Community Forums

KSagal · 10-29-2018, 02:57 PM

Truth is, I am not a woman alone, so as much as I can say, it will never be from the same perspective as the OP, nor will my experiences be the same... (I am an Army veteran, skydive instructor, concealed carry permittee in many states)

At the same time, the questions are if RVs are safe. Yes, they are as safe as anything else in their area. Are all area safe? No, not necessarily.

Your camping on an other person's land and not knowing it makes me nervous. It matters not how strong your RV door is, if you do not know what you are doing, or are not paying attention to what you need to pay attention to. If you had a gun with you, and shot that person on his own land because you were nervous, would that have been a good thing?

I carry most of the time, but very few people know it. I do not carry deadly weapons casually. I have not had the unfortunate situation occur where I needed to ever pull it out. I hope never to need to. The bigger your weapon is, the bigger the responsibility is.

Bad people are a certain percentage of the population. We can argue the percentage, but I would guess less than 5%. That is not significantly different in cities than in the country. But if you are near a city, and there are a 100,000 people within a mile of you, that is 5,000 bad guys. If you are in the country, and there are 100 people within a mile of you, that is 5 people. Keep that in mind.

Many here have said it, the best safety starts between your ears. Regardless of how strong your RV door is, or how friendly the local sheriff is once he arrives (If you can get a message to him), the thing that will keep you relatively safe is your own choices. Pay attention to the details, be aware of your surroundings.

Personally, I might carry wasp spray, but perhaps for a different reason. I personally think you are far more likely to be assaulted by a wasp than a Meth head. (Unless you frequently camp in a very different place than I have ever been).

Also, in the extremely unlikely event that you are attacked by a meth addicted wasp, you will be all set.

Good luck.

**pasdad1** · 10-29-2018, 02:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gordiegaffer

....don't keep your keys in the ignition to drive off in a hurry you have too much stuff hooked up to do that.

I don’t agree with that advice. If your life is in danger, escaping is all that matters...any damage to the rig can be repaired.....your life cannot.

twogypsies · 10-29-2018, 03:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ray,IN

In my opinion you're asking the wrong people. I would contact the irv2.com singles group "solo RVer's"forum, and/or Loners On Wheels, an RVing club for single people, most of them are full-timers.
You will be just as safe in an RV as in your car in a strange setting, if you follow your usual precautions and feelings.

Exactly.... all the people in the above groups travel alone. They do get together every so often for a group thing but mostly, alone.

If we were as paranoid about safety as some we would have never full-timed for 16 years. What fun is it to always be looking over your shoulder or to be suspicious of everyone passing by? Our favorite kind of RVing was staying in public parks of all kinds or boondocking on national forest or BLM lands. We never felt uncomfortable.

**hamm2018** · 10-29-2018, 04:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ret.LEO

This is what I carried. Never used it on the street but would get called in when there was a "problem" in the Jail. We housed women for the City of St Louis, ICE Detainee's, Federal Inmates, Local Idiots. It never let me down no matter how big the inmate or how ticked off they were. I had to be sprayed with it to use it.............believe me............it works!
https://www.sabrered.com/

The sabre red is hotter then the Fox. But the problem we found with the sabre is the recovery time was quicker then the fox. The Sabre Red Predator is even hotter then the Sabre Red, but the same issue quicker recovery time. When doing a cell extraction the longer recovery time the better for us. Yeah we had to be sprayed also, a level 1 exposure.

Retired Sept.1st from Ohio prison system in a close/max prison with 27 years. Our level of security went from a working farm (level 1) to close/max

jcussen · 10-31-2018, 08:33 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by hamm2018

The sabre red is hotter then the Fox. But the problem we found with the sabre is the recovery time was quicker then the fox. The Sabre Red Predator is even hotter then the Sabre Red, but the same issue quicker recovery time. When doing a cell extraction the longer recovery time the better for us. Yeah we had to be sprayed also, a level 1 exposure.

Retired Sept.1st from Ohio prison system in a close/max prison with 27 years. Our level of security went from a working farm (level 1) to close/max

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Uy9MnQfk_0

ThorAce2015 · 11-04-2018, 03:19 PM

Get a firearm. You can protect your RV the same as you would your house.

Journey39n · 11-04-2018, 03:51 PM

Travelling alone, or a couple or group, there are always people who are terrified that you are out there travelling at all. They are the ones who will never experience much beyond their routine day-to-day lives.

Firearms are great, if you are comfortable and trained to use them. If not, and you feel you need something, some industrial strength pepper spray may be the answer. A large, barking dog is another deterrent but comes with some overhead and responsibility.

We have camped, way out in the boondocks, islands, normal campgrounds, and urban campgrounds. The general rule seems to be, the more people that are around, the more possibility of incidents exist.

Your best deterrent is using your head, be smart, be aware of your surroundings, and be prepared. In our years of travelling, I have never feared those around me, some concern, mostly annoyance at their antics.

But live life on your terms, not through the fears of others.

Rook · 11-04-2018, 04:07 PM

Hi Nicole, I'm a "solo" also and I have a slight advantage, I'm a male. "Common sense" is your best asset. Camping in country locations is usually safer than near large cities.....predators prefer crowded invironments, more opportunities, and easier crowd cover. When in doubt, take the safest course. Be alert, trust no one. Good luck, Rook

Danj2001 · 11-04-2018, 04:13 PM

Well, in all honesty, I would be well prepared to deal with 'bad guys/girls'. The US isn't a very safe country and with the proliferation of guns in everybody's hands, it's even worse. So, I would take precautions if I were in the boondocks. And yes, I would be well armed to and I would also set up motion detectors outside my RV. So, be careful.

verybiggestd · 11-04-2018, 04:35 PM

In my opinion, and as a 28 years of service military retiree, I believe every RVer should have at least a pump shotgun onboard. Stash it in an inconspicuous place and never talk about it with any visitors. There is no better close range defensive weapon than a 12 gauge pump shotgun. A 20 gauge comes in a close second. Keep it clean and loaded. Keep the safety on. You will probably never need it, but like the old saying goes, “it’s better to have and not need than to need and not have.”

And get over the thought you could never stand to shoot an attacker. The very sight of a large bore weapon pointed at a bad guy is almost always going to make him turn tail and run away. Then you can contact the authorities and they can search for and deal with the low life. At least the local coroner won’t be completing any paperwork on you.

RetiredCG · 11-04-2018, 04:41 PM

On the street that I live on here in Texas, there are 14 house's 7 of them have active police officers and I'm a retired officer. No crime, and when I travel with my trailer. I have a sign on the door, if there is anything in here worth your life by all means come in. Owner Carrie's a weapon at all times. I enjoy every trip I take, and one other thing I have in the trailer is a (Simple Safe Alarm system) everything that opens on the outside has a sensor that trips the alarm. I feel safe an secure everywhere I park. Enjoy the outside have fun but be prepared.

Ken O · 11-04-2018, 04:45 PM

I can relate, I am an old single guy (71), retired at 55, who "half timed". I spent many winters mostly on I-10 going between AZ and FL.

I sometimes ended up in some pretty shady campgrounds, some were actually full time residents living in old TTs, if your on the road a lot, you will experience it.

I never had a problem. I carried a firearm, considered it exactly the same way as having a fire extinguisher.... probably never need it, but sure want it close if needed. Myself, I wouldn't be without either.

I ended up buying a house in FL, so I don't do that anymore.

alanjg · 11-04-2018, 04:46 PM

And a lot more than minutes when your in the boonies. Get a gun, take some courses, shoot it once in a wile so you don't forget how.
You'll probably never need to use it but will sleep better knowing that you can if need be.

HeyHeyJJ · 11-04-2018, 04:46 PM

I have travelled quite a bit and have learned to trust my instincts. Take a self defense course and have some form of a weapon handy that you know how to use. The most important thing is to able to do something to give you a chance to get away. I have a pitbull who terrifies people but would probably lick someone to death. Dogs are great deterrents and wonderful companions. Also, be friendly with your neighbors so if you need help, they aren't scared of you. Another deterrent is if someone seems suspicious, look them in the eye and talk to them briefly. By simply acknowledging them removes the sense if anonymity they may feel.