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Both at home and hitchlock on site but as others say with an unfolded camper with an awning up it would take a huge amount of time for a thief to pack up enough to be able to tow it away!

As Lobey says more likely to get someone maybe ransacking contents for valuables which we always lock in the car

Quote: Originally posted by LobeyDosser on 09/9/2011

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LINKY thing.

I am not suggesting that TTs and FCs are never stolen, but I think they are less desirable to thieves than caravans and my biggest concern is not what happens when they are folded and in storage, but what could happen when erected on a site and we are away for the day.

A simple penknife is all that is needed by the opportunist thief to gain entry and ransack the contents and while hitchlocks, wheelclamps and other noticeable deterrents are no bad thing, this coming winter we will be looking at some sort of Motion Sensor Alarm that we can set up when we leave the Camper on a site, unattended.

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No Howard.

But since buying our FC last year, I have been finding ways to modify it to make it more comfortable to our needs.

A TT or an FC would not be a desirable unit for the "travelling variety thief" other than to sell on, but an alarm would be a deterent to the opportunist thief that may be around a campsite because it would attract the attention of other campers to the fact that he/she was in there.

We never leave anything of value in our FC, but as caravanning and camping equipment become more expensive, the very idea that someone could so easily get into our FC and steal even our basic equipment is a bit of a worry.

I am inclined to look at "the garden shed" variety of alarm. Simple to install and easy to activate.

At the moment, I cannot decide whether it will be permanently sited or something I hang from the roof cross poles when required, but we are off on a 10 day trip on Thursday and I will put more thought into it then when we have the camper up and in use.

Quote: Originally posted by LobeyDosser on 11/9/2011

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I am inclined to look at "the garden shed" variety of alarm. Simple to install and easy to activate.

At the moment, I cannot decide whether it will be permanently sited or something I hang from the roof cross poles when required, but we are off on a 10 day trip on Thursday and I will put more thought into it then when we have the camper up and in use.

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Hi Kelper, Anyonme familier with a caravan park will know that dogs and not left in units when the owners are away and therefore any alarm that sounds like a dog barking is a fake.

Also the bark emitted by an alarm would in no way mimic the screech that our two give out when their dander is aroused.

Alarms in Caravans/FCs can be as simple or as complicated as you are prepared to pay for, but having had dedicated caravan alarms systems in the past, I am loathed to take that path again. Too expensive, too complicated and too much hassle to set up and de-activate.

The oportunist thief that knicks things on caravan parks will probably be well aware of that park and the routines of the residents and what I am looking to do is cause a shock to them both from an unexpected alarm and the fear of being observed by other caravan owners.

A PIR detector or two is all that is needed. I could never stop anyone from getting into our FC, but I can sure as hell cause them to leave in a hurry.

It is nice to think along thoes lines and yes, the vast majority of campers are, up until now, trust worthy individuals who respect other campers property and look out for their neighbours, but with the rising numbers of folks who think of camping as a cheap (???) form of holiday, along with the advertising of low cost camping gear, has also come the rise of petty thefts on caravan/campsites.

So whilst I have no wish to make it obvious that the contents of my unit is electronically protected, nor am I going to adopt an open door policy.

Camping, for us is an attempt to enjoy a change in our environment coupled with peace of mind.
Any device which gives us a little more security for our posessions will help along that road.

I think it would be foolish for us to pay out £160 odd a year in insurance and not spend another 20 or 30 quid on a one off payment for a burgler alarm.

I have the little barrel insert to stop the hitchlock mechanism working, a ball inserted in the hitch cup which locks in place and a wheelclamp.

I'm working on the garage so I can get my tent in there before the winter.