If you go camping you must always be cautious of camping security. When enjoying the activities nature offers, you provide a window of opportunity for thieves to steal your valuable belongings. It is crucial to camp safely and securely so you can return home after with only fun memories. Here is a list of some actions you can do to secure the safety of your belongings.
Camping Security Tips
Make a list or take a photo of the things you have brought
Have a list or a photograph of the things you have brought with you. This will remind you at the end of your journey of whether or not you have left, lost, or had something stolen.
Lock up expensive things
One of the primary things you can do to ensure that your valuable belongings don’t get stolen is to lock them up. The typical method to do this is with a use of a chain and a padlock. You only have to choose something within your campsite that isn’t easy to budge—for instance, a tree, a cemented bench, or a pole.
Using the chain, wrap your valuable items and lock the chain together. Whenever camping with a trailer or recreational vehicle, it is essential to never leave valuable items in the outside compartments.
The main reason for this is that the majority of these compartments are accessible by a universal key. It is more highly advisable to leave any belongings inside your trailer rather than outside.
Another tip is to pull the shades down to conceal the interior. For a more secure feel and if budget isn’t a problem, you may purchase and bring a safe with you, but make sure to place it somewhere hidden. The safe will provide additional storage protection to your belongings.
Don’t leave valuable items
Leaving your valuable items out in the open and somewhere easily accessible is a magnet to thieves. It is crucial to remember either to bring your things on the journey with you, lock them up on an unmovable object, or place them inside your vehicle. By doing so, you prevent your items from being stolen.
Have an extra set of eyes on your belongings
One of the best camping etiquette practices is to be kind to your neighbors. Being kind to your neighbor doesn’t cost you money or time, and there will always be instances that you might need their help. An excellent example of this is when going out and leaving your campsite unattended.
You can ask your neighbor to keep an eye on your belongings while you are away. By doing this, you are lowering the risk of your base being robbed by thieves.
Purchase a good padlock
Investing in a good quality padlock is advisable. Other helpful security tools to invest in besides a padlock are a thick chain, a lockable cabinet or portable safe, a set of security cameras, automatic light sensors, and perimeter alarm sensors.
Keep your equipment close to you
One well-known and effective precaution you can apply to prevent getting robbed when camping is keeping your belongings close to you. This will undoubtedly lower your possibility of getting robbed as it will make thieves think twice about stealing from you.
If they ever do so, you are more likely to catch whoever is stealing from you. Another tip to remember during camping is to never hang your clothes or gear far from your camping base, especially at night. This precaution will prevent your camping gear from getting stolen, especially when they aren’t cheap.
Keep your vehicle safe and secure
Whenever camping with a vehicle, it could be a good idea to use a wheel clamp. The primary purpose of a wheel clamp is to prevent vehicles from moving; this will deter thieves from stealing your vehicle. Besides keeping your car safe and secure from missing, it also provides you peace of mind when camping and enjoying outdoor activities a distance from your vehicle.
Another additional tip when leaving your vehicles unattended is to pull down blind covers on its windows to conceal the interior. By doing so, thieves will have second thoughts about stealing your vehicle, including the items inside them, if they are not able to get a visual of the things you have in the first place.
Leave unnecessary and valuable things at home as much as possible
The main reason you go camping is to explore, connect, and enjoy nature. Given that, iIt is sensible enough for valuable items such as jewelry and gadgets to be left at home. You will need to remove your jewelry at some point during your camping journey anyway.
On the other hand, gadgets such as laptops and tablets will keep you from engaging in camping activities. It is essential only to pack necessary items and less of the valuable things to avoid attracting thieves.
Where can I leave my valuable things when camping?
Whether camping or going on outdoor activities, one convenient thing to have is safe storage to store your valuable belongings. Storage is essential since you cannot bring everything with you, especially when doing camping activities.
You should always know where to safely store your valuables to be assured whenever you leave your camp unattended. Here are some tips on where to keep your valuable items during camping.
Safe box
A safe box is one of the most reliable storage facilities out there. This type of storage often comes with either a key lock, digital pin code, or a combination of both.
Manufacturers made these boxes with thick layers of steel that are very hard to penetrate, making things inside likely impossible to be stolen.
This is a great option to bring when deciding on where to place your valuables unattended. You can hide your safety box either inside your vehicle or tent.
Vehicle
When camping with a vehicle, you can always rely on it as storage to store your valuable things. It functions similarly to a safety box; it has a key lock and alarm, is more spacious, but isn’t as durable as a safety box in terms of penetration.
A vehicle has a glove compartment that can store your small valuable items such as jewelry, gadgets, and cash.
It still has an ample amount of space to keep other significant belongings safe and locked. When planning to store expensive things inside a vehicle, a tip is to equip its windows with blinds to conceal the items you kept inside. This precaution will help lessen the temptation of thieves to steal your things.
What to do when someone steals my things while camping?
The primary thing you should do is to make the people around you aware of your situation. If you are at a private campsite, report this incident to the camp manager and any security personnel to assist you with your problem.
Another tip is to double-check your things to ensure that you haven’t misplaced the lost item in your inventory when packing up. You can also ask your fellow campers if they have mistakenly taken your belongings in their inventory. If not, the final thing you can do is file a report about your missing item to the police.
Is the campsite responsible when my things get stolen?
When going camping on either a private or public campsite, you will likely observe numerous signs with labels about disclaimers and warnings to keep in mind. One typical signboard seen in these sites is the “We are not liable for any lost/stolen items.” sign.
This disclaimer only means that when going camping, it is your responsibility to look after your things and that the campsite management is not to blame if anything is lost or damaged from your inventory.
