RV'ers Beware

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A lady friend of ours that traveled alone in her Class C for years always slapped a large sticky note on the side door at stores, etc., when she had to leave the rig unattended. The sign read: "GEORGE, THE SNAKE GOT LOOSE. DON'T GO IN UNTIL I GET BACK!!!" She never had a problem...
 
I wonder if anyone has hacked the left/right turn signal cams & rear camera (on many newer rigs) so they can be utilized for security.
 
I'm going to take a different tack on this subject. While it would suck and possibly ruin my trip, everything in my trailer is replaceable. My life, and more importantly my wife's life aren't. That's why when we go to a gas station, truck stop, rest stop (especially at night), or any other stop we stay together. I'm a CCW permit holder, and where applicable, I can and do carry on a daily basis. I'll do whatever is necessary to protect her or my life. Everything is replaceable.
 
I'm a CCW permit holder, and where applicable, I can and do carry on a daily basis. I'll do whatever is necessary to protect her or my life.

Kudos.

Both the wife and I can lay down a 4" grouping consistently @ 30'....Her with FNS 9mm, yours truly with my Beretta 8040F "Mini Cougar". Disturbing our serenity is ill advised.
 
Just a heads up. While my wife and I were traveling recently, we stopped for fuel at a Love's or some other big fuel and conveninece store. Since they had a sandwich shop and we were going to stop for the night, we thought we would grab a sandwich in order to make an easy meal for the night. We both walked in to place our order.

What I didn't realize, we were being watched even though the place was busy. We parked our RV away from the front of the store (aimed on the way out) where there weren't as many eyes that could see. I didn't catch it right away but the pull handle on our door was bent at the bottom and a slight tear in the handle there as well. I know it wasn't that way when we left home. There is no way this could have happened by any other means other than a pry bar or screwdriver. I had the dead bolt engaged or they might have gained entry. Think they were trying for a quick rummage around the RV and out again.

I remember a hiker with a backpack that was in the area but have no idea if that was our would be thief or not. I believe the dead bolt saves us and I hadn't secured items of value when we went inside the store. Best to all.
Unreal people are so brazen, thanks for the heads up! God Bless
 
I’m young enough that rest stops and travel plazas, truck stops, etc have never been “safe” places in my lifetime.

I even have a habit of locking the cab doors when I’m fueling…never know when someone will pop open the passenger door when I’m distracted.

Also a good idea to once-over any toad or trailer/towing connections before departing. I’ve never had it happen, but someone could be malicious enough to mess with those.

It’s not that I distrust people, but people on the road aren’t automatically deserving of more trust than other type of stranger.
 
It’s not that I distrust people, but people on the road aren’t automatically deserving of more trust than other type of stranger.

I distrust people.

Fire Apes are guilty until proven innocent as far as I'm concerned. I have a perpetual state of Situational Awareness that some might consider paranoid, but I've done it for so long that it feels natural to me. Grew up in a military and law enforcement family....comes with the territory. Sometimes just the wrong glance from someone is sufficient cause for me to reach down and click the safety off. In 59 years, it's never escalated past that, which either means I was being overly cautious and the other person had no idea that I had my hackles up....or they sensed what was about to happen if they proceeded and thought better of it.

Anyone's presence in my periphery that doesn't seem to fit the situation or belong in the vicinity must be explained before I fully stand down. I'm cordial and courteous with people to the extent necessary, but I always have a plan just in case things go south.
 
Earlier this year I attended as a juror an assault trial. The male assailant had just exited his pickup in a Sam's Club parking spot. He immediately walked across the parking lot row to attack another driver after he had also just parked his vehicle and was exiting from it. The assailant stated to a law officer recording on his police camera that he whopped the other driver in the face just as hard as he could to teach him a traffic lesson. Someone had to teach him the law. The victim collapsed from his vehicle's door face first into the parking lot concrete.

As jurors we watched the entire parking lot incident from a Sam's Club parking lot video recording. The victim was a Vietnam War Veteran, over 75 years old, and was carrying with a CCW permit. He did not utilize his handgun, neither did he inform the assailant that he was carrying, or ever display it. His assailant was younger and nearly twice his size. The incident occurred due to a parking lot space dispute stated only by the assailant, but per the video it showed no such issues with the victim parking into one of the two open spots and contradicted his testimony.

After exiting the courtroom's guilty verdict I immediately applied for and obtained my CCW. As with my US Defense Contractor work for 36 years, there's a need to know basis. It just makes one a target if unauthorized people know anything about whether I do or not carry. Just by seeing a huge map of Nevada on my bedroom wall by a brother-in-law back in 1981 got me to not trust anyone due to his questioning of my work at a family gathering. I trust nobody except my immediate family.
 
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I stay overnight in parking lots quite often (it's far more convenient than trying to find a campground that will take me & mine). I try to be aware of surroundings. I do park under the parking lot lights (they actually allow the solar panels to charge the batteries overnight).

I always lock doors, particularly in a parking lot, because I typically have an overly anxious dog on board. I do not need the dog to get out. For sliding windows, I use the old "stick in the track" trick that we used to use for sliding patio doors. Although for the camper, I use a piece of thin PVC lattice (plastic so it won't get wet and swell, nor will the dog decide to nibble on it). Keeps the window from opening far enough for the very skinny hound from slithering out. Also keeps people from slithering in.

Unfortunately nothing will stop the dog from "rooing" if she gets too lonely and decides to sing the dirges of her ancestors (and why we try not to leave her for too long).

I also replace stock locks. I figure if I bought a house, I would replace all the locks so why would a camper be any different. I also like to add a latch inside at the top of the door. It gets locked whenever we are inside. It's just an extra layer.

I also look around after arriving and before leaving, especially after an overnight stay. I once had the safety chain stolen off my pop-up while staying overnight in a motel. I watched someone pull a pin off a motorhome towing a car while it was stopped at a RR crossing.

I have been looking into security safety film for windows. It looks interesting. I guess everyone has different levels of safety. No right or wrong.
 
Most of the places I camp in both the Gila Wilderness and Lincoln National Forest are very remote. There is usually no cell service, and there may not be any law enforcement presence for 40+ miles in any direction. That means that if you chose to camp in these areas, you are responsible for your own safety....which, in reality, you are anyway...regardless of where you are. 99% of the time, law enforcement investigates crime after it happens...they don't prevent it. They are a miniscule percentage of the population, and they can't be everywhere. So it behooves one to both accept this reality, and prepare for it.

Ironically, when I'm in these places, I rarely feel any out of the ordinary threats. There are threats, of course, like wild animals....there are things like lightning...and of course I could have a cycling mishap...but it would be extremely rare to have a 2 legged threat. It's places like the OP mentioned where you are the most vulnerable. Do all you can to negate those threats. Above all, never underestimate your opponent.
 
My wife and I enjoy the Swell in Utah and every October until this year we take one of our TT's out on the 106 mile stretch of I-70 between Green River and Salida with entirely no services. Being in our mid-60's we have more need of restroom stops than years ago.

We are both aware that this stretch of I-70 to Denver has major drug busts including nearby our home's DeBeque Canyon. In October 2021 we drove westward bound to the Black Dragon Canyon overlook. 2 cars were parked and man was just standing by his driver's door as I passed by. I noticed that he was watching the older couple of the other car. We drove pass far enough from him for our own security so that my wife could use the trailer. I kept watching him from a distance in my truck mirror and noticed the handgun in his hand by his side. Unfortunately, I tried to call the Utah State Patrol, but couldn't get reception. Those folks were on their own due to no cellphone service. We drove off. I had a .30-30 in the trailer for critter control, but even with seeing this guy with a handgun out I hadn't much thought of a CCW permit until this year. Times change.
 
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I’d be interesting in seeing how you installed a latch at the top of the door with the screen door there.
What screen door? LOL I have one camper that doesn't have a screen door. The other camper has a second "slider" that I made across the top of the door similar to the factory one. Just took a little imagination.
 
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