OK, I go camping usually once a month. We call it D8WKND. Then we go on two or three two week trips a year.

Now in thinking about Fulltiming and doing more boon-docking it occurs to me that we may be in a more vulnerable position.

Do you have any Video cameras, Extra windows, Alarms, What? Sometimes cell phone service is not available.

What are your thoughts? How do you protect yourself and materials?

Well beleive it or not i carry a baseball bat.The other thing i do is only camp in a area that i feel comfortable in.Safety in numbers.EG---Wallmart parking lot.It seem to me that the campers all gather in one location.
A CB might be another way to get help .You could always set up a siren or flashing light to be controled from inside trailer.It might scare people/intruders away.
This is a good question.

We have a dog (Buddy), but he doesn’t bark. Really, he doesn’t bark. Those who saw him at the Oregon will verify it. He points.

Have you every gotten this feeling that something is wrong but all is quiet? I wake up enough to look at Buddy, and he is pointing.

There is a raccoon in the yard.

Not much of a deterrent.

LOaded gun...... Oh, that's right you are in California.... So, I guess it's down to some sort of perimeter alarm and goood locks and a gruff voice to hopefully scare any intruders away.. Larry

There is an excellent article in the Jan/Feb 2007 issue of Escapees Magazine in our packets from The Oregon Gathering about safety and awareness. The author foolishly responded to a knock at the door at a rest area and was mugged. He strongly recommends practicing "Situational Awareness".

Vivian

Hold on, hold on.

I have a gun. A 50 caliber Black Powder Hawkin gun. Can you see me trying to load this muzzle loader while shaking so hard I can’t get the powder in the barrel? Then trying to take my one shot.

Nope, that wouldn’t work.

So, what should the author have done?

Unlike Deleverance the vast majority of the bad guys stay in the cities. Victims are too few and too far appart out in the "boondocks". We've been backpacking and camping in "dispersed camp sites" for years in a tiny tent. We've never had anything close to a problem. All the people we ran into were out there for the same reason we were. In fact I feel safer in the woods than in or near a town. The farther out the better. I feel safer in a dispersed site than I do in a campground.

Some people will fear wild animals. Jays, ravens, and small rodents are the biggest problem makers. Most preditors that are away from towns and campgrounds have a natural fear of humans. I like to say I have an agreement with them, I leave them alone and they leave me alone.

The only possible down side is that you have to be fully self reliant. Take what you need to survive longer than you plan on being out.

If communications is a concern, you might consider getting a ham license and a 2 meter transciever. There's repeaters on most high spots, some with phone line connections. You can almost always get in contact with somebody. Be sure to have a gps, it's easier to tell somebody where you are with gps coordinates.

Have fun....

Avoid rest areas. Mugger magnets.

How would you respond to a knock at the door at a stationary home?

Many RV's have fixed obscured/translucent windows in the entry door for privacy, and "porch lights" that can only be switched on from OUTSIDE.

My Fiber Stream's entry door has an operable sliding window (of translucent glass) behind fixed solar shade screen and a porch light that is only switched from inside. If anyone knocked on my door, I would (turn off the inside light) darken the area immediately inside the door, turn on the porch light, and open the window in the door just enough to see out, while the door remains locked, until I can identify who is outside.

I open the door in the mornings. I know it's Fred with coffee and getting impatient about my sleeping in later than he does.

I wouldn't stay at 2 campgrounds during my recent road trip to Oregon because I got that squeamish feeling about them. One was a California State park, nice setting and better than most Ca. SPs I have been in. BUT...It was too dark, in a gully and I just didn't get the warm fuzzies there. It was more an odd feeling, rather than a fear.. but I went with it and moved on.

If it doesn't feel right, keep moving or go back to the one you passed up just to "Go a bit farther".

Has any one tried one of those "peepers" that you find in front doors of houses? We're going to wire outside lite inside and wonder about the peeper viewer?
chuck h.

Get one of Vick,s Dogs before they put them down. Tie him on the front step.on one will miss with ya.

I apologize in advance for the length of this post, but I believe it contains important information. We like brevity here at FiberglassRV.com, but this topic deserves to be fully explored. Camping safety is and should always be at the forefront of every expedition we make in our campers.

I want to preface my remarks by saying I’ve been active as a law enforcement officer since 1974, and am now a sitting Chief of Police. In the ensuing 30+ years, I’ve worked in a big city (1.5 million population) in Southern California for eleven years, a very rural Sheriff/Coroner’s department in Northern California for about seven years, and have been a police chief in two small midwest towns for about nine years now. I’ve worked in just about every social setting there is from urban ghettos to chasing growers in the marijuana fields in the far back country in the NoCal mountains. There isn’t much in law enforcement I haven’t seen in those years.

There is all manner of advice “out there” about how to take care of one’s self, some of it reasonable, some unreasonable. Some folks advocate all kinds of self-defense measures. The truth is that there’s no “one-size fits all” advice that will cover every contingency. In our society today, there is a general misunderstanding that someone will take care of us as individuals in our hour of need, and that personal safety is a right. The truth of the matter is that YOUR personal safety is still YOUR responsibility and law enforcement can’t, by law, do anything UNTIL you’ve been victimized. “To Protect and Serve” is frequently misinterpreted by the public as to “protect and serve ME” when in fact, it is to “protect and serve society at large” for the greater good. We investigate criminal complaints to apprehend people suspected of crimes to the greater good of society, not for retribution in a single crime. In the U.S., the State is the victim of all crimes, and you are merely a witness. That’s why all criminal complaints are entitled “State of Xxxx vs. John Doe” rather than “You, victim vs. John Doe”.

With that background understanding, the good news is that very few people are victimized while camping or traveling. You’re much more likely to be a property crime victim by having your car broken into while you’re shopping at a grocery store or at an amusement park than you are to be victimized while camping or traveling. Your local grocery store parking lot is undoubtedly statistically a much more dangerous place than the average interstate rest stop.

Regarding property crimes, buying reliable locking technology AND USING IT are the best way to safeguard your property. If your property is more difficult to steal than the next guy’s, the crook will generally move on.

Regarding safety from animals in the wild, store your food properly and know the type of wildlife and the behaviors they exhibit in the habitat you plan to enter. Most animal/human confrontations are a result of either animal foraging trips gone bad because of poor food storage habits by the campers, or the camper surprising an animal; especially a critter with a cub, or getting between the mother and baby. RVs are not animal proof, and in some instances (such as a bear intent on getting to the bacon in your icebox) not even animal resistant. They take a little more effort to open than a cloth tent, but not much. Once again, knowledge is power and you are responsible for how you interact with nature in the wild. Nature is NOT going to bend it’s rules for you.

The bad news regarding "crimes against persons" is that if I’d choose to victimize you, you’re going to be a victim no matter what you do. If I want you out of your trailer bad enough and you won’t come out, I’ll light it on fire. You’ll come out. There isn’t an RV built that the door won’t come open with the application of a 12” WonderBar to the door, even with deadbolts. Trailers aren’t bullet-proof. If I shoot into one, the bullet will pass through whatever is inside, and likely come out the other side. In other words, merely being inside a trailer or vehicle doesn’t guarantee “safety”. What it will do, however, is likely provide you some necessary time for tactical assessment and planning.

You alone are responsible for your safety and the safety of your family, not only while traveling, but all of the time. So, what do you do to be safe? It’s been mentioned here already. The single thing you can do to ensure your safety and the safety of your family is be aware of your surroundings and avoid situations where you’re placing yourself or find yourself being manipulated to be placed in jeopardy. The use of alcohol is involved in most crimes in and around campgrounds. Stay away from campgrounds where alcohol is allowed, and don't drink to excess while you're camping. You can't afford for YOUR judgment to be impaired in a crisis or an emergency.

If you find yourself in a position to be victimized, how you deal with it will depend on how prepared you are. Often, I have found that body language that tells the would-be offender that "I’m not cowed and will not be an easy victim" is sufficient for them to move on to an easier target. I am personally physically prepared through training and experience to assess and counter most situations that may arise. You can and should prepare yourselves similarly. Those preparations will vary according to your age and physical limitations; however, even elderly or infirm folks need not exhibit a "victim" mentality. If you don’t look and act like a victim, you greatly increase the odds of you not being one. Thinking clearly and quickly on your feet, forming an exit strategy (with whatever that entails including YOU mounting an offensive attack on your assailant if necessary), and deploying it are your best defenses against being victimized. Recognize that there are no guarantees in this world. While you are not guaranteed to come out of a situation like this unscathed, neither does your assailant have any guarantees. Take control of the situation. Turn it around to your advantage. Despite being physically and mentally prepared, in the course of my occupation over the years, I HAVE been victimized a number of times at the hand of another. Even though I have been a victim of violent crime, I have never yet "lost", and my assailants have always been successfully prosecuted.

Guns, ball bats, knives, and all manner of other weapons are useless in the hands of the untrained and unwilling. Likewise, if you are untrained and/or unwilling to use that training with a weapon and you bring it out, you have most likely just armed an otherwise unarmed assailant as they will take that weapon away from you and use it on you. WITH proper training and a proper mindset, I am an advocate of personal defense weapons. I do NOT advocate bringing a knife or a ball bat to a gunfight.

Preparation and forethought are the keys to avoiding being a victim in our society. If you don’t place yourself in situations that are likely to be dangerous (whether the threats are urban or in the back country and from other people, animals, or nature), you’ll likely never be a victim. If you find yourself unavoidably in such a situation, planning and forethought are your keys to successful closure of that situation.

Roger

Well said, Roger.

I think this is one of the best defences there is. If you don't feel comfortable in a location move on. It doesn't matter if the odd or concern feelings are justified, if you have them it's time to move.

these guys give me a little extra confidence... I dunno - I wouldn't stick MY arm in the car if I didn't know 'em...

Click to view attachment

So Roger, how much of a deterrent is a good dog like the beautiful ones above?

My attack dog, “Buddy” (cock-a-poo - heavy on the poo )
He prefers NOT to bark.

Click to view attachment Click to view attachment

Mike, Buddy is great!

IMHO, the dogs in the car may raise a racket, but they certainly wouldn't stop anyone who is determined to get into the car. A little pepper spray goes a long way toward disabling and de-barking a watch dog... a half-pound of hamburger is nearly as effective.

Roger

What do you think of Electronic security?

There is one that uses a motion sensor to play the sound of a Rottweiller barking and then turns on lights. Then the sound of the dog comes from another room as if he ran to the front room and those lights come on too. (still with me?)

It seems this could buy you some pre-warning and give you some time.

*******************************************

RoboDog
http://www.x10.com/products/x10_dk9000.htm

X10's barking dog alarm has always been a favorite with X10's customers. Its ingenious design allows you to trigger a frightening dog bark by motion or keychain remote. Now, we've improved the barking dog alarm with the enhancements that our customers have always wanted -- computerized control of the dog! You can now use ActiveHome to control it, even program Macros that make the dog bark. This new dog is intelligent, not to mention loud, mean and frightening to strangers. That's real power! We gave it a name that reflects its improved abilities. Introducing Robo-Dog™!

This kit gives you the ultimate security for those dark nights or weekend trips when you're away from home. This is a must for ActiveHome users. Robo-Dog acts like an appliance module. You simply set Robo-Dog to a house-code such as A-3. Then, using ActiveHome you can program when the dog will bark or include it in a customized macro. For example: a security macro, when triggered by the outdoor motion detector, could turn on lights in the front and back yards, turn on a radio, make the dog bark, and turn on a light in the living room.

Put the keychain remote, included in the kit, in your pocket or keep it next to the bed! Hear something outside? Push the button ... it's gone! IT'S A GREAT PRODUCT FOR ANYONE HOME ALONE! You can place the Robo-Dog almost anywhere. It takes about 30 seconds to set up and provides the option to use batteries or simply plug the power cable into any AC power outlet.

THE DOG SOUNDS SO REAL ... EVEN DOGS AND CATS CAN'T TELL THE DIFFERENCE. IN FACT, IF YOU DON'T THINK THE BARKING DOG SOUNDS LIKE A REAL, MAD ROTTWEILER, SEND IT BACK FOR A FULL REFUND! THE DESIGNER ALMOST GOT KICKED OUT OF HIS APARTMENT BECAUSE THE LANDLORD THOUGHT HE HAD A DOG ON THE PREMISES!

Thank you, Roger, you make some very good points.[

how about a recording of a pump shot gun cocking?

I plan to carry my .38 under journey carry and have 2 boxers.

Those big puppies up there provide a very good 1st line of defense... On my last trip, a creepy guy was in the space behind mine... He walked over, stopped on the very edge of my site and asked, "do your dogs bite?" The Big Guy growled (and he never growls at anyone), so I (not particularly friendly) said, "well... it depends!"

They deter the simple problems that could become infinitely more complicated later... I didn't see hide nor hair of that guy again...

I like to use lots of lights at the house at night. I leave on my front garage light all night with a bright florecent bulb in it. Closer to the house I have motion lights at the front walk way. And a light on at the porch too. I wonder if there are some 12 volt motion lihgts out there some where. Would be nice to have a nice bright LED light come on at the RV entry anytime something or some one came close. I would prefer to have some lights around campsite I was at. I have some solar yard lights I am thinking about using as I camp. If your the most lit up camp site your the least likely to be the one someones going to mess with I would think. I was going to ask in a thread about how to take 12volt DC battery and crank it down to what ever these yard lights use. Run a bit of wire and keep a few low voltage DC LED lights lit at night. I have also carried with me a personal protection type noise maker I got at a yard sale some years ago. You put a 9 volt battery in it and it has a lanyard with a pin on it that pulls out of the device to set it off. I've had it in my tent in case of a bear coming around but have never had to ue it. The thing will make your ears bleed it is so loud and anoying.
Dave

We tent camped in a lake campground and had some creepy guys like that. checking out our stuff, asking questions about our 'cool gear'.

We didn't give them the time of day and they buzzed off. About a month later they murdered someone in the same campground. Instinct is everything.

I trust my big dog... the puppy is learning his ways... He's a big friendly fellow, but on the rare occasions he doesn't like someone, I believe him.

mine too. hubby will yell at them to shut up when they are barking out the window (in the house) and he's trying to watch tv. I'll admit the 'oofs' progress to a frenzy sometimes!

i tell him to get UP and see what they are barking at, not discourage them from being good watch dogs. I always get up and do a 'show me' to see what's up. Mostly they are nosey on our historic busy street, but better for me to get up than train them not to bark.

Thank you, Roger, for your special insights here, and to others for many thought-provoking comments. So far, our travels have been safe, but we DO use the 'situational awareness' approach. Having traveled the dog show circuit with one or more Rottweilers, I know the presence of a big dog helps. My parents used to worry about any stops at rest areas ... I just reminded them that I traveled with 200# of teeth and felt pretty safe. Now, our dog is small, but has a large (if unseen) bark, so that might at least give us a few seconds to think about the smartest next move. We wish everyone safe journeys always - L 'n D

This topic is interesting when juxtaposed with THIS LINK.
and THIS LINK.

In an earlier instance, I was trying to communicate my propensity "for being careful" and others were annoyed by people leaving their porch lights on all night as a security measure. Damned if you do and Damned if you don't.

I think many people turn on the porch light when they leave the trailer at night and use it as a beacon to return to. If that's the case then a porch light on could be interpretied as "nobody home".

Leaving the lights off makes the trailer less likely to be seen or noticed. This is especially true when boondocking. I would think that leaving the porch light on is like saying "here I am".

... by passers-by as it is being broken into.
... darkness covers a thief trying to pry/jimmy open the door!

In the places I like to camp I'd rather stealth than beacon.
Darkness also covers me sneaking up on the thief will club in my hands, that is if he can find my trailer in the dark.

I remember one time years ago when I used to tent camp, it was just me and my dog, a couple of guys came by to ask if they could borrow my axe.
Now usually I'd be more than willing to help someone out, but they gave me a bad feeling and the dog didn't seem too impressed by them either. Plus, WHO goes camping without an axe or hatchet or something to chop with? Just struck me as odd, so I didn't lend it. Maybe they were just trying to make conversation, and maybe I was being mean, but sometimes personal safety has to be more important. Besides, I sleep with my axe right beside me every night, so I suppose giving it away would be like loaning someone your gun if you have one.
The recurring theme seems to be:
1. Always trust your instincts
2. Use common sense
3. Never second guess yourself when dealing with strangers
4. Listen to your canine's companion's character judgements

I can go with ALL but this one.

Buddy thinks everyone loves him and he definitely Loves everyone.

Okay, so how about

4. If your dog finds someone not to his liking, trust the dog, there IS a reason for it, but

5. If your dog finds people to his liking, take that with a grain of salt too, as many dogs are just plain friendly with all, and you will need to assess numbers 1, 2, and 3 for yourself.

ahhhhh, white trailer and moonlight = glowing egg.

We've talked about porchlights in the past. I still like this idea:
Star Light Incorporated

We all have our levels of comfort and fear. I have very little fear that anything bad will happen while camping no matter where I camp. My fear level goes up when camped in a popular campground and more so in an expensive resort RV parks. The farther away from cities I get the lower my fear level goes. The lowest is anyplace over a mile from the nearest road, can't do that with the trailer.
The next best was at a place we went last summer. It was about 50 miles from the nearest town, then 25 miles from the highway on a paved road, then about 10 miles on a gravel road. The access to the site was barely visible in the day time, it was behind a bunch of trees and brush. We saw 3 or 4 cars and 1 motorcycle the entire week-end. I doubt that anybody but the motorcycle rider saw us, we were out walking on the road when he came by.
If we'd kept the porch light on it would have been a beacon for anybody close, light shinning through the brush and trees.

Bottom Line, I think...
If you fear that somebody or something is going to bother you, do what you need to do the reduce those fears. Not because something is likely to happen, but not dealing with the fears will reduce the enjoyment of the camping trip.

Don't forget the "test" button on your smoke or carbon monoxide alarm as an emergency alarm. If truly desperate this would give either a 4 legged or 2 legged intruder a loud warning.

I can agree with that!

Good Idea, hadn’t thought of that.

(We use it mostly to alert us when dinner is done. )

Also, if you have an alarm on your tug... press the alarm button on the key fob! This tip has been running around the internet for a while as a free alarm system for your regular home. Keep the vehicle keys by the bed at night and press the alarm button if you hear an intruder.

Folks, I hate to burst your collective bubbles about noisemakers, but the ADT security commercials where the alarm sounds and the crook runs off are just plain fiction. Residential alarms pinpoint exactly the time the burglary occurred, but that's it. Car alarms, other than alerting you that your alarm is sounding, are just useless. How many of you have called the police when you hear a car alarm? How many of you have set your alarms off by accident and other than you being embarrassed, no one else even takes more than a passing notice? A youngster might be alarmed by the noise and run off, but it's been my experience that someone who's determined to victimize you will just ignore it, and no one else will notice it enough to do anything other than to be annoyed.

I'm not trying to be a wet blanket, and certainly anything you do may help and is probably better than doing nothing, but I don't want anyone to get a false sense of security by relying on devices or technology to keep themselves "safe". One of the biggest myths circulating in society is that security cameras make us safer. If that's the case, why are there so many crimes captured on video? If they're keeping us more safe as a crime deterrent, then why are they capturing so many crimes in progress? They may be helpful in identifying a suspect at some point, but the sales claims the technology sector is making just don't stand up in real life.

Roger

I know what you're saying Roger...and believe you're 99% correct. BUT, alarms going off in the middle of the night or for longer periods of time in areas where they are not normally heard, does get more attention than those in asphalt parking lots at the local mall. If I hear my neighbors car alarm go off for long minutes in the middle of the night... I'm going to investigate. As would a lot of people. The same goes while camping.

Now the middle of the afternoon

Excellent advice! My boxers are lovers so I need to take that with a grain of salt for sure.

WOW that is an excellent tip! I never would have thought of that one. thx!

Roger, I know zactly what you are talking about.. when at home. I am afraid I am guilty of ignoring the alarm of the neighbors car (Which goes off frequently.. I wish he would get it adjusted)

BUT...... in a close community of folks trying to sleep in not so soundproof trailers, tents and "other" temporary housing, a car alarm brings them out in droves to go shmack the owner for allowing it to disturb everyone. No matter what the original motivation, it DOES get peoples attention and makes them be visible.. go from there.

In the boonies, however, your expert observations are no doubt spot on.

As a side note, this is the first car I have owned with a remote. I sure enjoy fixing that sinking feeling that I forgot to lock the beast, after I have snuggled in bed in the trailer, by simply pointing the button, clicking, and rolling back over to snore.

One thing that we do that I didn't see in the comments preceding is -- even though we could afford a much larger, newer, more expensive rig -- we choose to appear well experienced travelers.

Everything is functional, but certainly not new and spiffy. Our Scamp is older, with minor nicks, scratches added attachments, etc. Our tow is an 83 Jimmy diesel that is on its second engine as well as more than several transmissions.

We kinda look like po' folks and we like it that way. Probably not worth messing with.

Mike, this is where older technologies are so much more dependable than new ones. Knocking an arrow takes moments, and I've never known an archer to mistake his toes for an intruder.

--P

Unless the archer is using a crossbow, not a longbow...

Here's a black powder pistol that might be easier to unlimber, but you'd really want to load it ahead of time...

Duckfoot pistol kit

Hi folks,

Tonight we are between Butte and Bozman, Montana in a truck stop (they even have a Casino) - We are safe!

Here is something I will always remember (Who is Tom Bodett?)

With that said we will leave you for the night.

The travelin' GEEZERS
Dave 'n Leslie.