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Old 08-25-2016, 08:51 AM   #1
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Question Off Site RV Storage and Theft Concerns

Unfortunately I cannot store my RV here at home for more than 72 hours, so like many of you I imagine, I'm paying to store my TT off site in what is considered a 'secure' facility. Which really only means there is a keypad at the main entrance gate renters have the code for (all 3000 of them).

Long story short, what do you guys keep on board, and what do you take home with you when you are leaving your RV at such a location? I have purchased a new set of locks for my storage doors just for a little peace of mind.

Anyone ever steal your sewer hose, chocks, leveling blocks, or anything more serious like your battery, television etc?

I'm not going to strip my RV every time I park it, just wondering what your experiences are in this area.

Thanks in advance,
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Old 08-25-2016, 08:58 AM   #2
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Wow that is trouble some. To me battery would be first thing. There over 100 dollars new. I've seen people reroute there battery in the storage compartment just for that reason. As far as inside theft. I would think electronics, and if they know what there doing, the refrigerator would be next. Price a new one... Put yourself in there shoes. What would you take thats gonna make money in return... Good luck. Changing locks is a good start..

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Old 08-25-2016, 09:00 AM   #3
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Oh and never leave any prescribed medicine. Lot off pill poppers out there...

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Old 08-25-2016, 09:10 AM   #4
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My storage facility has cameras, so this gives me some small measure of comfort. Bottom line on replacing door and storage locks and whatnot; they won't work. At BEST, they will cause a thief to move on to the next (easier) target. Chances are that their "key" is a large flat screw driver and a crow bar, maybe a hammer for good measure. No matter how your doors are keyed, they won't stand up to the "ultimate" key.

People have talked about putting "alarms" (either real or decoys) on/in their rigs to deter thieves with some alleged success. There's one rig in my storage lot that has a "Protected by ADT Security Systems" sticker right on the main door window.

I take my battery home with me every time I store the trailer, but not necessarily because I'm afraid of it being stolen, but because I want to keep it topped off with a Battery Tender.

Really, other than that, I'm more worried about the damage a thief will cause to my trailer than anything they'll steal from inside it. The OEM TV is not great, and I would welcome an excuse to replace it. And my Weber grill being stolen would break my heart a little. Those are really the only items of value in my trailer, and they wouldn't even meet the deductible to file an insurance claim.

The trailer we had when I was a kid was broken into. We think it was a vagrant(s) seeking shelter. The broken window caused ALL KINDS of water damage, and they tore the place up pretty good. But there was nothing of value to steal. They did more damage to the trailer than anything they could steal anyway.

I would say, good insurance and frequent visits/use are your best defense. If you can get the owner to install cameras and lots of lights, they will help too. Criminals don't like to be seen, so whatever you can do to increase their potential exposure while they are being criminals will go a long way to deter the behavior.
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Old 08-25-2016, 09:16 AM   #5
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Thanks Bob, good points all around.

I didn't mention that the lot has cameras and decent lighting, but it does. When I signed my rental contract yesterday I also noticed a dog's chew toy on the floor of the office that was 3 ft long and the diameter of my thigh, mostly ripped to shreds. Not sure how that works when they have customers in there at all hours, but like you said, this is why we have insurance. I'll try not to sweat it... just being a little paranoid since 'she's' brand new
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Old 08-25-2016, 09:20 AM   #6
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A long piece of yellow "Crime Scene" ribbon around the RV will likely do a better job than new locks, cameras, or alarms.
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Old 08-25-2016, 09:25 AM   #7
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LOL, maybe add some bullet holes?
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Old 08-25-2016, 09:57 AM   #8
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We have been storing off site since 2011 with ZERO issues. I do take my batteries, but that is mainly to keep them on a tendor.

Our lot too is "key pad" secured, however each tenet has a unique pin. This should allow them to correlate who's code along with a security camera image to develop a lead on any potential theft or vandalism.

Theft happens, but I think based on the number of RVs stored in these Facilites compared to the number of issues you hear about; statistics are your best security. It is a very low possibility that your RV will be targeted.
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Old 08-25-2016, 10:23 AM   #9
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On this forum, the number one thing taken during a theft is the batteries. Lock them up good or take them home.

Once in a while, you will hear about a RV being broken into, usually by a large crowbar. They do a lot of damage to the door. Inside, very little is taken, maybe the tv, and a few personal items.
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Old 08-25-2016, 10:30 AM   #10
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I wasn't too concerned with someone breaking in but rather hitting the trailer. We are on the end (makes it nice to just pull through!) but I've always been afraid of someone clipping the corner. It just happened to us on Monday Those cameras that we thought would help if our trailer was broken into....they just monitor the perimeter and not the inside. Thankfully the person that hit us called the front desk to report it.
Now that this was brought up, maybe we should take the battery off when storing. We don't leave anything valuable in the trailer when storing other than the TV but it wasn't very expensive when we bought it 3 years ago and I'm sure they are even cheaper now! The damage caused by them actually breaking in would be much worse.
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Old 08-25-2016, 10:42 AM   #11
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One other way to assess; look at what the other tenants do. When looking for a lot, I noted that at most of the lots inside the city the TT's were stripped for storage. At the lot I use out in the country (maybe 20 miles out), there is an onsite owner, lots of cameras, individual access cards, and nobody removes anything from their units. Batteries, propane tanks, etc are all left out so your unit is ready to go. I even leave a portable solar panel attached to tend the battery with no issues (so far). The owner has two Pekinese dogs, so I don't count on them for much added security though.
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Old 08-25-2016, 10:57 AM   #12
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I've been storing on lots in urban Atlanta for 25 years. Never had a problem with theft. There was one story on the news (last year I think) about someone breaking into several trailers on a lot - they took tools from some work trailers but nothing from the RV's - just damage.
Unlike cars, I don't think there is much of an underground market for RV parts. A thief can't dump them on a fence quickly. The exception, as has been mentioned, is batteries.

My problem with storage lots are that in this area "Landscape" companies rent spots on lots. These are usually unlicensed companies that don't have an office. They park their trucks and trailers in the storage lot at night. In the morning the whole crew shows up - pulls out the trucks, parks their cars there and goes to work. In the evening they reverse the process. I've had more damage from careless maneuvering of landscape trailers going in and out than anything.
Visit your lot at night - and if it has lots of landscape or construction trucks - go somewhere else.
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Old 08-25-2016, 12:24 PM   #13
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The only things that would bring in easy money from an RV would be the battery(s), Tv(s), Microwave, and maybe the radio/dvd. All of which take a few minutes to remove and would give a few dollars in return. Multiply that by a few RV's in the lot, would make it worth their effort.

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Old 08-25-2016, 12:24 PM   #14
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Dustdevil View Post
A long piece of yellow "Crime Scene" ribbon around the RV will likely do a better job than new locks, cameras, or alarms.
LOVE IT! I might have to try that! I have a big spool of yellow "caution" tape in my garage!

Though I would be afraid of someone getting curious and going in to "see what happened".

OP: With a big dog, big lights and cameras, I wouldn't worry too much. We stored our boat for years, and now our trailer for almost 3 years and have never had anything happen to either of them. Of course, we always remove batteries (even in the boat) like I mentioned before.

Visiting the lot at odd hours also helps too IMO. If someone's "casing" the lot, and they see a lot of activity at all hours, they'll likely go elsewhere. I go to our lot late at night quite often (obviously, I'm "prepared").

I also think that equipment trailers (like what contractors use) are bigger targets. Just in the last year, we've had several major "hits" on those types of units around our little town. One of my clients was a victim (though he didn't have any tools in the trailer, he was pissed about the damage they did getting in.) They hit him just when it got dark on the first night of a long holiday weekend. It's a LOT easier and more lucrative to fence stolen tools than some POS TV out of an RV. I also doubt they would take the time to take out a fridge. An AC unit might be stolen for the copper? But those things are not very discreet and take some time; not something most thieves are interested in.

Question for you guys with keypad entry: What's the exit like? I've seen many lots that use a pad on ground inside the gate to open the gate, with a key pad on the outside. My lot has a key pad on the INSIDE to open the gate on the way out. This deters people from "sneaking" in behind another vehicle because you have to punch a code to get out. Again, criminals are observation averse, so the more times they are seen, the less likely they are to commit a crime. Of course, it's just chain link, so they could just come in the "new side entrance" ...
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Old 08-25-2016, 12:41 PM   #15
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Originally Posted by Camper_bob View Post
Question for you guys with keypad entry: What's the exit like? I've seen many lots that use a pad on ground inside the gate to open the gate, with a key pad on the outside. My lot has a key pad on the INSIDE to open the gate on the way out. This deters people from "sneaking" in behind another vehicle because you have to punch a code to get out. Again, criminals are observation averse, so the more times they are seen, the less likely they are to commit a crime. Of course, it's just chain link, so they could just come in the "new side entrance" ...
Our lot use proximity card sensors for both entry and exit, so yes, both are recorded. The cool thing is that the sensors for the cards have great pickup (much larger sensor than the ones at the office) so they sense the card about 2-3 feet away. Don't even have to get out of the driver's seat, which is great when you have a fat trailer behind you.
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Old 08-25-2016, 12:56 PM   #16
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Thanks for all the replies so far.

I'm dropping my camper off there this evening, but only for a few days, maybe a week... (we still have camping to do ). The gates are wide open during 'office hours'. I'll assess how I get out of the lot this evening and report back.


I don't want to mess with removing the battery until I'm done winterizing in a couple months but that's definitely coming home with me over winter. Other than the theft issue, having it sitting in sub-zero weather, uncharged can't be a good thing.

I had a battery related question but I'll save that for another thread as it's really unrelated. I have a battery tender for my motorcycle that I swear by, so I'll get another one for sure.

The camping world in Golden Colorado where I bought my TT uses this same lot to store their 'extra' inventory. It's just far enough out of town that you are unlikely to get a lot of vagrant / homeless types lurking around. I'm only going month to month for now. I hope by next year I can store it here on site.
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