By Nanci Dixon
If you are leaving the RV for a couple of days in a campground, make sure to take a few precautions. We have left our motorhome at campgrounds due to family emergencies, and, for the most part, everything has been fine. But there are a few things that I have learned to help keep our RV secure and put my mind at ease while away.
Tips for securing your RV when leaving it behind
1. Let the camp host or office know when you are leaving and when you are expected back. Make sure you’ve paid up for that time and that the campground has no issues with the RV being vacant.
2. Leave a key with the office or a trusted campground neighbor. Make sure you leave your contact info, too.
3. Put any outside items away that would be costly or hard to replace. I usually leave an old camp chair and mat out to say “coming back soon.”
4. Lock all bay doors and double-check that they’re locked!
5. Secure valuables inside. If the RV was broken into, what could you afford to lose? I take some essential papers with us and leave the rest in a safe. I also have digital copies of important papers that go with us.
Hint: You might want to put an AirTag or something like it inside your safe. That way you can track it if it gets stolen.
6. Pull in awnings.
7. Let down the satellite dish and/or any other collapsible antennas.
8. Consider pulling in slides. I always debate about that. Slides pulled in shout “this RV is vacant,” but doing so can save your topper awnings in wind gusts.
9. Turn off the water at the spigot. You don’t want a flood inside or leaking hoses outside!
10. Make sure the water pump is off.
11. Depending on time spent away, consider emptying the fridge. The smell of rotten food can be almost impossible to get out.
12. Set a small light on a timer to go on and off in the evening.
13. If mice or, worse yet, rats are an issue, continue normal precautions. For us, that is keeping rope lights on a timer way under the RV to deter rats, and spraying interior with peppermint oil. Note: Rope lights should be placed well under the RV to avoid disturbing neighbors.
14. Close shades or curtains. Again, all shades tightly down scream “gone” so I vary it a bit and pull just the privacy shades down in a few windows.
What other precautions do you take when leaving your RV in a campground for a few days or an extended time? If you have other suggestions for RVers, please share them in the comments below.
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RVDT2864
I would also shut off the propane to reduce the chance of something happening with it.
We have an RV that stays on site year-round and we occupy seasonally. This is our 9th winter and haven’t yet had a security issue. Pull in the slides, disconnect from water/sewer, turn off propane, lock the hitch. Secure anything left outside (and minimize stuff left outside). I typically have had internet access in the off season. It doesn’t take much to have a couple inexpensive cameras keeping an eye on things. One camera just monitors an indoor/outdoor thermometer. It helps if you have FT friends who have your contact info, and if your RV sit in a site that people regularly pass rather than in that back site.
1. Turn off propane
2. Make sure temp on AC/Furnace set to an appropriate temp so it will not cycle on/off frequently
3. Put an ice cube in small dish and put in freezer … when you return, check to make sure if ice is still cubed shaped … if its not, means power was off long enough for ice to melt
4. Leave roof vents slightly open, as long as vents are covered by vent covers, allows fresh air in trailer
5. Leave a light on in trailer and “patio” light over door …
6. Remote camera also an option
Dont forget to lock hitch