Preventing RV Theft
Your RV is a huge investment that you want to protect at all costs. That means ensuring its security both out at the campsite and when it’s parked by your house. Thieves can be very enterprising and will easily discover your less-than-stellar security precautions if you’re lax about it, so you’ll want to stay a step ahead of them by doing everything you can to keep your RV and its contents safe and secure.
To aid you on this quest, The Outpost RV has created this guide to preventing RV theft. As your local RV dealer in Indiana, located in Middlebury, we’re here to help you in any way we can, so come to us with questions if you’re still not sure where to begin with RV security!
Strategic Parking Practices
At the campsite, you should endeavor to park your RV in sight of other campers. While you might be tempted to find a secluded spot for privacy and noise reasons, this will leave your RV exposed to thieves who are looking for something to steal that isn’t being monitored. If you park around others, they can keep an eye on your RV and deter thieves even when you’re not there, and you can do the same for them. There is safety in numbers, after all.
At home, you should try to park your RV somewhere out of plain view of the street. Leaving your RV in your driveway or worse, parked on the road in front of your house, gives a sticky-fingered pilferer the opportunity to scope out your RV, judge when you’re not home and return with a vehicle to tow it away while you’re not paying attention. Park behind your house if you can, behind a tall fence or under cover of a tall shed or garage.
Securing Your RV
Never leave your doors or windows unlocked when you leave your RV, even if it’s only for a few minutes, unless someone is there at all times to monitor it. You wouldn’t leave your house unlocked when you went to the store, right? Try blocking up your RV’s wheels to prevent it from being easily moved, or adding wheel locks. For towable RVs, you can get a jockey wheel that allows you to turn the rig around so that the hitch faces away from the road, preventing easy access to crooks with a truck.
Reduce Temptation
An RV with windows thrown open and clutter everywhere invites prying eyes to gauge your stuff from outside. Piles of papers could be hiding valuable laptops and tablets, and that trinket dish full of jewelry might have resale value. Keep your RV clean and tidy with nothing expensive left out in the open. It’s best to not bring anything too valuable on vacation to start with, but electronics are ubiquitous at this point, so you’ll just have to keep them hidden. Installing a safe in your RV for important papers, passports, electronics, emergency cash and any other valuables is a smart move.
Some Final Tips
The locks on most RVs are not unique in any way, meaning that the key from one can often open another easily. Installing a new lock with a unique key, code or combination can instantly increase the security of your RV. You could also install a security or alarm system that sounds an alarm loudly when the lock is tampered with, sending would-be plunderers scattering. Registering your RV and getting a tracking device installed by local law enforcement is a good way to track and recover your RV if it’s stolen.
Visit our Middlebury dealership to see our huge array of RVs for sale. The Outpost RV serves the whole state of Indiana as well as Kalamazoo, Michigan.