Personal Safety

[WillyB]

Set your car alarm and keep the keys next to you so you can set it off. Plus keys are weapons. Lock door and lean a broom on the door. When opened from the outside the broom handle will fall in their face and delay entry time into the trailer. We prefer wasp spray inside of a confined space.

My friend bought a cheap motion detector at Wally World and it has a buzzer that he keeps inside to let them know someone/something is outside before they start kicking the door in. I think it cost $20 USD.

If someone still wants to come inside to rob an alerted owner with a car alarm going off, a broom handle in the face with a shot of wasp spray in the eyes then they are coming in anyway but at that point you have the advantage. Knives, Short Baseball Bats, Pot & Pans are all fair game.

Be Prepared by Being Aware of the Advantage for Being Prepared.

[Ooshkaboo]

Originally Posted by gbaglo

You are missing the point. If you are not there, and if you have an NRA decal on your door, you probably have guns.

Same reason I've never applied decals for Apple computers, Nikon cameras or Sage fly rods to my trailer or vehicle.
Don't shoot yourself in the foot.

Just owning an Escape makes you a target…

[Mike Lewis]

Originally Posted by Ron in BC

Ice fields parkway, 2017?

Ron

Yeah it was that trip. I had a good time. Except for the bears.

[gbaglo]

Originally Posted by Ooshkaboo

Just owning an Escape makes you a target…

Missouri - isn't that the "Shoot me" state?

[fudge_brownie]

Since the Escape is a tandem axle trailer, I find it necessary to check the tires frequently. A couple of quick thumps and I can tell they are inflated. This is a common technique employed by truckers with "dualies".

To accomplish this, they use a tool called a tire checker, tire thumper, tire knocker et al. Think of a stubby baseball bat with a weighted end and a lanyard. Available at just about every truck stop store I have been into. The tire thumper is an elegant piece of work, worth of public display. The tire buddy is also in my collection, it looks pretty serious.

Even though I check my tires with a tire gauge more frequently I still carry a trusty tire checker in each vehicle and inside the trailer.

[gbaglo]

The piece of pipe that is used to hook up WDH chains is a substantial item that I store behind my driver seat.

[brroberts]

Unless I’m wearing sandals, I usually just kick’em.

[Iowa Dave]

I only do that if I’m thinking of buying them.
Iowa Dave

[Ooshkaboo]

Originally Posted by gbaglo

Missouri - isn't that the "Shoot me" state?

You bet it is pilgrim, don’t leave home without it…

[bborzell]

Couple of years ago, I decided to buy my wife a high zoot espresso machine. After deciding which one, I realized that it was available only online and that shipping horror stories were common for espresso machines. So, we packed up the trailer and headed off to the nearest online dealer with a storefront in Portland, some 600 miles away (hey, we had nothing else to do).

Turned out to be a very wet trip and on our way back, we did a late stop in a campground on the Oregon coast. Along about 9:30 pm, in a serious downpour, we heard a knock on the camper door. The guy outside said, “Pizza Delivery”. I said, “we did not order a pizza”.

He replied, “I ain’t leaving until you open the door”. I replied, “You have two problems to consider, one, my wife just called 911 and two, we are armed.”

He stood in the rain with a very wet cardboard pizza box (no warming bag) for a few minutes and then left. A Deputy Sheriff showed up within minutes. He noted that they had had a few late night calls from campers in the last month about insistent attempts to deliver unordered pizza.

Be careful out there.

[emers382]

Originally Posted by gbaglo

Missouri - isn't that the "Shoot me" state?

We camped not far from our daughter's two weeks ago at a Missouri State park, never felt safer especially when the gate to get into the park is closed at 9pm. You must have the code to enter.

Camping in Canada is usually safe except for the poor gal who was robbed of basically everything on her site.
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/londo...heft-1.6441048

[gbaglo]

Adrian. You can find anything you want on the internet.
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/briti...gain-1.6176449

[ghosthunter]

I employee a layered defense. Everything mentioned plus.

Harbor freight has drive way chimes that work great for 10.00.
We have a little dog that travels with us. At night he sleeps across the door. If he is awake anyone outside would think Cujo is in the trailer.

Also carry Kimber Pepper Blaster, Bear Spray and wrist rocket sling shots for pesky critters.

Paint ball from a sling shot marks them for future ID.

[emers382]

Originally Posted by gbaglo

Adrian. You can find anything you want on the internet.
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/briti...gain-1.6176449

True Glenn but what I was pointing out is that the camping "code of honour" was broken by whoever stole most of that gal's camping gear. The killings in this article is far different from thievery but then guess I shouldn't have posted that article on a thread about personal safety.

Saying that even with our extensive travels in the US the only time I felt nervous about safety was overnight at a Cracker Barrel years ago when something funny was going on at a car not far from where we had parked.

[bborzell]

We have decided to stop unplanned overnights in parking lots of retail stores that are not open all night.

Pilots and Loves are our new choice when plans fall apart. The lots are large enough to avoid idling trucks and people are coming and going all night long.

[WillyB]

Originally Posted by bborzell

We have decided to stop unplanned overnights in parking lots of retail stores that are not open all night.

Pilots and Loves are our new choice when plans fall apart. The lots are large enough to avoid idling trucks and people are coming and going all night long.

What is the yellow thing hanging on your tire?

[cpaharley2008]

Originally Posted by WillyB

What is the yellow thing hanging on your tire?

Appears to be a sand chair, perhaps?

[bborzell]

It’s a wheel boot for those times when we leave the camper unattended in the hinterlands while we wander off. Comes off the spare and locks out a wheel.

Called the California Immobilizer, but made in BC, go figure.

[Donna D.]

Originally Posted by WillyB

What is the yellow thing hanging on your tire?

Looks like a tire boot to me.

[Donna D.]

Originally Posted by bborzell

It’s a wheel boot for those times when we leave the camper unattended in the hinterlands while we wander off. Comes off the spare and locks out a wheel.

Muggins!