Security while Traveling alone

[Gina D.]

We had quite a lengthy thread pre crash with all kinds of good advise for folks that travel alone and what they do about security in the campsite.

Might be time to revive it, as we have many new members, especially women. Not to say men are not in danger of being crime victims at all, but women have a special fear and need for security. I don't think this needs to be fully explained, ladies know of what I speak.

Outside of fire arms, (Which could lead to a WHOLE other thread that could get nasty with political opinion, so please don't go there) what are some of the creative ideas we have come up with to deter crime in the campground or boonies, and even in the big city RV park?

I personally travel 99% of the time on my own. I usually always have two dogs with me, one of which would do some damage before he was overpowered by a threat, but that short time he could give me can help me get out of harms way. (It only takes a split second)

The dogs are also very alert, and they hear and notice everything. They may not bark every time, but they make it known they are on alert with a quick move that makes me look at thier body posture. I have learned NOT to ignore these alerts even tho a vast majority of the time, there is nothing for a human to be alarmed over. My female has twice alerted me to bears.

The dogs are NEVER locked away from me, even tho they may be tethered. They have full access to my areas. They sleep IN the trailer, For thier comfort and my protection. Never in the car.

As mentioned in another thread, I do not have lots of "girly" items around (Like the makeup kit on the picnic table ) and I keep two chairs out, an extra cup or bottle, a pair of boots, male jacket etc and some tools that are usable junkers to give the illusion there are two or more people in the site, the second "Unseen" one probably male.

This practice has fooled many folks, as I have been asked many times by folks if "You guys" or You folks" might have some water, tool, air pump or whatever they can borrow.

The mystery male can't do any real damage, but "he" may just make a less than good intentioned visitor move on to a site that appears to be an easier target.

I also used to, and should again, have a garter hanging from my rear view mirror, giving the illusion of a younger male owner.

I always let the camp host know I am on my own, and usually they keep a special eye out, stopping to make sure all is OK or making an extra trip or two in thier golf cart to check on things.

I also use intuition. If a place just doesn't *feel* right, I move on.

Curtains stay closed at nite, as it is actually easier to see inside when the trailer is lit up like an xmas tree. If they can't see anyone, they don't know HOW many are in there.

My Dad (RIP) was also very good about training me in alternative methods of self defense (Which mostly involved finding the best escape route BEFORE it may be needed) due to my size. (No, I won't fight fair or politely boys.) I always scope out the "Way Out" before I get settled in. This included how many everyday things can be used as unexpected and effective weapons that will make a perp stop for a second or two, allowing escape.

I have little fear in an RV Park, but am alert. Theft is the biggest concern there, not personal safety. It's some of the larger less maintained campgrounds, and boondocking I am wary of.

I actually feel VERY safe in a rest area, snuggled inbetween big rigs or in Wal Marts, where there is usually constant security watching.

I have found it is best to realize that THEFT means nothing, it's just stuff, all replacable and not worth putting yourself in danger for. Your ego won't pay the med bills or funeral expenses. Let them take it and and get out of your site and out of your way as quickly as possible.

Other ideas?

[Miriam]

Fabulous ideas, Gina! This should be in a brochure!

- Miriam

[Roger H]

Well done, Gina! I'll add my $.02 from 30 years of law enforcement experience.

You are responsible for your own safety. You don't need a self-defense class or a black belt to be take care of yourself. A little common sense, good observation skills, and pre-planning will go a long way to keeping you safe.

Your best defense is to pay attention to what's going on around you. If you're not comfortable somewhere for whatever reason, LEAVE. We tend to dismiss those feelings of "something's not right". Listen to them. I teach my young officers that a 'tactical retreat' is always an option.

If you find yourself in a situation that isn't safe, don't panic... think. Determine that you're not going to be a victim. Crooks can spot a victim a mile off. Don't act nervous or scared if you're confronted; be assertive. You're in control, look and act like it. Look for that escape route that Gina spoke of. Take inventory of your assets. Almost anything can serve as an improvised weapon if necessary; don't hesitate to use them. A rolled up newspaper or magazine, when used properly, can be devastating. Around your campsite you have the stuff on your picnic table, your lawn chairs, tools, firewood, all kinds of 'stuff'.

The key, as Gina explained so well, is to not get yourself into situations to begin with!


Roger

[Christi V.]

Gina..
Excellent points of advise.. I too am alone and have my dogs... when they see my Doberman usually no one will come close to my campsite... I feel very safe with her even the little one will get her two cents in. both always are in the trailer with me at nite too..
I was really nervious the first time I took my first voyage out to the state park.. but I had talked to a ranger and he said they do patrol. The hosts I talked with several times and they also know I am alone.....
I am always aware of what is going on around me too.. I carry pepperspray with me...

[BOBSMITH]

I used to never worry about security. But since I day-hike a lot while my wife stays at the Casita, I have begun to worry about that. Especially if we're using out-of-the-way National Forest campgrounds where there may be few, or no other campers.

[Gina D.]

Which sort of brings up another subject. Do your wives and girlfriends know how to hitch up and get herself out of there in case of accident or emergency?

[Roger H]

I also need to say that you're generally much more safe while camping than you are at home in the 'burbs...

Roger

[Byron Kinnaman]

I also need to say that you're generally much more safe while camping than you are at home in the 'burbs...

Roger

I also believe this be true. Further more, the father off the beaten track the less likely you;ll have a problem. It's been my observation that the baddies aren't going to travel very far off the main roads. Most of the problems I've heard about seem to be in the more popular places.
There's one very popular lake that it became really hard for law officers to keep up with the baddies. I had a tackle box with several hundred dollars worth of fishing gear stolen out of my canoe at that lake. I've left other more saleable stuff in the open around a remote backpacking site and not worried about it.

As for the ladies, it seems to me that the same alertness you have when walking around town would keep you safer than in town. I don't know what the numbers are but, fewer people around also means fewer baddies around.

Just my 2 cents worth.

[Gina D.]

Absolutely true. However, help is not quite as accessible after the fact. (Hospitals etc)

It's a long walk to help if you are boondocking.

[Donna D.]

All excellent points. If a situation is turning into something very uncomfortable..DO SOMETHING, anything...but do not FREEZE. This applies to just about any situation I can think of. Hearing on the news about car jackings...the kind where someone drags someone out of a car at a stop light makes me wonder Hit the accelerator, drive on the sidewalk, go through the red light...whatever it takes. The same thing when camping. Do something..when a stranger comes into your campsite, no matter how friendly they look/sound, get out of the lawn chair. You'll have more options from a standing point, rather than struggling to get out of that chair at the least opportune time. etc.

Great topic Gina

[Frederick L. Simson]

Which sort of brings up another subject. Do your wives and girlfriends know how to hitch up and get herself out of there in case of accident or emergency?

Excellent point!
This may go to a social dynamic of coupledom. How well do we share our "toys"?

[BOBSMITH]

I also believe this be true. Further more, the father off the beaten track the less likely you;ll have a problem. It's been my observation that the baddies aren't going to travel very far off the main roads. Most of the problems I've heard about seem to be in the more popular places.

I have to disagree. I've been a backpacker since I was 15 years old (and I'm 48 now). I've backpacked so many miles of eastern trails that I can't keep track of the mileage. And I can say that the worst crime problems are at places where the scumbag locals have access to forest lands via roads. The closer you are to a passable road, the more likely you are to encounter a joy-riding redneck out to steal, vandalize, create mischief...or something worse. I've talked to rangers who tell me stories that send chills up my spine. If a louse can drive to a spot and think he can get away with something, he will do it.

Now, if that same yokel has to hike in a great distance to cause trouble, he's not going to do it. These guys are tied to their cars for the obvious reasons--laziness, quick access to a speedy escape, etc. I rarely heard of anyone having trouble with another human far from roads. But as soon as vehicle access was added to the mix...look out.

[Chris C]

BOBSMITH,


I have to agree with you. I used to be a professional landscape photographer (calendars, post cards, etc.) I've backpacked over 3,000 miles to do that...............and much of that was 30 to 60 miles from the nearest telephone pole or road. I've always felt much safer in the backwoods than near a road. I always preffered 4-legged bears to the 2-legged variety!

[jdtrotter]

Which sort of brings up another subject. Do your wives and girlfriends know how to hitch up and get herself out of there in case of accident or emergency?

Great point, Gina

Before my current (and final) marriage, I was alone for quite a while. But I must admit that when we decided to buy a trailer, I fell a little into the ---hook up and towing is a "guy" thing---gees, and after raising two boys alone, how could I?

However, John would not buy the "guy" thing. So, on the first day, I learned to tow, hitch-up and un-hitch, and well, it took a lot longer to learn that back up routine.

On the other hand, we met some full timers in Vermont who were working as temps at the city RV park. The husband suddenly became seriously ill, and the wife was terrified. They wanted to get back to where thier family lived, but she had never driven their rig. I don't know the ultimate outcome.

Since we like to travel quite a bit in Mexico, I know that I will never own any type of trailer or camper that I need someone else to handle.

Diane

[Craig Nold]

Circling the wagons has been the best security for travelers since the Oregon Trail days. I never stop unless there are other RVs, not even in a Wal-Mart parking lot. On my trips to the far north, a can of bear spray was my constant companion. When I had a flat tire in St. Louis last year, it was the first thing out, then the jack and lug wrench.

[Bob Cupp]

My daughter and a friend are going on a 3 week post-graduation trip to the Rockies in June. I have taught my family that when you get to a campground, you do recon to check who is in the area, what is the area like, escape routes, telephones, etc. If there is a group that looks like it could cause problems, find another campground.

I have worked 20 years in federal prisons. I am a self-defense and riot control instructor. My family gets tired of me asking them what they see around them. They have learned to be observant and to trust their instincts. Unfortunately, most people have learned not to listen to instinct.

The one thing that I have repeatedly told the girls about their trip-If something does not feel right about an area-LEAVE NOW. Don't take the time to take anything with you, get in the car and GO. Leave everything. Get both people in the car and drive. Come back with the police or ranger and get the stuff. Stuff is cheap. Your life is irrplaceable.

The girls will both be carrying a portable pepper spray at all times. In addition, they will have a large can of "Bear Spray" with them when they hike and available in the campground. Both girls have experienced pepper spray and know that they can fight even when they can't see due to pepper. They also know that anything is a weapon that they can fight with, flashlight, cooking equipment, purse, etc. They also get tired of me telling them to park so that they can drive straight out, no backing up or turning around.

I will keep praying for their safety and trust that with God's help they will have a pleasant experience that they will remember all of their lives.

[Byron Kinnaman]

It appears to me that our news media has created a very paranoid society. We think nothing of jumping into our vehicles and driving down the road, but worry about camping. The chances of something bad happening to you are much greater commuting to work or walking around your neighborhood than camping. Yet we frett about the need to carry pepper spray and other weapons. A couple points.

1. Most people are in urban and suburan areas, and that where trouble is most likely to happen.

2. When was that last time you heard about problems with bad guys while somebody was camping?

3. How many women are raped each day while walking in their neighborhood?

4. How many people are killed walking across the street each day?

5. How many people are killed in car crashes each day?


Sometimes when 3, 4, or 5 happens you hear about, but not always.

When 2 happens, big news. Why? Because it's news when something out of the common place happens.

Yes I agree that one should always be aware of your surroundings and leave if it doesn't feel right, but I have only once felt that way in a camping situation. That was in a very popular camp ground. (popular meaning crowded all the time)

Life's too short to spend afraid of your own shadow. Play the numbers game and enjoy. You might as well, cause you aint gonna get outta this life alive anyway.

[Joy A]

I too, travel mostly alone with my little dog.

I agree with all that has been said. I have always been aware of my surroundings whether traveling or not. When conversing with strangers I always use the terms "We" and "Us".

People are intrigued by women traveling alone so the word, I've found, travels through the campground very quickly. So, when I speak with the camp hosts I ask them not to let it be known that I'm alone.

Byron, you are a man and can't really relate to what we women are speaking about, not that men shouldn't alert too. It's not society scaring us, it's a fact of life that women are more vulernable.

I'm not afraid of my shadow, in fact in some cases I'm probably not as aware and concerned as I should be. If I was afraid of my shadow I'd be home on couch. As it is, I'm off Friday on a week and a half camping trip. Then this summer I'm off to Alaska for 2 1/2 months with a caravan that's going to be so loose I'll most likely be by myself 50% of the time.

[Jackie]

Rasing my children as a single female, I made the decision to buy into one of those time-share type campgrounds. For me, at the time, it was wonderful. Gated community. 24 hour security. I could take my kids and their friends, and not have to worry, or even watch them constantly (they were 8 and 11 at the time). We got to camp lots (even though it was not out in the boonies), they got to swim and run and fish, and I got to relax. I still use that membership, as the sites are located near oceans and lakes and rivers, places I go kayaking, hiking xc sking. In them, I don't have to worry about being 'alone'. The one time I was way out in the mountains, no one else around, with my 4 year old grandson, we put our sleeping pads and bags in the back of the car and 'camped out' in there...he thought it was great fun, and I could lock us in and not worry.

Out in the boonies, I don't wory so much when it is just me. I usually have my dog. I can lock my door. I do stay aware. And my dad taught me some great defensive maneuvers. I don't show that I have a lot of 'stuff' to steal. I am and act confidant, never fearful. Plus, I think the gray hair might help

[jack maloney]

FOUR RULES FOR SURVIVAL

#1 - Be aware.

#2 - Trust your instincts and act on them.

Several posters have emphasized this, and they are absolutely right. I grew up on Chicago's South Side, have worked in Haiti and went through a revolution in Portugal, and those two rules have served me well.

The third rule doesn't help when you're boondocking, but useful in many other situations:

#3 - Stay away from the edge of the herd.

Predators stalk the margins - of crowds, of cities, of herds. Places where there are fewer people, less light, no witnesses. The lion never takes a zebra from the heart of the herd.

#4 - Don't LOOK like a victim!

Predators look for the easy mark. The unlocked door, the open window, the careless purse-carrier, the aimless walker. Walk tall, look decisive, and go back to #1 - be aware.