Leave Power Cord and Water Hook-ups At Campsite

[Rocinante]

We left one of those large collapsible orange cones in our paid-up site when we left for the day. When we came back the campground folks had taken our cone, on the assumption that we had left despite being paid up. Fortunately, they had not given away our site (yet), and they had our cone at the office so it all turned out well.

So, given we're in a van and don't have space for useless nonsense like camp chairs we don't care about, and apparently even a large orange traffic cone doesn't get the message across, that meter cover idea looks like it might be a winner winner chicken dinner.

Oh, and because we worry about what happened to Maggie above, we never leave anything we care about more than that cone in a campsite when we leave for a day of adventures.

[uncle_bob]

Hi

I've watched folks pull into sites surrounded by orange tape and cones, there's no predicting just what it might take to get a "don't park here" message across.

Bob

[Pahaska]

I have never had anyone ignore the cones I place at the road end at the center of the site. They generally seem to interpret it as a site with utilities not working that was marked by the park.

[preedtx]

Originally Posted by Lily&Me

I came back this past Labor Day from about 6 hours gone to find my power cord and camp chair both gone from a campground I had been in 4 nights and was paid up for til Tuesday.

Now traveling toward home, I am without a power cord because the WalMart I stopped at had extension cords but no power cord, so I have ordered one to be delivered to my home.

Maggie

I carry this adapter along just for this reason. It allows the use of any 30 amp extension cord. These are available for the new power cord plug as well.

https://www.amazon.com/Leisure-Adapt...1295296&sr=8-4

[Rich W]

Originally Posted by jcanavera

I had a Hi-Lo travel trailer at the time. Campground had a lot of occupants, so we weren't camped behind trees or in a secluded spot. Thankfully theft doesn't occur often and in my 40+ years the only previous occurrence of theft in a site that I occupied was by a raccoon opening up a cooler overnight!

Jack

On our first winter trip to Florida we put our cooler outside the door of our AS. It has some cans of beer/sodas, lunch meat and 2 bags of chocolate. I heard them in there at night but didn't confront them. The next morning the lunch meat and chocolate was gone. I know you don't give chocolate to dogs, maybe not raccoons either. A week went by and we never had them in the cooler again even though there was some foodstuffs in there like vegetables.

We're still new to traveling in the AS but we've never had anything taken from us. Little kids pulled up the flamingos once but their mom put them back.

[ITSNO60]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=90WD_ats6eE

[Lily&Me]

I like the looks of that meter cover, and not only should it do the trick but draw a few chuckles, as well.

Theft in campgrounds from fellow campers is pretty rare, but quite honestly when I drove away from my campsite Monday morning I had a niggling feeling that I should probably take my cord with me.

But, I thought it’s broad daylight, and I’m paid up til tomorrow.

Maybe someone needed it more than I did, but I’ve now been 4 days on the road without a power cord because the WalMarts have not had them.

I ordered one from Amazon and it arrives Sunday, by which time I will be home.

Maggie

[uncle_bob]

Originally Posted by Pahaska

I have never had anyone ignore the cones I place at the road end at the center of the site. They generally seem to interpret it as a site with utilities not working that was marked by the park.

Hi

In the case of the site I saw the folks pull into, that is *exactly* what the cones meant. Somebody else went over and mentioned it to them before I did. Was the power off or was it miss wired / capable of damage to the trailer? Who knows .... My guess is it was something significant. Most campgrounds will fix the small stuff very quickly.

Bob

[tjdonahoe]

We have been coast to coast …. Never lost anything

[85MH325]

Originally Posted by Lily&Me

But, I thought it’s broad daylight, and I’m paid up til tomorrow.

Maggie

I'm sorry that happened, Maggie. It's no fun living without A/C unless you run the genset.

It's amazing how we can expect an outcome and lull ourselves into a false sense of security based on past experience and what we think will justify what we do and make it all turn out ok in the end. And we get by with doing that, until we don't.

As I said in an eariler post, statistically, the odds are overwhelmingly good that your stuff would be there when you got back... but in the real world, it's a 50-50 proposition every time... they either will or they won't. You finally got the bottom 50% on one trip, and have joined that statistical minority who lost.

Thank goodness that most people in campgrounds are honest and expect others to look after their 'stuff' as we'd look out for our own. Perhaps that too is a myth these days.

Rog

[Lily&Me]

Fortunately, temps were very comfortable at night and so we didn’t miss the AC.

Thinking, tho, of Gavin de Becker’s admonishment that our intuition speaks to us for a reason, and always in our best interest…when I had those niggling feelings leaving that morning, I should have paid attention to them and taken the cord with me.

This was a campground with issues over the long holiday weekend, and the cord being removed by someone in my absence that day was probably predictable.

Never dare the devil.

I hate to say it, but having lost one power cord and not being able to immediately replace it, I will just take it with me from here on out.

20 years, tho, and the first time this has happened, but it’s still a sad commentary on human nature.

Maggie

[tjdonahoe]

Originally Posted by Wazbro

So that means you leave the hose in the site AND TAKE THE TRAILER WITH YOU ON DAY TRIPS???

that is a fact. I have never lost anything,
Owned rvS since 1971.

[Wazbro]

Originally Posted by tjdonahoe

that is a fact. I have never lost anything,
Owned rvS since 1971.

That is quite strange then. Most people leave their trailers on site when going on day trips, unlike Motor Homes which this thread is about.

[uncle_bob]

Hi

We spent decades in tents. There is no "lock things up" with a tent. You leave all sorts of stuff behind every day. Nothing ever walked away.

I'd vote for a (possibly small) tent on the site. Maybe toss your stuff in it when you take off.

Yes this gets you into all the "wet canvas" nonsense we left behind. It also means you need to find someplace to transport the tent. Nothing is ever simple .....

Bob

[Rocinante]

Oh, and we now have a Clam Quickset, so if we're going to be anywhere for more than an overnight, we'll probably put that out - unless the weather is terrible and we don't want to deal with wet canvas.

[Wayne Fire11]

What do think of your Clam, we have one also!
Storing it is a problem!
Ron

[Foiled Again]

Originally Posted by tjdonahoe

that is a fact. I have never lost anything,

Owned rvS since 1971.

Maggie has an Interstate. Maybe time.to tow a Vespa, eh? Can I fit one in my van? Ruminating.

[uncle_bob]

Originally Posted by Foiled Again

Maggie has an Interstate. Maybe time.to tow a Vespa, eh? Can I fit one in my van? Ruminating.

Hi

The Interstate does have a hitch on the back of it. Tow a teardrop .... no wet canvas to deal with.

Bob

[Rocinante]

Originally Posted by Wayne Fire11

What do think of your Clam, we have one also!
Storing it is a problem!
Ron

We got a size (the Venture) that's known to fit across the back of the van, though in the end we decided to allow it to stick into the passenger area by opening one of the rear storage doors at floor level. That's because we have lithium batteries and a Victron inverter in the rear under the lounge on the passenger side. We'll keep experimenting with how we want to store the Clam while traveling, but that's what we're doing right now.

[Mollysdad]

I think an Interstate with a Vespa carried on a crosswise carrier like the Versa-Haul would be ideal. Or tow a small covered trailer, but then you have more length, more tolls, and more tires to fail.