Our camping kit is mostly ancient and battered, so thieves aren't going to want it! Even so, I'm fond of it and would really hate any of it to get nicked, so I tend to keep it inside and smaller items folded in the car when we're off for the day.
Consumable stuff, beer, wine etc., that might go walkabout if we left it outside gets put in the tent or the car. Valuables get locked in the car or else we take them with us.
we never lock our tent, however as others have already stated we also never leave our vauables in an unattended tent...we keep our vauables in the sleeping tent with us (at night) or in the car or on our persons (during the day)...and we never leave anything outside when we go out for the day...
This thread made me chuckle thinking back to last week at Fforest Fields. As DS is now and older, responsible teenager he stays out after DH and me go to bed and each night I'd say to him, don't forget to lock up when you come back in
------------- May/June - Spring Valley
Aug/Sept - Leekworth
I don't lock my tent, however, I lock the valuables in the car or trailer instead.
DK
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* Ex-tenter
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I use the heap system in my tent, anything of value that I cannot carry with me gets buried beneath my filthiest underwear and tee shirts.
Hopefully the potential thief entering the tent will be so disgusted by the rotten mess that he finds that he will go away empty handed.
Someone went through my cycle panniers at Victoria Station when I was in the toilets. He didn't get past the grimy cycle shorts and shirts to find the Roberts FM, AM, SW radio beneath. I still felt violated that someone had searched my bags.
Ha ha, Bramston! I hid my spare keys under my (used) running gear, the idea being that if someone is so desperate for my stuff they will pick through a pile of sweaty socks and muddy leggings then their need must be greater than mine and they are welcome to it!
At home, I don't really do tidy, any passing burglars who peep through the window will assume it's already been robbed and move on!
This thread got me thinking as to what I have in my setup that would be worth stealing.
Apart from the tent/carpet, the next most expensive kit is our sleeping bags (can't see anyone would steal them once slept in and drooled on)
Then the table/stools combo (always covered in crayon etc.)
Then, probably the kitchen stand or maybe the 4.5kg calor bottle itself.
The rest of my stuff is in the £30 and under category and all well used.
All in all I cannot see any of this stuff being worth nicking, so I don't let it worry me and just zip up the tent and the curtains before I leave for the day.
I must admit though - it gets scary if you add up how much you spent on it all!
Quote: Originally posted by JoMarch on 06/8/2013
At home, I don't really do tidy, any passing burglars who peep through the window will assume it's already been robbed and move on!
Quote: Originally posted by OldRex on 08/8/2013
This thread got me thinking as to what I have in my setup that would be worth stealing.
Apart from the tent/carpet, the next most expensive kit is our sleeping bags (can't see anyone would steal them once slept in and drooled on)
Then the table/stools combo (always covered in crayon etc.)
Then, probably the kitchen stand or maybe the 4.5kg calor bottle itself.
The rest of my stuff is in the £30 and under category and all well used.
All in all I cannot see any of this stuff being worth nicking, so I don't let it worry me and just zip up the tent and the curtains before I leave for the day.
I must admit though - it gets scary if you add up how much you spent on it all!
One of the first threads I remember reading on here was some poor chap having his tent pegs nicked.... and not out of the bag, either!!
Quote: Originally posted by JoMarch on 06/8/2013
At home, I don't really do tidy, any passing burglars who peep through the window will assume it's already been robbed and move on!
I could have typed that!
Lol me too.
The only thing I've ever worried about is my cool box. I always put it in side tent and it stays cool.
We always face this dilemma too. I'm always nervous about being away from the tent for longer than about an hour. To calm my nerves we invested in a solar powered radio. Outwell do one for about £15. We now wind that up and leave it on a fairly low volume in the bedroom area on radio 4 or some other non musical channel. Someone snooping might believe that someone is either listening to the radio whilst sleeping/relaxing, or simply that there are people have a conversation inside the tent. We tend to close up the blinds so you cannt see into the tent. We don't bother with padlocks though. I think any would-be-theif would be curious as to what it is you're hiding behind the canvas and simply rip their way through.
If security is a big concern, do try to be friendly with your camping neighbours as its an unspoken rule among good campers that we keep an eye on things for one another. Also choose your pitch carefully ie in a busier part of the site where outsiders would look more obvious.
I work for the police and I've rarely ever heard of a report of a theft from a tent, except the festival type situation. Caravans do get broken into from time to time, but that's usually during the winter period, and caravans often contain Tvs, DVD players etc.
------------- MAY 2017 - Loch Ken, Scotland
JUNE 2017 - Sango Sands, Durness, Scotland
AUGUST 2017 - Balloch O Dee, Galloway and Invergarry
SEPTEMBER 2017 - three brief trips
OCTOBER 2017 - hopefully one final trip before Halloween
We dont lock anything and tend to leave our awning open at one end as well. This practice has stopped. At one of the campsites we were at a couple of weeks ago we left our awning open. When we came back the catch of our max cold icebox had been snapped off so now we have to secure it with a small bungee! Another camper told me that a load of kids had been playing about (hide and seek) and had been running in and out our awning. Nothing was taken, not even the beer in the box, but I guess the kids were curous and had a look, breaking catch in the process.
I dont want to start another hate kids/dogs/old people rant just saying that in future I wont leave my awning open!
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Topic: do you `lock up` your tent
Even so, I'm fond of it and would really hate any of it to get nicked, so I tend to keep it inside and smaller items folded in the car when we're off for the day.
