Travel trailer security - keep it or stuff from being stolen

[rvshrinker]

New to RVing, have a new TT I want to take care of.

When I go to a park, drop off the trailer, and then go for a hike... how do I keep it safe? What prevents someone from hooking up and driving off?

Also, I understand the locks on the trailers and the comparments are not very secure. What is the best solution to prevent break ins?

Thank you much!

[nineoaks2004]

I do not worry about thieves, I have never had anything stolen while camping.
If they do then I have insurance.

[RVNoob123]

One would hope you are at a place where this is not a common occurrence or I would look harder for a better place. While it can't prevent break ins , locks on hitch, propane tanks and batteries makes them have to work for it. I use all the above so someone can't simply walk by and grab and go. Most people in parks would see if there is something weird (like someone taking items from a trailer) that looks out of place and report it. I would think seeing someone with bolt cutters would be a red flag.
There are greasy people out in this world so we have to do what we can to at least prevent this and is why I went the extra to feel like I at least tried.

[valhalla360]

rvshrinker wrote:

theoldwizard1 wrote:
Don't leave expensive things (cameras, laptops, etc) out, even inside your RV. The best place is locked in the trunk of your vehicle unless maybe it is going to be sitting in the 90+F sun all day long.

How many trucks have trunks?

It's an option on some of the newer models.

[roadrat2]

There's nothing we take that we can't replace;but when we go for our hikes, we put all food away. Tablets go in the truck and phones go with us. We leave our camp stove and cooking stuff out, although well usually slide it under the trailer. In 15 years never had anything stolen. Most loops we camp on, the only folks we see are rangers and other campers. We do lock the deadbolts on the doors. The "lock" for the pull handle is about a 3/32 thick piece of aluminum that you could prolly break just by forcing the handle...no tools required.

As for stealing the trailer itself, between the jacks, power cord, water hose, sewer hose and awning, it would take 5-10 minutes to get the thing ready to pull out of the site. I'd like to think the rangers would stop someone who's pulling a trailer with any/ all of those things dragging out the back.

[Big_Love]

Even with a hitch lock, a thief can readily use your trailer's own safety chains - wrap them around the truck hitch and tow away for a short distance.

If I am going to be gone from campsite for awhile, I park my truck in front of the trailer which would make it difficult to tow away.

As pointed out, locking doors and closing windows is only going to stop a child from getting into your trailer.

[Gulfcoast]

I spent a year looking for a little 21', tandem axle trailer. I don't want to loose it.

I keep it insured well, but also I have an old Iphone well hid in it, turned on at all times. Sitting idea all the time, I charge it when it needs it.

If the trailer is stolen, the thief will really be surprised when myself and the police use... "find my Iphone" to track it down to where it is.

I pay $10 per month to keep service on the old phone with Verizon towers. (Red Pocket mobile)

[rvshrinker]

theoldwizard1 wrote:
Don't leave expensive things (cameras, laptops, etc) out, even inside your RV. The best place is locked in the trunk of your vehicle unless maybe it is going to be sitting in the 90+F sun all day long.

How many trucks have trunks?

[theoldwizard1]

Don't leave expensive things (cameras, laptops, etc) out, even inside your RV. The best place is locked in the trunk of your vehicle unless maybe it is going to be sitting in the 90+F sun all day long.

[rvshrinker]

Yeah, but it wouldn’t take but once to make a bad dent in a nice trip.

NPS campgrounds often have no one at the guard station. Often there is no guard station. There might be a volunteer host. boondocking, of course no hosts. Trailer in the sno-park campground for 48 hours, but everyone gone all day skiing and snowshoeing, there is nobody watching out over the rigs.

I’ve had my car broken into once and house broken into twice (in my life). Not often, but enough to feel the pain.

I’ll get a hitch lock to start. If nothing else makes my trailer a less desirable target than yours! Doubt I’ll do the heavy duty chain and lock for routine camping but might look into it for boondocking in the forest or while skiing.

Thanks all

[fitznj]

It's pretty encouraging that we're on the 3rd page of this thread and people are posting that they have never (for them the most part) have had a problem with theft.

Makes me feel pretty good.

[jerem0621]

If it makes you feel better you can get a real chain and a real padlock and chain your tires together. This would force them to either have a serious cutting torch or an extra set of tires and a jack to remove the chained together tires.

And no, I’m not talking about a chain that you get at tractor supply type store or an inexpensive lock. These chains and locks can’t be cut by bolt cutters and you can’t pick this lock.

Here is a link to the video

Video

Thanks!

Jeremiah

[Turtle_n_Peeps]

I set up and lock my stinky slinky to my trailer. Any thief in their right mind does not want to mess with a stinky slinky.

This is the proper way to secure a trailer. :B

[time2roll]

If the area is that sketchy my wheels keep a rollin'.

[westend]

If I leave the trailer for any length of time or the area is sketchy, I chain two wheels together with bolts. I have a metal strap with hasp and padlock that I am going to be installing on the entry door. The strap will be through-bolted into the door frame and reinforced on the bolt mounting locations, inside. For a thief to enter, he will need to cut either the lock, the hasp, or the heads off the bolts. Not many are going to go through all this to steal my trailer. There are many newer rigs that are better targets. Locks and chains are to keep semi-honest people, honest.

[ependydad]

drsteve wrote:
To steal yout TT the thieves first have to get past the campground office, which usually requires either a vehicle pass showing you're camped there, or telling the person in the booth who you're there to visit. Then they have to select their target, unhook it from utilities, raise the jacks, put the awning and slide room in, hitch up, and go. They are doing this in daylight, in front of other campers, hoping the entire time that the owner doesn't return.

I don't worry about it...

This. A thousand times this.

I have a fifth wheel and only lock my king pin if I'm dropping the camper while it's closed up. At a storage lot or whatnot.

If I'm setup for camping at a campground, there's way too much work for a casual thief to fully break camp in order to steal my rig.

Now if I were boondocking away from everyone, then I might reconsider. As of yet, we haven't done that. (sad face)

Otherwise, we lock the doors to the camper's inside and that's about it. Typically my storage hatches and outdoor kitchen are generally unlocked. Same with my truck (and no lie- there are often keys inside of it).

And we fulltime. So in campgrounds/RV parks 365-ish days a year.