Say you’re just taking the dog on a quick loop around the campground and you’ll only be gone for 10 or so minutes. Before you start walking, do you turn around and lock your RV’s door? If so, do you always lock it or just some of the time?
Do you feel safe if your RV’s door is unlocked while you’re away for a few minutes or not? Would you feel safer if you had campsite neighbors or no neighbors? What if they looked like “sketchy” neighbors?
After you vote, please leave a comment and answer the above questions and why, or why not, you would, or wouldn’t, lock your RV’s door for a 10-minute walk. Thank you!
It really depends on the campground that I am in. We mostly camp in State or County Parks. If we are in an RV Resort, then I tend to lock my door because the sites are so close together.
When not in the immediate area, my RV is locked. Easier to be safe, than sorry.
Always lock the door. Only takes seconds to have something clipped. And the security camera is always running.
Yes just because a habit is safest. That way we always lock it when away. I also always use turn signals even if no one is behind me. I don’t have to remember just make it a habit.
Yes, I always lock my RV when not there. As I keep a firearm in it.
While planning a short walk, one never knows if a distraction may occur…a conversation with another camper, stopping to take in the view, or any number things that may draw your attention. If you’re like me, a 10 min walk could EASILY become much longer!
A 10 minute walk away usually means my wife is still there. When we both leave, yes we lock the door. Too much time living is suburbia, I guess
It’s the same with me, as no one is going to mess with our stuff if my wife is still around.
My answer is every time. I even lock the doors to my home when I’m doing yard work because I know someone who had stuff stolen while gardening. In today’s world, nothing is safe from thieves.
Always locked when we are not in the camper, except when our two German Shepherds are left in the camper!
It depends on how safe I feel in our current location. And if we have ‘nosy neighbors’ I may not lock my door. I happen to like ‘nosy neighbors’ who mind their own business, but quietly observe for unusual activity within their community.
I said no. Don’t even know where my house keys are.
Absolutely. The 1950s are long gone my friend. Leave nothing unsecured that you would like to take home with you.
It only takes a minute or less for someone to steal from you. I always lock everything, even the door when we are inside.
Simply put – it depends.
Yes, I lock it AND lock the escape window just going to campground restroom. I once had things stolen while stored at a friends ranch. I was doing work inside, left escape window open overnight. Thief entered by way of window. Thief’s boyfriend worked for the ranch and denied wrongdoing. Also, one of the campgrounds I go to is a Nevada state park and homeless people come in to dumpster dive and use free showers.
Yes!
Depends. We winter in the same place each year and have the same neighbors. I don’t worry about it there if we’re just going for a walk. Campgrounds that I’m not familiar with or surrounding people, we lock up even if we’re away for just a few minutes.
It depends. Most of the time we do not lock it because we go to campgrounds we’ve been to before and know that they patrol regularly. We also say hello to our new neighbors when we pull in or they pull in. We get a feel for their trustworthiness. Most RV locks can be opened with your RV keys. They are pretty universal. So locking them is hardly a deterrent. Unless you buy new/different types of locks.
When we are boondocking we ALWAYS lock it and lock our generator in the inner bed of the truck.
It is too easy to sell stolen stuff in complete anonymity in this new world of eBay, Craigslist, etc.
If we’re not there, it’s locked…though I doubt a stranger is entering with our German Shepherd looking them in the face through the door window!
Fortunately, with a keycode and click we can lock and unlock the main door and all bay doors in a couple seconds.
Unfortunately you can’t judge peoples honesty by looking at them. And the worst often aren’t even visible.
We rarely lock when away for short periods while at our home resort. Lots are privately owned with a few rented out when folks are away. Feel very safe here.
When traveling almost always lock when away.
My husband grew up in the “city” and doesn’t walk out of any door without locking it! It’s a habit I’ve had to learn because that was not in my nature…but it makes him happy, so I do it 😉
We have only locked it when going for a walk in one place – Memphis. We don’t worry about it even if we are on an extended walk in the campground. These rigs are so easy to break into that I’d rather they took stuff (nothing that valuable in rig) than damage the rig trying to get in. Guess we’ve been lucky, but haven’t had an issue in 6 years of fulltiming.
We always lock our RV. We don’t want any surprise guests, friendly or not in our home away from home. And I don’t want anything to happen to our cat.
Happy trails.
The installation of my new RV lock makes it very easy to lock and unlock our motor home. We always lock it now.
We have three small dogs and never lock the trailer if we are leaving for a little while and leaving them in the trailer in hopes that if some catastrophe happened someone could rescue the dogs from the trailer.
Thank you, RV Travel! 🙂 We usually do lock the RV when we leave it and can no longer see it. Thanks again, have a great week, safe travels, and safe stays! 🙂
We lock the trailer when we take a walk, head to the showers, and leave the campground. We don’t want the curious or lost blundering in. Another reason to always lock it is to keep it as a habit. That way, we know we’ve locked it when we hit the road, leave for the day, etc.
Reading the comments I guess we have Rv’d in mostly safe ND, MN areas. Even a trip to Yellowstone etc., we did not when in the campground. Leaving for a period of time or distance yes. Times have changed. We’ve never had security lites and camera’s around our home either – but now we do. Seems a lot changed since 2009-2010 to now especially. I lock the doors to the house at virtually all times and we live in a, so far, crime free rural subdivision.
I just happened to find your dates interesting. “A LOT” has changed since 1950, in my opinion. Not much has changed since 2009.
It’s a habit to lock the door when we leave. We also always lock our cars in the driveway at home. I love reading about the car break-ins of unlocked vehicles. These are not break-ins, they are invitations to steal!
I always lock my TT and before that the class A. We don’t always camp at the expensive resorts and aside from the times changing, being African American, we’re not always “welcome” and experience shows some find pleasure in “fiddling around” our area to give us something to think about. NOT stopping us!!!
I am sad that you face these issues with some other campers…it is on them, not you. You would be welcome with our family
Why do I lock up for a ten-minute walk? Because of my life experiences and my long-time avocation even in retirement – I am a former LEO (law enforcement officer), Personal Security Consultant, and a Firearms Instructor and Concealed Carry Qualification Instructor in the state of Missouri. I have seen evil up close and personal. It can happen very quickly, without warning, almost anywhere. Just because you’ve never had an incident doesn’t mean you’re exempt. Maybe it means you’re due!! Take simple precautions (like locking the door). Bad guys usually only want easy targets. Don’t be one. And have a great day!
Locks are like seat belts – Useless if not used.
Too many stories of hardship and loss start by saying, “It was only 10 minutes”…..
Only if my wife is with me do I lock up. She has good day and bad and I enjoy just being out and about.
I never lock mine. If they want in they will get in no sense in busting up my door.
Always lock up. Criminals and opportunists are always watching for a chance to grab something. It takes a minute to enter, grab, and go.
a lock keeps an honest person honest. The less than honest will find out what awaits him/ her behind the locked door….
We always lock the camper & vehicles. We’ve been robbed about 3 times at home when we weren’t there. Kinda makes you not trust anyone. Even if we are both inside I lock the door. If my husband is a outside right on the site I don’t lock it. I know a lady who was camping with her husband (not exactly sure where he was) but she had a drunk guy come in her camper while she was alone. Scared her to death. He wasn’t there to be mean. He just didn’t know where he was.
OMG… reading these comments makes me sad / concerned! We usually close the screen door & take the walk with the dogs. So far mostly state parks in FL & GA and a music festival grounds that my doors are always open & all our stuff out on the table (& the only thing I lost was a cool koozie & some liquor to some kids – we think). Getting ready for our first real multistate run & with 2 camper doors on our new unit – gonna be PIA to lock up I think!
Never locked an RV when in a campground. Never lost anything of note that I can remember.
I find it easier to just lock anything when I leave it. It’s more of an automatic thing than a distrust of everyone.
I don’t have to wonder, did I lock it or not, and if I don’t return as soon as I expected to, I don’t have to worry about it.
I lock all of my vehicles when parked outside no matter where we are. I don’t lock the motorhome when I go for a walk if the wife stays back unless she feels uncomfortable about the area then I lock the door.