Leave Power Cord and Water Hook-ups At Campsite

[WA_Airstream]

I am curious on what people do when they “leave” their campsite for a day - do you leave your power cord and water/filter hose at the campsite - or do you disconnect all of it and store it back in the camper?

I love the convenience of the Class B+ size (we have an Atlas). I have done both but sometimes worry I am going to come back to our campsite and find them “gone”.

I suspect this is a personal preference issue along with a bit of “faith in our fellow human beings” to not take things. I would love to hear thoughts on this ….

[Dennis C]

I always leave mine hooked up. I can’t imagine somebody would steal my water hose, but I suppose it’s possible. I worry a bit more about my surge protector, but not enough to lock it up or take it with me.

[Lily&Me]

I don’t ever hook up to water, but do go off and leave my electricity cord all the time, without ever a problem in 20 years of RV’ing.

There is very little theft in campgrounds, tho it happens it is the exception and not the rule.

Maggie

[85MH325]

The odds are overwhelmingly high in paid campgrounds that your "stuff" will still be there when you return.

That said, every time you leave it there, you have a 50-50 chance of it being there when you return. Eventually, you'll be on the losing end of your bet.

[Rocinante]

We never connect to city water, because we use our fresh tank and running water through it keeps the tank fresher. We pack up our electrical cord and surge protector and bring it along when we leave for the day to help avoid the potential inconvenience of having to replace that gear while camped in the middle of nowhere.

[Foiled Again]

Happened to me. Water and power cord and a step stool. 20 minute trip to dump tanks. Family with you. Leave someone at the site or take it along.

Originally Posted by Dennis C

I always leave mine hooked up. I can’t imagine somebody would steal my water hose, but I suppose it’s possible. I worry a bit more about my surge protector, but not enough to lock it up or take it with me.

[Dennis C]

Originally Posted by Foiled Again

Happened to me. Water and power cord and a step stool. 20 minute trip to dump tanks. Family with you. Leave someone at the site or take it along.

That’s crazy. I lose a little bit of faith in people with each passing year. There are many good people, but there are many a-holes too.

[Lily&Me]

Depending on where I am camped, I might leave a camp chair out with the electrical cord, to be clear I am coming back.

Maggie

[Wayne&Sam]

Originally Posted by 85MH325

The odds are overwhelmingly high in paid campgrounds that your "stuff" will still be there when you return.

That said, every time you leave it there, you have a 50-50 chance of it being there when you return. Eventually, you'll be on the losing end of your bet.

Which is is it? Overwhelmingly high or 50-50?

[Boxster1971]

I've sometimes left the power cord when day-tripping in my Interstate from a paid private campsite, like a KOA. One time in Florida I came back and my cord was gone. Turned out the campground maintenance guy picked it up thinking I left it behind. I got it back after checking with the campground office.

I once left some firewood at a campsite that I left for the day. My neighbor helped their self to the wood. Go figure?

For piece of mind I would not leave anything that was not chain locked to a solid structure at campsite when leaving it for the day to travel locally with the van. I've used a bicycle lock to tie a folding chain to a picnic table - making it clear I'm coming back.

[Mollysdad]

Originally Posted by Boxster1971

One time in Florida I came back and my cord was gone. Turned out the campground maintenance guy picked it up thinking I left it behind.

I stopped at a campground in Georgia. After leaving the next day I realized I'd washed the dog bowl, and set it on the hose barb post to dry and driven away. Not a big cost, but I called and was told they'd send someone out to look.
I just happened to stop at the same park on the way home, took a walk around and found my bowl still sitting on the post a week later.

[Titus]

We seldom spend two nights at the same place. But we sometimes get a campsite early in the day and return much later in the day. We register and put the stub on the pole (if there is one) and put an 'OCCUPIED' sign on the pole or picnic table. I also take a picture of the registration stub in case somebody tries to claim that there was no registration stub.

[s1000pre]

I have never worried about my power cord or hose. I recently started running water from my tank and not hooking up. I have never had anything stolen from a campsite. I think “if”someone is going to take anything, it won’t be something they need to disconnect. It will be more of a snatch and grab.

[jcanavera]

I had one theft back in the 80's when I was staying at a big private campground in Myrtle Beach. While away from my site someone stole my wheel chocks and bumper caps (sewer hose storage was inside the bumper). I pretty much knew who did it because my neighbor had neither. When I came back to the site his trailer was gone. I'm sure they took it.

Jack

[OTRA15]

Context

This thread, in the Sprinter and B-van forum, is about a motorized RV that leaves the campsite for day trips IMO.

Not a trailer.

Thus the vacant campsite might look abandoned, unlike when trailers are left in the campsite and the tow vehicle leaves for a day trip.

Originally Posted by WA_Airstream

. . .
I love the convenience of the Class B+ size (we have an Atlas).
. . .

[Rocinante]

We do leave a collapsible cone or two behind to "block" the campsite, which should help remind folks the site isn't really empty and that we will be back. If we're staying two or more nights, we often put up a screen tent, so that stays behind while we're out and about. As we noted before, we don't leave our power cord and surge protector behind simply because we don't want to deal with the inconvenience of having to replace that on the fly.

[jgeurin]

I have had levelling blocks taken (the "giant lego" style), and have had a disc golf practice basket taken while I was gone for the day. In both cases I got them back. A fellow camper saw what happened each time, and I was able to track the equipment down, but each time it was a hassle. Those taking the stuff thought I had abandoned or had forgotten my stuff - or at least claimed that they thought this - I tend to believe them. I have decided to simply pack up everything when I leave from now on.

I have also thought about packing a small backpacker's tent and setting it up to make my site look more occupied when I go out for the day. If I was staying in the same place for a week at a time or more, this might be worth it, but I haven't gone that far yet. I spoke to a young couple that were on a year long trip, camping out of their van, who used this technique and who found that it worked well for them.

[OTRA15]

Originally Posted by jgeurin

. . .
. . . Those taking the stuff thought I had abandoned or had forgotten my stuff . . .
. . .

Exactly . . . a "no-brainer" and reasonable assumption IMO -- not perfectly 100% sound, but what the hey?



The choice is there for every RV owner to make when leaving the site for the day . . .

" . . . Take my stuff, or risk losing it . . . "

A simple choice, with which one must live . . .

[Rig Rat]

Originally Posted by Rocinante

We do leave a collapsible cone or two behind to "block" the campsite, which should help remind folks the site isn't really empty and that we will be back.

************************************************** ***********

We laminated 2 "Occupied" Signs that we then tape to a set of cones. However, I never leave the surge protector or power cord behind.

[TayaraTravel]

I leave a water hose at the site; it could be easily and cheaply replaced.

I always take the RV power cord and surger; replacing them would be expensive and possibly inconvenient.