How much do you trust people?

[Chuck_S]

That's what YOUR insurance is for. Same with automobile insurance. Your insurance fixes it and they recover the cost from the responsible party, it ain't up to you to contact or have anything to do at all with the responsible party. Unless you don't have insurance...

-- Chuck

 

[5picker]

"Camping" in an RV park is one of the safest places you can be. It is the land of big motor homes, new trailers and nice pickups. Nobody is going to steal anything in a Park.

A National Forest campground is pretty safe especially if you meet your neighbors and look out for each other.

Everything changes in the off season. In an empty campground you are much more vulnerable to theft. There is no one around. The worst are campgrounds near large cities. I had a truck broken into once at Lake Shasta. It is near Redding which is a town with plenty of drugs. We left our rigs in the parking lot at the put in for 4 days with out of state plates. Now in that country I would pay someone to watch my truck.

Boon docking is remote, but theft is possible.
I have become leary of people with old beat up vehicles hauling $1000 trailers. A lot of them look like they live on the road and are destitute. A sign of the times. They are one step from being homeless.

I have met some desperate people over the years on the road. A couple that had just gotten off a freight train for example. People living in their cars. I usually give them a beer and $20 and show some empathy and they leave me alone.

Mostly true but not always.
We have stayed in but a few, land of big motorhome campgrounds where the place was not gated, some of the seasonals were homeless looking and our camp neighbors indicated there had been police activity a few nights prior.

My point... trouble can be anywhere.

 

[NC RV]

Keep things out of sight. Especially coolers. All valuables need to be locked up. Make locks and cable apparent.

Left fishing poles outside n a state park years ago. Had a rack on the front of the truck. Gone in the morning with tackle box and cooler. Got in the truck to go surf fishing…. Where is everything?…..

 

[tomkatb]

Been lucky about 60 years.

We do not carry much worth stealing. The generator and tool bag. Everything is locked in the rv. Except the folding chairs. They like easy stuff to sell.

We carry a stealth guard dog. Anyone in the rv will have to shoot him to get out without needing 50 stitches. The least know species of guard dogs. He doubles as a pet. He’s got that fuzzy bear look.

As a puppy we were boondocking in a downtown area. I heard two fellows outside the door talking. The growl that followed ended the conversation.

 

[NJKris]

Keep things out of sight. Especially coolers. All valuables need to be locked up. Make locks and cable apparent.

Left fishing poles outside n a state park years ago. Had a rack on the front of the truck. Gone in the morning with tackle box and cooler. Got in the truck to go surf fishing…. Where is everything?…..

Been camping Hatteras a long time now. Never an issue. Especially not coolers. Up here, leaving a cooler out will get you a bear visit. Worse than 2 legged critters here.

 

[PhilFromMaine]

Last year four of us were camping near the AT (Appalachian Trail). One of our guys met what he thought was an AT through hiker. Actually, he was a homeless person who migrated along the trails and nearby cities. He was a very interesting person-smart, personable, etc. We let him camp with us and shared our beer and food. It was a good time. He pitched a tent near the periphery of our campsite and always had coffee ready for us in the mornings and helped with the 4 dogs.

Weeks later after the trip, he somehow showed up at my daughters house in what I would call a paranoid schizophrenic state. My daughter tried to get him some help, but of course he wasn't interested. He was sure "they" were out to kill him. He energetically wanted money and a ride back to the AT that was 3 hours away where he could live in the woods for the rest of the warm season.

All the sudden, all those interesting stories of his travels that we heard while camping became possibly delusional rants with a presentation of seasoned actor. It came down to suggesting that he leave my daughters property or he was going to be arrested. He left and we haven't seen him since.


So I guess the moral to the story is that in some situations, trust is subject to time and place and subject to change.

 

[Bob.n.Denise]

I think it’s prudent to show reasonable diligence. But I’m generally ok with leaving some stuff around…

However, I don’t take any chances with my family… So one thing I do if I’m not too sure about the area I'm boondocking in is to retract my stairs before we go to sleep. It’s a little tricky, but I can pull the stairs of my 2023 2005S into the doorway and then close and lock the door. Until moved, the stairs create a barrier to entry, which gives me more time to respond accordingly.

 

[NJKris]

I think it’s prudent to show reasonable diligence. But I’m generally ok with leaving some stuff around…

However, I don’t take any chances with my family… So one thing I do if I’m not too sure about the area I'm boondocking in is to retract my stairs before we go to sleep. It’s a little tricky, but I can pull the stairs of my 2023 2005S into the doorway and then close and lock the door. Until moved, the stairs create a barrier to entry, which gives me more time to respond accordingly.

That's clever and a good way to slow down entry. My MORyde steps can be pulled in with a rope I'm sure, not sure if they can go up with murphy bed down. Plus you should practice re-deploying steps quickly (in case of fire or something, last thing I would want is to mess with that in a smoke filled trailer under panic conditions.

 

[Oaklevel]

I guess we should start locking our doors esp. at night. We lost Lillie our head security officer.

If someone broke into our camper they would be very disappointed (nothing worth stealing).

 

[NoviBill]

I bicycled across the USA in 2021 and the kindness of strangers was amazing. A car pulling over to offer cold water and a blazing hot day, the offer of a ride across a busy bridge (we took it) and far more blessing than I can count.
It is my belief that most people most of the time are trustworthy and kind.

<soapbox>
I have also seen people drive by me on the cell phone and nearly kill me out of indifference to human life. This premeditated indifference to other's lives is an evil that I don't understand and has no excuse.</soapbox>

Camping, I invite strangers to campfires, I talk to my neighbors, I offer a hand and it has gone 99% well. I will not change my behavior out of fear of 1%. I trust people a lot, but I also trust my gut. If something feels wrong move on. My doors are locked when I am away and my bike is locked on the back of my RV, no reason to be stupid.

Christ demands that I try to love everyone, I keep failing and I keep trying.

 

[NJKris]

I like keeping our door open to get fresh air through the screen door, but only do it when surrounded by other campers in a campground setting.

 

[Debbie292d]

Camping, I invite strangers to campfires, I talk to my neighbors, I offer a hand and it has gone 99% well. I will not change my behavior out of fear of 1%. I trust people a lot, but I also trust my gut. If something feels wrong move on. My doors are locked when I am away and my bike is locked on the back of my RV, no reason to be stupid.

I agree wholeheartedly with this. We do the same.

If we go fishing or somewhere for a few hours and take the dogs, everything is put away and locked up. No reason to be stupid.

 

[llr2800]

I guess we should start locking our doors esp. at night. We lost Lillie our head security officer.

If someone broke into our camper they would be very disappointed (nothing worth stealing).

The damage can be much worse the the theft. I had a class A in storage broken into, over 3K in damage for about $200 retail that was stolen.

 

[Tentmaker]

I put campground thefts into the same category as residential porch pirates … crimes of opportunity … decline of traditional moral values

 

[ppine]

I would venture to say that we have had theft in this country for many decades. Theft in the Depression was terrible. People were desperate. I have run into desperate people in every decade of my life. They were all capable of theft. Now we have more homeless and drug culture. Those people can be desperate.

 

[Dwilcox]

20 years ago, we were staying in an upscale campground, fenced but no gate. Well-lit by the entrance and office. At that time, we had a pup and 3 kids under 12. The pup had a dinky 3-way frig and a 20-gal fresh water holding tank. So, we had a big cooler and 5-gal water jug, and we would set them outside under the awning after setup. Now this park was originally a water park converted to camp sites but kept 2 pools and 2 small water slides. DW and kids loved going there, had been there 4-5 times before this time.
One morning we all got up and DW started breakfast. She sticks her head in the pup and asks, "Have you seen my Tupperware with the chopped-up melon in it?" Nope I say, so I check in the truck and in / outside the pup and nothing. She starts to think she left it at home, but a neighbor stopped buy and asked if we lost any wine or beer last night? Turns out that the row we were on, that was by the fence all got hit. Later on, they found a few empty wine and beer bottles / cans outside the fence, no Tupperware. DW continued to hope her Tupperware was at home as it was one of her favorite pieces but no joy. Only time we had something taken and it was for the munchies.

 

[Aussieguy]

beware of dog warning sign
and subtly leave out a dog chain on the tongue .............. suitably sized to impress


do not put the Chihuahua collar on the end of the chain

 

[DJ252]

I wouldn't leave a bike, or anything like that not locked up but coolers, camp stoves, lanterns, tables, chairs etc. are routinely left for the day. Always a first time I suppose but in more than 50 years, never had anyone mess with anything, whether in a campground, or out in the bush.

 

[ppine]

I travel with 3 dogs.
"No one is sneaking up on us." That is our motto.

 

[ppine]

I miss the 1970s when people trusted each other a lot. We met people on the road and exchanged addresses. They would show up at the house for a visit. We picked up hitchhikers and had them spend the night with us. Now we are older and more of a target. I have given people food, money and good wishes lots of times. Maintain your situational awareness at all times. Meet your neighbors. Keep an eye out for signs of drug use, erratic behavior, etc.

Within the last 2 years I met up with a guy I did not trust at all. I was alone in a camp ground in the off season. A guy shows up with a ratty trailer pulled with an old van. He had two large German shepherds. I had a short conversation, did not like his tone or his assertion that "my dogs are viscous." I just packed up and left a day early. No regrets. I was not going to sleep next that guy.