Security overnight

[chrisgolden]

Hi Everyone,

As a " NEWBEE " How secure is it traveling with an RV. We all see the news where everyone seems to be going Nuts !

Any precautions that You would Suggest ????

Thank You,

[USMC1968]

Mostly common sense.... know your surroundings... we camp mostly state parks and for the first year the front door lock did not even work... no problems... campers are mostly good peoples... carry a big stick or CC... life is to short to worry about the small stuff and most of life is made up of small stuff

[pasdad1]

If you are in a motorhome, leave the keys in the ignition or nearby....then if something really scary happens, Drive away ! You could come back later and retrieve any stuff you left behind ! Blowing loud air horns if you got them would also scare away any would be bad guys...... Probably never happen, so don't spend much time worrying about it. Just trust your gut instinct, and If you don't feel safe somewhere, then leave 😃

[HR2004]

We have never had an issue at a campground.. we have not boondocked at walmart or truckstops.. But we do take our friends Smith and Wesson along anytime we leave town.. We also have a small dog that lets us know if someone is around outside.. she doesn't bark, she just goes on alert with a growl.

[SarahW]

We have never had any cause for concern in a campground, rest area or Walmart. One tip I found sensible is to never open the door if someone should knock that you aren't expecting. Instead, open the window and ask what they want from safely inside.

[Gordon Dewald]

Likely no different than travelling in a car and staying in motels. There is not a white van on every corner.

[MSHappyCampers]

Originally Posted by SarahW

We have never had any cause for concern in a campground, rest area or Walmart. One tip I found sensible is to never open the door if someone should knock that you aren't expecting. Instead, open the window and ask what they want from safely inside.

Great advice!

[twogypsies]

We traveled the country full-timing for more than 16 years - RV parks, public campgrounds, WalMarts, boondocking in the 'wilds'. We've never felt uncomfortable or had issues. Just be aware of your surroundings and don't get paranoid over it. You'll enjoy your trips better!

[lynnmor]

DW and I each practice our 2nd amendment rights. We never had any significant problems, but we take precautions. There is wasp & hornet spray in a handy place as well.

[TJ]

In 40+ years of RVing, I've only had a couple of situations where I felt uncomfortable. For the most part, there is security in numbers and fellow campers provide the numbers.

At night, lights are your best friend! Know where your exterior light switches are and turn them on if there is any question of something going on. We had someone outside the motorhome at 1:45 am a few weeks ago and, when the security lights came on they departed in a hurry!

Never open your door unless you are 100% certain who is there. Stay inside the RV and call 911.

Use your horn to attract attention of other campers.

If you carry a firearm...I do...use it only for imminent self-defense. Do not try to intimidate anyone into leaving by showing a firearm; that just lets them know you have one. And, they just might want to try and take it away from you.

Hunker down inside your RV until help arrives as a result of a 911 call, lights coming on, horns blowing, etc..

In my experience, incidents are very few and far between, and usually involve juveniles being stupid rather than real bad guys.

[jacwjames]

We have traveled with a large breed dog for the last ~12 years. The bull mastiff we had would not have let anyone near my wife (not even me if she thought I was going to hurt her), literally she would have taken a bullet for my wife. We now have 2 retrievers, one of which is very protective, again I don't think anyone would dare to come in the RV.

Even still when we will always park in will lighted areas. If we go outside the RV we will have at least 1 of the large dogs and usually we go out together. We also have a can of Bear Spray handy

[timetogo]

We usually don't lock the door. Have fun...........

[Bigd9]

We do mostly what everyone here has said except for the practice of our 2nd amendment rights. Just have never felt we needed to.

[Bigbird65]

We have never come across an uncomfortable situation in our camping. I do trust other campers. We always camp in a commercial RV park or State Parks. I have a CHL and my two buddies Nano and Elsie Pea are always with us just in case.