in 50 years we have had a coat stolen from the awning, and one trainer (yes one!) from the wind break pole, they where on there drying out! we never did find the person with one foot tho
Must be near 40 years ago now, we were staying near Poole, and came back to find our sleeping bags full of (our) Cornflakes! Reckon it was kids larking about, nothing missing, but then in those days camping was pretty basic so not too much to pinch anyway!
Think that's the only incident, personally or to any one I know, on regular camp sites.
I've camped for nigh on 30 years at Le Mans 24Hr motor race temporary 'pop up' camp sites around the actual track. There's a certain amount of pilfering that goes on there, but most of the victims I'm aware of have generally been stupid (often rolling drunk!), things like leaving wallets and car keys in porch area of tent or table in the open etc., AND it's not your typical calibre of camper, mostly (often drunk!) blokes who never normally camp, plus the French Pykies are well know for cruising the camp sites looking for targets of opportunity. Get to hear of the occasional generator or camping fridge going missing too.
We've never been victims (touch wood!), but then we've been security conscious, hiding things of potential interest out of casual view, locking valuables out of sight in cars, keeping car keys on our person at all times etc. We've also chained down to ground anchors our generator, fridge, stove etc. We've befriended our neighbours so we all look out for each other, and let it be know (in a nudge nudge kind of way to neighbours) that anyone we catch in the act would regret it, we're a bunch of big burly blokes, so probably look like a bad choice to p**s off!
Considering the tens of thousands camping on these sites for the few days duration of the race, I suspect statistically, the losses are very low, even though most of us hear tales of loss but usually don't know anyone who's actually been a victim.
Nope, however, I did have a chunk of butter taken out of a brand new tub placed on a table in the porch early one morning by a backpacker (my pitch was close to the backpacker's hut) while I was still asleep!
DK
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Nope, from 1979 to 2005. We were mostly on sites & never once had a problem because other campers will challenge someone mooching about. We were at some folk festivals & occasional silly stuff like bacon would go missing. I’ve lost far more stuff at Youth Hostels. But our golden rule was to take valuables with us.
Years ago in Dorset, a van came in and practically cleaned out the tents when everyone was out. Took our food and sleeping bags, someone had his camera equipment taken. In France, someone nicked our saucepans from outside our tent.
In the sixties we were staying in a tent on a campsite at the Victoria Falls. On returning to the tent, everything was strewn about and you could see little fingers in the butter. Cornflakes were gone. We had been raided by a troop of monkeys!
We have never personally had anything stolen but several years ago in France a number of tents were broken into overnight on a site we were on. They took mostly handbags and wallets and used a knife to slit the tent fabric rather than use the zip which I assume would have made a noise that may have alerted the occupants. This coincided with a group of caravans parking up illegally nearby. The caravans moved on the next day and there were no further problems.
From memory, about 30-40 tents were targeted (on a large site) but they didn’t bother with caravan awnings. I guess they assumed that valuables would be inside the caravans and not in the awnings.
This is the only time in many years I have seen anything like this on any site either in the UK or abroad.
I have twice had someone enter my tent while I was away:
First time I got back and heard rustling under the table. A 2 year old child had crawled under the door and was enjoying our crisps.
Second time I knew something was up as all our chairs were missing from out front. When I got into the tent, there they were. Some kind soul had put them in out of an unexpected rain squall.
in 20 odd years we have had a couple of pegs taken from the guys holding the side of the tent.
On the plus side we came back from a day out and the kind couple in the caravan opposite had taken down our tarp when the wind had got up.
Amazing family weekend with old steam engines, classic car displays, market stalls, and full catering and bar. And camping on site - Save £25 by booking in advance.
Topic: Tent break-ins
via mobile 25/7/2023 at 6:57pm
