Being careful

[Pete Dumbleton]

Agreed!! Your gut is a reaction to observations that your subconscious has made on a whole bunch of subliminal input and it's wise to heed it. It might just be someone on a TV show that a person looked like or it might be meaningful, but it's best not to find out that it was meaningful....

[Judy Powell]

I travelled alone in my 1978 Boler this summer, well, not quite alone. I had my trusty 16 year old Shetland Sheep Dog, but she is blind in one eye and can't see with the other, almost totally deaf and most of her teeth have fallen out. Needless to say, unless I can get her to bark, she's not much help if someone decides to enter my trailer without permission. On the other hand, my 19 pound cat with fangs 1/2 inch long and claws almost the same length, would certainly provide me with some time to grab my baseball bat or whatever other weapon I might have with me at the time, if I threw the cat right into the face of the intruder. The intruder would never be able to remove the cat in time to see what I hit him with or if I just fled the trailer. Thankfully, in the 10 days I drove around central Ontario, this tactic was not required.

[Byron Kinnaman]

Ok, I'm gonna be a bit serious on this issue for a change.
I never really thought about it, but there's some things I do. Safety isn't reserved to the ladies.
When camped in a campground, the first thing I do is get to know my neighbors. I don't have to go up and introduce or carry on a conversation. What I do is observe them, their equipment, and style of camping. After observing people camping, and the vehicles around the campground you'll get to know what the norm is. You'll also learn what type of campgrounds to avoid. Here in Oregon, unless I'm camped with a group, I avoid most State Campgrounds during peak camping season. Off season, they're great.

I find that the people in the more remote campgrounds are generally quieter, less likely to be a problem. Because of the remoteness, the bad guys aren't likely to travel that far out the city. There's not enough victims in a small remote campground.

The more you're out the more you'll know when something isn't right. If you're jittery about something, go with jitters.

Then there's the odds. Yesterday a lady with a camper had an old tree fall on her camper and killed her. The odds against this happening are huge. The same with problems in most campgrounds, the odds against something happening are huge. With a little observation the odds get even better. Remember there's no guarantees is this life, so you have to with the odds and enjoy life.

[Greg A]

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.

We practice this philosophy as well. Exactly, why I don't want to do a custom paint job that makes the rig look like $$$$.
Kind of a chameleon approach to security.

[Gina D.]

when I was doing PA systems full time, my van was a purposely beat up looking old Dodge. We would sometimes just whack it in the side to make it look more "Homeless" looking. This was by design to keep folks less interested in it.

It ran flawlessly, but looking at it from the outside, you would generally never guess that it even actually ran, or that there was thousands of dollars worth of equipment in it.

For the larger systems and on the road band/crew transport, we had a beat up school bus that we parked on a street corner lot in a very bad area of Portland.

Never had a break in with either one..

[EllyRJ]

I keep my car keys in bed with me when I sleep. Anytime I would be the target of an intruder, I would activate the button that turns on the car lights and horn. The only way to stop the noise is by entering the vehicle with a key or by deactivating the button. I use good judgement in choosing a camp site....usually at a state campground where the staff makes regular rounds of the campground. It is maybe too dull for some folks but as a senior female who often camps alone, it makes sense to me. I left a large campground near Ely, MN because a guy with a lot of beer and a campfire as big as a homecoming movie type bonfire spooked me by choosing the site next to mine. Just him and me and I felt vulnerable since we were the only two there and the park officer left for the night. No regrets.

[Toby Pilcher]

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.

Roger, this is the best piece of advise ever for keeping yourself safe. Advance preparation, exit strategy, and body language/mentality are your best defences, and not necessarily in that order. It's all important.

[Ron N]

So, after reading all responses of this thread, I still didn't get an indication of how many people (mainly full-timers) actually carry a loaded handgun in their trailer. I am contemplating a 3,000 mile trip from Oregon to Florida, hopefully staying in as many Elks Club RV parking lots as possible. How many issues am I likely to have with local law enforcement (wherever I am at the moment) regarding having a gun in my trailer to protect my "home". As a former law enforcemant officer, I am trained and prepared to use a gun to protect self and property. Are there any states prohibiting carrying a loaded handgun in a trailer while traveling?

Ron

[Roger H]

So, after reading all responses of this thread, I still didn't get an indication of how many people (mainly full-timers) actually carry a loaded handgun in their trailer. I am contemplating a 3,000 mile trip from Oregon to Florida, hopefully staying in as many Elks Club RV parking lots as possible. How many issues am I likely to have with local law enforcement (wherever I am at the moment) regarding having a gun in my trailer to protect my "home". As a former law enforcemant officer, I am trained and prepared to use a gun to protect self and property. Are there any states prohibiting carrying a loaded handgun in a trailer while traveling?

Ron

<Moderator hat ON>

This question is NOT a question on the political appropriateness of gun ownership, the ability to carry a gun, or the appropriateness of carrying a gun. The moderator staff will not allow that political discussion to occur in this or any other thread.

<Moderator hat OFF>


Ron, I'm a sitting chief of police with 34 years experience so I'll give you the best answer I can from my experience. I doubt you will get that indication as it's really personal preference. Whether or not most full timers carry a loaded firearm shouldn't be any assurance or deterrence for you to. You and you alone are responsible for your decision. *Most* states treat travel trailers and motorhomes, for the purposes of 4th Amendment issues (e.g. search and seizure), the same as a residence. States differ more on passenger vehicles in the area of search and seizure. There are, no doubt, variations from state to state in the way the 4th Amendment is applied to travel trailers, but without doing a search of each state's criminal code there's no way to make a blanket statement or individual statements by state about the legality of carrying a loaded firearm in a travel trailer.

I would caution you that most states prohibit the use of deadly force in protecting property.

Roger

[Pete Dumbleton]

Some places are very buggy about handguns, like NY and MA and Canada, so I decided early on not to carry one. I chose instead to carry an inexpensive .410 shotgun, which also gives me a choice of ammunition (small shot in crowded area like RV park; larger stuf if needed boondocking). A 12Ga has even more choice of ammo including flares and bear-bangers.

I know my eggshell won't provide much stopping of handgun projectiles coming in or out, be they 9mm or spawn of a Desert Eagle...

[doris shamieh]

I've travelled across the country twice with three children and I have been very lucky that we had no troubles. I carry a cell phone, always wear a pouch with money and keys on my person at all times. And I only stayed at national parks or private campgrounds were there were other families around. I would not stay in state parks or small campsites alone with the kids...way to dangerous. We had wonderful trips. I encourage Moms to take kids camping on their own. Don't stay home out of fear. Just be smart.

Doris

[Kyle]

I appreciate that, but my best camping is boonies. I'm lucky in that NM is pretty nice to gun owners. That means so far this hasn't been an issue. When we do decide to do a multi-state trip, well, I don't know how I'll handle that.

Apparently, I have to do a lot of research to make sure I don't get myself in trouble with the law...

[Capt Ron]

I didn't see any discussion of pepper spray as a defensive appliance against intruders, human or animal. Anyone have any experience with pepper spray that they'd care to share?

I would add that the only time we've had any trouble camping was with a neighbor's dog running loose that 'attacked' our little dog as we walked a trail with ours on a leash. A swift kick in the rear end sent it howling away. I didn't even remember that I had a pepper spray canister on my key-chain.

[Pete Dumbleton]

Pepper spray is good, but not legal in Canada unless specifically marked as Bear Spray. Gotta watch the wind using sprays...