Stolen Airstream, 22ft Sport - Las Vegas

[AtomicNo13]

Indeed.... never thought of my dogs being snagged!

GPS tracking need not be complicated nor expensive...
You can subscribe to a prepaid carrier, like Boost Mobile. A basic $30 phone and a $25 a month plan is all you need. On that phone download Googles find my phone app. From another phone or device you can track with great accuracy, the location of the cheap phone. You plug it in permanently to a usb charger, then hide it somewhere in your AS.
In the event of a theft, you have pinpoint accuracy of your rigs location.

Research this concept for the cheapest route. Any cheapo phone is able to do this. $25 a month is cheap supplimental insurance!

[Rounder44]

Originally Posted by Dickandvicki

I can’t imagine how horrible it would be to have my AS stolen! With today’s technology there must me some sort of GPS tracking devise that can be placed inside the AS? Even more horrifying is the thought of my beloved pups being inside!

I posted elsewhere about Trak4 gps. ~$50 with monthly plans. I chose the option of 2 minute reports for $19/mo but have it set at 15 minute reports so battery lasts longer. Can be plugged in but then obvious to thieves (although it's just a gray box; I want to find a sticker that makes it look like a MP3 player!)

Doesn't track per se but sends exact locations every 2 to 15 minutes depending upon which you chose. It works with geozones you draw on a map very simple! When vehicle enters and exits you get a text. Not the best but pretty good. If you hide well enough you'll find your AS quickly.

Spot TRace may be best but have to pay yearly fee of ~$200 and they have rate increases so lots of disgruntled customers.

There's others but you'll want text alerts and email just in case. Seems a lot of fly by night companies and if they go under you have a paper weight. Trak4 impressed me as prepped for the long haul

HTH

R44

[AirMiles]

Originally Posted by AtomicNo13

Indeed.... never thought of my dogs being snagged!

GPS tracking need not be complicated nor expensive...
You can subscribe to a prepaid carrier, like Boost Mobile. A basic $30 phone and a $25 a month plan is all you need. On that phone download Googles find my phone app. From another phone or device you can track with great accuracy, the location of the cheap phone. You plug it in permanently to a usb charger, then hide it somewhere in your AS.
In the event of a theft, you have pinpoint accuracy of your rigs location.

Research this concept for the cheapest route. Any cheapo phone is able to do this. $25 a month is cheap supplimental insurance!

Check out Page Plus Cellular. They have an $80 per year pre-paid plan that uses Verizon towers. They also sell a phone for $10. I use this plan in my Airstream with my dog monitor. All I have to do is add the Google find my phone app and I'm all set. Thanks for the idea!

Here is a link to the $80 per year pre-paid cellphone plan: https://www.pagepluscellular.com/plans/

[InterBlog]

Originally Posted by Erik

I am intrigued by these chains, but what exactly are you locking with them, the wheels to the chassis? ...

No, we are locking our hitch carrier to our van frame as a security supplement to the hitch locking pin (which is easily defeated by any sledgehammer). It's analogous to locking a trailer to a TV, but a hitch carrier is a lot smaller and easier for a thief to abscond with.

Next logical question: what's so important about THIS carrier?

Answer: it was custom-made for our Interstate, to carry a month's worth of frozen home-made foods (see this thread here for rationale) plus the NATO-grade gas can for our chainsaw.

If I lose that carrier to theft, I don't just lose a device we spent at least 40 hours designing and fabricating ourselves (my husband and I did the cutting, welding, and finishing; it would cost $1,000 - $2,000 to have it replicated). And I don't just lose $500 worth of additional hardware. I also lose almost all of my food, and a month's worth of planned activities would then have to be re-formulated as a result, not to mention an annual vacation really screwed up.

I simply cannot allow this thing to be carried off. And it's a siren for thieves because Yeti coolers are such high-target items. Sort of like Airstream trailers themselves.

Not your ordinary cheap lawn-chair-carrying hitch unit. The Pewag secondary security chain is not visible in this photograph, because it is installed underneath:



Here is a pic of the two monolithic frozen blocks I made for carriage in that Yeti cooler during this year's 5-week trip across the U.S. and eastern Canada. Seven adults had a lot of good meals out of this pair, in remote areas where restaurants are rare.

[AtomicNo13]

I can't quite tell if that looks delicious or not!

[Joannadannna]

This thread has been disheartening and educational. What a wake up call for those readers, such as myself, to dig out those fine lined coverage policies and arm our wagons.

Some of you may know, I’m all about protecting my person and whatever four legged creature is tethered to me. However now I’m questioning whether this same mindset, which has secured my own chastity, has left my AS’s fly wide open.

Here I assumed a simple screw style hitch lock ’was sufficient, supplemented by a hearty insurance policy. Tracking devices, wheel locks and heavy chains - this belt is getting heavy.

[AtomicNo13]

This is the world we live in now!

[InterBlog]

Originally Posted by AtomicNo13

I can't quite tell if that looks delicious or not!

Trust me - it was. Or else it would not have been worth toting 3,000 miles.

I use a FoodSaver device to seal each meal inside a vacuum sack. Then I layer them up in a plywood mold that my husband built for me in the shape of the Yeti halves, adding a little water at a time over the course of several days until I have those solid blocks you see there.

Cube ice can also be used, but solid blocks last much longer in the Yeti (I learned by trial and error). I put Teflon liners between layers of food so that the blocks are easier to disassemble while thawing.

Edit: And of course we've gone tens of thousands of miles with this high-target theft configuration on our tail, and no thefts have occurred. Knock wood, but I don't expect any attempts to be successful.

[OTRA15]

Originally Posted by AtomicNo13

Just spoke with a detective from LVPD. Seems like they are very interested in investing in this case.
. . .

Wondering if they have any leads yet? Could they get the casino to release the video -- short if a court order? Such a lack of cooperation would certainly be bad publicity for the casino, and especially KOA, if your friend wants to go there.

Picture this possible headline:

"KOA campground refuses to help police recover stolen RV"

[this is a mock headline, just to be clear!]

Thanks,

Peter

[InterBlog]

Originally Posted by AtomicNo13

Indeed.... never thought of my dogs being snagged!
...

OH, I've got that one covered, too!!

We retrofit a cellular IP camera into our rig so that we can do a continuous live stream of our dog while we are away and she is in there (during cool weather only, obviously).

It works like a bloody charm. In this screengrab below, you can see a red arrow pointing to the disgruntled dog as she waits for us to return (disgruntled because she wanted to be taken on a walk). The image is blurrier toward the rear of the van because the camera is focused at short range to catch a clear facial image of anyone who breaks in. Every motion detected sets off a blip that transmits to my phone. Most of the time it's the dog in motion, but if anyone breaks in, I'm the first to know.

Lots of people like to dismiss me as unnecessarily neurotic, and this tends to proceed right up until there's a case of a flagrant theft that delivers everyone a sharp jolt of reality, a big time wake-up call. And then people tend to say, "Gee, maybe that ol' battle ax ain't so crazy after all."

LOL

[InterBlog]

FYI, another recent case of an Airstream stolen, this one being a MH stolen in July, in broad daylight in front of the San Antonio Riverwalk.

After being ransacked and stripped of valuables, it was recovered because someone reported it having been dumped in their parking lot, apparently.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8R1TItmAFr8

[HeadWest]

Really heartbreaking to read of the loss for this couple. I can’t imagine what they are going though. Having been a recent victim of a a property crime (about 10k of tools and equipment stolen from a job site) and finding out the local police would not even investigate or press charges, the level of frustration has been high. Traffic enforcement is a much higher priority over property crimes since they bring revenue to the city government.

That being said, I also can’t imagine going through all the locking and carting around the gear that some of you are doing. I feel that having the Propride hitch on our trailer will turn away some would be criminals.

The one recommendation I do have is meet your neighbors when you roll into a new camping spot. If they know who you are they are more likely to realize when the wrong person is trying to get into or steal your trailer and therefore take some action or be a good witness.

[OTRA15]

Originally Posted by HeadWest

. . .
. . . I feel that having the Propride hitch on our trailer will turn away some would be criminals.
. . .

An interesting take on things!

But let's not turn this thread into Propride vs. . . . whatever . . . debate . . .

[SteveSueMac]

Originally Posted by OTRA15

An interesting take on things!

But let's not turn this thread into Propride vs. . . . whatever . . . debate . . .

And the reality is - a less prepared thief might be confused by a PP/Hensley - but regardless of hitch and locks, chains are an easy way to steal a trailer....

A small percentage of people really suck. The vast majority are cool which is why reasonable protective measures and a good insurance policy are typically “good enough” so we can enjoy camping and hopefully never have to deal with this kind of thing, but at least have a backstop if it happens.

[nryn]

Originally Posted by InterBlog

We retrofit a cellular IP camera into our rig so that we can do a continuous live stream of our dog while we are away and she is in there (during cool weather only, obviously).

....

Lots of people like to dismiss me as unnecessarily neurotic

InterBlog, for folks who may be similarly neurotic , mind sharing the brand and model of the cellular IP cam?

(I have dogs as well and would find this very handy)

[AtomicNo13]

Interblog...
Not being up on the Interstate, tell me what the object in your screencapture is, the mesh thing with round objects. Is that your bathroom door? The round thingies?

[DBSteed]

Are most of the Airstream thefts in storage areas, State Parks, National Parks, private parks or while boon docking??? I really never even thought of someone coming into a campground and driving off with our Airstream. We started camping to relax, now I have thieves to worry about, and what can we do to protect our property.

[GMFL]

This has me building a lock. Better than what available for purchase. AR500 steel and mul-t-lock puck. Super tight tolerances to my coupler and all voids blocked. Also adding a 3x4 piece of channel with a pin welded to the bottom to secure the safety chains.

I hate a thief, and I hope this case is solved, so that the person who did this can be Charged and punished.

[farafield]

Originally Posted by AtomicNo13

Interblog...
Not being up on the Interstate, tell me what the object in your screencapture is, the mesh thing with round objects. Is that your bathroom door? The round thingies?

That had me puzzled too!

[Joannadannna]

I believe that is their custom table top hanging on the lav door. Note the couplers to the pole stem. There was a picture of it put together somewhere on the forum.