote:
.. Monitoring will not prevent theft nor will you always be able to respond to an incident quickly enough to abate any action but you may be able document enough that it will help with recovery. .

True, but this is psychological thing.
In my neighborhood mail theft was big problem, but lately lot of owners installed video doorbells and even police will not act on pictures, they post them on nextdoor site and that seem to solve most of the issue. Stupid thieves don't even cover their faces, so once the neighbour spots suspected person driving around, the cameras click, fingers get pointed and the person is not coming back.
I play with KUNA camera for couple of months and playing back the videos it is hard not to notice that the camera talking back makes the biggest impression.
My is set to say "Hi, may I help you?". Lot of people think this is real person behind and that sure can discourage bad people.

Even though RV theft is "common" the odds of you personally experiencing it are still extremely low.

Take a common sense approach. Don't put it on the lot with the rusty falling down fences in the rough part of town. A place that specializes in RV storage is probably best; your target has more "competition" for attention from would-be thieves due to the larger number of potential targets on the lot. Clean, well-lit, cameras, and staffed at least during the day.

You can go crazy with gizmos and gadgets but simply removing the keys and locking the doors stops 99.9% of would-be thieves. Disconnecting the battery stops most of the rest. In most cases they want to grab and run, and when they discover there's no battery, they will move on to easier targets.

I like to say, "Walk around like you have $1000's in your pocket, all paranoid and head on a swivel, and you will get robbed. Walk around like it's Tuesday and nobody will give you a second look." Make your rig look like it's worth stealing and it will be stolen. Make your rig look like any old everyday rig, and they'll pass over it.

Having the camper on the truck is a plus, because they usually want just the truck and then have to figure out how to dispose of the camper. Any little thing that is an inconvenience to the thief makes it less likely to be stolen.

Without going into specifics of what I do to secure my vehicle, you should use a layered defense. Instead of relying on one hurdle that prevents theft, create many - These hurdles should include fueling, electrical and physical along with reducing visible temptation. Monitoring will not prevent theft nor will you always be able to respond to an incident quickly enough to abate any action but you may be able document enough that it will help with recovery. Tracking devices may help in recovery if law enforcement acts quickly and the device is not defeated - It does not take long to strip valuable items or destroy what cannot be taken. Light and sound alarms may bring attention and prevent theft but are typically activated by an event - If your vehicle is already breached, loose items will still most likely be stolen during the alarm.

My suggestion for storage yards is to look at what others are storing - If you have the nicest or most desirable unit in the lot, you will be targeted more often. The storage lot should have a pin pad with archived logs of access along with on site cameras that can replay video based on time events at the gate. Locations that have a manager living on site are less prone to thefts than those that are left unattended except during office hours. If you are willing to accept restricted access times, look for a storage lot that does NOT offer 24 hour access - It will be much easier to see when things out of place or someone does not belong if hours are limited.

BTW: One of the lots I used to use was also a local LEO training ground for their dog handlers. The additional police presence and knowledge that illegal drugs were not being stored on the premises aided in my choice of that facility.

This company claims that a vehicle with their device is impossible to steal, http://www.ravelco.com/index.html.

Many of the mini-store outfits have an RV storage area inside an electronic access gate and some have an attendant. The storage area I use has a gate all around and we've had no theft issues.