I just thought of a way to secure the trailer against theft while away! Install a hidden switch in the power cable to the electric jack. If thieves can't easily jack the trailer up to get it on their ball, they will likely move on to easier targets! I used this trick in the Caribbean when I lived in St. Thomas. Vehicle theft was rampant so I put a hidden switch in line to the starter solenoid. Never had my truck borrowed in the two years I lived there!
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2002 Toyota Tundra Why is it Levee's built by volunteers with sand bags hold better than Levee's built as directed by the Corps of Engineers with millions of taxpayer dollars?
I've stayed in State Parks where the campers around me presented as much of a danger as those folks found at truck stops, rest stops, and Wal-Marts. Indiana Dunes comes immediately to mind...
... Use common sense, pay attention to who and what is around you, take reasonable precautions for your safety, and the odds are overwhelmingly in your favor that you'll be fine anywhere you stay.
Roger
Ain't that the truth. As a retired state conservation officer, I've dealt with nearly every conceivable crime from minor infractions to felony theft, domestic violence, GTA, weapons violations, drug trafficking, rape, assault, and attempts thereof... all in state park campgrounds. In the peak of the season, one of our parks was like a small town with the population of the three campgrounds nearing 2,000. All kinds of people like to camp. The large majority of them are great, but there's always a small percentage that bring their problems and issues, even when on vacation. Friday and Saturday nights were always fun.
I've overnighted for years at truck stops, parking lots, Wal-Marts, Cracker Barrels, etc., and have never had a problem yet. I suppose I've been lucky. But, as Roger indicated, it pays to be alert, and to be aware of your surroundings.
Actually, a large portion of those incarcerated are in jail as the result of our bizarre drug policies, not violent crime.
Although this is a little off the topic, I don't think it's realistic to feel threatened on the road because of the size of our prison population. As someone who has spent 30+ years working in the criminal justice system, I second the observation of General Disarray. We wouldn't need more prison space if it weren't for the misguided and counterproductive "war on drugs"!
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We shall not cease from exploration, and the end of all our exploring will be to arrive where we started and know the place for the first time. -T.S. Eliot
Jerry & Susan
2007 19' Bambi SE
2003 Dodge Dakota 4.7L V-8
I've stayed in State Parks where the campers around me presented as much of a danger as those folks found at truck stops, rest stops, and Wal-Marts. Indiana Dunes comes immediately to mind...
You shop at the grocery store with the very folks you should be afraid of, you just don't recognize them as a threat there.
Use common sense, pay attention to who and what is around you, take reasonable precautions for your safety, and the odds are overwhelmingly in your favor that you'll be fine anywhere you stay.
I'll grant you that I'm one of those folks your mommas told you to stay away from, but I can't think of a single moment of RV time in all the years I've done it that I've felt particularly menaced anywhere, and in 33 years of law enforcement experience, I can only recall one instance of a violent attack on the resident of an RV, and that was only after he failed to deliver the methamphetamine he'd promised.
C'mon guys. Paranoia doesn't become us. You're generally as safe in your Airstream as you are at home, however safe that may be.
I worry more about a stop on the side of the road to fix a flat or broken down TV hard to control the location. I had this exact problem a week ago and gad to stop a few blocks from my home to make some repairs. The first words from my wife's mouth was do you have your gun? A concealed weapons permit is a wonderful thing. My wife, my teenage son, and myself took the concealed carry course together, I am the only one who has a permit, I wanted the wife and son to know what it was all about and the danger. It is not the property it the safety of loved ones which is important. Some places are safer than others I happen to live in an area which is not so safe.
I feel pretty safe almost anywhere, when 100 lb. malamute dog, and shotgun are with me.
Two big dogs are worth a gun in any fight. Two aussies and a great dane are the sound of "mess with the next guy". We are blissfully non-paranoid - even if we should be...
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Donna & Mike
Cowboy up! or go sit in the truck
It's been interesting reading this thread, the give and take of different posters.
Your comfort level dependes to a large degree on your normal suroundings, where you grew up. Case in point:
A friend of mine (Jeff) in his 20's went camping with us in the Sierras. He was so far out of his element that at night, he wouldn't leave the light-circle of the campfire or trailer lights. Too many critters for him. (Oh yeah, we had fun with him!)
I'm not comfortable in many city situations where Jeff is totally at home and comfortable.
I have the training and means to be safer in both places than Jeff is, it's just what you grow accustomed to and what your experience level is.
Dave
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Ahh....a voice of reason. Well said.
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