Where to Hide Something?

[pdcruiser]

Good Day;
Question - while leaving the coach unattended, ie: walks along the beach in Mexico, or even somewhere in this country, where's a good place to hide say your passports - purse - laptops, ipads etc??

Has anyone used a safe? If so attached where?

It has to be easy to get to, but wouldn't be noticed by someone searching the RV.

Thanks for your ideas ..
Paul

[beedub]

we have a 2020 Newmar and there is a safe in the back closet

[dbircky]

Hollow out a goodalls after gluing it together. Nobody looks in that book anyway.

[Old-Biscuit]

Foreign country....passports never leave my possession

As for hiding items of value.
Small safe can only hold so much and a thief can easily break into them using screw drivers etc

Insurance...that is why you have it.
Make sure valuable items are included in the policy

[MingusPirate]

Let's not construe my comments to be complacent and create a whole bunch of arguments. However, I have been in RV parks since 1988. I do not go to Mexico.The only thing I ever had taken, or lost, was a wrench I left out overnight. All the things, like bikes, that I heard from neighbors were left out with no chains, or locks. Maybe my neighbors and I have been lucky.

I do believe that out of sight, like not in view, is important. Additionally, leave the TV, or radio on while you're away. Lock both the deadbolt and opening latch on the door. Don't leave windows open, or unlocked. Draw the blinds. Meet your neighbors and talk to them. They watch as would you.

You can buy a safe to fit under the mattress for small stuff. Make sure it is attached well with nuts, bolts, and large washers to prevent it being carried away. Lastly, if you want a larger safe, again, bolt it down. A 200 pound safe can be carried away.

Now I have seen places I would not stay, and didn't. Conversely we stayed in Temecula, CA that had constant patrols by the casino, sheriff, and city police. So pick the safest place, or one you feel comfortable. Life is too short to worry about belongings.

Never in a foreign country be without your passport, nor surrender it to a hotel, or any other entity.

[Fffrank]

I've got a safe bolted down under the bed. Spare cash, credit cards and usually passports (though we haven't yet left the US.) We hide the laptops under there when we leave as well. Dog stays home as the bark-alarm most of the time and we're usually somewhere with people around.

[StevefromPA]

I have a small safe bolted in an upper cabinet.

[153stars]

I have false floors in different cabinets that are just cut to fit and carpet hides the seams . I had the coach two years before I found the dining chars have zippered storage hanging underneath them. Just didn't notice.

[jacwjames]

Originally Posted by Old-Biscuit

Foreign country....passports never leave my possession

The worse feeling I ever had when traveling internationally was when I was leaving Bolivia. It's actually harder to clear security when leaving then when arriving. Normally there were 4 steps, normal security screening, brief question period where they check your passport and travel itinerary card, luggage check, and then a 2nd luggage check before boarding the plane.

Last time I flew out of Bolivia all was good until I got to the luggage check, the guy pulled everything out and apart, checked in the liner of the luggage and kept asking if I was traveling with Amigo's. He then called someone on the walkie talkie who came and got me and asked more questions and took my pass port he then called someone else on the walkie talkie. That person came and got me and I followed him to a back room where they put me on a old X-ray machine I stood on a conveyor belt that went back and forth in the machine, during which time he was on a computer checking my credentials & he had my passport. All this took ~45 minutes. I was very nervous as just the year before they arrested an American and held him in jail for over a year without any charges.



Oh, and the day before I was in a remote site (~75 miles from the Brazilian border) and the union called an emergency meeting, no one knew what it was about so I had a translator ask the plant superintendent what the meeting was about. He nervously replied "They are having a vote on whether to hold you for ransom or not" Yikes, they must have voted not to kidnap me because they left us drive out although the armed guards held us at the gate for ~45 minutes.



This was the last time I traveled to Bolivia.

[tcg]

Ziplock bags in the kitty liter box. I have several drawers that pull out giving access to behind the sink or under the fridge. In the past when we were on extended vacations and carried cash and fancy cameras I would put the stuff way deep behind things, they'd have to be really determined to pull out the oven to get to those nooks and crannies.

I learned years ago to leave some sacrificial cash out in the open.

They will be in a hurry mostly looking for cash, if they can grab some and leave quickly they may not ransack the place. Same thing at home, we leave a couple hundred in a jar on the counter that looks like our mad money stash, the hope is they grab that and get out quickly.

Not a bad idea to have a second wallet as well. Put a little cash and your expired credit cards and expire drivers license. If you're mugged, give up the phony wallet.

[scenic route]

I don't know how most thieves normally operate, but if I need to really hide something from the DW, I'll just throw it behind the kitchen pots and pans.

[BOOZE TRAVEL]

Some upper cabinates have false bottoms that they run wires thrpugh. There may be about 1" in depth there. The inside panel may be screwed or stapled. If you temove them it will still fit tight and you could pop it up with a knife for access.
There are many false panels in our coach.

[Podivin]

If you get ideas on a public forum for a place to hide things, is it still a good hiding place?

[wolfe10]

Originally Posted by Podivin

If you get ideas on a public forum for a place to hide things, is it still a good hiding place?

If you posted an ANSWER on a pubic forum for a place to hide things, is it still a good hiding place.............


WAIT, where is Jeff Foxworthy?