Thefts in Parks - What steps to take

[Old-RV'er]

All - was talking to friend and he mentioned lots of thefts of stuff while camping in Thousand Trails Orlando park. We have not experienced this, but mostly do not leave anything out. We keep bay's locked all the time, and always use both locks on doors even walking around park. As a rule, I always set the "night latch"- (used term as kid) when inside. Have any of you experienced this issue.
Questions and I think because I believe some of the below, that could be the reason, however?
1. Is it the caliber of RV'ers has gone down and more less desirable folks now are camping?
2. Is the economy (covid) causing more people to steal?
3. Does it/has it happened more in densely populated areas?
4. Do you camp out or close to cities, in densely packed campgrounds or spaced out parks like Corp of Engineers ones?
5. Weekends or weekdays or it don't matter?

What steps to take to prevent this aside from oblivious ones.

 

[Neal]

In my 4 years of RV life so far, only had one incident at a campground in the middle of nowhere CO which was kids of long term residents going into basements. Learned the lesson from that to not leave basements unlocked at night, I typically lock the coach when I leave the campground so non issue there. I would "assume" it's a low rate of occurrence and probably associated with the level of campground, i.e. trashy long term resident setup vs. "rv resort" - my guess. You have to wonder how many residents of these long term locations are "on the run" or hiding from their past, have warrants, etc.

Keep your valuable locked up, cars locked...I was at a nice campground in VA Beach VA where someone went into an unlocked car and stole a gun. That is an example of a typical campground, over 1,000 sites, but nothing that would flag my concerns other than a lot of campers. It happens, anywhere and everywhere, and ounce of prevention....

 

[Scooterfan]

Sad....but the new state of our Country. The only way to protect your "camping stuff" is to put it up each night...Geezzz... The biggest target are the E-bikes and then generators...

 

[Old-RV'er]

Oh, I never leave any weapons in my cars period. It's on me, or locked up secured in the house/Rv period. Lots of stories in Atlanta at fire departments stations, where people breaking into cars of staff, ripping off stuff. As GA law prevents them from carrying into state/county office buildings/doctors offices, etc. They make car gun safes, not sure I want more holes in the floor pan for that, just easier to keep on me and then I got it no mater where. If know going to prohibited place, leave at home and hope for the best.

 

[Janrey]

From what I understand it wasn’t RVers but outsiders who came in on foot stole bikes, got into unlocked cars and stole one car. Problem with vacationing is that many let their guard down. Lock your things up, leave nothing in your car in view. It maybe a pain but many parks, especially around tourist areas like Orlando, are ripe for late night thieves.

 

[OTH]

I think it depends where the RV park is located. If it's way off the beaten path and the only thing there is an RV park, vs being located in a heavily populated or touristy location. I think 99% or RVers are all good like minded people, but I'm sure all of us have seen a few sketchy ones. I'm more concerned about the local thieves doing some late night RV park shopping. The only theft we have seen was a group came through at 3:00 am and stole a bunch of bikes. No matter where we go though, I still lock my baggage doors, bikes, and throw a cable through anything big and tempting when we leave or go to bed.

 

[RKins]

From what I understand it wasn’t RVers but outsiders who came in on foot stole bikes, got into unlocked cars and stole one car. Problem with vacationing is that many let their guard down. Lock your things up, leave nothing in your car in view. It maybe a pain but many parks, especially around tourist areas like Orlando, are ripe for late night thieves.

That is what I heard there also - seems they want those fancy new e-bikes. There were hundreds of them in the park. I warned my Sister and BIL about not dropping their guard on their new e-bikes. They have them locked and have alarms on them that are sensitive. Their problem is that the bikes are 65lbs each, so a lot of work to store them in their truck each night. I predict that they'll lose them soon. I've heard best way to secure them is to take the rear wheel off and take the battery out.

 

[Janrey]

The batteries are expensive so yeah makes them hard to resell but still I would lock them up with multiple locks, a tracker device and loud Alarms. The harder they are to steal thieves will move on to something easier. Recording serial number and pictures might help to get it back.

 

["EZ"]

In my 4 years of RV life so far, only had one incident at a campground in the middle of nowhere CO which was kids of long term residents going into basements. Learned the lesson from that to not leave basements unlocked at night, I typically lock the coach when I leave the campground so non issue there. I would "assume" it's a low rate of occurrence and probably associated with the level of campground, i.e. trashy long term resident setup vs. "rv resort" - my guess. You have to wonder how many residents of these long term locations are "on the run" or hiding from their past, have warrants, etc.

Keep your valuable locked up, cars locked...I was at a nice campground in VA Beach VA where someone went into an unlocked car and stole a gun. That is an example of a typical campground, over 1,000 sites, but nothing that would flag my concerns other than a lot of campers. It happens, anywhere and everywhere, and ounce of prevention....

If I woke up in the middle of the night and found someone stealing stuff from the basement of my RV it would be a bad night for them. Man I hate a thief!

 

[DKRITTER]

Reason # 114 not to be a member of Thousand Trails.

 

[Joe Hogan]

Unfortunately this is not a new problem. Theft in campgrounds or boondocking is a real but somewhat uncommon problem.

In my world I do my best to avoid issues and work hard to avoid the temptation for the Opportunistic thieves. Also, work hard to avoid areas where theft is more prevalent. No Boondock at Walmart, Truck or Rest stops or other populated and uncontrolled spaces unless there is no other choice. Many have had great success stopping at these venues, it is just not for me.

On the bright side some basic precautions can be very effective.

How to Keep Your RV Safe From Theft | SafeWise

RVs can be easy targets for thieves. They can quickly drive away with the RV & all the valuables inside. Keep these tips in mind to keep your camper safe.

www.safewise.com

 

[Neal]

The first defense is choosing your campground wisely. Find a campground where ex-cons may be hanging out in long term living, you're at higher risk. Go to more luxurious and transient campgrounds with amenities, etc. then that will lower your risk. Want to be cheap and save money, it may cost you a lot more in the end. Be smart on your choices of where to stay and that includes Walmarts because you don't want to spend $ for a campground.

 

[TJ&LadyDi]

Reason # 114 not to be a member of Thousand Trails.

Unfortunately, 1K Trails has gone downhill for the past 10 years or so. That’s the reason why we finally dropped our legacy membership (one of the very first ones) a few years back. They were letting non-members come into a lot of the parks and staffing was reduced to the point that there was no official presence in many of the parks we used to enjoy. As soon as you put venture capitalists in charge of an RV park organization, you can be sure they will strip all the value out of it.

TJ

 

[RKins]

It's pretty much a given that the thieves are not 70 year old campers. The thieves are sneaking in from outside the park. Also, you can bet that things like your bbq and chairs are not what they want to steal. As I said earlier, it's the new e-bikes they are looking for. Just locking them up is not enough. take a wheel off and/or remove the battery and hang a sign on it saying so. OR put them away where they can't be gotten to.

 

[Skipper N Martha Bishop]

I spent 16 1/2 years in Police work. I've seen a lot in that time, First if you are going to carry a pistol with you while traveling always keep it under your control. If you are in your camper it should be in your camper, if your in your truck it should be in your truck. As others have mentioned keep everything locked and secured as best you can. Neal made a good point. Use nice camp grounds. In Texas we have State Parks and they for the most part are kept up well and are less expensive, They have Park Rangers that patrol the parks and you can see a Game Warden from time to time. If my wife and I are camping we look for the nicer parks or a State Park. As for the increase in new campers I do think Covid played a big part in it. Just think safe when out camping.

 

[Old-RV'er]

All - If you can afford it, high end RV parks first, Usually, good sam parks with ratings 8 or higher for all amenities. Lots of Private Campgrounds which are also good. Corps of Engineer Parks, and most state parks are also good. Remember, theare are mostly good people, some medium people, and some bad people. Normally, you can tell what kind of people you are dealing with by noticing external things, is the RV well maintained; are the people loud; do they pick up after dog; do they keep campsite clean and free of lots of stuff, or hanging out laundry, kids run amok, dog not on leash? Lots of movement into that spot; numerious cars and traffic? Normally, bad people, don't have means for upper high/medium campground. Yes, TT parks have some bad raps. Remember, most of them were developed back in the 60-90's. Urban areas have caught up to their locations. In Las Vegas, that TT park, has street walkers on the sidewalk out front, the gate is always manned with guard. They do not carry. If you own TT, or have friends who own TT, they know the best parks, and the parks to stay out of. Personally have never had issues and have stayed in lots of them as we are TT members. But as mentioned above, keep stuff put away, lock doors even when home. I follow all of his advice, you might consider it too.

 

[Old Bubblehead]

We (I) put a lot of effort into researching CG's to use in our routing. I know how long I want to drive, when I want to be at a destination, and calculate stops accordingly. Safety is my first concern. I spent 20 years frequenting the ports of the world with Uncle Sam's canoe club, and another 20 in oil fields. I can take care of myself. I just don't wish to have to. Nor do I want my DW up all night worrying about the coach or toad. I find several candidate CG's and research until I am confident in a choice. If I have to adjust driving distance I will.

I can only imagine the denizens of some CG's seeing a high dollar rig roll in with naïve owners. Talk about a target of opportunity.

Are there more campers than before, yes.
Are some of those honesty challenged, likely yes.
Are there CG's near dodgy areas of towns that get visits from employment avoiding pleasure seeking neighbors, likely yes as well.

Can all crime be avoided or prevented. NOPE.

Can you limit your exposure? YES.

Everyone's threshold for pain is different, know yours and plan accordingly.

 

[FL-JOE]

We (I) put a lot of effort into researching CG's to use in our routing. I know how long I want to drive, when I want to be at a destination, and calculate stops accordingly. Safety is my first concern. I spent 20 years frequenting the ports of the world with Uncle Sam's canoe club, and another 20 in oil fields. I can take care of myself. I just don't wish to have to. Nor do I want my DW up all night worrying about the coach or toad. I find several candidate CG's and research until I am confident in a choice. If I have to adjust driving distance I will.

X2 on the pre-planning and knowing exactly what type of campground you are getting ready to pay for.

 

[Germanrazor]

No but I do not leave anything like bikes nor portable grills unsecured. It is sad that this happens as we all know, most campers are great people. It is a sub-culture of its own. I would say most culprits just may be teenage kids over the adults. But one never knows…..that is an assumption on my part.